Fender Telecaster

There can’t be many people who’ve not fantasised about becoming a guitar hero. Standing on stage, head down, legs apart, chopping out a blistering guitar solo so loud that it makes peoples ears bleed. And there are a number of truly great electric guitars that have stood the test of time.

One of the most famous electric guitars is the Fender Stratocaster. Originally designed back in 1954 the Fender Stratocaster was the guitar of choice for Jimi Hendrix who played left handed. It’s also the instrument chosen by the likes of Eric Clapton and Pete Townsend of the Who. The Fender Stratocaster is as popular today as it ever was, a testament to the excellent design.

Another well known guitar from Fender is the Telecaster. This beautifully simple instrument was first introduced as the Broadcaster in late 1949 and has been in continuous production ever since. There are many well known guitar heros who like to play Tele’s. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is a great lover of Telecasters, generally tuned to an open G chord for that classic Rolling Stones sound.

If we are talking about classic guitars we must of course mention the fantastic Gibson Les Paul. This is another iconic electric guitar that was first produced back in the 1950s and has been in production ever since. Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin and Yardbirds fame, is just one guitarist who chose the Gibson Les Paul. Another great guitarist who made the sound of this instrument famous in the song ‘Alright Now’ was the lat Paul Kossoff of the band Free.

Since I’ve mentioned a couple of Fenders its only fair to mention a couple of great Gibsons. I could have chosen the fantastic ES335, a favourite with many great guitarists, including BB King but instead I have chosen the exceptional Gibson SG. This distinctive looking solid body electric guitar was introduced in the early 1960s to compete with the popular Fender Strat. This is the guitar used by Angus Young of Australian rock band ACDC for all of their well known rock anthems. This is also the guitar used by the great Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath.

These days there are just so many excellent electric guitars but, for me, these four are the top models that have stood the test of time.