Why Your First Guitar should be a Telecaster / Tele Style

Why Your First Guitar should be a Telecaster / Tele Style

G'day guitar mates! So, over the last weeks I've been helping a buddy choose a first guitar for his kid, and hey, blog idea!  Right?  I mean seriously, this decision can TOTALLY impact you or your kid's experience playing guitar, and ultimately determine if guitar turns into a life-long ambition or a passing fancy. So let's talk about option one, which is very popular here in the deep-south of the USA, a country music fan's first guitar.  shall we?

So, I know that at this point many well meaning folks who know absolutely nothing about playing guitar, or maybe even know a LITTLE, will be insisting a first guitar should ALWAYS be an acoustic,but I don't agree.  come to think of it, that'll be an excellent blog for another day, the acoustic vs Electric guitar debate.  For now, let's stick to the scenario that you have a newby who totally digs hard-core country music and ultimately would LOVE to wind up playing in a country cover band.  Dude, the answer is dead-simple:  buy the guitar that has been the country stable go-to guitar for decades; buy a Tele!  And nope, nothing fancy, stick with a straight-forward 2-pickup Tele.  Personally, I'd buy a squire or used Fender at under $250, preferably under$200.

Not that long ago, a sub $200 Squire or Fender would have been a real piece of crap, but today, the CNC machines churn out consistently good guitars that play, intonate, and stay in tune well.  Even the stock pickups, while certainly not spectacular, will deliver that signature Tele tone in an unmistakable way. 

The feel of a Tele most certainly makes you FEEL like a country player, and it naturally lends itself to country licks and tones.  So the very act of strapping the guitar on already has you headed in the desired direction.  Cool, right?

Some final thoughts...

1. BUY LOCALLY!  Darn it, drive to a local guitar or music store, we NEED to keep them open.  A nice side benefit is they will be there to give ya tips and service, help ya replace your first set or two of strings, will likely throw in a lesson or three, and will set ya up with a case or gig-bag at a good deal.  Your local store will actually CARE about you.
2. PICK YOUR COLOR!  Teles come in a ton of ultra-cool colors these days, pick one that matches your personality (or the players personality), it will instantly make ya wanna play more, and be rewardign when you look at yourself in the mirror, and that' ALWAYS been a vital role of a guitar in a person's life :)
3. DON'T GO TOO CHEAP!  Those sub-$100 no-name slightly funky t-style guitars bought in the online Amazonian jungle will probably let ya down, and there will be ZERO real support if ya experience issues (see #1).

Simple, Right?

Well, yeah, it is. the Tele has been the go-to guitar for country players for sooooo long ... it just makes sense.  Next, why a STRAT would make a great first guitar.