NMiasters Of The Telecaster MASTERS © MAS ST! JERS << THLECATE ® Two CDs included Telecaster History ® Licks, Solos and Techniques of all the great “Telemasters” AG b ® The Telecaster’s Influence on Blues, Country, f Rhythm & Blues, and Rock ® Standard Notation and Tablature ® Over 140 Music Examples All Contained on the Included Recordings > Eight pages of Color PhotosAlen Roth's MASTERS of 0 TELECANTERINTRODUCTION ‘What/a pleasure to be sitting here.writing a book (now my eighth) about a subject and musical form tat is so near and dear to. my heart! I've been a Telecaster* fanatic since about 1965 when I first laid eyes on one, and I’ve been playing almost strictly “Tele” since my tour with Jon Prine in 1975, when purchased my 1953 "Telecaster for a whopping $400! Shame I didn't have any money then—the guy had a car full of them, all abourthe same price tarists that other guitars just don’. Not only that, but there seems ro be an ever-growing affinity that we Tele players seem to have with each other that makes us a special brotherhood; a “club” of sorts. We know something about our felationship to our Telecasters is special, and that ‘we more than likely, all have similar feelings. One incredible fact to us all is how right Leo Fender got it the first time! After all, we are talking about the very first production sofidbody guitar in the world here (intro- duced as the Broadeaster in. 1948, by Fender), and an instrument of incredible simplicity and purity of design. Now, after almost 48 years and literally hundreds of new guitar experiments, the pure essence of the Telecaster shines through, and the original three: the Telecaster, the Stratocaster® and the Les Paul, al still remain the “three wise men” of the guitar, and that by which all other guitars are measuted. My feeling is that because these guitat§ were literally designed out of neces ‘y, and were direct descendants of hollow-bodied instru- ‘ments, their purity of design for both beauty and func- tion was inevitable. J always felt that this book was a necessity, because no one had ever written a guitar book strictly on the difect effect that one instrument can have on its play- ‘ers. think We cam all agree that as guitar players, we cer- tainly understand, OFat least recognize this phenome- non, How many times do we refer (6'a certain guitarist ‘as a “Strat” or “Les Paul” typeof player? WelllTete players are perhaps the most unique of the bunch, {nd certainly this “inner group” of players has real- Hy started to expand. This is probably due in most ppart to the'tise,in popularity of country music as of Tate, The Telecaster has always been a mainstay of ‘country music since it was first released, and today