Don't Buy a Fender Telecaster Until You've Seen These
The Fender Telecaster is one of the most iconic electric guitars ever made — but Fender doesn't hold a patent on the shape. Over the years, some remarkable alternatives have emerged from other builders. Here are three Tele-style guitars I've personally owned and reviewed on YouTube, all worth serious consideration before you pull the trigger on a Fender.
G&L
G&L Musical Instruments is one of Leo Fender's other guitar companies — yes, the same Leo Fender. Their Tele-inspired guitar is the ASAT Classic, and it comes in two flavours: the USA-made Fullerton Deluxe, and the made-in-Indonesia Tribute series. One of the standout features of the Tribute is that it uses the same Leo Fender-designed pickups as the more expensive American version.
Fullerton Deluxe ASAT Classic
- Construction Bolt-on
- Scale 25½"
- Pickups Leo Fender G&L MFD™ single coils
- Body Swamp Ash or Alder with rear contour
- Neck Vintage Tint Satin Hard-Rock Maple
- Fingerboard Maple or Caribbean Rosewood
- Neck Profile G&L Modern Classic, 9½" radius
- Nut 100% natural bone
- Frets 22 medium jumbo (Jescar 57110)
- Tuners 12:1 ratio, sealed-back
- Bridge Boxed-steel with brass saddles
- Controls 3-way selector, volume, tone
- Includes G&L deluxe gig bag
Tribute Series ASAT Classic
- Construction Bolt-on
- Scale 25½"
- Pickups Leo Fender G&L MFD™ single coils
- Body Sassafras (translucent/burst) or Poplar (solid)
- Neck Hard-Rock Maple
- Fingerboard Maple
- Nut Width 1 5/8"
- Neck Radius 9½"
- Neck Profile Medium C
- Frets 22 medium jumbo, nickel
- Tuners 18:1 ratio, sealed-back
- Bridge Boxed-steel with brass saddles
- Controls 3-way selector, volume, tone
Get G&L guitars here
Schecter
Schecter Guitar Research is an American company that originally made replacement parts for Fender and Gibson before building their own lineup. I recently had the chance to demo and review the Schecter PT Special in a stunning purple burst finish — and it's one of the nicest Tele-inspired guitars I've ever played. The specs are serious, the fit and finish is excellent, and the push/pull series wiring adds real tonal versatility.
Schecter PT Special
- Body Swamp Ash solidbody
- Body Finish Semi-gloss Purple Burst
- Neck Maple, C shape, bolt-on
- Fingerboard Rosewood, 12" radius
- Nut Width 1.653" (Graph Tech TUSQ XL)
- Frets 22 extra jumbo
- Scale 25.5"
- Neck Pickup Schecter Diamond V-90 single-coil
- Bridge Pickup Schecter Diamond VT-1 single-coil
- Controls Master volume, master tone (push/pull series)
- Switching 3-way blade
- Bridge Vintage Ashtray w/ staggered brass saddles
- Tuners Grover Vintage
- Strings Ernie Ball Slinky .010–.046
Get Schecter guitars here
Godin
Godin is a Canadian guitar company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, with all manufacturing done across five factories in the province. They produce a wide range of electric and acoustic guitars and basses. I purchased a B-stock Godin Stadium HT directly from Godin to use in a deep dive review — and it delivered in a big way.
Godin Stadium HT
- Body Canadian Laurentian Basswood
- Neck Hard Rock Maple
- Fingerboard Maple, 12" radius (304.8mm)
- Scale 25.5" (647.7mm)
- Nut Width 1.65" (41.91mm) — GraphTech
- Frets 22
- Tuner Ratio 18:1
- Neck Pickup Godin GS-3 Single Coil
- Bridge Pickup Godin Custom Cajun Single-Coil
- Bridge Custom T ashtray with brass saddles
- Controls 1x tone, 1x volume, 3-way switch
- Finish Havana Brown, semi-gloss
- Strings E10 (.010–.046)
Get Godin guitars here
Can't Decide? Watch the Head-to-Head
If you're still on the fence, check out my full three-way comparison video below — I pit all three against each other and give my honest verdict on which one I'd choose.
