the tele-vangelist
John 5 sings the praises of the Fender Telecaster with seven sacred models from his massive collection
Some people collect stamps. John 5 collects Fender Telecasters. Lots of them. Over the years, he’s amassed an assemblage that includes more than 100 pieces, with a model representing each year, starting at the introduction of the instrument (the 1950 Broadcaster) and
stretching to 1983. “I just love history, and I love Telecasters, so I have the best of both worlds,” he says. “I know a lot of people don’t want to hear this, but they’re great investments. Some folks know about stocks. I know about Telecasters.”
He admits that he’s regularly contacted by fans, musicians and vintage collectors looking to sell him Telecasters, but he cautions that he’s a tough customer. “Anybody can buy a bunch of guitars. It’s not that difficult,” he says. “The key is looking for the right guitar. How does it look? How does it feel and sound? Is it all original? All of those considerations go into the thrill of the hunt, and I don’t settle for second best.”
1950 Fender Broadcast er
“Idid this little game in which you focus on something to make it come true,” John says. “That’s what happened with this guitar. You can get a Frankenstein Broadcaster if you look around, but I wanted the real deal — the genuine article. So I thought really hard about it, and that’s when I got a call from Norman at Norman’s Rare Guitars. He said, ‘I’ve got one for you’. This thing is so beautiful. It’s the Holy Grail. I’m a history buff, and I love that this is the very first production model of the solid-body guitar. This is like Lincoln’s hat. It’s so magical — its feel, its sound. And it’s light as a feather. I’ve never picked up a guitar so light. It’s completely original — the only thing that’s been changed is the strings. I never take it on the road with me, but I love to play it. It’s on Cactus Flower from the new album.”
1952 Fender Esquire
“Ilove Esquires because of Keith Richards. The minute I saw him play one, I knew I had to have one, too. Plus, a lot of cowboy players in the 50s played them. They’re incredible guitars — beautiful sound, great feel. This one came into my life in early 2000. I had been looking around for an Esquire, and boom, there it was. That’s the thing about the thrill of the hunt: you have to be willing to put the time in, but once you score, it’s so satisfying. This guitar is a little yellowed, so that means it was out of its coffin for a while. But that’s the only thing that’s changed about it. It’s original, right down to the case. I’ll play it around the house, and sometimes I’ll use it on a track when I record at home. It’s great for bluegrass or western swing. I don’t like to travel with it. I treat these guitars like they’re Fabergé eggs.”
1953 Fender Telecast er
“For a while there, it got to the point where I didn’t want to buy any guitars that weren’t from the West Coast, because the weather in other parts of the country can kill them. I don’t think this guitar ever saw daylight. Whoever owned it must have left it in its case for decades. It looks like it just came off the assembly line. With a lot of these Teles, their colour starts to mellow and turns into something that looks like butterscotch. Nothing of the sort with this one.
“This is another dream guitar that I was lucky to acquire. Of all the blackguards, it’s probably the nicest. I got it from Norm. There was a period when he would get an awesome Tele in, and he knew who to call. I was probably his first call with the Teles. He knew how much I loved them and that I treated them like the treasures they are.”
Lava Lamp Guitar
“Iwas doing an autograph session at a NAMM show, and this guy named Ken Meyer approached me and said he wanted to make me a guitar. I told him, ‘I’m a Fender endorser, so that’s all I ever play’. And he was like, ‘That’s okay. I can make you whatever you want. I’ll make a Tele-style guitar.’ So I said, ‘All right. Can you make me a lava lamp guitar?’ As I said it, I thought he would say no, but he said, ‘Yeah, I can do that’.
“He seemed so confident, which I liked, and when the guitar arrived, I realised that he was also competent. Ken is a retired firefighter from Michigan. He figured out on his own how to put this green goo inside the guitar and make it float. I was knocked out. This thing is amazing! But when I took the guitar to Europe, all of the goo froze, because it was wintertime. So I said, ‘Why don’t we put antifreeze in it?’ It’s still green, you know? So that’s my contribution.”
Fender Telecaster Gold Number Oneguitar
“This is my guitar. It’s so important to me, maybe more than the Broadcaster. It’s my whole world, my life. It’s always with me. I buy it a seat on a plane so it can sit beside me. I designed it with Alex Perez at Fender, and it turned out better than I could have imagined. I wanted a Shoreline Gold guitar. We actually did a Squier version of it that sells very well. But this one is my baby. I play it so much, and I pick so hard that the pickguard is actually wearing off. There’s a big indent in it; it’s starting to look like Willie Nelson’s Trigger, which is all worn out. But I don’t want to replace the pickguard. I’ll keep playing it till there’s nothing left. I play every show with this guitar. It’s the best.”
LED Telecaster
“Ilove Kiss. I was so into Ace Frehley and the guitar he played on the Dynasty tour — the one that would light up. So I asked Ken Meyer, who built the Lava Lamp guitar, if he could make me an LED guitar. And sure enough, he did.
“You might think that a guitar like this would be a novelty and that it wouldn’t play well, but this thing is incredible. It plays beautifully and sounds awesome. Ken is something else. I told him, ‘Dude, I can get you a job anywhere you want making guitars. Come to Hollywood! I’ll hook you up. You’re brilliant.’ But he said, ‘Ah, I think I’d rather fish’. That’s the way real geniuses are. They do what they do, but they’re not like other people.”
Cust om White Ghost Fender Telecast er
“Supreme Clothing Co. did this collaboration with Fender, and they made an all-white [Strat]. I was like, ‘I want a white Tele like that, but I want it with red binding’. Fender did such a phenomenal job. The whole neck is white. Everything is white, except for the red pickups, red binding and red kill switch. It’s a jaw-dropper. This is a pretty new acquisition, but I’ve come to really love it. It’s a monster, and because it’s white we call it the Ghost. I use it all the time — live, in the studio. It’s all in the wood, man. Fender really puts this stuff together well. I love doing Squier or Mexican Fenders because I want people to be able to afford them. I think we’re going to do a Squier version of this.”