Star Letter
’TRAY CATS
I thought your May issue (445) featuring 70 years of the Telecaster was the best yet. As a Telecaster picker and R&D engineer, I can understand the simplicity of this guitar along with the ease of production Leo was after. However, what was the purpose of the ‘ashtray’ or string cover? The press for this drawn steel cover would have been an expensive tool and, let’s face it, you have to take it off to replace strings. And also, where would Johnny Cash be without Luther Perkins’‘boom-chick’ rhythm?
I play rockabilly with my ’52 Squier Tele, which I modified with top-loaded strings (easier to replace strings and more twangability), brass nut and four-position switch that gives a fatter, wide humbucker sound in 4th position. I have plans to swap the control plate around 180 degrees for ease of steel-guitar-style volume swells. Meanwhile, could I suggest readers pass on their best YouTube video/web page or recording that has helped them learn or mod their guitar? A recording that drives me nuts is Sammy Masters’ Some Like It Hot. Listen to that first guitar break – what’s going on?! Rod Mills, via email
Hi Rod, glad you enjoyed the issue. The uncovered Tele bridge with its exposed pickup probably looked a bit ‘unfinished’ when Fender was launching the Esquire/ Broadcaster at the start of the 50s. Evidence can be inferred from the ‘Snakehead’ Esquire prototype of 1949, which, though it differs in many ways from the production Esquire that hit stores, has a form of pickup cover in place even then, indicating it was part of the intended look. Fender was doubtless keen to make the new design gleam with the clean lines and chrome of the era – and hide any unsightly bits. Given that Leo’s firstborn was derided for its then-unconventional looks when it first showed at NAMM, a desire to make it look as sleek as possible is understandable. Guitarists, being guitarists, had other ideas, and finding the cover generally got in the way, they simply removed it. It’s a rare example of Leo’s instincts for what players want not quite hitting the mark. They still look cool, though, and an interesting fact is that if you ever take a close look at the underside of those metal covers, you’ll see a little dimple left by tooling during the plating process.