Before buying my first Custom Shop Telecaster, I went through a big catalog and tried a bunch of them. I played them in all colors and possible combinations and settled for Champagne Sparkle. Yes, and it has a matching headstock, so you can imagine just how beautiful she is.
But going through that catalog, and knowing it has no noticeable effect on tone (in my humble opinion, that is) got me wondering; what’s the best color for a Telecaster?
The Telecaster is one of Fender’s best-selling guitars and also the one that started it all for the company (and the world). It started life as the Fender Broadcaster in 1949 but was renamed the Telecaster and released formally as that in 1952.
Arguably, and along with its more sophisticated sibling, the Stratocaster, it would go on to become one of the best-selling electric guitars of all time. But it wasn’t a straight path to success, much happened in the past seven decades.
The Fender Telecaster originally came in a butterscotch blonde color with a black pickguard, and that is still the favorite for many buyers, even in modern times (Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Mike Campbell…).
That said, you’ll be surprised at the options available Just like the best-selling popular colors of the Stratocaster, the Telecaster is produced in traditional, historical (or should I say timeless?) colors but also in brighter and more unusual combinations.
Let’s find out what Fender can offer you for your next Telecaster.
Table of Contents
The Classic Telecaster Colors
Butterscotch Blonde with Black Pickguard
When it was officially released as the Telecaster in 1951, the guitar was finished with a semi-transparent butterscotch blonde color and had a black pickguard. From the moment of its release, this color scheme has stuck with the Telecaster and become instantly recognizable. It is, arguably, the most popular to this day.
Fun Fact: Telecasters in this color scheme are often known as Fender Blackguard due to the black pickguard and a lawsuit from Gretsch over the original ‘Broadcaster’ name!
That color remained the only option but became closer to the intended white thanks to a switch in the product used to paint it. So, white pickguard Teles from 1955 until 1960 look whitish while the ones closer to 1951 became almost completely yellow with time and exposure. Which is cooler? Well, they’re both quite hip in my book, what do you think?
3 Color Sunburst with Various Colored Pickguard
Fender felt they needed to compete with the more expensive, archtop instruments Gibson was making. They were looking for something to make them more stylish and refined. Therefore, Stratocasters and Jazzmasters were made in sunburst finishes as a default.
That said, it’s very rare today to find a sunburst Tele from earlier than 1959. This is because Sunburst was considered a custom color for the guitar and came at an extra 5% of the cost.
Well, it makes sense if you ask me. I mean, you know what audience the Telecaster is aimed at, right? Yeah, it’s the working musician’s workhorse, so custom colors were not the most common thing.
The sunburst color design is often seen on reissue ‘50s and ‘60s Telecasters, as well as more modern models, and for a good reason. It is a timeless look that still gives off cool vibes and a slick, stylish appearance. It’s a best-seller even with the myriad of colors available today.
Well, if I’m being completely honest with you, and I know this is controversial, I think sunburst looks better on Telecasters than it does on Stratocasters. That’s it, I said it!
But don’t just take my word for it; when it first debuted in the ‘50s, sunburst was popular right away and has never really fallen out of fashion. Moreover, those of us who own and love a Custom Telecaster with the double binding can never forget how good that guitar looks in three-color sunburst, a combination only available from 1959.
One thing many people don’t know about sunburst paint is that it’s a handjob. So, there are no two sunburst instruments that are completely the same. That’s cool, isn’t it?
The Telecasters lacquered in this style will be a light golden yellow in the center, often painted with a semi-transparent or fully transparent finish, so the wood grain is visible, fading to red for a ‘60s style or straight to dark brown, then black around the edges for a ‘50s style..
Besides the two-tone sunburst, another three things can help you differentiate a classic ‘50s from a ‘60s tele. These are the single-ply pickguard, the 7.25” radius, and the maple-only neck.
Often, the pickguard is white on a sunburst Tele, but black and tortoiseshell color schemes are also common. Moreover, you can also find them in pearloid white.
There are also multiple takes on the ‘sunburst’ style, such as this Telecaster American Deluxe ‘sienna sunburst’ color with its righteous pearloid white pickguard:
Enter the Sixties; The Unusual but Popular Telecaster Colors
In the sixties, stylish stopped being a synonym for cool. Oh no, the cool kids wanted rock and roll, and the swell ones in California wanted surf and more reverb.
Well, to increase sales, Fender released in 1961 its first “Special Colors Chart” with 14 DuPont mixes straight from the automotive industry. Yes, the sunny California roads were exploding into a wide palette of colors and Leo wasn’t a guitar player, he was an engineer (hence the Cadillac logo for the Custom Shop). So, he brought that trend to musical instrument making and started offering colorful options.
As a result, Fender Telecasters became ready for the psychedelic era. Colors included three shades of blue (sonic, daphne, and lake placid), three of red (fiesta, dakota, and shell pink), three of green (Sherwood, foam, and seafoam), and some others like black, olympic white, Inca silver, shoreline gold, and burgundy mist.
Other than that, you could order your guitar blond at no additional cost while sunburst remained a custom color for Telecasters.
In 1963, shell pink was replaced by candy apple red, a combination of silver or gold with red, that became Fender’s first custom color creation. A very popular one too, Muddy Waters, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, and Joe Strummer all played this color extensively.
Here are some other cool combinations from this era to look for.
Daphne Blue with White Pickguard
The Telecaster comes in a variety of colors, and one of the less common but more popular choices is Daphne blue, which is a light but heavily saturated blue.
If we were to order the blue colors mentioned above, lake placid is the darkest while sonic is the lightest. Daphne is somewhere in the middle. All three were taken from different Cadillac models from the sixties.
It was used for Mustang guitars during that era too.
Paired with a white pickguard, the contrast with the pastel color makes it instantly classic but also vibey. It’s easy to see why this color is one of the most popular Telecaster colors, with both longtime and new fans of the Tele.
Plus, if it’s a high-end model, sprayed with nitrocellulose paint, it’ll get better with time, trust me.
Seafoam Green with Tortoise Shell Pickguard
Similar to the Daphne blue, seafoam green is another bright and bold color that is growing in popularity in the guitar-playing community. Seafoam green screams surf in every direction. It’s a one-way ticket to a sunny afternoon on the beach with the board and Pet Sounds blasting from the radio. Yes, it doesn’t get much more sixties than this in the whole catalog, believe me.
The color’s name, unsurprisingly, was inspired by the ocean breeze and the crashing of the waves. It was taken by George and Leo from a 1957 Chevy model.
This color scheme is more popular with a white pickguard but a darker color gives it a more striking high-contrast look.
Fiesta Red with White Pickguard
Fiesta Red is one of those quintessential Fender colors. Every musician who gigged back in the day dreamed of a red Fender guitar. Although it’s found on Telecasters less frequently, it’s still a popular and eye-catching color. It has that sixties pastel quality that makes it instantly cool.
Although slightly paler than Dakota red, fiesta red is a more subtle and refined shade and is often used by musicians who want to retain a cool look and collected style. I mean, it makes a statement because it’s red, but it’s also low-profile enough to sit comfortably in the background.
Fiesta red is usually used by players in R&B and soul groups.
Shell Pink with White Pickguard
Pink is a bold choice for any instrument, but if any guitar can pull it off, it’s surely a Fender Telecaster. Shell pink is a bright statement color, and is sure to make an impression either on stage or in the studio!
Normally paired with a white pickguard to tie together the carefree and lighthearted style, this look is perfect for any player who wants to ooze confidence on stage. It’s a love-it or hate-it scenario in which you’ll receive praise and hate in equal measures.
In my opinion, shell pink is one of those colors that doesn’t work well with a black pickguard. Perhaps a tortoise shell one can offer a high-contrast look that suits purists, casual strummers, pop-punk and emo bands perfectly.
The Basics
The basics are basics for a reason – they’re standards upon which to build something more interesting that grows and changes over time. And in the case of the Fender Telecaster, that has definitely happened, as you can see from the wide array of unusual colors that made their way into the most popular list.
However, these basics are still in demand!
Olympic White with Black Pickguard
Unlike the Stratocaster, the white Telecaster is usually paired with a black pickguard. Perhaps in homage to the classic butterscotch blonde and black ‘Blackguards,’ After all, that’s exactly how they were supposed to look if they didn’t go yellow, right?
Whatever the reasoning behind it, this white and black combo has proved a steady seller for Fender over the years, and it shows no sign of stopping, despite being outsold by other colors.
Other pickguard combinations are found, too, such as white on white or tortoise shell, but they are less common.
Although not so popular, for those of us who love the ‘90s and alternative music, the iconic look of Kurt’s white Mustang with the tortoise shell pickguard is always something to aim for.
Black with Black Pickguard
Again, the all-black look makes it onto the list! Just like the Stratocaster (sorry, Mr. Gilmour), and certainly many other instruments from many other brands, the black-on-black look will never really fall out of fashion.
Sleek, stylish, cool, sophisticated. As they say in the fashion world, black goes with everything, and that rings true for the music industry too! An all black Telecaster wouldn’t look out of place on any musician playing any genre.
I love to call these, tuxedo guitars and it’s the one and only thing I’d put gold hardware on.
Fender in the Present Day
Seven decades went by since the butterscotch days and, just like it did in the ‘60s, the company kept creating new colors of all kinds. But beyond that, Fender decided to make these colors available for all of us at no extra fee. Now you can get a golden Squier Telecaster or a Burgundy Mist P-Bass.
What are Fender’s cool modern colors to look at?
- Dark Night – This color, available in the American Professional II line is, to me, the best new Fender color, period. It’s a blue-to-black sunburst paintjob that looks as cool as factory paintjobs can look.
- Mystic Surf Green – Also available in the American Professional II line, this color is as if surf green suddenly woke up one morning being metallic instead of pastel. I’m telling you, it’s mesmerizing just to look at it.
- Solar Flare – While not a color suitable for the faint of heart, this color available in the American Ultra II line is as bold and stage-ready as it gets. The best touch? The black anodized aluminum pickguard.
Some Odd Ones
While the ones above are wild, they aren’t at all Fender’s most awkward colors. Meet some of the odd ones they’ve given us throughout the years.
- Paisley – With the Summer of Love as inspiration, Fender wrapped some Telecasters in a pink paisley-patterned wallpaper called cling-foil, and released them in 1968. To say it’s as odd as it’s iconic is an understatement.
- Antigua – A sunburst degradé from smokey green to light green? Sure, it’ll be a hit! Well, more like a miss. This color, only available in ‘78 and ‘79 is now a collector’s item.
- Blue Flower – Along with the pink paisley, Fender released a set of Telecasters using another cling-foil wallpaper motif: blue flowers. If that ain’t hippie enough for you, then I don’t know what is.
To Summarize
So which color should you pick to make sure you’re getting the best looking Telecaster?
As you can see, Telecasters come in a wide range of colors, and many of those louder and brighter colors seem to strike a chord with Telecaster fans.
Maybe because the Telecaster has been around forever, or maybe because it’s one of the best-selling electric guitars ever, but something has inspired music fans and guitarists all over the world to splash out and make an impression with the color of their Fender Telecasters.
N.B: To save you from asking about it in the comments section, the Tele in the first image of the article underneath the title is a Fender American Special Telecaster in Sherwood Green Metallic color.
So, go out, and express yourself picking the color that you connect with the most. Believe me, it’s a great moment to love Telecasters and cool colors.
Happy (colorful Telecaster) playing!
I love my 2017 Candy Apple Red American Professional Tele with Mint pickguard and maple fingerboard.