Image: RustRelic at English Wikipedia, Public domain — via Wikimedia Commons
Fender Telecaster Plus
| Category | Strings (electric guitar) |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | USA |
| Classification | guitar |
| Wikipedia | en.wikipedia.org |
| Wikidata | Q5443276 |
Overview
The Fender Telecaster Plus is a variant of the standard Telecaster produced in the United States between roughly 1990 and 1998. Visually it largely mirrors a contemporary American Standard Telecaster, but its electronics package — Lace Sensor pickups in single-coil format and, in some versions, a humbucker-sized Lace Sensor in the neck — gave it a quieter, more versatile voice than the traditional Tele.
Origin & History
In the late 1980s and 1990s, Fender experimented with several “modernised” variants of its core models, including the Fender HM Strat and the Strat Plus and Tele Plus families. The Lace Sensor pickup, developed by Don Lace, used a system of magnets that produced a single-coil sound with much less of the hum that traditional single coils generate. The Telecaster Plus combined this technology with the Tele’s familiar body and neck, aimed at players who wanted classic Tele aesthetics with a quieter signal chain.
How It’s Played
Played like a standard Telecaster — single-cutaway slab body, bolt-on neck, fixed bridge — but the Lace Sensor pickups respond differently to attack and amplifier interaction. The Tele Plus tends to sound smoother and less spiky than a vintage-spec Tele, with a useful neck-pickup voice that some players associate with the recordings of Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, who has been long associated with a 1990s Telecaster Plus.
Cultural Significance
The Tele Plus became a quietly influential instrument through its association with the alternative- and indie-rock scenes of the 1990s and 2000s, and its production run is now sought by players looking for that specific Lace Sensor character.
Related Instruments
- – the parent instrument
- – Fender’s contemporary Strat Plus shared the Lace Sensor approach
- Fender Telecaster Thinline – semi-hollow Tele variant
- Fender Telecaster Deluxe – humbucker-equipped Tele variant
- Fender HM Strat – contemporaneous modernised Fender model
Frequently Asked Questions
What pickups does the Tele Plus use?
Lace Sensor pickups — typically two single-coil-sized units, with humbucker-sized variants on some models.
When was it made?
From around 1990 to 1998.
Image: Tele + Teleplus 1 + Teleplus 2, photo by RustRelic at English Wikipedia, public domain (Wikimedia Commons).
