The Greatest Telecaster Solos
The Fender Telecaster is the oldest solid-body electric still in production, and it has played some of the greatest solos ever. Jimmy Page's Stairway to Heaven solo was a Telecaster. So is Roy Buchanan's The Messiah Will Come Again, Albert Collins' icy blues, James Burton's rockabilly licks, Danny Gatton's everything-at-once style and Jonny Greenwood's Paranoid Android. Every video starts at the solo.
- 1Led Zeppelin · solo by Jimmy Page · 1971
- 2Radiohead · solo by Jonny Greenwood · 1997
- 3Roy Buchanan · solo by Roy Buchanan · 1972
- 4Roy Buchanan · solo by Roy Buchanan · 1972
- 5Led Zeppelin · solo by Jimmy Page · 1969
- 6Radiohead · solo by Jonny Greenwood · 1995
- 7Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1962
- 8Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1978
- 9Ricky Nelson · solo by James Burton · 1961
- 10Dale Hawkins · solo by James Burton · 1957
- 11Elvis Presley · solo by James Burton · 1970
- 12Danny Gatton · solo by Danny Gatton · 1991
- 13Danny Gatton · solo by Danny Gatton · 1987
- 14Albert Lee · solo by Albert Lee · 1979
- 15The Byrds · solo by Clarence White · 1970
- 16Brad Paisley · solo by Brad Paisley · 2008
- 17Vince Gill · solo by Vince Gill · 1991
- 18Dr. Feelgood · solo by Wilko Johnson · 1975
- 19The Police · solo by Andy Summers · 1980
Quick answers
Was the Stairway to Heaven solo played on a Telecaster?
Yes. Jimmy Page played the solo on the 1959 Telecaster Jeff Beck gave him, which Page also used across the first Led Zeppelin album.
What makes a Telecaster sound different?
The slanted bridge pickup, mounted in a steel plate, gives the Tele its bright, cutting twang. That tone suits country chicken picking, Stax soul and biting blues alike.
Who are the greatest Telecaster players?
Names that come up again and again include Roy Buchanan, James Burton, Albert Collins, Danny Gatton, Albert Lee, Clarence White, Jimmy Page (on early Led Zeppelin) and Brad Paisley. All of them are on this list.