An original Telecaster master still going strong, James Burton influenced generations of rock guitar royalty with his perfectly phrased late-'50s/early-'60s Tele® work with Ricky Nelson, and his later stints with Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello and many others only furthered his revered elder-statesman status. His was the first signature Telecaster model, and today's James Burton Telecaster is as fiery as ever, with three pickups, special switching, gold hardware, gorgeous paisley-flame finishes and more.
A basswood body contributes to a defined sound that cuts through a mix well, with nice warmth and midrange and even a slightly growling tone.
The James Burton Telecaster features a vintage-style ’60s "U" neck profile (the shape of the neck in cross section) that feels fuller to the fretting hand than more modern neck profiles, with a little more mass for improved tone and sustain.
This fiery signature Telecaster produces fiery tone from its three single-coil pickups, all specially voiced in accordance with Burton’s specifications.
As a Telecaster with three pickups rather than the traditional two, this model features special five way "Strat-o-Tele" switching that delivers the neck pickup alone, the bridge pickup alone, and three different parallel dual-pickup combinations.
For even more tonal versatility, engaging the S-1 switch on the James Burton Telecaster introduces series circuitry for pickup switch positions two and four.
For rock-solid intonation and tuning stability, the James Burton Telecaster features a gold-plated American Vintage string-through-body hard-tail Stratocaster bridge with six saddles.