Stratocasters and Telecasters: A Love Story

The other day my wife asked me how many guitars I owned. For the first time ever, I told her the truth. She didn't get mad. She just seemed a bit puzzled. She asked: "Why would anyone need that many guitars?" I didn't know. But I did know why the vast majority of them were Stratocasters and Telecasters. In this book, I answer that question.

This truly is a love story. I've played Stratocasters and Telecasters my whole life. I wanted to explore why. It turns out the reason was far more complex than I ever thought. There's physics and magic involved. I do my best to explain both.

I've had three guitar lives it seems. I started off as a no frills, down and dirty Telecaster man. Then, in mid-life, I transformed into a full spectrum Stratocaster guy. Now, as a gray-bearded AARP-eligible golden-ager, I use both. It took me 40 years to completely understand why Stratocasters and Telecasters are so powerful. You cannot play one like the other. They have distinct personalities. You simply have to master each one separately. Most guys devote their lives to either one or the other. I feel blessed that I somehow managed to discover how to play both.

The second part of this book explores the history of vintage Fender guitar values. The current value of any Fender instrument is really a vector. It has a magnitude and direction. I tell you what it is today, how it got there, and where it's likely headed tomorrow.