Fender Telecaster Plus

The Fender Telecaster Plus was a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Fender in the United States from the late 80s to the mid 90s. It is a variant of the original Fender Telecaster model, but using Lace Sensor pickups.

Lace Sensor pickups
The Telecaster Plus (Version One) came equipped with Lace Sensor pickups; "Dually Red-Red" in the bridge position and "Blue" in the neck position. The dually bridge/single neck pickup configuration was also used by Fender during approximately the same time period in its Fender Stratocaster Ultra and Fender Jeff Beck Stratocaster models. The Telecaster Plus (Version Two) is most-often rumored to have come with three "Gold" Lace Sensor pickups due to the gold lettering on their covers. However, the pickups actually used on the guitar were a T-100 pickup in the bridge, a non-RWRP Chrome Dome Strat pickup in the middle and a TN-100 in the neck. The T-100 bridge pickup eventually became the hotter T-150 Lace sells today.

Differences between Standard and Plus Telecasters
Telecaster Pluses from 1989 to 1995 (Version One) had a short style bridge (somewhat similar to that of the Stratocaster), with the bridge pickup having a small metal pickup ring which was not part of the bridge mechanism. The control plate also differed from the standard Telecaster; due to an extra mini switch between the tone and volume knobs. The three position toggle acts as a coil splitter for the bridge - toward the neck for the pickup closest to the neck, toward the bridge for the pickup closest to the bridge and in the middle for both. This wiring scheme was available on the American Deluxe Tele for about two years. Guitars made from about 1995 until 1997 (Version Two) also featured a bound contoured alder body with ash veneers, a regular Telecaster bridge plate and Lace Sensor pickups. Telecaster Plus and Deluxe Plus models were all replaced by the American Deluxe Telecaster in 1998.

Telecaster Plus Deluxe


In the 1989-90 run, another model of the Telecaster Plus was put into production, called the Fender Telecaster Plus Deluxe, which was identical to the regular Telecaster Plus and featured the same pickup configuration (humbucking Red/Red Lace Sensor Dually in the bridge and Blue Lace Sensor single-coil in the neck) except from the addition of a pop-in whammy bar, Schaller locking machine heads and a Wilkinson roller nut (changed to LSR in 1993).

Notable users
Dave Davies of The Kinks, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, Gaz Coombes of Supergrass, Michael Houser of Widespread Panic, Ron Hawkins of The Lowest of the Low, Eric Greenberg of Footstone.