When a guitarist is reaching for heavy tones, a Telecaster isn’t usually their axe of choice. After all, the Tele doesn’t exactly scream METAL. That said, don’t pigeonhole the Tele. Just because it’s all the rage with classic rockers and country players doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of brutal tones lurking beneath its unassuming exterior. Ever listen to Slipknot? Jim Root’s tones are downright lethal, and he’s been rocking a Tele forever. What about John 5? And Richie Kotzen? In this article, we’re going to show you how to transform your humble Telecaster into a fire-breathing monster that can stand toe-to-toe with any made-for-metal guitar out there.

It All Starts with the Pickups
While you can theoretically coax high-gain tones out of a Tele’s standard single-coil pickups, dropping a humbucker into your axe will make life easier, thanks to its fatter sound and increased output. It will also eliminate the 60-cycle hum that’s sure to become a problem under high-gain conditions. You don’t even have to chop up your axe — there are plenty of single-coil-sized options out there. Just drop it in, and you’re good to go. So what pickup should you choose? Seymour Duncan Hot Rails are a great choice. These direct-replacement pickups boast a ceramic magnet and overwound coils, delivering loads of output and sustain. DiMarzio’s the Chopper T is another fine choice. This is the pickup that Richie Kotzen uses to obtain his aggressive, muscular tones.

Tame Your Dynamics with a Compressor
You’ll hear lots of players talking about the signature Tele twang. While some of this comes from its pickups, there’s more to it than that. Most prominently, its bridge pickup is mounted directly to a metal plate. To achieve a thick, heavy tone, you’ll need to combat this somewhat spiky sound with a compressor. The Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone works great for this. Tweak the Blend and Sustain controls and you’ll add consistency to your rhythm work and sustain to your leads. Beyond that, you can roll off its Treble knob to add more body to your tone. JHS’s Pulp ‘N’ Peel is another great choice. It provides a lot of the same functionality as the Philosopher’s Tone, with the addition of a parallel dirt circuit for adding a bit of grit to your sound.

The Importance of Pre-EQing
Remember this mantra: high end + high gain = ice-pick headache. To achieve a nice, meaty tone, you don’t want to hit your amp with a lot of high frequencies. And since Telecasters, even modded ones, tend to be brightly voiced instruments, taking command of your treble is vital. And how do you do this? The MXR Ten Band EQ and the Boss GE-7 are both ideal solutions. Use these EQ pedals to attenuate any frequencies that sound harsh or honky. Then boost your lows, lower mids, and volume as needed. You don’t need to get heavy-handed with this — high frequencies aren’t bad in and of themselves. The goal is to round out your signal before it hits your amp or distortion pedal. This will eliminate any unpleasant harshness that might mar your final sound.

Looking for a Ready-made Humbucker-equipped Tele?
This article was largely written from the point-of-view of a player who wants to upgrade their existing Telecaster. But if you don’t yet own one of these multifaceted guitars, Sweetwater stocks plenty of Teles that are ready-made for hard rocking. The Squier Contemporary Telecaster HH is your value-priced gateway into the world of humbucker-equipped Teles. The Fender Player Series Telecaster HH brings a pau ferro fingerboard and coil tapping to the party. And if you’re looking for an all-out hard rocker, the Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster FMT HH boasts a stunning and resonant mahogany body with a flame maple top, a set neck, and Seymour Duncan pickups. Squier John 5, Fender Jim Root, and Fender Richie Kotzen signature Telecasters are also available.

Now You’re Armed for Combat
Once you’ve followed the above suggestions, you’ll dial in your tone like you would with any other guitar. Set up your clean and/or dirty boost pedals. Tweak your amp or distortion box’s gain and tone controls. Toss an EQ pedal, noise gate, and your favorite effects into your amp’s effects loop. Squeezing heavy tones out of your Telecaster might take more work than simply using an off-the-shelf metal guitar, but if you love the look and feel of a Tele, it’s well worth the effort.

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Beyond Chicken-pickin’: Getting Heavy Tones from a Telecaster

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