38 Telecaster Style Copy Guitars (Some Are Really Cheap)

Almost everyone loves Telecasters. And it’s no wonder, because they possess amazing vintage looks and are fun to play. But not everyone wants a Fender or Squier Telecaster tho…

If you are after a non-Fender or Squier Telecaster, you are in luck! I happen to love Telecasters, both Fender and non-Fender ones. And this is why I was happy to put together this article listing the cream of the crop Telecaster style copy guitar. I also reveal the 3 best ones. If you have any questions, just check the FAQ section or leave a comment.

Let’s get started!

All copies of this iconic instrument need to start with knowledge of Telecaster dimensions, why not check them out for yourself?

38 Telecaster Style Copy Guitars

Godin Stadium HT has great-sounding Godin single-coils, a D-shaped neck, a vintage-styled ashtray bridge, a GraphTech nut, and smooth hard rock maple neck. Godin guitars are one of the brands that have been a really positive surprise to me during the time I’ve been writing about guitars. They create high-quality and high-value guitars that are a pleasure to play.

Price Range Icon Meanings:

$= $80-250

$$= $251-399

$$$= $400-850

$$$$= $851-1599

$$$$$= $1600-

Model	Pickup Configuration	Pickups	Price Range	Check Current Price (affiliate links)
Harley Benton TE-20MN BM Standard Series	SS	2 x TE-style single coil pickups	$	Thomann*
Harley Benton TE-62CC	SS	2 x Roswell AlNiCo 5 TEA-F-CR/TEA-B Single coils	$	Thomann
Donner DTC-100 – Best Cheap & Beginner	SS	2 x Donner Single coils	$	Donnerdeal
Harley Benton TE-90FLT VW Deluxe Series	HH	2 x Roswell FLT-NI AlNiCo humbuckers	$	Thomann
Harley Benton TE-90QM	P90P90	2 x 2 Roswell P90 S AlNiCo-5 vintage-style single coils	$	Thomann
Harley Benton Fusion-T HH Roasted	HH	Roswell HAF-B AlNiCo-5 (bridge) and HAF-N AlNiCo-5 (neck) humbuckers	$$	Thomann
ESP LTD TE-200 – Best Tight Budget	HH	ESP Designed LH-150N (neck) and ESP Designed LH-150B (bridge) humbuckers	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Harley Benton Fusion-T EMG HT Roasted	HH	2 x EMG Retro Active Hot 70 Humbuckers	$$$	Thomann
Chapman Guitars ML3	HH	2 x upgraded Chapman humbuckers	$$$	Guitar Center – Thomann
Larry Carlton T7	SS	2 x T7 single coils	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
G&L Tribute Asat Classic	SS	2 Leo Fender-designed G&L MFD single coils made in Fullerton (CA, USA)	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
FGN Boundary Iliad MN	SH	1 FGN single coil (bridge) and 1 FGN humbucker (neck)	$$$	Thomann
Schecter PT Special – Best Budget	SP90	1 Schecter Diamond VT-1 Single Coil (bridge) and 1 Schecter Diamond V-90 (neck)	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Godin Stadium HT – Matte Black MN – Excellent Godin Quality	SS	1 Godin GS-3 single coil (neck) and 1 Custom Cajun single coil (bridge)	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Schecter PT Fastback II B	HH	2 x Schecter Diamond SuperRock Custom Alnico Humbuckers	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD TE-401	HH	Active EMG 60 & EMG 81 humbuckers	$$$	Thomann
Charvel Pro-Mod Joe Duplantier San Dimas Style 2	HH	1 Joe Duplantier Signature DiMarzio Fortitude (bridge) and 1 DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary (neck) humbuckers	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder PT FR with Sustainiac – Great Metal Tele	HSustainiac	1 EMG Retro Active Hot 70 humbucker (bridge) and 1 Sustainiac (neck)	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Chapman ML3 Pro Traditional Semi-Hollow	P90P90	2 x Seymour Duncan AlNiCo 5 P-90 single coils	$$$	Guitar Center – Thomann
Chapman Guitars ML3 Pro Modern	HH	1 Seymour Duncan Pegasus (bridge) and 1 Seymour Duncan Sentient (neck) humbucker	$$$$	Guitar Center – Thomann
ESP LTD TE-1000 Black Blast	HH	Seymour Duncan Pegasus (bridge) and Seymour Duncan Sentient (neck) humbuckers	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Chapman Guitars ML3 Pro Traditional – Comfortable Contours	SS	2 x Seymour Duncan Hot Tele single coils	$$$$	Guitar Center – Thomann
FGN J-Standard Iliad	SS	Seymour Duncan STR-1 (bridge) and Seymour Duncan STL-1 (neck) single coils	$$$$	Thomann
Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 2 24 2PT HH	HH	2 x Fishman Fluence Open Core PRF-COC humbuckers	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Schecter PT Van Nuys	HH	2 x Schecter USA SuperRock Vintage Humbuckers	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD Eclipse ’87 NT	HH	1 Seymour Duncan JB humbucker (bridge) and 1 Seymour Duncan ’59 humbucker (neck)	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD SCT-607B Stephen Carpenter Signature 7-String Baritone	HH	2 x Fishman Fluence SRC Signature	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD TE-1000 Evertune Koa – Best Overall	HH	EMG 57 (bridge) and EMG 66TW (neck) humbuckers	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
G&L Fullerton Deluxe ASAT Classic	SS	2 x Leo Fender-designed G&L MFD single-coils made in Fullerton CA, USA	$$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Maybach Teleman T54 Butterscotch	SS	2 x Amber single coils	$$$$$	Thomann
Yamaha Pac 1611 MS Mike Stern	SH	Seymour Duncan pickups neck position 59′ humbucker and Hot Rail humbucker in single coil	$$$$$	Thomann
Ibanez AZS2200-BK Prestige – Best Premium	SH	Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro Custom Single-Coil (bridge), Seymour Duncan Magic Touch-Mini Humbucker ( Neck)	$$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Ibanez Josh Smith Signature FLATV1	SS	Seymour Duncan FLATV1 Custom (bridge), Seymour Duncan FLATV1 Custom (neck)	$$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Friedman Vintage-T with Classic 90s	P90P90	2 x Classic P-90 Single-coil	$$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Suhr Classic T – Great Vintage Style Premium Tele	SS	2 x Suhr Classic T single coils	$$$$$	Thomann
Xotic Guitars XTC-1	SS	2 x  Raw Vintage RV-TE set single coil pickups	$$$$$	Thomann
LSL Instruments T Bone One	HH	2 x Proprietary Humbucker	$$$$$	Guitar Center
LSL T Bone Rosewood Top	SS	2 x LSL standard pickup	$$$$$	Thomann

3 Best Telecaster Style Copy Guitars – My Favorites

Best Budget – Schecter PT Special

What I like

• Graph Tech Tusq XL nut improves sustain
• Schecter Diamond single-coils offer versatile tones
• A thin neck (1.653″ nut) paired with a C neck shape makes this guitar easy to play
• Grover Vintage tuners hold the tune well
• Overall great quality hardware
• Nice versatility with P90 & normal single coil combo

What I don’t like

• In some cases, small quality control issues

Who is it for?

If you are after a budget to mid-priced T-style guitar with versatile tones and easy playability, keep Schecter PT Special on your radar. It’s a true high-value instrument with great quality hardware and nice sound.

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Best Overall – ESP LTD TE-1000 Evertune Koa

What I like

• Evertune bridge and LTD locking tuners will keep the guitar in tune
• A thin U neck with a 1.653″ nut width makes this axe smooth to shred
• Comfortable to play
• Stays in tune well
• Premium quality
• Not that expensive
• Absolutely stunning

What I don’t like

• The use of plastic nut feels a bit cheap for this price

Who is it for?

If you are looking for a premium-level guitar with EMG pickups and smooth playability that doesn’t require you to apply for a second mortgage, ESP LTD TE-1000ET Koa is a great option. It does have a plastic nut, which is a bummer (doesn’t ruin the guitar tho), but if you replace that, this guitar is a true pro-premium-level beast with a reasonable price.

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Best Premium – Ibanez AZS2200-BK Prestige

What I like

• Extremely smooth and comfortable playability
• Spot-on sound
• Surprisingly versatile
• Alter switch enables connecting single-coil pickup and another coil of the humbucker in series to create different humbucker like tones
• Great hardware (Gotoh Locking tuners, Gotoh tremolo bridge, and bone nut)
• Could cost a lot more

What I don’t like

• Premium quality means a premium price

Who is it for?

I don’t like to call myself a fanboy. But if I had to choose just 1 brand to be a fanboy of, it would be Ibanez. And this AZ Prestige is a great one. It features

• Seymour Duncan Magic Touch-mini Humbucker
• Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro Custom Single-coil
• Gotoh F1802 Tremolo Bridge
• 2-way mini alter switch & 5-way blade pickup switch
• Gotoh Magnum Locking tuners
• Stunning looks
• Smooth playability

And still, it costs under 2k. The money you have to throw in order to get this Ibanez is still a big chunk, I know, but still, the value for the money is outstanding. The best premium and pro-level Telecaster copy guitar to me.

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FAQ

How to Choose The Right Telecaster Copy for You? – Buyer’s Guide

Let’s look closer at the 2 most important things, and then I’ll lay out some other stuff to think about for you.

Playability

Pay attention to the neck shape, nut width, and fretboard radius.

First, most Teles have either C or Modern C neck shape, but there are Telecasters with V, U, D, and other shapes out there too. Just get clear on what you want in terms of neck shape, and everything is easier. And by the way, none of the neck shapes I just mentioned are impossible to play.

To learn more about neck shapes, this is the best neck shape guide you can find.

Secondly, decide whether you are after a Tele with a narrow, medium, or wide neck. Usually, Telecasters have either narrow or medium neck and nut width.

• Narrow = 1.614″-1.65″ nut width
• Medium =1.651″-1.685″ nut width
• Wide = 1.686″- nut width

I have to note that it’s rare to find a Telecaster with a really wide neck.

Lastly, decide whether you want a curved or flat fretboard. There are some old-school Tele’s with curved 7.25″ radius out there, but most of the time you will find Telecaster with medium fretboard radius, which is around 9.5″-11″. Also, 12″ is a pretty popular too, it’s starting to be on the flatter side and everything above that can definitely be called a flat fretboard radius.

Also, keep your favorite fret size in mind. Usually Tele’s come with medium, narrow-tall, or medium jumbo-sized frets. Some ESP Tele’s have extra-jumbo frets, this can be a great option for fast playing.

PS. Carvings and contours on the body can make playing more comfortable.

Sound

Don’t pay attention to woods with solid body electric guitars when thinking about the sound. The only thing really matters are the pickups.

So, here are a couple of cool pickups combos for you:

• SS = Classic Tele pickups configuration, great with rock, blues, and funk.
• SH = Single-coil on the bridge and humbucker on the neck. Really versatile and can handle almost everything(maybe still not the best metal-only guitar).
• HH = Can usually handle metal well too. Really versatile. Choose one with coil-split to get some of the single-coil magic too.

Again, get clear on what you want & need and choose accordingly. For example, if you are after a Telecaster that will obey you in your next bone-crushing metal session, go with double humbuckers.

Other Factors

• Tuners, maybe you want just regular tuners, or even locking ones…
• Bridge type: normal, ashtray, Evertune, or even Floyd Rose?
• Is a real bone nut must out of the box, or can you stand a plastic one and maybe change it to bone or Tusq one later?
• Color. This is important. Of course, you want something stunning.

Conclusion

Pretty freaking amazing Teles I must say. You clearly don’t need to get a Fender or Squier Telecaster to have an amazing Tele. There’s an abundance of great T-Style guitars to choose from.

I hope this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions, leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.

Now go, my son, and Rock!