What Gauge Strings Do Fender Telecasters Come With

Most guitarists have very particular tastes. While it is okay to develop your own style and experiment, making mistakes is common part of it.

One of those mistakes is pairing telecaster guitars with strings that aren't best suited for them. Check out the best strings for telecaster so you can avoid making the same mistake.

5 Best Tele Strings for the Money

1. D'Addario EXL110-3D XL

These strings offer one of the most satisfying experiences a guitarist can have when playing a telecaster. They're a light gauge and combine both plain steel and nickel wound strings. The E strings are .010 and .046.

Being one of the most popular options among electric guitar strings, they offer some clear benefits. They're easy enough to bend and require little finger pressure to fret, making them very easy on your fretting hand. The smooth feel makes it effortless to slide up and down the fretboard and play your favorite licks.

I recommend these strings if you want a bright, bluesy tone. They won't give you the best volume but the intonation is spot-on for softer genres like blues and even rock. The strings are also very durable given their high carbon steel core and hexagonal nickel-plated winding.

The durability is also good. If you aren't using these strings for live performances, then a 3-pack should cover you for about a year. A year of practicing at home and rehearsing or jamming at the studio.

• Durable strings
• Light gauge and easy to play
• Great intonation
• Less damaging on the fretboard

• Not ideal for kids

2. Ernie Ball Super Slinky

The Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings are super light strings that range in thickness from .009 for the high E string to .042 for the low E string. The gauge is a standard super light with no custom gauges for the rest of the strings.

Two things are great about this. Firstly, the standard thickness across the board lends a familiar feel to experienced guitarists. This should allow your playing to remain consistent for the most part, even when switching from different strings of the same gauge.

Secondly, the super light gauge will be easier for a beginner to play on. The Super Slinky sets are great if you want to start learning bends, vibrato, and legato techniques. They require little finger pressure which will make it easier to connect on the fret in the right position and string licks together.

If you're looking for an accurate demo on what they would sound like, think of the likes of Angus Young and Jimmy Page. Two lead guitarists known for their preference for super light strings.

These strings are also a solid choice if you're worried about your kid's guitar playing. With the light and smooth feel and flexibility, they will be less punishing on small untrained fingers.

• Super light gauge
• Perfect for beginners
• Good to learn soloing techniques on
• Proven durability

• Limited use in metal

3. Fender Super 250's

This is another set of nickel-plated steel strings that won't disappoint, especially if you're on a budget. The Fender Super 250's are somewhat louder than what you would expect. I like this, especially given the fact that the strings are super light gauge, from .09 to .42.

These strings are a significant improvement to almost any set of factory strings that may come on a new telecaster. This alone is a good enough to upgrade to them.

But are they stage ready? – Many would argue yes, myself included. While they may lack a bit of durability and volume, the dynamic tone and ease of playing should make them more than alright for rock, blues, jazz, and even hard rock.

• Fender quality
• Affordable
• Super light gauge
• Decent sustain

• Not as smooth as some others

4. Elixir Optiweb Strings

Here is a brand that not many people know about outside of actual guitarists. Elixir may charge a premium but if you really want to make a long-term investment, these strings may be the way to go.

I recommend the light gauge to get the most out of your telecaster. With string thicknesses of .010 to .046, you should be able to admirably tackle more genres and add variety to your soloing or rhythm composition.

These aren't the best for beginners, but not for the obvious reason. They're actually easy to play on. The OPTIWEB coating that Elixir uses does lend much needed durability and impressive tone life, meaning that the quality of the sound decays slowly in comparison with regular strings.

That being said, they're not the most affordable option. Especially to someone who's not yet sold on the electric guitar as something they might stick with in the long term.

• Durable strings
• Light gauge
• Very smooth feel
• Great tone sustain over time

• Not the cheapest

5. DR Strings Pure Blues

Clearly, round wound strings are the way to go no matter what genre you shred to on your telecaster. These DR Pure Blues strings have good attack and bite and provide decent sustain too, which will be noticeable on bends.

The string gauge is light. The vintage tone is not exactly as vintage as advertised. It has more punch than you would expect, which may have something to do with the extra winding.

The strings will still sound familiar but almost improved in a way. In terms of durability, they're not overly impressive. It's one of the reasons why I recommend them for jam sessions and practicing at home.

Although they sound great, they might not always react well to a more aggressive style of play.

• Sold in single packs
• Light gauge
• Great sustain
• Add punch to a vintage tone

• Average durability

When to Change Your Strings

When you start seeing discoloration or when the core is slightly exposed, then it's a good time to change the strings on your guitar. Also, if the tone is not what it used to be even though you're in tune and you're using the same effects, you can consider those strings dead and start thinking about replacements.

String Construction and Winding for Telecaster Guitars

For some reason, I find that the best combination for telecaster guitars is often nickel-plated steel and round winding. Nickel-plated steel may be overused but it is very efficient and lends a balanced brightness that benefits telecaster guitar players.

I also prefer the strings to be slightly textured. Even though it may cause faster fret wear and tear, the increased sustain, the attack, and the extra finger noise, which can give you a vintage twang, are all characteristics that work to the guitarist's advantage on a telecaster made for blues, country, and rock.

Picking String Gauge for Telecasters

A super light or light string gauge is pretty much what anyone needs on a telecaster. These guitars can work with thicker strings but they aren't exactly designed for aggressive or super-fast genres.

If you're staying in the soft rock, blues, and jazz spectrum, you won't need a high E string thicker than .046. Consider also buying strings with standard gauges instead of going for custom strings. Telecaster fretboards are not as versatile as some of you may think.

Picking the Right Brand

With the many brands of guitar strings out there, it can be hard deciding which strings to go for. It might take some time to find the brand that works for both you and your guitar.

The good news is that practically every brand has strings that are well suited for specific guitars. This means that you will be able to find strings that are perfect for your Tele among any of the string brands.

To help you pick the right strings, here are some of the most popular and trusted brands

D'Addario

Perhaps the oldest string company in the world, having started in Italy in the 17th century. D'Addario is one of the most recognized and respected brands in the world.

With such a long history, it isn't hard to see why many guitarists prefer D'Addario strings.

Ernie Ball

The brand of choice for many great guitarists from Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney to Slash.

If Ernie Ball is good enough for these legendary guitarists, then it should be good enough for anyone else, right?

DR Strings

Not as big of a brand as the other popular string choices, DR Strings are still a highly respected brand.

Their Pure Blues are especially beloved among Telecaster players for the round core and pure nickel strings that have a sweeter, more mellow sound compared to other popular strings.

Fender

If you're still unsure of which strings to go with, Fender also has their own brand of strings that work perfectly for any Fender guitar.

Get the Strings that Enhance Your Playing

As you can see, guitar strings may seem quite similar even when staying within the same gauge range, materials, and winding. But, each manufacturer adds some distinguishing characteristics.

Based on your playing style, any of the recommended strings in this article may elevate your playing to a new level or help you pick up guitar playing a lot faster.

So, are you a shredder or a beginner looking to make his first purchase? – Either way, pick the strings that are right for you and keep on practicing.

What Gauge Strings Do Fender Telecasters Come With

Source: https://musicoomph.com/best-telecaster-strings/

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