So you're a Telecaster player who wants to get into Strat tones but don't love the feel of a Strat? This is your guitar.

The beauty of Fender designs, be they Strats, Teles, Jazzmasters, etc...is that they're highly customizable. A longstanding Telecaster modification? Adding a Stratocaster pickup to the middle position. That mod, along with the addition of a 5-way pickup selector, gives players access to an expanded tonal palette - namely, the 2 and 4 "clucky" positions that only a Strat can deliver. Instant best-of-both-worlds setup.

The Fender Custom Shop has taken this idea one step further by replacing the Telecaster neck pickup with another Strat pickup, giving you a Tele bridge pickup and 2 Strat pickups. The result? An even more authentic Strat sound with the ergonomics and feel (and bridge pickup!) of a Telecaster. Pretty genius if you ask us.

In hand, this guitar is incredibly comfortable to play thanks to its Oval C carved 3A roasted flame maple neck, 9 1/2" radius, and 6105 frets. While subjective to be sure, this is our favorite Fender profile as it's right in the middle - not too skinny, not to fat. Great for ripping your best leads or chord work - either work brilliantly on this guitar.

Plugged in? The Texas Special pickups sound fantastic. As mentioned, the Strat tones are really authentic and inspiring while the Tele bridge pickup has tons of twang and bite. A cool "hidden" feature? A push-pull tone control that'll give you the outer pickups a la a non-modded Telecaster. A very cool, thoughtful (and useful) touch.

So...can't decide between a Tele and a Strat? You owe it to yourself to check this Hotshot Tele out. You won't be disappointed.