“If I had a perfect Strat, I’d take off a volume and a tone knob – because I’m a dreadful man – just to make it like a Tele”: Graham Coxon on the perfection of the Telecaster (and why you shouldn’t lend him your Strat)

A portrait of Blur guitarist Graham Coxon with his Telecaster.

With the Fender Telecaster celebrating the big seven-five this year, Guitar World has been speaking to some of the biggest names to pick it up in anger. Here's Blur's Graham Coxon's take on the Tele, and he's very much of the opinion that Leo got it right the first time around.

“It’s one of the first designs for an electric guitar, and there’s nothing on there that you don’t particularly need,” says Coxon. “If I had a perfect Strat, I’d take off a volume and a tone knob – because I’m a dreadful man – just to make it stripped down like a Tele.