>Why it's so influential? Strange that the article doesn't mention the main factors that contribute to the sound and overall tonality of the Tele - the pickups

>Why it's so influential? Strange that the article doesn't mention the main factors that contribute to the sound and overall tonality of the Tele - the pickups (the angled bridge pickup) and bridge (the brass saddles). From a functional design perspective, the bridge is flawed from having three brass saddles which each share two strings. This design makes intonation a pain and impossible to get as close as you can with saddles for each string. From an ergonomic design perspective, the flaws are glaring: 1. the ashtray bridge with its sharp edges makes it uncomfortable to palm mute. 2. the original body design lacks any of the comfort curves (which are what makes the strat one of the most comfortable guitar bodies). The the fact that the most popular guitar-centered music was created using strats, teles, SGs and Les Pauls is the main reason that these old designs are still popular.