From Hee Haw to Ultra: How John 5 Discovered the Telecaster

Call it fate, call it a happy accident. For a young John 5 – the guitar virtuoso who would go on to share the stage with one of the biggest heavy metal bands of all time – the future was shaped like a Telecaster. “I loved television,” he said. “My dad would always watch Hee Haw [the popular country comedy show hosted by Roy Clark and Buck Owens] and everybody had a Telecaster. I always thought ‘oh, that’s what an electric guitar looks like. It burned into my mind – it’s a Telecaster.’”

The Tele may seem like an unexpected choice for a guitarist associated with hard rock and metal bands like Marilyn Manson and Mötley Crüe. “It’s kind of like wearing a cowboy hat to a Slayer concert,” he mused on an episode of The Kenny Aronoff Sessions. It’s precisely those unexpected choices that make John 5 one of the most in-demand guitarists around – and the perfect artist to show off the incredible versatility of our most advanced Telecaster yet.

Known for his minimalist setup onstage – he surprised Mötley Crüe’s guitar tech when he didn’t show up to rehearsal with an elaborate pedalboard – John 5 demands the most from his guitar. And the Ultra II Telecaster delivers. “You can go onstage with the highest gain or the cleanest tone and this guitar will absolutely do anything you want,” he says. “It feels perfect and it’s so easy to play. It’s one of the greatest Teles I’ve held.”

For an artist who switches from haunting cleans to searing high-gain metal leads, the Ultra II Noiseless™ Vintage pickups are a game-changer. “I’m playing with high gain, and there’s noise, but with these pickups you don’t get any of that hum. They’re absolutely brilliant.” He also notes the benefits of the sleek rear body contours and sculpted neck heel: “You have easy access way, way, way up the neck. You can bend as far as your hand will go and it doesn’t fret out.”

So, where does the Ultra II rank for a Telecaster devotee with over 100 models to his name – including a Tele from every year of the guitar’s production dating back to the 50s? “I would definitely pick this over a 60s, 70s Telecaster because of all the upgrades,” he says. “The S-1 switch, the side toggle, the side pickup selector, the glow in the dark Luminlays. Locking tuners. The contours. The cutaway. The Noiseless pickups. It is the perfect Telecaster in my eyes.”

It’s high praise coming from an artist who built his career on pushing the limits of the Telecaster. “What’s genius about the Telecaster, if you think about it, nothing really has changed from all these years. They got it so right in the beginning. But now you have this beautiful high-performance Telecaster that can do everything.”

Watch John 5 show off the Ultra II Telecaster and check out the complete Ultra II lineup here.