Teaching Old Ponies New Tricks

Just saw this quiestion in a comment.

why oh why do good guitar players like Teles? More of a one-trick pony.

There are so many answers to this question.

First, consider this superstrat, owned by Warren DeMartini of Ratt.

Talk about a one trick pony. It has volume and a big humbucker. It has one trick. A tele has a volume and tone control, plus a 3-way switch. Even the one-pickup Esquires have that switch with three tones. Neck pickups give you a more mellow, more jazzy sound. Bridge pickup gives you a twangier sound, which is really nice for cutting through the mix. Plus the normal set of crazy Tele tricks, like above-the-nut bending like Jerry Donahue and above-the-nut picking like Tom Morello.

Not to mention what I've done with my #2 guitar, tuning it down to B to get those low notes. Or whatever effects you have between the jack and the ears of those listening.

But ultimately, it's not about how the guitar sounds. Nobody wants to listen to you playing open string after open string. That's not music, that's just sound. It's about what you play. I own Teles. I play Teles. I sound like me. That's the only trick I need.