My Maria

The recording

‘My Maria’ opens the 1996 album Borderline and features a clean, bright electric guitar part played by Nashville session legend Brent Mason. Mason recorded his Telecaster through a Fender Twin Reverb in a Nashville studio, captured with a close‑mic technique that gives the rhythm a crisp, articulate presence. The track was produced by Don Cook and engineered in the mid‑90s using the typical country‑song recording chain, allowing the guitar to sit front‑and‑center in the mix without heavy processing.

Tuning Standard (E A D G B E)

Reported gear

1965 Fender Telecaster

Guitar

Session guitarist Brent Mason used a 1965 Fender Telecaster for the electric rhythm on ‘My Maria’, as documented in his gear list on Equipboard and supported by the AllMusic credits that list him as the electric guitarist on the Borderline sessions.

1968 Fender Twin Reverb

Amp

Mason has repeatedly mentioned using a Fender Twin Reverb as his clean studio amp in the late‑1990s; the amp’s pristine clean channel matches the bright, open tone heard on the guitar in ‘My Maria’.

Alternatives

Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster

Budget alternative · for the 1965 Fender Telecaster

$400 to $500

Fender ’68 Custom Twin Reverb Reissue

Reissue · for the 1968 Fender Twin Reverb

$1,500 to $1,800

Practical playing approach

Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.

1. 1.Select the bridge pickup on a Telecaster for a bright, snappy attack.
2. 2.Set the amp to a clean channel with a modest amount of reverb to preserve note definition.
3. 3.Use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) for the quick country‑style rhythm chops.
4. 4.Keep your picking hand relaxed and emphasize the down‑beats for a tight groove.
5. 5.Add a subtle bend on the high‑E string during melodic fills to match the song’s vocal phrasing.