After a lifetime of using humbuckers and high gain, I recently decided to experiment by having a pull-push (volume) pot installed in my old guitar that toggles the bridge pick-up between humbucker and single coil modes.
 
It was a real epiphany moment to me, and I was going to go ahead and have the middle and bridge pups split as well. However, having spoken to the ever-helpful and very knowledgeable Michael (Spacey) about this, I've decided on a different strategy.
 
First off, Mike has kindly offered to hand-build some pick-ups for my old guitar. My reasoning in accepting his wonderful offer is twofold.
 
Firstly, I am very fond of that old guitar, and I don't really want to overdo the 'Frankensteining' and risk losing the character of the instrument; not only that, when I recently had it re-fretted (by the very same guy that built it nearly 30 years ago!), I discovered that the original pups aren't actually genuine Bill Lawrence Hot Rails as I'd always thought, rather they are cheaper lookalikes. D'oh!
 
To these ends, I'm more than happy to be Mike's 'guinea pig' in his custom hand-wound pup adventures - who wouldn't! He's already sent me a 'prototype'* which I'm going to try in the middle or neck position; obviously I'll be providing plenty of feedback (pun intended!) and we'll take it from there. Mike's a craftsman and a real gentleman, and I can't say how absolutely delighted I am to have a chance to work with him again since he built my gorgeous Ruby for me.
 
The other reason I'm going the stick with humbuckers on that guitar is that I was thinking if I'm going have single coils, I might as well get a guitar that actually does the single-coil thing rather well. Hence my current research into the daddy of them all, the good old Fender Telecaster.
 
The trouble is, I know so little about them, and single coils in general, that I'm unsure as to which model to plump for. I think I've narrowed it down to either the US Standard or the US Deluxe, and I'm currently researching whether the extra dosh for the Deluxe is worth it.
 
I'd really appreciate some input from anyone who has used either model.
 
Fender American Standard Telecaster 2012 Features:

• Body Shape: Telecaster®
• Body Finish: Urethane
• Neck Shape: Modern "C" Shape
• Number of Frets: 22
• Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
• Position Inlays: Black Dot
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
• Neck Material: Maple
• Nut Width: 1.685" (42.8 mm)
• Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
• Neck Plate: 4-Bolt Neck Plate with Micro-Tilt™
• Truss Rods: Bi-Flex™ Truss Rod System
• Truss Rod Nut: 1/8" American Series Nut
• Bridge Pickup: Custom Shop Broadcaster
• Neck Pickup: Custom Shop "Twisted" Tele® Single-Coil Neck Pickup
• Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade:
  • Position 1. Bridge Pickup
  • Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups
  • Position 3. Neck Pickup
• Special Electronics: No-Load Tone Control
• Controls: Master Volume, Master Delta Tone™
• Hardware Finish: Chrome
• Bridge: American Tele with New American Standard Bent Steel Saddles and Stamped Brass Plate
• String Nut: Synthetic Bone
• Switch Tips: "Barrel" Style Switch Tip
• Truss Rod Wrench: 1/8" Hex (Allen) Wrench
• Strings: Fender® USA 250L, NPS, (.009-.042 Gauges)
• Unique Features:
  • Five-Screw Mounted Brass Bridge Plate for Sonic Stability
  • Loaded with Improved Bent Steel Saddles with Elongated String Slots for Increased Resonance and Sustain
  • Thinner Undercoat Finish for Improved Body Resonance
  • Tinted Neck
  • Body Contour
• Included Accessories: Moulded rectangular SKB® case, Cable, Strap, Polishing Cloth
• Polishing Cloth: Polishing Cloth Included
• Control Knobs: Knurled Chrome

 
American Deluxe Telecaster NEW 2010 MODEL Features:

• Body: Select Alder
• Neck: Maple, Modern C Shape, (Satin Urethane Finish)
• Fingerboard: 9.5 to 14 Compound Radius (241 mm to 355.6 mm)
• No. of Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Frets
• Pickups: 2 New Noiseless N3 Tele Pickups (Neck and Bridge)
• Controls: Master Volume (with S-1 Switch), Master No-Load Tone Control
• Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade and 2-Position Push/Push S-1
• Bridge: American Tele with 6 Chromed Brass Saddles
• Machine Heads: Fender Deluxe Staggered Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
• Hardware: Chrome
• Scale Length: 25.5 (648 mm)
• Width at Nut: 1.6875 (43 mm)
• 3 Tall, 3 Short Staggered Locking Tuning Machines
• Knurled Chrome Knobs
• Pearloid Dot Position Inlays
• Top of Body is Bound
• Contoured Back
• Highly Detailed Fret and Nut Work
• 4-Bolt Neck Attachment with Micro-Tilt Adjustment
• Bi-Flex Truss Rod System
• Parchment Knobs and Pickup Covers
• Rolled Fretboard Edges
• Strings: Fender USA, Nickel Plated Steel, Gauges: (.009, .011, .016, .024w, .032, .042)
• Accessories: Fender/SKB Case, Cable, Strap, Polishing Cloth

 
 
 
* I'd post some photos but my daughter has borrowed my camera for a fortnight for an 6th form project                         
 
 

Looks like the difference to me is one is described in red type and the other in green.
 
Ok, seriously; I've always thought a Tele was about the amp (or Kemper model) you play it through. Of course like any guitar, you gotta love how it plays/feels. I personally find Tele's hard to play. 

 
I've played a few Standards in the past mate, and I really like how they feel and play.
 
I'm getting some nice tones from the split pick-up I had wired up. Mostly, it must be said, with the lower-gain amps in the Kemper.

Sorry, I can't help. No experience with these guitars
 
I hope I'll have a Telecaster one day.........with Humbuckers.

Well I try to help.
I found is interesting information about the different telecaster models
http://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/guitar-buying-guides/buying-guide-the-fender-telecaster
 
It says:
Deluxe Telecasters retain the look and feel of the original Tele design, but pack extra punch thanks to special pickups electronics and switching. Deluxe instruments are fitted with modern C-shaped neck profiles for added playing comfort.

I have a 2012 American Telecaster and I love it. For some reason I always ignored Teles but when I played one I realized just how great they feel and play and I had to have it. They're such versatile workhorses, great for any genre except maybe really high gain metal and thrash. I don't know about any other Teles except the one I have, all I can say is that mine plays like a dream (and seems to stay in tune better than any guitar I've owned). If there's a downside I would say that the pickups are prone to buzzing at high gain levels, when compared with a humbucker. And some people think they sound too brittle. That's part of their charm - they are super bright, although you can certainly warm things up with the tone pot, mixing it just plain old string choice.

I'm back to being a big fan of single coils and I am currently going through the same ordeal, except with Stratocasters. From what I can tell, the main difference between the American Standard and the Deluxe with Strats is the pickups and electronics. That S1 switching gives you more pick up combinations. In Strats the pickups are noiseless. Some like noiseless, some think they loose some of their brightness.

As Shark mentions, the tone knob can help control some of that brightness on the bridge pickup. You loose a little of the bite going from humbuckers to single coils, but for the style of music that I am playing, single coils seem to fit better quite a bit of the time. Having both humbuckers and single coils is my goal, choosing which fits better for the song.

A while back I picked up an old 93 Squier, gutted it and replaced all of the pickups, hardware and electronics with quality parts. I find myself playing this instrument all of the time lately. Thus, I am now wanting to get an American made Strat, to compliment the Gibsons.

I had a similar eye-opening moment when I started listening more to single-coil music.  For whatever reason, I was always a humbucker guy.  Every guitar I had ever owned but, interestingly enough, almost all of the music I listened to as well were all humbucker based.  Then I finally got a guitar that usually comes with single coils (a Lone Star Strat), however mine came with a humbucker at the bridge (a so-called "Fat Strat").  But, most pertinent to this topic, it also came with a replaced tone knob and wiring called a "Fat-O-for-Fatties" by Deaf Eddie that allowed me to use all the pickups in a variety of configurations.  That got me interested in single-coil tones which led to re-experiencing all sorts of bands I had pretty much ignored as a kid (like Pink Floyd, Hendrix, etc.) and learning about TONS of bands I had never even heard before (like most of the Prog I listen to now).  Since that time, every custom guitar I've had made includes a custom Fat-O-for-Fatties tone knob/switch/wiring to allow single-coil tones.  Things really became new and exciting again!

I can't say about one model vs. another, but I will say that IMHO the recipe for reaching blues rock heaven with a traditional single coil Tele bridge PU is to set the amp on the edge of breakup, turn down the tone control to taste and pick hard. Then let it bark and bite the head off of anyone who thinks all a Tele is good for is twang.

The most significant difference between the two models is that the more expensive one has a carved back, similar to a strat. All the other differences are easily changed, but a body carve is forever. It's just a comfort thing really. The snappiest Tele's are ash bodies with maple boards. I like alder my self because it's more consistent between guitars, while ash can be light or very heavy.