i am a telecaster player and i don't play country EXCLUSIVELY, however on occasion i have been known to play country, jazz, hardcore/grind, and various other genres/sub-genres of music. I can get the heaviest thickest doom sound from one of my teles that i have ever heard SERIOUSLY, and that's with single coils. The finest guitars to grace this earth are the fender telecaster, with the stratocaster a close second (SG/es335 come a close third) for versatility of tone, texture and note definition. Telecasters are second to none whether overdriven or clean. Of course, these are my opinions, but there are a lot of people who will agree with them.
Regarding buying a telecaster, there has been a lot of negative press about the quality control at fenders american production facilities, i haven't experienced a "bad" new guitar from fender USA so i can't comment. Buy a guitar from a reputable, independent dealer and have it set-up before you buy it, and you won't be disappointed.
Regarding Japanese instruments, i regard them very highly. You can get a brand new japanese standard telecaster from £329 from this link:
http://www.guitaremporium.co.uk/inde...=data_home&a=0
You know it makes sense.