Skip to content
Notifications
Clear all

strat vs. tele

16 Posts
12 Users
0 Likes
2,897 Views
(@steveobouttorock)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 87
Topic starter  

I feel i've pretty much grown out of my epi les paul special. My teacher even told me that too. I've been looking into getting a fender strat or tele. Before I go to guitar center and get told a lot of crap by one of there guys I was hoping if someone could tell me some of the advantages/disadvantages they have over each other. Thanks for any help.

be good at what you can do-


   
Quote
(@yoyo286)
Noble Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 1681
 

Try them out for yourself. :) Strat's are more versatile IMHO, but tele's are a great product too. It all comes down to what you play and what you like. Happy buying! :)

Stairway to Freebird!


   
ReplyQuote
(@rollnrock89)
Reputable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 342
 

if one word was to sum up a tele, it would be twang.

The first time I heard a Beatles song was "Let It Be." Some little kid was singing along with it: "Let it pee, let it pee" and pretending he was taking a leak. Hey, that's what happened, OK?-some guy


   
ReplyQuote
(@metaellihead)
Honorable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 653
 

First electric I ever played was a Tele a three or so months ago. I plugged it into a Blues Jr. and played around with it for 20 minutes or so. I didn't get the amp to break up at all, I mostly left the settings alone aside from turning down the mids and volume a little. (To be honest I didn't know what I was doing. I couldn't figure out how to even turn on some Fender hybrid amps, but I saw that nice big toggle switch the Blues Jr. and went at it.) The neck pickup sounded great, from smooth light blues tones, and with the tone rolled off it was jazzy. The bridge was twangy to peircing depending on how you set the controls, playing around with the tone and volume knobs is what I used to see what it could do. Both pups together sounded warm, but not as distinct a setting as using either pickup alone.

The neck played wonderfully, it was shockingly easy to play after being on an accoustic for a year or so. It was just a dream how effortless it was to fret. It had me GAS'ing really bad for a while. I really liked the balance of the body. But I would see how it sounds when overdriven before buying.

And the pup selector switch is too close to the volume knob, but that wouldn't really put me off from buying.

Don't take this as "Go buy the Tele!", but it's my opinions from playing with one. Be sure to check out the Strat, too. Wheigh them together, see what speaks to you.

-Metaellihead


   
ReplyQuote
(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

You will be able to get many good sounds on either a Strat or Tele. I recommend you decide primarily by which feels better and more natural to you. Also consider whether or not you want a trem (most Strats do have one). Then, consider the tone and sounds you get from the guitar, but do this unplugged first and later through an amp you intend to use. Why unplugged? 'Cause the Fenders that have a nicer unplugged tone (though quiet), seem to have potentially better electric tone. Go for zingy and live sounding. That's the fundamental nature of the guitar you are hearing -- it cannot easily be changed. Of course, the pups add coloration, but they can be changed and more importantly, the amp will really affect the sound. Most electric players' tone issues are really with the amp and FX chains. Unless you really know what you are doing, the most difficult part of the store audition is getting a good sense of how the guitar sounds amplified. There are too many variables. But, if you start with a solidly-made, good feeling guitar, you will be able to figure this out later.

This all assumes you will find good quality example of each modle in your store. With Fender (and especially Squier) it is important to carefully examine the build quality and also play a number of the same model. And listen to the unplugged tone. They are not all the same, even though the exact same model.

Both Strats and Teles are very flexible guitars. Fun for performing and great for recording.
And the pup selector switch is too close to the volume knob, but that wouldn't really put me off from buying.

A popular mod among pros is to flip the control plate so the selector is toward the rear of the guitar. Another variation is to flip it and swap the volume and tone so the volume is still up front.

-=tension & release=-


   
ReplyQuote
(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

I own an American Strat, American Tele, and Squier Standard Tele.

The Strat is very versatile. You can get solid warm tone with the bridge pickup, great for Rock especially when using distortion. The bridge-middle pickup is very clean and similar to the Tele twang. The middle pickup is a nice clean, great for blues. In middle-neck pickup you get the classic Hendrix tone. In the neck it is still similar to the Hendrix tone, maybe a little cleaner and chimey. The neck is great for warm somewhat acoustic type rhythm guitar, but it can give you a nice thick lead tone as well.

The Strat has the Whammy or Vibrato bar if you are into that. I use this alot, so I like this.

The Strat also has two tone controls. One controls the neck-middle positions, the other controls bridge-middle. So you can get a variety of tones.

The Strat is an easy guitar to play, has a nice fast neck and it's easy to reach the high notes.

The Tele is simple. You have the bridge pickup. It is not as dark as the Strat bridge. This is where you get the twang. With a little slapback echo it sounds awesome. But it is a great pickup for distortion, very tight. The middle position is a combination of the bridge and neck pickups. It is warmer and chimier (sp?) than the bridge. It sounds great clean for nice colorful, warm tone. The neck pickup is darker and very warm, as someone said, you can get great jazz type tones with this pickup. It sounds great for distorted leads, very thick and smooth.

The Tele is really simple. Just a 3 position switch, volume and tone control. But they are very easy to reach when playing, I think a little easier than the Strat.

The Tele has a fantastic fast neck. It is super comfortable and easy to play high. It would be hard to find a faster neck on any guitar, period.

No Whammy on the Tele (some models). This can be good or bad. Of course you can't do dives or subtle vibrato, but then again the Tele will never go out of tune on you.

Maybe one weakness of the Tele is heavy metal. It has a wonderful warm low tone, but it is not heavy like a Les Paul. You can get great tight bass on the Tele, but not super-heavy bass. The Strat does much better in this area, but neither can compare to a Les Paul.

Oh well, those are just my thoughts. I like to play the Tele more than the Strat, I just love the neck. And I love how tight the Tele sounds. Great for distortion or overdrive.

Try them both out and let us know what you get.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
ReplyQuote
(@yoyo286)
Noble Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 1681
 

my mind is probably playing tricks on me, but when I tried out both, i liked the tele neck better. Are the strat and tele necks the same?

Stairway to Freebird!


   
ReplyQuote
(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

Strat and Tele necks are generally different. And the necks also be very different even within each model line. The fretboard radii (9 in, 12 in), width at nut, front-to-back thickness (various types of slim vs. vintage Tele "baseball bat")and shape of the back (V, soft V, D, C, rolled edges) are some of the differences. Only the scale length seems to be consistent. Apparently a lot of the variation occurred because the earliest Fenders had hand shaped necks, and different shapers (people) produced characteristic shapes. These older guitars ended up being copied for reissues, plus Fender/CBS also created new profiles along the way.

This one reason it is so important to try a lot of these guitars to find what fits one best.

-=tension & release=-


   
ReplyQuote
(@badlands53)
Trusted Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 66
 

Just to throw something else into the mix. Fender recently reissued the Esquire, which is like a Telecaster, but without the neck pickup, and with a different wiring scheme that allows you to bypass the volume and tone controls on the guitar, giving you a more biting, searing, bridge pickup sound. Just something to think about.

Well, if you can't make it, stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive, if you can, and meet me in a dream of this hard land.


   
ReplyQuote
(@e-sherman)
Reputable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 374
 

"Of course you can't do dives or subtle vibrato."

Generally vibrato should be done with your fingers. It's a good technique to learn.

Also, you can play a chord and then brace the body against your chest and use your left hand to wiggle the neck to get the same whammy bar effect.

The king of rock, some say lives
the lizard king, is surely dead
the king of France, lost his head
the King of Kings... bled
( email me at esherman@wideopenwest.(com). I almost never check my hotmailaccount.


   
ReplyQuote
 xg5a
(@xg5a)
Honorable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 482
 

I wouldn't limit myself to strats and teles. The gibson-style guitars aren't all like the one you have now. Be sure to try them too, because there are people that like gibson-style guitars a lot better than fender-style guitars. Be sure to try more expensive les pauls, sg's and maybe even a 335.


   
ReplyQuote
(@rodya-s-thompson)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 207
 

And if you don't want to give up that nice humbucker sound, look into a Fat Strat. :)

Henry Garza, Saul Hudson, and Darrell Abbott could not be here tonight, but they all had sex and are proud to announce the birth of their two-headed baby, Rodya S. Thompson.

- Paraphrased from the Tenacious D series


   
ReplyQuote
(@steveobouttorock)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 87
Topic starter  

thanks that gives a lot of info I doubt the idiots at guitar center would of known/shared

be good at what you can do-


   
ReplyQuote
(@undercat)
Prominent Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 959
 

Also, you can play a chord and then brace the body against your chest and use your left hand to wiggle the neck to get the same whammy bar effect.

It's all fun and games until your neck snaps off mid song, or you realize that you've warped the neck and have to replace it.

I'd recommend NOT using this technique, or if you absolutely have to, be extremely gentle with it.

Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...


   
ReplyQuote
(@audioslaveaddict)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 169
 

Also, you can play a chord and then brace the body against your chest and use your left hand to wiggle the neck to get the same whammy bar effect.

It's all fun and games until your neck snaps off mid song, or you realize that you've warped the neck and have to replace it.

I'd recommend NOT using this technique, or if you absolutely have to, be extremely gentle with it.

I second that one! I have heard that Edge from U2 uses this technique. However, when asked about it even he admitted that breaking the neck right off is always an issue.

Gun control is using both hands!!!


   
ReplyQuote
Page 1 / 2