Telecaster Search is Confusing

[Don]

I agree that comparing a Strat and a Tele is like comparing a Macintosh to a Granny Smith or Golden Delicious (i.e. apples to apples) but I don't see much similarity between the stock bridge p'up on my Strat and the bridge p'up on my Tele. To me, those two guitars are like brothers, of course but they're not identical twins.

Of course, it depends on other factor, too, like what bridge pickup you have in the Strat. A Strat with a fat, strong bridge pickup might be more Tele-like than a Strat with a stock type bridge pickups.

I've always compared them to horns, a Tele being bright, clear and strong like a trumpet and a Strat being reedy like a sax (I prefer the trumpet).

[NeoFauve]

Oddly enough, I think I can make a better telecaster sound with a LP than a strat, although the 'blender wiring' in my Strat helps quite a bit.

I don't doubt that a bit.

I don't know if I'd have said what i said about all Strats.
My Schecter's a little different. The bridge p'up is meatier but also tapped. The block is full size but made of brass, and it used to have chrome plated brass saddles. That could contribute something.

About a year ago I sat down with all three of my electrics (the Schecter, my former Green parts Baja and former subpar MIC Casino) and compared them, using reasonable control tweaks and picking adjustments, all w/the same amp setting and pedals, if any. There was a lot of sonic overlap and the Schecter was the most flexible by far.
Especially considering how unlikely the chance of me joining a Buckaroos tribute band or the cast of Beatlemania.

[Kap'n]

There's a lot to be said about flexibility. OTOH, I bought my strat specifically for it's maximum strat-ability. You hear it, you know it's a strat. Or, looking at it from the other side - every cliched strat sound is in there. I just need to pull it out. The tele is a pretty classic setup as well.

I eventually turned to buying instruments of that ilk after I had a number of 'compromise' instruments that sorta got the sounds I wanted , but not really. Part of that comes from being a cover guy. If I was actually writing songs, I could say "That's the way it's supposed to sound!"

[Don]

My Tele is a very versatile guitar. I get a good range of tones out of it (it's not a flexible as my semi hollow Carvin with it's humbuckers, acoustic bridge with a piezo transducer, panning knob, coil tap switches, phase switch, active electronics, etc...) but it can handle a 3 hour gig where I'll play a pretty wide range of styles.

The funny thing is, as different as I think they are, all of my guitars sound like "me" when I hear a recording of me playing them!

[Mesotech]

I hear night and day differences between my Tele's and my Strats. None of my three Strats sound alike, and none of them sound like either of my two Tele's. The Strats all exhibit a typical Strat sound, just different versions of that sound. A casual listener can tell they are Strats, but perhaps not which Strat is which.

The Tele's are unmistakable Tele sounding. There is no way I could get those tones from a Strat. However, I can get a fairly Strat approximation of the neck pickups from them. Enough to pull off some iconic Strat signature songs without an audience graoning about it not sounding quite right.

The Tele's, not withstanding sound or tone, also fit my playing style better. I don't accidently bump the volume down with careless strumming while attempting to entertain an audience like I tend to do with a Strat. My Tele's are also much quieter than my Strats in a noisey bar room environment with those pesky neon signs mounted on nearly every wall. Although the Tele's do manage to pick up some static buildup on the pickguard during the winter months that my Strats never seem to get. A little wipedown with a used dryer sheet cures the problem at least for the duration of the gig.

My Tele's are also quite capable of pulling off all but the muddiest Humbucker tones and sound more focused. So they are good for a lot of the classic rock songs I play and a lot of the newer modern rock as well. If I were to break a string on another preferred guitar model for those songs, my Tele could fill in in a pinch.

Another commonly overlooked feature of the Tele is that it could make a formidable "equalizer" if ever needed in a bar fight. I've never had to employ any of my guitars in that way, and wouldn't want to do so either, I'd feel quite safe with a Tele in my hands if the need ever rose. They are solid beasts, and could handle (and deal out) quite a bit of abuse if called upon.

Given all of the above examples, I can't imagine ever being Tele-less. I'll go to any gig without a Strat, but I will always have a Tele in tow.