A few thoughts about Strats and Teles

[ch willie]

I've had my Tele a week now, and I've played none of my other guitars until today when I did a comparison / contrast of my Strat and Tele. I wasn't looking to see if one was better than the other. I'm sure these observations have been mentioned before, but here goes.

1. There's a leap and a bound between the ergonomics of the Tele and those of the Strat. On the one hand, I like both the slab o Tele and on the other, the sophisticated curves and carving of the Strat. I wouldn't choose one over the other.

2. As musical tools, they each do what they do fantastically and without merely doubling the other.

3. I feel like I can slam dance while playing the Tele and it would still stay in tune. My Strat's floating trem means I have to treat it gently. (sorry, I'm not going to stand on mine like SRV or burn it like Hendrix--the Strats survived, but barely.)

4. They both produce beautiful clean rhythm strums and arpeggios. With a bit of dirt, the Strat sings, but the Tele spits in your eye and convinces you to let it all hang out.

These are just my opinions, and opinions are like assholes: everybody's got one.

[photoweborama]

I tend to pay both guitars with a very light touch.. just the way I play.
I'm not the best at rhythm, but when I do play it, I still play with a very light touch.

I don't actually have a Strat. Similar to one, my Fender Prodigy...
But my Tele is pure tele.

[Offshore Angler]

A properly setup Strat trem will take all kinds of abuse. Strumming hard will absolutely not knock it out of tune. Something ain't right if it does. Ask Rickenjangle, I beat my Strats pretty hard. In the 'Guns I use the Trem all night. Usually never have to touch it between sets. Generally if a Strat has tuning issues its due to one of two things:

1) improperly installed strings, poor prestretch on them
2) something is wrong at the nut.

If you can hear it go out of tune ( a "ping" ) it's usually the nut. If it happens gradually where it drifts off tune it's usually the strings.

If it happens randomly sharp or flat you have a bind in the trem.

Generally rules above but they have served me well for decades.

[Rickenjangle]

yeah, he wrings the Strat's neck like the hillside strangler. :) And he rarely goes out of tune - and usually plays the same guitar all night long, the filthy bugger.

[ch willie]

My Strat stays in tune too with my light use of the trem. It may just be my psycho self that is afraid to trust the trem too much. I just feel that Tele bridge is so solid. But I LOVE both Strats and Teles.

I wish I could jam with you guys sometimes. It sounds like you have a lot of fun.

[Don]

The variation between the two guitars is impressive! They're so vastly different in tone and feel that I can't imagine having one and not the other. Though they both have strenghts and weaknesses, I doubt that you could build a mongrel with the best features of the two and have a better guitar.

[Kap'n]

They're about as different as a strat and a les paul are.

[Rickenjangle]

The variation between the two guitars is impressive! They're so vastly different in tone and feel that I can't imagine having one and not the other.

I always had at least one of each - until I got the Jazzmaster...but my Strat was old and tired, and I let 'er go for a profit...she was an older AmSt. Someday I'll get another Strat - just need the right one.

[thegeezer]

A properly setup Strat trem will take all kinds of abuse. Strumming hard will absolutely not knock it out of tune. Something ain't right if it does. Ask Rickenjangle, I beat my Strats pretty hard. In the 'Guns I use the Trem all night. Usually never have to touch it between sets. Generally if a Strat has tuning issues its due to one of two things:

1) improperly installed strings, poor prestretch on them
2) something is wrong at the nut.

If you can hear it go out of tune ( a "ping" ) it's usually the nut. If it happens gradually where it drifts off tune it's usually the strings.

If it happens randomly sharp or flat you have a bind in the trem.

Generally rules above but they have served me well for decades.

Exactly!

[ch willie]

I've had three Fender Strats, 2 Am. Stds and an MIM. I tried everything with my 96 Am. Std. trem, and it just didn't stay in tune. I tried graphite on the nut, one of those trem stablizer dingies, more springs, strings strung perfectly, locking tuners: nothing helped. The MIM was fine, and so is my 2008 Am. Std. Sometimes, a guitar is just bad.

[Offshore Angler]

I've had three Fender Strats, 2 Am. Stds and an MIM. I tried everything with my 96 Am. Std. trem, and it just didn't stay in tune. I tried graphite on the nut, one of those trem stablizer dingies, more springs, strings strung perfectly, locking tuners: nothing helped. The MIM was fine, and so is my 2008 Am. Std. Sometimes, a guitar is just bad.

Sounds like a poorly cut nut if I had to bet. Graphite will not cure a bind.

[ch willie]

I had different nuts put on the guitar to no avail. The last one was a Graphtech nut--I never broke another string on it, but I still had the problem.

I'm not disputing what you guys have to say. Maybe I just never found the solution, and the shops I went to at the time couldn't find a solution either (I was in Germany and in my town, the shops were lame and did lousy work).

[concert410]

I never wanted a Tele or anything that looked like one.. Then I got a good deal on a G&L ASAT. I bought it without playing it. I strung it up and was amzaed from day one. I am still a Strat guy but I think you have to have one of each. I had to sell my Les Paul not long before the offer came through on the ASAT but I think I am happier with the Tele. I agree that while the Strat and the Tele can sound similar, they sound and play VASTLY different.... like about the difference between a Stratand a Les Paul.

[gooman]

my hyw1 texas tele is my fave (short of having a whammy bar for a bend now and then).I installed 52 fender pu's and I grab it before the 58 vos lp, EJ strat or my awesome studio lespaul.I love teles, really sounds good thru a Marshall plexi too

[ch willie]

Gooman, I imagine the 52 pups sound great.

I'm pretty happy with the stock Am. Std. pups. I was looking for Joe Walsh Tele tones, and this one comes close enough.

Concert410, my Les Paul is getting jealous--I've only picked it up once since I got my Tele two weeks ago.

[buckaroo]

They're about as different as a strat and a les paul are.

What he said. But they both say Fender!