Strat or Tele

[AmericanEagle]

If you could have only one,
would you get a Stratocaster
or a Telecaster?

[raysachs]

I've had both, but when I've had both, the tele, no matter how good it was, always died of neglect because I always found myself reaching for the strat. So for the past few years, I've only had one, a strat. To be fair, I've always been a strat guy, going back to my earliest electric playing in the late 70's. I've always liked teles a lot too, but never enough to take significant playing time from my strats over the years.

-Ray

[FingahPickah]

Had a Strat for years ... maybe another one day... but for now loving my two Teles (one American Standard, the other a Parts caster w/ P90s)

[Bob Womack]

I have and use both. Tele for a more robust sound, Strat for those times when you need to wobble a chord. Bending strings is far easier on the Tele than the Strat because of the Tele's hard-tail. The Strat's trem sags when you bend, making you bend further to get an equivalent pitch and causing the other strings in a single-bend, double-stop to go out of tune without some technique. People forget to mention that.

Of course, you could get a Robert Cray model Strat with a hard tail if you feel lonely with just two pickups.

Bob

[rmp]

Originally Posted by AmericanEagle

If you could have only one,
would you get a Stratocaster
or a Telecaster?

I too have both, and over the years have had quite a few come and go.

I'd probably be looking for a Stratocaster with a Rosewood neck if it was a "one only" situation.

[FingahPickah]

Deleted ...................

[ssstewart]

in the 80s loved my frankenstrat. but my telecaster is a forever guitar.

[dhodgeh]

Played a vintage Strat (1969 model if you consider that 'vintage') for years.

Got my hands on a 2013 AV 52 Tele a couple or three years ago.

The Strat has not been out of its case since. I've also added a vintage 71 Tele, plus a custom Esquire type guitar to the flock.

D

[ghostnote]

It's a tough question to answer. My favorite electric is an American Standard Strat that I've had for 33 years, and it plays like a dream. But I also have an American Standard Tele that is beautiful in it's own, different way. What they have in common is a neck that makes me feel like I can play anything - which, of course, I can't. But I do know when playing either that anything that sounds off is never going to be the guitar's fault. When you trust your tools, you only have to think about the work.
So - I can't decide.

[Brent Hutto]

When coming to electric guitar a year ago, I ended up at least briefly owning several different form before settling on what suited me best. I won't mention the several others I tried, just the three keepers.

I had a "Super Strat" (I think that's the right term) style Ibanez with two humbuckers and no whammy bar. But the body has the contours and such like a Strat albeit combined with a rather thinner neck profile and flatter fretboard than most Strat.

I also had a flat-out Strat copy from Ibanez except for it too was a hard-tail and the scale length of 25". But sounds pickup-wise exactly like I thought a Strat would sound. Same kind of switching possibilities and same comfy body contours. Neat guitar, fun to play.

Then I got my Telecaster. Plain old MiM Player model, two Alnico single coils, slab body, middle-of-the-road Fender maple neck and fretboard shapes and proportions. It does have very nice, modern tuners and six individual steel saddles which is a requirement in my book (not looking for vintage cred over function).

What I found was I don't care for humbuckers. Too hard, given my sloppy picking and muting, to keep them from sounding muddled and too loud and aggressively midrangy. I really like how well made that Ibanez is and at first I really liked the flat fretboard and shallow neck but when I tried some Fender style necks I realized they were much easier and less tiring to play.

The Start-copy Ibanez is sooooo light and contoured and comfy I wish I'd fell in love with it. But there's a thinness to the sound that I can't seem to avoid or get used to and the short scale and slightly different neck shape combine to make my playing sloppy for reasons I can't quite put a finger on (so to speak).

So the Tele is the one. Even though I don't play any "Tele style" licks or styles of music. It's a great all around guitar if a) you like single coil sounds and b) you get on as well as I do with Fender's 9.5" radius maple necks. If my Tele just had a forearm contour like a Strat it and another 3/4" of space between the pickup selector switch and volume control it would be perfect for me.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I have and use both. Tele for a more robust sound, Strat for those times when you need to wobble a chord. Bending strings is far easier on the Tele than the Strat because of the Tele's hard-tail. The Strat's trem sags when you bend, making you bend further to get an equivalent pitch and causing the other strings in a single-bend, double-stop to go out of tune without some technique. People forget to mention that.

Of course, you could get a Robert Cray model Strat with a hard tail if you feel lonely with just two pickups.

Bob

Or, you can just deck the trem and treat it like a hardtail. I've never been able to use a trem bar musically at all, so I've decked every strat I've owned over the years. The trem bars stay in the case. Except for the Robert Cray model I had for several years, but really a decked trem is just as effective as a hardtail.

I love the balls of a good tele bridge pickup with a little bit of hair on it, but I'm not fundamentally a bridge pickup guy. The strat, with it's classic neck sound and the in between 2 and 4 positions give me sounds I can't get from any other guitar and which I love.

-Ray

[Downeast]

I have both and prefer to keep it that way but if you held a gun to my head I’d pick a Strat.

[Jim Owen]

I have 2 Strats. I have owned at least one other strat. I have owned 3 teles. Loved them. But when unexpected bills such as rent or food came up, Teles left.

One of my Strats is wired so I can play both bridge and neck pickup—so I get close to the Tele sound.

[Chickee]

There is something about the shape of a Stratocaster. I like the sound of a good Telecaster, but it’s not for me. I like the feel of a Stratocaster leaning against my hip while I play standing or on my leg when seated. The comfort of it makes me feel so much more connected to the guitar. A Telecaster with all those hard, hard edges make it feel like too much of a fight to get the results I want. Of course, to each their own.

[GCWaters]

I own both, but the tele is my go to, especially with the four-way switch…