Strat Vs Tele: What's better?

[Sonics]

Very interesting, especially the Eb tuning on the Strat. It's almost a different guitar.

[Howard Emerson]

Absolutely no comparison.

They're entirely different sonic animals when 'stock', and that's that.

If the tone fits the aural needs of the player THAT IS ALL THAT COUNTS.

Regards,
Howard Emerson

[rmp]

Nope.. that is an unanswerable question. no matter what youtube genius puts a video out to define the winner.

They are different animals entirely. If you like Fender Electrics (and who don't) you need one (at least) of each.

[ch willie]

There is no answer to this question because the question itself is flawed. "Better" means something different to you according to what you play, how you play, and what you want a guitar to do.

Howard Emerson is right--they're different animals. I own one of each. According to what I'm playing, one might be more suited than the other--for that particular song.

And according to my mood, I'll favor one for a couple of months and not play the other, then vice verse.

In any case, they're both amazing instruments. Why must we try to say that one is better than the other?

[KevWind]

Unanswerable question ?? But I have two answers ......

Strat Vs Tele: What's better? Yes they are better
And
Yes you must have one of each
And sadly either of those guys is better than me on either one

[Steel and wood]

The term "better" like others have said is totally subjective. I own both but unlike others here, I don't think they are hugely different. (Same scale length and both have single coils including bridge pickups with plenty of treble).

Having said that, I can get both twang and quack from my Stratocaster. It has three pickups and a five way switch plus a tremolo (vibrato) system which makes it more versatile and capable of producing more colour.

Doesn't make it better though!

[airborne1]

Although my skill level is minimal, I own both a pro Strat and pro Tele. At times I tend to play one more than the other. With that said, when I do play the other, I really enjoy it! I wouldn’t want to part with either. I think if possible, one should own both.

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by airborne1

Although my skill level is minimal, I own both a pro Strat and pro Tele. At times I tend to play one more than the other. With that said, when I do play the other, I really enjoy it! I wouldn’t want to part with either. I think if possible, one should own both.

Yep, I love both guitars equally even though I'm going through a Telecaster playing phase at the moment.

[LakewoodM32Fan]

As a primarily Les Paul player (I grew up idolizing the Jimmy Page Song Remains the Same album/concert movie), I broke down and got my first Strat last year and thought "okay I'm done in the electric world". As I've grown and my musical tastes have expanded, I realized there's such a world of difference in tone between the two that they aren't competitors, they're complimentary.

Turns out, after watching that video, I now have to buy a Tele too.

And yes, that Strat bridge makes tuning, and detuning a pain. In fact I just keep mine a half step down in perpetuity.

[stephenT]

Steak or lobster, which is better?

I'm a tele guy, it's what I like. Strats have been played very effectively on a lot of my favorite records. Same w/ teles. Most guitar players I know who like the "Fender" side of the tracks have both.

This is my guitar w/ a 5way switch and three pickups. maybe it doesn't fit in either category but for body shape, but all the sounds w/ the in-between positions are heavenly.

[Ray175]

Originally Posted by LakewoodM32Fan

As a primarily Les Paul player (I grew up idolizing the Jimmy Page Song Remains the Same album/concert movie)........

Don't forget that inthe earlier Bluesmakers and Zep years Jimmy page played a tele almost exclusively before moving onto the Les Paul.

Ultimately both Strat and Tele are best at what they each do - apples and pears!

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Originally Posted by Ray175

Don't forget that inthe earlier Bluesmakers and Zep years Jimmy page played a tele almost exclusively before moving onto the Les Paul.

Ultimately both Strat and Tele are best at what they each do - apples and pears!

Oh yes as I grew up I learned he played all manner of guitars, but as a young boy I specifically loved the sound of TSRTS (and was actually disappointed the first time I heard the album versions of many of those songs because they were much shorter and "tamer" than the ones I was most familiar with) and on that concert he used his Les Pauls exclusively (except for the double neck).

Don't get me wrong, now I love all of the recorded material from them, but as a little kid whose first exposure was TSRTS, the first time I heard Stairway on IV I thought "wow the guitar sounds really wimpy compared to the concert version...and where are all the long guitar solos?"

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by stephenT

Nice. And we all know red sounds better.


Bob

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Steel and wood

The term "better" like others have said is totally subjective. I own both but unlike others here, I don't think they are hugely different. (Same scale length and both have single coils including bridge pickups with plenty of treble).

Having said that, I can get both twang and quack from my Stratocaster. It has three pickups and a five way switch plus a tremolo (vibrato) system which makes it more versatile and capable of producing more colour.

Doesn't make it better though!

Right, there is no objective "better" or "worse" - there's just what you like. It's like asking which is "better", the Beatles or the Stones - depends on whether your preferences run to pop or blues which one you like more. Me, I like strats and the Stones more than teles or the Beatles, but I also really like teles and the Beatles. I agree that they're more similar than a lot of people think, but that's partly because I never let the tremolo float - it's always either blocked or decked or a hardtail. I think a strat and tele with a similar neck play pretty much identically.

But they don't SOUND much alike to me. And based on that, I'm a strat guy. A strat is my only electric now. I've had a little of everything over the years and I always pick up a strat when there's more than that there, so I just dispensed with the decision making and I only have a strat. There's just no sound I ever need to get from an electric guitar that I can't get from a strat. I like a tele bridge pup, I like hum buckers, I LOVE P90s, but when i have 'em hanging next to a strat, I NEVER grab them after a short honeymoon period.

My player is a PRS Silver Sky, which was setup decked to John Mayer's preference, so it's effectively a hardtail - no tuning drama ever - and the whammy bar never leaves the case. The best, fullest sounding strat pickups I've ever played - there's no pickup that doesn't sound great on it's own or in combination with another - the bridge pup on the PRS made me forget about the tele I sold to get it. I used to be a typical 2, 4, 5 strat guy - now I play and 1 and 3 plenty also. My backup that lives in the closet is a Robert Cray hardtail, with the same string-through approach as a tele, but with those three awesome strat pickups. Gotta say as nice as it plays, it really sounds a bit thin and anemic compared to the Silver Sky. But it's a GREAT thin and anemic - it was the best sounding strat I ever owned until the PRS came along. Not a bad insurance policy to have in the closet.

-Ray

[Ian111]

I agree with above that its impossible to answer. Almost as difficult as Strat vs Les Paul. And orders of magnitude more difficult than say Tele vs Mustang or even Strat vs Jazzmaster.

I will say Telecasters are enjoying a bit of a resurgence last 10 years. Its been sort of the middle child of the BiG 3 Trinity of guitars. Strat Tele and Les Paul.

1. Anything too popular and ubiquitous breeds a bit of contempt. “Ho hum another LP. Another Strat.”
2. Its a classic iconic design equal to the other two but with a lot of real estate to show off the guitar’s finish or wood grain. I think this is why even the Fender Custom Shop kinda prefers the Tele due to its larger palette to work from. The SG and 335 are close to the Big 3 in terms of design but not quite.
3. Its minimalist approach (two single coil pickups and 3 way selector) is refreshing compared to practically everything else out there.
4. Then you see it in the hands of talented players and we’re reminded what a great versatile instrument it is.
5. Telecaster fans are lets say “very enthusiastic” about their instrument than Strat or LP fans and aren’t shy about letting everyone know. LOL.

What the Telecaster cannot change though is the past. The golden era of rock surf country funk blues you name it when the guitar drove popular music. The Tele had its share of famous players but not like the Strat or the Les Paul. The Strat and Les Paul tones are embedded in our collective memory in ways the Tele is not. If we were to have a Battle Royale of guitar heroes and their weapon choice the Telecaster will remain the oft neglected middle child that deserved a bit more attention.