I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

smauk43

smauk43

New member
While looking for a second guitar to compliment my LP Studio, I tried strats (mexican, usa, hwy, all of 'em) and teles, all of them as well, and I can't get used to the "sloppy feel" of the strings. I thought two weeks ago I would love a tele after playing one for a few minutes, but when I went to buy one yesterday and gave a couple a good run, NO! :damnit: Any of you guys feel the same? Thought it just might be that I don't like trem's, but a hardtail strat was the same as the teles. I guess I'll just go in another direction like an SG or Explorer. Or something else I'll have to hunt down and play. Maybe a Jackson hardtail?
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

What do you mean by "sloppy feel"? Gibsons would strike me as having the "sloppier" feel of the two, with the shorter scale.
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

I don't know exactly how to describe it. Maybe it is the scale length, wouldn't the strings feel "looser" with a longer scale and trem? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. But I used to have a 25.5 scale PRS SE Tremonti and it didn't feel that way. They seem noisier as well, which a pick up swap could cure I guess. I also use Ernie Ball Beefy 11-54 strings, maybe I just am used to the fatter strings?
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

For me, the stratocaster was an acquired taste but I love mine now. It's an outstanding guitar for most rock n roll and blues for my uses. A strat makes you work for your chit, but once you've got a handle on it, you'll be happy you gave it a shot. I was.
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

Thanks, you learn something every day. That's why I'm here. I guess I just don't like the feel of Fenders for some reason too hard for me to put in words. I'm not gonna argue, I'm probably the least guitar educated around here, but how can a string feel "tighter" if it is 3/4 inch longer? Physics is not my bag:confused:
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

75lespaul said:
For me, the stratocaster was an acquired taste but I love mine now. It's an outstanding guitar for most rock n roll and blues for my uses. A strat makes you work for your chit, but once you've got a handle on it, you'll be happy you gave it a shot. I was.
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I actually preferred the Tele over the Strat but still didn't care much for it either. There's what, 50 million strat users worldwide, there must be something wrong with me:smack:
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

smauk43 said:
but how can a string feel "tighter" if it is 3/4 inch longer? Physics is not my bag:confused:
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you should know this if you've done intonation, but consider this:

take two strings of unequal lengths, but tuned to the same pitch. Which is tighter?

there are two ways to change the pitch of a string -- one is by tension, the other by length

most players who switch between teles or strats, and Les Pauls know this by experience -- a Les Paul with the same guage strings is easier to bend -- less tension. That's why some go up a gauge on LPs; others just enjoy the easier bending. :)

same deal with acoustics, BTW.
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

It feels tighter because you're using 11-54s on your LP, but you're trying out Fenders that are probably strung up with 9s. Put a set of 9s on that LP, and it'll feel like you're playing spaghetti.

The trem will only affect the feel if it's set to float. If it's cranked down to the body, the other strings will not move when you bend.

Also, I'm pretty sure that PRS would've been a 25", which would only be 1/4" longer than the Gibson.
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

smauk43 said:
I actually preferred the Tele over the Strat but still didn't care much for it either. There's what, 50 million strat users worldwide, there must be something wrong with me:smack:
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Gibson players usually like Teles more then Strats (it also works the other way). It's the stop tail (the Tele strings through body are better IMO then a Tune-O-Matic, the single cutaway, and the fat tone from the bridge pup that the T and LP share...
There are many Strat players worlwide, but you don't have to like what everybody likes... There are Fender models I like more then Strats and I won't play a Strat because it has toooooooo many users... although having a neck and middle Strat pickups to get some SRV tone is tempting...
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

Curly said:
you should know this if you've done intonation, but consider this:

take two strings of unequal lengths, but tuned to the same pitch. Which is tighter?

there are two ways to change the pitch of a string -- one is by tension, the other by length

most players who switch between teles or strats, and Les Pauls know this by experience -- a Les Paul with the same guage strings is easier to bend -- less tension. That's why some go up a gauge on LPs; others just enjoy the easier bending. :)

same deal with acoustics, BTW.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing that up, I have done intonation but I guess my brain just isn't in high gear today. Sometimes the answer is right in front of you but unless someone shows it to you, you don't see it. :chairfall


Maybe a Tele restrung with 10's or 11's will "feel" better to me. I really WANT to like them for some reason, although I love my LP Studio.
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

whenever I've bought a new strat or tele, the first thing I did was change the strings to 10s. I think Fender uses 9s for a couple of reasons: less tension in shipping, and it plays easier.

but you know what? String gauge is one of those things that is personal preference, like the brand of shoes you wear.

and it's just possible you might not ever totally like teles or strats for pretty much the same reason :)

some pretty well known guitarists have had successful careers playing mostly one guitar.
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

I agree. I don't like Strats myself much at all. Teles I like a lot. But strats are btoo boring and light for me. They just feel a lot cheaper than many other guitars.

Just my opinion. I don't hate strats, they're very good guitars. Just not for me!
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

It could be a smaller gauge of string than what you are used to. Different guitars, for different people. I've got 2 Strats, and they both don't feel or look cheap at all, they are also an Artist model and an American Deluxe, though. I don't find them boring at all, they have more positions to choose from.

Humbucking guitars are great in their own right, but they do not have that "glassy/quacky" sound that a good Strat has. They also don't have the classic twang of a good Tele.
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

telecasters are just solid. The only problem is intonation gets tougher to fine tune with the 3 barrel saddles.
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

I agree with the others. I'm kinda coming from the opposite end, a strat and tele guy who's just starting into his first les paul. I'm pretty sure if you go 10s or even 11s on a tele you'll be more than satisfied.

That kind of leads me into my question, if a person who doesn't play guitar can pick up a guitar and not know if it's good or bad, can a guitar player who isn't familiar with a certain make and model find it harder to discern what's wrong with it? I think I'm much better at picking a strat or tele off the wall at the store and determining whether it's a must-buy or not than I used to be...
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

Buy some guitars, and learn to enjoy them. The more guitars you own in your life, the less you'll dislike, and the more you'll like.....because you gave them a chance, rather than write them off over a lack of a setup. Guitars in the store play like crap.

Think of this......if you drove an automatic Ford Escort your entire life, test driving a manual BMW would feel strange. It's not the car, it's the fact that you need to own it for awhile.
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

+1^ quite a few of my guitarplaying friends who plays for a living, just switch between guitars, they set them up as they like the individual guitar to play for them, it is a matter of loosing the endless speculations and just play.
I had LP's and stuff alike, now that I am out of band stuff these days I only use strats as I like the longer scale best, at the end of the day, they are tools, and as in other work related areas one should learn to use them as such....imagine a worker wanting a custom drill;)
Lol sorry:)
Niels
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

Get a 72 tele custom, and get that Neck Broad Bucker 'split' ( depending on what neck they have in there..some of them are only wound to like 10, others 16k) to get some more single coil noisy twaaannng. Or just put a Vintage hot in the bridge, tapped, and tap the Neck.
 
Re: I'm through trying to like Fenders.....

String up a 52 reissue with 11s and say its sloppy (although the neck is a baseball bat) but high tension hard to bend buit solid sound
 
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