Tele vs. Strat. Help! I can't decide.

[viewaskew2k5]

Re: Tele vs. Strat. Help! I can't decide.

Since when are Tele's hard to play? My 72 custom tele is the easiest guitar ive ever played. Its just perfect. Better then any Les Paul/Strat ive played.
But then again, i dont have large paws that play 6 string bass guitars like an acustic.

 

[Curly]

Re: Tele vs. Strat. Help! I can't decide.

I'm actually pretty much sold on the 62 US Vintage Telecaster Custom.

I'd still suggest you play one before deciding - unless you already have. Some like the vintage radius neck, and some don't. Try to compare it to a regular US tele, just for the playability.

 

[GuitarSandwich]

Re: Tele vs. Strat. Help! I can't decide.

There is no compromise... you must have BOTH! Hahahahahahahahaha.

No, really.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Tele vs. Strat. Help! I can't decide.

If my memory is correct the 62 RI of Teles and Strats have a 7.25" radius fingerboard. This will make the center of the neck higher than the edges and can make bending more difficult, strings can choke out if its set up to low. The action on this radius will usually need to be higher. Not a problem, but if you like low action you should consider a Fender with a 9.5" radius. This will feel flatter and you will be able to run the strings lower.

As a few people suggested go to a store and play both models. The Tele is a great guitar, but so is a Strat. They are very differnt from each other. The issue with 60 cycle hum can be eliminated easier on a Strat by using a Reverse wound reverse polarity middle pickup. This will cancel the hum in positions 2 and 4. As some other mentioned.......... I feel having both is a must. Start with the one that feels right to you.

 

[JohnnyGuitar]

Re: Tele vs. Strat. Help! I can't decide.

Put a Twangbanger in your Strat bridge, or put two Strat pups in your Tele neck and middle and you got the best of both worlds...

But really... you should get them both...

 

[1ManGarageBand]

Re: Tele vs. Strat. Help! I can't decide.

Really? I like that. So it's not actually physically harder to play? It just takes more skill.

So as a metaphor;

Strat is the equivilant of the distortion channel on an amp. Wrong notes can kind of be blended into the background.

Tele is the clean channel where every thing you do wrong is blaringly apparant.

Does that about sum it up?

As you progress you'll probably get to the point where you agree with the conventional wisdom that, to get the best tone, you need big fat strings, big fat frets, and action as high as you can tolerate. Those things being equal, my opinion is that a tele will always be physically harder to play.

I agree with your metaphor to a point, but it leaves out the most important part (for me): because it's less forgiving and offers a greater range of expression a tele will bring out the best you have, in the long run.

 

[Syris]

Re: Tele vs. Strat. Help! I can't decide.

Wow, thanks for all the info guys! I like the not so conventional ideas that have been going around here. Like the reverse polarity, reverse wound pickup in the middle for hum cancellation. I also like the idea of putting a tele sounding pickup in the bridge. Sure it's still not a tele but you get a blend of both, sounds great!

Aren't strats more known for there neck and middle pickups? I thought I read that somewhere...

Oh ya, are there pedals that can cancel out that kind of hum? And I was also thinking about putting in a DiMarzio Area 61 and two Area 58's if I get the strat. Do these after market pickups sound authentic?

 

[J Moose]

Re: Tele vs. Strat. Help! I can't decide.

Dropping a Tele pickup into a Strat only gets 'ya like...


20% of the way towards Televille.



Maybe 30% if the amp is wicked.



Tele's are freakin' GNARLY for dirty rhythm work. The pickup is only a small part of it...

The bridge is a HUGE, fukking HUGE part of the "Tele tone" as it is.

Hardtail Strats get a little closer but still...they just ain't the same kinda ride.

IMHO, the bridge pickup on a Strat is barely usable...unlike the Tele which has a VERY usable bridge pickup and an ALMOST useless neck pickup!

:chairfall



But seriously...'ya gotta go out and play a bunch of 'em and see what you like.

I gravated towards the Tele 'cause at one point in high school I bought a wicked kool one off a buddy...and when I got to college (muzik skool BTW) I realized that fukkin' EVERYONE was playing Strats...

Probably 600 of 643 guitar plunkers had Strats as their "main" plank.

I was one of like, five kids with a Tele.

My other ride was a Floyd equipped super-strat deal made from Warmoth parts.

But geeeeezzzzz....

Even THAT had a Tele headstock!



















Go play a bunch of 'em and see what blows 'yer skirt up.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Tele vs. Strat. Help! I can't decide.

And with the right amp settings, a Tele can do this.

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