Strat or Tele?

Guitarguru · 11-06-2002, 08:20 PM

I want to buy a fender soon. I want it standard, but I dont know if I want the standard strat or tele. I like the looks of the standard, but the sound of the tele. I'm kinda leaning to the tele side right now but the head stock throws me off. Any suggestions and or comments?

p.s. I'm probably gonna get it used I don't really know about that either

Fuzz · 11-06-2002, 08:24 PM

Well, you can always buy a tele and get a strat replacement headstock lol, i'm pretty sure it'd still fit in the slot

-Adam

Guitarguru · 11-06-2002, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fuzz
Well, you can always buy a tele and get a strat replacement headstock lol, i'm pretty sure it'd still fit in the slot -Adam

Ya I was just thinking about that after I posted it I might do that but i dont know how much that runs

jedi817 · 11-06-2002, 11:58 PM

Ok I know where your coming from. Do not put a strat head stock on a tele, there is a reason that it is on there. To start with a tele has a smaller neck meaning a smaller, and lets face it, wierder looking headstock. One thing to keep in mind is that if your buying a tele your not buying it for looks, its an all around ugly guitar. I must add that I myself am a strat player and have found it to be more reliable in live performance and more versitle in styles as well as balanced in a church. Yet there is nothing wrong with a tele either. My partner in crime, aka my bandmate, plays a tele and the mix is perfect, where in my old praise band the rythm guitarist played a jaguar. Anyway thats my two cents, if you like the tele, and can handle the shear weight of that thing, go for it, but do not attempt to put a strat headstock on it. OK thanks for reading.

Andrew

nate95366 · 11-07-2002, 07:47 AM

If you like the sound of a Tele, you've got to live with a Tele's neck (and attached headstock). The only way to get around this would be either a custom-made neck or breaking off the headstock (like it was an accident) and re-shaping a Strat's headstock for the "repair." That would require some fun in the woodworking shop.

I'm a Tele player, and from a purely functional standpoint, it makes no sense to say that a Strat is "more reliable" than a Tele, although it might make sense to say, "potentially more versatile."
Something with more knobs switches, pickups, wire runs, and solder connections, manufactured at the same "level" of quality is not going to be more reliable. Period.

Nate

emo_boy · 11-07-2002, 08:22 AM

The fender standard series is deffinently the way to go. But it's up to you to decide which guitar to get. Maybe you could even get both cuase they are about $200-250 for a mint used one.

Guitarguru · 11-07-2002, 08:22 AM

Ok first off lets show people what were talkin about...

This is the fender standard stratacaster... http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/.../base_id/34409

And this is the fender standard telecaster...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/.../base_id/34421

Quote:

Originally posted by jedi817
Ok I know where your coming from. Do not put a strat head stock on a tele, there is a reason that it is on there. To start with a tele has a smaller neck meaning a smaller, and lets face it, wierder looking headstock. One thing to keep in mind is that if your buying a tele your not buying it for looks, its an all around ugly guitar. I must add that I myself am a strat player and have found it to be more reliable in live performance and more versitle in styles as well as balanced in a church. Yet there is nothing wrong with a tele either. My partner in crime, aka my bandmate, plays a tele and the mix is perfect, where in my old praise band the rythm guitarist played a jaguar. Anyway thats my two cents, if you like the tele, and can handle the shear weight of that thing, go for it, but do not attempt to put a strat headstock on it. OK thanks for reading.

Andrew

Ok, I'll take your advise on the headstock thing. But I wouldn't call the tele ugly, I mean sure its a little weird looking. I don't think a strat is any more realible than a tele (I agree nate). And the shear weight? What are you talking about man there both made out of alder, no difference. Thats all

nate95366 · 11-07-2002, 09:00 AM

Quote:

What are you talking about man there both made out of alder, no difference.

Actually, there is a difference between the weight of a Strat and a Telecaster, and it's pretty significant. Strats have a double-cutaway, are thinner-bodied, and have a profile carved out of their back. Tele's are none-of-the-above, and are overall thicker.

Of course, this fact, coupled with the fact that Strats also have 3 pickups as opposed to a Tele's 2, means that a Tele will have better sustain, especially if one opts for the string-through-body option.

Tele's are heavy guitars and there's no getting around that. One thing that helps, though, is to keep a Les Paul around the house for when you think your Telecaster is getting too heavy...:kgrin:

Nate

Guitarguru · 11-07-2002, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nate95366
Actually, there is a difference between the weight of a Strat and a Telecaster, and it's pretty significant. Strats have a double-cutaway, are thinner-bodied, and have a profile carved out of their back. Tele's are none-of-the-above, and are overall thicker.

Of course, this fact, coupled with the fact that Strats also have 3 pickups as opposed to a Tele's 2, means that a Tele will have better sustain, especially if one opts for the string-through-body option.

Tele's are heavy guitars and there's no getting around that. One thing that helps, though, is to keep a Les Paul around the house for when you think your Telecaster is getting too heavy...:kgrin:

Nate

Thanks for the info, but I can handle weight

Guitarguru · 11-07-2002, 01:43 PM

thats not the issue is what im trying to say

nater · 11-07-2002, 01:48 PM

i had a tele for a while...i really liked the sound, but after a while it grated on me. it's really trebley, and there's not much sonic variety. I ended up trading it in for a strat and i'm loving it, but it all depends on your personal preference and style of music you play...good luck!

Guitarguru · 11-07-2002, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nater
i had a tele for a while...i really liked the sound, but after a while it grated on me. it's really trebley, and there's not much sonic variety. I ended up trading it in for a strat and i'm loving it, but it all depends on your personal preference and style of music you play...good luck!

grated, trebley, no sonic variety? explain... then tell me what style of music you prefer

nate95366 · 11-07-2002, 04:24 PM

"Trebley" in some sense has to do with single coil pickups. They're brighter and they cut through a mix without needing a lot of additional volume support. Of course, with a flick of the tone knob, most of this brightness can be disposed of. You can actually dial in some pretty mean growling tones on a Tele.....

About the only sound I can't get my Telecaster to do is what I call the "natural humbucker" sound. That would be the benefit of having a Strat, if one really wanted to stick with single-coils, because the way a Strat is wired makes it possible to at least explore the humbucker sound somewhat... All the rest - from "trebley" to "growly" are quite well within the realm of possibility of the Tele. Of course, being purely a player's guitar, the Tele tone is influenced very strongly by the way it's played.

Nate

Clayton · 11-07-2002, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nate95366
[B Of course, being purely a player's guitar, the Tele tone is influenced very strongly by the way it's played.

Nate [/B]

that is the best statment i've heard all week.

beside the mexican teles are cooler than the mexican strats. However a american maple fat strat would bring me to tears:kangel:

N.tm · 11-07-2002, 06:36 PM

Have you considered the Nashville Tele? It has a middle pickup like a Strat, so you can better get Strat tones and Tele tones.

I have to disagree about Teles being ugly. I think they are nicer than Strats, actually, or at worst about equal. (Depending on the colour - I hate those Paisley pink Teles.)

I also concur with what Nate said about reliability: a Strat has more components to (potentially) go wrong.

Regarding the weight: sure, there are several obvious reasons why a Tele would weigh more than a Strat, but the total weight still isn't enough to be a problem for most people.

Regarding putting a Strat neck on a Tele, I think you'll find it could be done. If that is your plan you may also like to consider some parts suppliers other than Fender, e.g., Warmoth. As has been pointed out, you wouldn't change just the headstock, as it is part of the neck and not a component you can just swap in or out...

N.