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As one utterly foreign to the world of Fender solid-bodies, what is the real difference (or differences) between Stratocasters and Telecasters? I can count the pickups, and I can see the shapes differ. But are there really underlying differences in how they play, how they sound? What are those? If I were buying one Fender solid-body, why might I (in your opinion!) choose one over the other?
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05-31-2019 02:06 PM
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Strats are one of the most comfortable guitars ever designed. Teles are... not.
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They're night and day in my opinion, even though they're both single coil Fender guitars. Almost like asking about a 175 vs and L-5. They're both Gibson hollowbodies with humbuckers, but they sound quite a bit different.
A Strat (my preferred weapon of choice) can go from funky quack in the 2 and 4 positions to smooth and warm in the neck position. The bridge pickup is bright and biting, but it doesn't have the twang of a Tele bridge. On the other hand, the Tele neck pickup is warm as well, but some feel it can get a bit muffled and it doesn't have the clarity of Strat neck pickup. That's really a matter of taste, though.
They're very different animals. Honestly, best thing you could do is A/B a Strat and a Tele if you have that opportunity.
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Lawson, there will be legions of Tele fans who will sing the praises of the Tele over the Strat, but having tried both, I prefer the Strat. It is more comfortable . A blocked tremelo will remove most of the overtones associated with the Strat and if the pickup selector switch is a bother, it can be moved. There are tonal differences in the woods. Ash bodies and solid maple necks tend to be brighter, but Teles can be had with rosewood boards and alder bodies just as Strats can be had with ash bodies and maple boards.
Both guitars are brighter than a Les Paul due to the longer scale, wood choice and pickups.
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Strat is very comfortable to play, more so than tele probably, but the knobs and switches layout doesn't work for me anyway. I always hit the volume knob and the pickup switch, it's unavoidable.
Oh yeah, and the last thing I feel like playing if I grab a strat is jazz. Something is very non-jazz the way it feels.
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Arn't they different scale lengths? that makes a big difference. I could be wrong I haven't played a strat in 10 years
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Nope. Both 25.5".
Originally Posted by joe2758
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There are differences in the pups (apart from the number), and many other construction differences, so yes they do sound different. That said, it's not necessarily night and day, and some sound pretty similar to each other. The overall ergonomics are different because of the body shape/controuring differences. Whammy bars give strats a different feel. I have a strat -- I prefer the ergonomics and I like the whammy; I like the sounds of both. The consensus seems to be that teles are better suited to jazz than strats, but I think either works. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
John
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You can also minimize the tonal differences by getting a 'hardtail' strat. (warmoth.com ) These have no tremolo and strings come through the body just like a Tele. Both Teles and Strats can be had with ash or alder bodies and maple or rosewood necks. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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Both are 25.5 " scale length, gibson type guitars are 24.75 (or close to that) Originally Posted by joe2758
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When most people say "Strat" They are assuming the trem version (or at least some sort of trem difference). The trem makes a big difference in both sound and feel. You can block the trem and that will minimize the difference in the feel but if the trem floats then you always have to be aware of the trem moving when you bend and when you pick (especially if you have a heavy picking hand). It makes bending in tune much more difficult. There is also a tonal result from the chamber and springs that I'm not very good at describing but if you play the side by side you should be able to hear it.
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In general, Teles sound twangy and Strats sound springy. But both are very versatile and useful for any musical genre. I prefer Strats. They just 'fit'. If I didn't have arthritis in my left hand I'd still be playing one.
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Lawson,
I have played both of these guitars for over 50 years now. In fact, I almost cannot recall a time in which I haven't owned both. I have owned four Stratocasters, beginning with a 1965 custom color beauty, and I have owned five Telecasters, beginning with a 1957 Esquire...which I count as a Telecaster.
The Telecaster and Stratocaster are two of the most universal guitars ever produced. I would rate them more highly in this department than either the Gibson ES-335 or Les Paul, both of which I have owned and played. You can play _any_ kind of music convincingly on either a Tele or a Strat.
What folks have said about the Stratocaster's comfort is truth. However, I never found the Telecaster to be uncomfortable, either. Each just sounds great for jazz on its neck pickup. In the middle positions they do different things. The Strat has a famous voice(s) on its neck/middle and middle/bridge pickup settings. The Telecaster on its neck/bridge combination really gets an immediately identifiable "Memphis" soul sound--think Steve Cropper and 60s MGs hits. On the bridge pickup setting, the Telecaster is almost without equal when compared to any other guitar, IMO. It just shreds/chirps/clucks/etc.
If you held a gun to my head and said "pick only one Fender," I'd have to select the Telecaster, but I'm glad I have both.
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Bah, humbug!!
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Fender also made (in limited numbers) hybrid guitars (tele body with Strat hardware/electronics, strat body with Tele hardware/electronics). So you can combine what you like from each if the classics don't appeal to you fully.
I chose to get a hardtail Strat body and a maple neck from Warmoth and install two P-Rail pickups connected to a Toneshapers circuit for an extremely versatile guitar that can go from metal to jazz with no compromises. I also have a Fender made Strat but I swapped the pickups with hifi sounding and quiet Lace Alumitones and locked the vibrato. That one works really well for more modern jazz tones only (high gauge roundwound strings).
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You can get a Tele sound out of a Strat, but you can't get a Strat (2nd and 4th positions) sound out of a Tele
When you play a Strat, you don't even notice that it is heavy, so, you can say that it is NOT heavy (even if it is a little)
You have a trem on the Strat, which is useless and has to be blocked as already stated above. But once it's blocked, you have a nice guitar.
A Strat doesn't look like a paddle, and that's great !
No famous jazz player plays a Strat, so, that is a good start for you !
If it's good for Rory Gallagher, Eric Clapton, Ritchie Blackmore and so many more, that ain't bad for me ! (No I didn't mention Yngwie, not at all !)
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Hey, Hammertone,
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Lawson,
You need one of each obviously, plus a Les Paul !!!
Fortunately the buy in on Fender (or Squier) is cheap compared to archtops and the choices plentiful.
Good news is that the cheap ones sound at least 90% as the expensive ones.
A look at Craigslist or the used section at GC will offer many many options.
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I like hearing players describe how a git sounds... airy, springy, twangy, woody, mellow...
Kinda like describing the flavor of a mango, sound of a bird or what a sunset looked like :-)
Comfort is another thing altogether...
Works for manboobs too!
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Lawson,
I know that you have played a Hagstrom I. Fenders are a lot like that. I migrated from my Hagstrom I to my first Strat easy peasy.
The only thing is that playing solid bodies when seated, either Fenders or Les Pauls, puts the strings too low down in your lap. Your L5 is the perfect playing height from the seated position.
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Can’t you get a tele with the belly cut and arm curve (don’t know specific name) of a strat body? I’m a Les Paul guy but a strat body is like a fine cashmere sweater, you can wear it all day and regret taking it off at night. It just melts into your body.
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Yes, you can get a contoured body Telecaster.
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If you're hitting the pickup switch on a Strat, remove the selector tip and bend the lever down 90º with a pair of pliers. Replace tip, end of problem. If you're hitting the volume knob, you must be playing surf Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
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Yes I've actually wondered whether my Hagstrom is enough of the solid-body Fender-ish vibe to suffice. I sure like that guitar, which is tackier than the cheer leader I dated in high school.... Originally Posted by Greentone
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FWIW, I always found my Hagstrom I to be very "Fender-ish" in its sound. Although shaped like a Stratocaster, it actually sounds quite like a Telecaster--on all three pickup settings, i.e., neck/both/bridge.
The thin body and skinny neck don't feel like the typical Fender, but the sound is right in there. The two Hagstrom pickups are very good.
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