You are not logged in. Please login or register.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → Strats and Telys????
What is the differents in the sound of the Fender Stratocaster and the Fender Telacaster??
I've been playing an accustic 35 yrs and am in the market for an Electric...going to try to get into the blues. Whats the word??
Robin Rivers
Georgia
Ahhhh, robinrivers, my favorite question!
I've got several of both: The Strat is more versatile in the tone-department and usually a little lighter in weight. You can get a wide range of tones out of it with the right amp. And the Strat shape just fits better to a human body. The Tele player needs to become one with the instrument over a longer time. It sounds more mellow, but at the same time can also deliver quite a sting with the bridge pickup. Its neck pickup is just ideal for the Blues, but overall the Tele is always a little mellow, whereas the Strat "chimes" almost bell-like and can deliver real "hard-rock" punches. Since you have 5 pickup combinations on the regular Strat, vs. 3 settings on the Tele, I call the Strat "more versatile", it just lends itself to a wider range of music.
My new Tele was hanging on the wall for a couple of years, because I didn't have the right amp for it to shine. Now I've got a Fender 59 Bassman LTD Reissue amp, and this amp just brings out all the power that was hiding in the Tele. With just two pickups and three switch settings, I can still dial in a whole scope of tones. I believe I also had to warm up to the guitar and grow up to play it more expressively. It seems very responsive now, but maybe that's due to the amp.
You might find that the Strat seems more "refined" in its design and overall sound, but the Tele sounds more "honest" -that's why I use it almost exclusively for the Blues. Have fun, and thank you for your post!
Both Strats and Teles have a long history and have been adopted by various styles. So a strat could deliver clear ringing leads (think Ventures or Shadows) but by the same token it can do hard rock (Pete Townsend - the Who). Strats can certainly do blues as they were much in evidence at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festical. Teles are synonymous with country (there are nashville pickup and James Burton versions) but they were also a part of punk/new wave's scratchy sound (Joe Strummer - the Clash, Chrissie Hynde - Pretenders). Most electric guitars are chameleons it's just that some sounds come naturally to a particular type.
Tele players often talk about 'quack' and 'honk'. Strats players talk of chiming chords, singing lead lines with edge or ethereal quality.
Thanks for your replys
R
I think every guitarist should at some time have the opportunity to spend some quality time with a Telecaster! That takes you right back to basics!
Jaygordon thanks for your reply. I have a tely on layaway. should be getting in outin a few weeks.
R
Strats are for girls get a man`s guitar and I`m not talking about a Les Paul log , I`ve had a Tele for years and it has been said to make me look quite appealing , which is saying summat .
Jimi Hendrix, Dave Gilmour, Buddy Holly, Pete Townsend and Eric Clapton were all girls then!
By golly, this infiltration of rock's hallowed 'men only' zone has been going on for decades! And didn't they keep their true gender under wraps well, knocks Boy George for six in the gender-bender stakes :-) !!!
PS. Must tell Chrissie Hynde and Avril Lavigne to take their girly hands off those Telecasters, could send them butch with too much exposure!
LOL. Cytania, you missed a few: Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Mark Knopfler, Bonnie Rait... 
I've even seen photos of Chet Atkins and Willie Nelson with Telecasters...
I've even seen photos of Chet Atkins and Willie Nelson with Telecasters...
Chet Atkins preferred hollowbodies to strats and telecasters, right?
Chet Atkins and Gretch were synominous aah the tenneseein i like the sound of gretch just dont care for the action all that much but thats only me didn't harrison play a chet atkins model? im not sure i could find out easy enough just to lazy to dig
Strats are for girls get a man`s guitar and I`m not talking about a Les Paul log , I`ve had a Tele for years and it has been said to make me look quite appealing , which is saying summat .
Do you really want me to pick apart all the things wrong with that statement?
Purlnekless wrote:Strats are for girls get a man`s guitar and I`m not talking about a Les Paul log , I`ve had a Tele for years and it has been said to make me look quite appealing , which is saying summat .
Do you really want me to pick apart all the things wrong with that statement?
Yeah, I was reluctant to chip in at first, but now I think it was a good-hearted challenge on Purlnekless' part. I've got both Strats and Teles, does that make me a girl? No, the last time I looked everything was still in good working order.
But I know that Teles are at the top of the guitar foodchain.
Play on.
Ha Ha Ha , this was my stock argument to friends who never liked my chicken pickin plank , even the girls.Honestly though , I don`t think i`d be seen dead with one hanging off my shoulder ,come one whos read Guitar Man by Will Hodgkinson did the the bit about the Brazillian brothers who both musicians who had`nt talked for years because of one`s prediliction for the Strat , its hilarious .
SGinCYQX wrote:Purlnekless wrote:Strats are for girls get a man`s guitar and I`m not talking about a Les Paul log , I`ve had a Tele for years and it has been said to make me look quite appealing , which is saying summat .
Do you really want me to pick apart all the things wrong with that statement?
Yeah, I was reluctant to chip in at first, but now I think it was a good-hearted challenge on Purlnekless' part. I've got both Strats and Teles, does that make me a girl? No, the last time I looked everything was still in good working order.
But I know that Teles are at the top of the guitar foodchain.
Play on.
It seems to me that some guys are overly concerned with their image. Since when did playing a certain brand/model of guitar really matter? Just play whatever feels good in your hands.
jaygordon75 wrote:I've even seen photos of Chet Atkins and Willie Nelson with Telecasters...
Chet Atkins preferred hollowbodies to strats and telecasters, right?
Yes, Chet Atkins became an endorsee of Gretsch Hollowbody guitars in the 60's...then later the Gibson Hollowbody guitars...Gretsch currently markets one of their 6120 model hollowbodies as a Chet Atkins model. But he had a huge collection and played whatever gave him the sound that he needed. He is famous for a very lively, but mellow, fingerstyle with the big hollowbody electrics...
I wish i could do the paste thing , but come on Shredfied its all about image , well 90% is . We must be genetically predisposed to certain guitar types. Am i going to buy a bc rich because i like it`s fantastic tone or playability , am i F**** i`d look a dick .
I wish i could do the paste thing , but come on Shredfied its all about image , well 90% is . We must be genetically predisposed to certain guitar types. Am i going to buy a bc rich because i like it`s fantastic tone or playability , am i F**** i`d look a dick .
Hmmm... I must be missing something. If 90% of playing guitar is about image, i guess the remaining 10% is about the music and how well you can play your instrument? I think not.
-Shredfiend (not Shredfied)
' I must be missing something. If 90% of playing guitar is about image '
Playing a guitar was not the original thread , we were talking about choosing a guitar , and as you can tell Strats are never going to rock my world , as it were . Sorry about the typo la .
This was an nice question.
I have played for 4 months and learned easy things like sweet child o' mine, anarchy in the u.k and bulls on parade and things like that.
Ive got an stratocaster-copy that works very well (i have tried real models to in different shops), but once i tried an telecaster... and it was an totaly diffrent thing : the weight, shape, sound... u got to get used to it.
And if ur an newbie, play STRATOCASTER 
Damn, thanks for everyones input. I've accuired a Mexican Tely since I posted the question... action is good. sound controls easy...I like the way it plays...
Robin Rivers
Seagull
Fender Concord
Fender Telecaster
Univox Gimme (Old Les Paul knock off)
K Dreadnought
Martin Backpacker
Let the Music Live!!!!!!
Hey Pukenekless,
Will you please elaborate a little further on your 90/10 ratio of image vs. ability theory. I'm not sure I'm getting the full gist of your comment.
Best Regards,
SouthPaw41L
I can't help but wonder how much image problem some of the greatest guitar players in History have had with their Stratocasters, Telecasters, Les Pauls, and SGs? I think Purlnekless needs to check his ego in at the forum door ...
90% image v 10% ability check my post I never mentioned ability .When I`ve bought a guitar in the past , I must admit i`ve done it on generally asthetic reasons having been influenced by certain players/bands in my youth probably mean`t that when i had the cash I would buy/ try that guitar . I`ve virtually made up my mind on looks ie 90 %, (so as a result i have dropped a few howlers , I could never get on with the neck of a Les Paul for example), you may think that does`nt leave much room ie 10% for sound and playability but if I`m paying a fair whack of cash for a model it`s virtually given it`ll play well and sound good , btw everything sounds good thru a Marshall Hi gain valve amp for me.
Good choice of guitar though RobinRivers
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → Strats and Telys????
