Members Verne Andru Posted November 16, 2016 Members Share Posted November 16, 2016 John 5 does some mean things with a Tele as does Mike Stern but both are completely different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members moestock Posted November 16, 2016 Members Share Posted November 16, 2016 I love the body contours of a Strat, but dislike the control layout which has the volume knob and pickup selector a bit too close to my strumming hand. Too many years of knob free acoustic playing instilled in me I guess. I have both my strats bridges decked so the floating bridge is unnecessary in function, but perhaps I'd be missing the subtle tone differences it provides with that hardware inside. Lately I've been drooling over G&L ASATs (tele body) with the front contour and the belly cut. Make it an HSS with a coil split and it may just be the best of both worlds for this guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted November 16, 2016 Members Share Posted November 16, 2016 I was familiar with the Anodyne P-Bass but hadn't seen an Anodyne Tele until you mentioned them and I did a Web search. I can see why you'd consider them the best Tele. I wouldn't mind owning one if my wallet and ability could justify it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted November 16, 2016 Moderators Share Posted November 16, 2016 Curious. You could tell it was a BS article when it talked about the simplicity of the tele requiring you to be a better player. Yes, because all guitars except Tele's play themselves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted November 16, 2016 Moderators Share Posted November 16, 2016 John 5 does some mean things with a Tele as does Mike Stern but both are completely different. A John 5 Tele is about as much a Tele as a Matt Bellamy Tele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted November 16, 2016 Members Share Posted November 16, 2016 I can remember when I was taking guitar lessons about 3 decades ago and my instructor also branded Tele's as being a Country music instrument. Folks seemed to be ignoring Jimmy Page's, Joe Strummer's and Keith Richard's use of them as un-noteworthy flirtations. Just seems like the Tele was considered the Twang-King of guitars but indeed other players have done a lot to expand its perception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted November 16, 2016 Members Share Posted November 16, 2016 Other then the shape the tones between the two aren't that different. neither is Jag, Mustang or Jazzmaster. A Jazz master is a Strat with soap bar pickups and a Jaguar whammy. Over all, Fender really does have a limited number of guitar models. They've done some experimental models but they don't seem to catch on. So many copy cats have weakened their brand too. What it all comes down to is this. Fender built its name off of affordable guitars and targeted teenagers to buy them. They even used auto paint in the 50's to get them sold. Gibson's were sold to older seasoned working musicians who could afford them. They were the Old Mans guitar for many years because they made so many Jazz Boxes. The 50's and 60's they got in on the gravy train too but they didn't sacrifice quality or building techniques to do it. When you consider the two companies, Gibson is still Garnering top dollar for new and used instruments. Reason, they are just plain high quality builds. Even their Norlin series are better then many suspect. Fender, They can still make a quality instrument but they make so much junk in comparison its obvious to anyone, they make their money from mass production and lower costs. They always have. I have several Strats and clones. I have one Tele and have owned others. I have several guitars with Tele necks however which I thing is one of the better necks out there. Strat necks tend to be a bit wider. The things that bother me on the two. The volume knob on the strat is a pain in the ass for palm muting near the bridge. For any other style playing its fine but many people who palm mute have difficulty playing them, and I'm one of them. Because the instrument is bright, palm muting lest your control string coloration. That knob is just too close to the bridge. You have to change your style of playing to get around it. Electronically, you cant adjust the individual pickup levels, and I've never likes the two tone controls. they don't work all that well and you still have the neck that's wide open. Everything else is pretty good. Setups are tough however. Getting the bridge to float just right, and getting strings to return to pitch takes are good mechanic. Individual saddles can be tough to set up on a floating bridge too because string height is affected by fulcrum angle. The Tele is a simpler instrument. Its definitely got a lead and rhythm pickup wound for those jobs. The three saddle bridges weren't very accurate for intonation but they were originally designed when people were using thick strings. Once six saddle and compensated 3 saddle bridges were available that issue pretty much disappeared The necks as a whole tend to be a little narrower and faster action. Of course there were so many made you can find any one you want that will suit you. The blade switch is the thing I like least. Working that switch left and right instead of up and down or at least angled like on a strat has always been weird to me and breaks the normal string strum motion. Its in the wrong place for my needs. I've built several and reversed everything and do like it much more having the volume on that end, tone in the middle and switch towards the tail. The Jazzmaster had a better electronic setup as far as versatility goes for a two pickup guitar. Individual pickup volumes and master controls plus a reed switch that works up and down instead of side to side. As far as Tele vs Strat goes, I like the Tele for its string dig and pinch harmonics. Its hot wound bridge pickup can do things the strat cant.The strat is comfortable and have a wider pallet of tones, especially the #2 and #4 pickup positions which are may favorites. You can get the instrument to crank up nicely or go clean and get the jangle tones. Frets are easy to maintain because the neck is removable. I guess I use the tele more because It responds better dynamically. You can go from quiet to aggressive just by digging in harder. The strat tends to be more compressed sounding. Its not just the pickups either, I've installed all kinds of pickups in Strats and it doesn't change that much dynamically. I can get by with either but having both is surely the best option. What one doesn't get the other one does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted November 16, 2016 Members Share Posted November 16, 2016 The Jaguar came after the Jazzmaster, so the tremolo system originated with the Jazzmaster. Also, the body combined with the long scale makes it very uncomfortable compared to a Strat. The Jaguar was designed with a shorter scale with the Jazzmaster body because of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members roughtrade Posted November 16, 2016 Members Share Posted November 16, 2016 I like a Strat, but when I pick up my Tele, I'm home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UlfHansson Posted November 17, 2016 Members Share Posted November 17, 2016 at the end of the day, I'd want a hardtail Strat. Booooooring! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted November 17, 2016 Members Share Posted November 17, 2016 Booooooring! :-) Some of us like boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted November 19, 2016 Members Share Posted November 19, 2016 Something occurred to me today. The Tele has heavy metal knobs while the Strat has lightweight plastic ones. Surely the extra mass of those metal knobs plus the vibrational qualities of metal vs. plastic makes a difference in tone, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted November 20, 2016 Members Share Posted November 20, 2016 Not as much difference as the tremolo and the cavity for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted November 20, 2016 Members Share Posted November 20, 2016 Sorry, I was being facetious. I hear all the time about trivial differences having profound--not just subtle, mind you but profound--effects on sound. It struck me that the mass of the knobs fell into that category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 I have both....the Strat is more useful to me on the gigs that I play but I think I prefer the Tele overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 You know, it would be nice to think that they'd both be able to do the same things, but they really don't, and for that reason, I can't see being without either one. The Tele has that treble-heavy bridge pickup that can peel paint at 20 yards, and the Strat has the 2 and 4 switch positions that I love so much... not to mention the great neck pickup... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 Something occurred to me today. The Tele has heavy metal knobs while the Strat has lightweight plastic ones. Surely the extra mass of those metal knobs plus the vibrational qualities of metal vs. plastic makes a difference in tone, right? You sound just like some of those Audiophile knobphiles who drink the snake oil Kool-Aid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 They really are two different tools, just like a Les Paul is different in its own way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Beyer160 Posted November 21, 2016 Members Share Posted November 21, 2016 Although I appreciate the simplicity of the Tele, I'll take a Strat over it because of the 2&4 positions and the whammy. And I'll take a G&L Legacy over a similarly equipped Strat due to the G&L's better trem and superior EQ circuit. I'll take a Jazzmaster over any of them, though. A Jazz master is a Strat with soap bar pickups and a Jaguar whammy. So, it's a lot different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jbreher Posted November 21, 2016 Members Share Posted November 21, 2016 When I was a guitar -beginning youth, in the crowd I ran with, Teles just seemed uncool. We didn't know at the time that Pagey was using 'em - they were the preference of classic country guys, and we all wanted to be Joe Perry or Eric Clapton. I've played a lot of Teles through the years, but never owned one. Of course one of the first mods I did to the '69 Strat -- my first guitar -- that paid my college tuition and fed me for several years after, was a tele rhythm pickup in the neck position (see Randy Bachmann for inspiration).That said, I've been using the Tele positions on my Variax a whole lot. I'll probably buy a Tele before another strat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted November 22, 2016 Members Share Posted November 22, 2016 Guilty as charged. Seriously though, if tuner/headstock mass can affect tone why don't we hear about knob mass? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mistersully Posted November 23, 2016 Members Share Posted November 23, 2016 jazzmaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hard Truth Posted November 27, 2016 Members Share Posted November 27, 2016 I like Strats but there is something about the attack of notes on the Tele that is special. On a tele you can control that attack and the rest of each note's envelope in a way that allows for a very individual sound for each player. It may be due to the ashtray plate on the bridge pickup. Also, the neck pickup on a Tele can get a very convincing jazz/hollow body type sound, something that the Strat can not do. You do get a greater variety of tones from a Strat, but none of them are as sweet as the Tele's best tones IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.