Telecaster vs Stratocaster - Which Guitar Do You like More?

My Favorite Guitar + Filming Gear at Sweetwater

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[cosmicturtle]

I've always been a telecaster guy ever since i ordered one today.

[ethandowse]

Who else wants both but can't afford either

Edit 1 year later: saved up for ages and got a strat

[trevoralicea]

It's not a matter of which one you buy, but which one you buy first because you'll definitely end up having both.

[chrisf]

My girlfriend, not a guitar player: the telecaster has a fuller sound and a wider variety of sounds, while the stratocaster is more shrill and thin.
Me, a guitar player: I like the strat, I think it's prettier.

[RumzDizzle]

Ex got mad one night and slammed my tele into the wall baseball style... gave it a little ding in the paint but was fine. Tele for durability.

[cheesyanton]

Could not decide so I bought a Fenson Stralecaspaul

[YoshiBroccoli]

Couldn’t decide so I bought none of them because I don’t have the money

[Metanoia]

Guitar Shop: "Do you want to buy a strat or a tele?"
Me: "Yes."

[bhpm]

When you just bought your first guitar and your friends ask for a solo @ 12:20

[perojalenarddeniel]

Stratocaster vs Telecaster is like a Civil war

[gaving]

I love the sound of the strat, but the tele looks so good to me.

[uvhciM]

Played both for years. On first glance, the Tele may seem less versatile than the Strat, but I think when you get used to both long enough, you'll come to realize the Tele is actually the more versatile of the two. The Strat has 5 very similar tones and a notoriously generic bridge tone that cannot really be much-improved, due to the nature of the bridge. In contrast, the Tele has 3 *very* different tones that can be made to do very incredible things after enough experience (you can't approach it like a Strat - it's very different) - the bridge is gutsy, raw, stinging, steely, insanely lively with upper harmonics, and has arguably more bite/hard attack/spank than any other guitar....beyond the obvious use in Country, that position pumps up enough to be utterly amazing for even rock solos (Stairway to Heaven solo = Tele, pretty much all of Led Zep 1, half of the Hotel California solo, etc., ). The middle switch position is jangle-city (contrary to the perception of Ric fans, almost every song on REM's "Reckoning" is actually a Tele, The Smiths "This Charming Man", etc.). Lastly, there's the traditional neck pickup, which is largely misunderstood - listen close and you'll note a distinct lack of harmonics (go try your best - you can barely get any, due to where the pickup is placed), which is on purpose, along with the soft-attack (in contrast to the bridge pickup), which also makes it a great guitar for jazz (as Ed Bickert, Bill Frisell, Ted Greene, and Mike Stern among many others know). Anyway, I play both (among a variety of other guitars), and love both. But if it had to be just one....Tele.

[michaelmiller]

Been playing classical guitar for a few years now. Today I bought a Jimmy Page signature Telecaster. It felt strange at first, like a big piece of wood hanging from my neck and the strings sounded twangy. It felt a little disappointing and I thought I made a mistake on the purchase. However, I plugged it in and started playing with the knobs to get a decent tone. Having done that, I started jamming over a backing track and got lost in the incredible sounds of this instrument. I was smitten and fell in love with this guitar. Hard to put down and I think this love affair has taken my life to a whole new level of sound and beauty.

[ibrahim-sppz]

This comment section just make me confused asf

[partlycloudy]

There’s something about the tele that one cannot explain but can feel once you start using it. It’s so versatile and fun to hold as well. That bridge pickup is just so distinct with the teles that I loved.

[kevincolliss]

Telecasters are like an old pair of blue jeans, comfortable and are simpler to get good vibes. Stratocasters just seem like you have to fight them and constantly trying to find a good tone. I own both, love both for what they are . But the telecaster ...ahh!

[stephenkelly]

Had a Tele in the 70's, then added a Strat. Loved em both. We played mostly blues so they suited me fine. Great times. Wish I could back and do it again. Still got the Tele.

[DadRockAndGuitars]

Tele every time. I prefer the simplicity, tone and looks of the Telecaster. I mostly play a Les Paul and kind of think of the Tele as the other side of the tone spectrum.

[winonacrvz]

I’m literally about to buy a strat but now I am conflicted

[shehryarkhan]

Can we all take a break from the guitars and appreciate how damn good of a player Marty is!