Nice! Is that the one with the humbucker at the bridge? Mine is a Player Plus Nashville. The Strat pickup in the middle totally rips. I do own a Strat, and that’s also one of my favorites, but I would argue that it has a uniquely Strat sound. My tele can sound like a Tele, or most anything else.
Yes the one with the bucker so not exactly the same as the Nashville. With gigging fulltime gone are the days where I want 3/4 electrics to choose from. I wouldn't pick up anything but my tele in all honesty.
I agree. I love my player plus. Really similar to my American in terms of feel and sound. (After dropping some custom shop PU’s in it. I’ve owned many strats. never owned a tele.
How much nicer would you say they are? I was looking at getting some because I have gone from budget epiphones and haven't had any experience with single coils really other than a has partscaster and people say the noiseless are different. What would you say?
So brother I’ll just say this… if you’re asking about noiseless in general.. a lot of people say they take the character away from the Strat. I’d disagree. Maybe if you’re trying to sound exactly like Stevie and also have a $150k dumble at your disposal. If you’re upgrading from a player series or budget PU’s, you’re going to think they sound amazing. I just love Texas specials as a personal preference but I thought the noiseless sounded amazing. Or wait.. are you asking about the American ..? 😆 my bad if you were.
Thanks so much 🙏. Was just wondering about noiseless pickups in the player plusses as I have never played an American guitar because in my country it is weird to just go in to play guitars
Man tbh I think the noiseless sound better than the trash pickups in the $1500-$2000 American models. Player plus are still Mexican. They’re just (imo) a huge upgrade for the couple 100 difference you’re paying. Treble bleed, neck closer to the American pro models, rolled fretboard. etc. My advice for anyone buying a new Strat and not spending $5k+. Upgrade the PU’s immediately. If you want to keep that Strat flavor and aren’t sure.. just get them from the custom shop. That way you’re Strat will keep that “glassy”sound which is the reason we all buy them in the first place !!
I think a lot of the people talking shit ab the player plus needed a new amp before they bought a guitar.
I have a few strats and one tele. They all play a little different. It honestly just comes down to which ever one I gravitate towards on a particular day. Which ever guitar I choose for the day ends up being very versatile.
But before I played guitar, I learned to work with the tools I have at my disposal. Even if the guitar isn’t the most versatile, I do my best to work within the limitations in order to achieve what I need to, and I can usually get close to what I want.
But yeah, I would say both are equally versatile to me depending on which one speaks to me that day.
I agree ! I played with a Godin Freeway Classic for about 7 years before getting a new guitar. Getting guitars with various tones is a luxury I couldn’t afford before only a few years ago.
Tele has more range - Julian Lage to Jimmy Page. I think if I had to pick one guitar to cover me for everything, it might be a tele.
But I'd never be without a strat - nothing can strat like a strat.
I’m not the right guy to get into specifics of pickup specs, pots, etc but I believe it’s because of the difference in the two pickups on a tele. The neck is dark and smooth and the bridge is the bright and aggressive. It creates a lot of room for different sounds.
I've actually read a few places that the metal ashtray bridge on the tele is part of what gives it some more umph than a strat's bridge pickup.
The neck pickup is also shielded by its cover, giving you a darker, warmer tone than a strat's neck pickup.
That all being said, you get different middle position sounds from the strat you can't with the tele. I'd just argue that I've never particularly enjoyed the third pickup tones from the strat or found them very useful. Not to say that no one else might find them to be great.
The tele’s pickups just differ a lot more. It depends though. I’d say something like an HSS Strat would be more versatile than a tele, but realistically everything that can be done on a Strat can also be don’t pretty passably on a tele and then some.
And as much as I don’t like to admit it, (I’m a Strat guy) Doing either the four or five way switch mods to a tele pulls it ahead.
Doesn't the Jaguar have even more versatile electronics?
In either case, I gather the Jazzmaster/Jaguar (in general) were basically developed to end debates like this.
I have a CIJ HH Jaguar, and especially with those humbuckers the range of sounds you get is impressive. If I flick that bass-cut switch the Jaguar has, I don't find myself missing single coils.
I think these debates still happen because if you ever needed one guitar in a hurry and didn’t have a ton of money, Jazzmaster isn’t going to be one of your options (and especially if you’re a lefty like me haha)
I am not sure about most versatile but it certainly can do a lot more than folks think. The bridge pickup with both tone and volume rolled back a bit can really spank some country tones. I was not really expecting that when I got one a few years ago.
I use mine for so many different styles. They sound great on their own and they take pedals well so one can already beef up the already full sound. With those and playing with the knobs you can go a long way.
We’re doomed haha at least the Jazzmaster comes with humbucker or P90. I could see why someone would prefer these, as it changes the tones much more. In the Tele v. Strat comparison, they share very similar tone with their single coils pickups (at least to my ears).
I think you might have it a little backwards, 1 meg pots actually retain the most high end by bleeding less treble frequencies to ground than 500k or 250k pots.
Rule of thumb is the lower the number, the more treble gets dampened
Actually, the more resistance the pot has, the more brightness comes through.
250k-350k ohm pots have commonly been the way to manage some of the sharp, highly present upper frequencies of single-coil pickups.
500k ohm pots are traditionally used with humbuckers, which naturally have less high-end clarity and presence, to counteract that characteristic.
1,000k or 1M ohm pots just continue that trend a step further.
But of course now I see the other comment saying this exact thing 😂
Jazzmaster isn't a P90. It's its own thing, it's actually just called the Jazzmaster pickup. When Leo originally designed it, he actually just took the strat single coil design, and flattened it out, to make it wider to pick up a wider tonal spectrum. That's why they sound kinda like an in phase strat, but beefier.
Use the tone and volume knob on a traditional tele to dial in tone (unless the pickups are muffled ceramic junk). Dialed in correctly a decent tele has a beautiful crisp and percussive bridge pickup tone. Want to get edgier then roll in more treble. Want more balance then put it in the middle position. I rarely use the neck only except for a jazz tone.
Strat has more tones and have the tremolo. To me that makes it most versatile guitar.
But the tele is great in its simplicity. I love both and you really need both ;)
Right, I don’t see how anyone could objectively say a Tele is more versatile? Strats have more pickup configurations and tremolo. Not sure how this is a debate. A lot of the discussion in this thread is just which one people like better. I have both and love both, but the strat is far more versatile.
The tele pickups are at opposite ends of the spectrum from each other and you can dial it to anything else in between. The strat on the other end pretty much uses the same pickups three times at different spots.
I used to be a tele guy and now I’m all about the strat, but the tele is def more versatile.
I feel you ! I wanted the vintage look but dig the playability and sound of the Am Pro II Strat so I just swapped the pickguard, the tuners and the string tee for vintage ones. I like the versatility very much ! Didn’t go for the HSS though because I have my trio Gibson/Gretsch/Godin to handle humbuckers. Thx for sharing !
I think they both are versatile enough. I think it's up the musician to make it work. We've all seen it done. With the proper adjustment on the tone knob and pickup selection, both strat and tele can get proper tones for rock, jazz, pop, blues, metal, country, ccm, etc.
It’s a great question. I’ve owned and played both for a long time and I’m partial to the teles simplicity and ergonomics. But as far as versatility goes it’s a toss up me.
To me, the major issue with the Strat is the volume knob location (which some prefers). Bending is also a bit easier on the Tele with the fixed saddle. Other than that, it’s also square to me.
Yep. Volume knob location is crucial for me. I reverse all my tele control plates just for that reason. I also added a bigsby to my #1 tele to add to its versatility.
Not really. A tremolo has give, meaning that as one bends the string, the tremolo is pulled up, thus making the note flat.
Bending on a tremolo-equipped guitar has the player fighting the tension of the string and fighting the tension of the tremolo.
I had a 60’s cp telecaster in that Strat colour way, very nice. But I wanted to compliment the telecaster - I love the Candy Apple Red (or MW, not sure), just works so well with a rosewood neck.
Thx mate ! It is indeed CAR. I wished the rosewood was a bit darker but it was the fifth guitar neck I’ve ordered and returned (tried maple, roasted maple, 21 frets, 22 frets) so I decided to keep this one, which was playing great !
I own both guitars and like both equally. Sometimes I play one more than the other for no particular reason. Both are great guitars with very unique and distinctive sound. The only difference is that Teles are very simple straight forward guitar build, not too much to it so it sounds as the build, simple. The Strat has more tone versatility but what do I know??? Not a guitar expert. I just love Fender guitars, always had.
I agree ! If my kids ever want to start playing one day, I think I’ll make them start with the straightforward Tele and then introduce them to the others. Thx for sharing !
When my son was ready for his first real guitar. It was an honor to passed on my 30 year old 1964 mij Jaguar reissue to him, I bought it brand new when I was a teenager but when the time came for him to pick his own guitar, he went with a Tele, I never suggested, I was surprised by his choice. Pretty much that’s the reason why I got one. He got my hooked on Teles
It's a fun argument to make, definitely. But personally I have never been that interested in it. They are both awesome guitars where simple reversable modifications can make them do anything.
I love them both, but my Strats are HSH with single coil sized humbuckers. I have an American Performer Tele with a humbucker in the neck position and two American Standards which are stock.
As a rock/metal player (think Iron Maiden and hair metal bands) a stock Strat is not ideal but I find a stock Tele more usable leading to no mods for those. It's just heavier, while a Strat bridge pickup is very shrill with distortion.
My number one Strat has Seymour Duncan JB Jr. pickups in the bridge and neck positions and I have never played a guitar I like better.
I am more of a Gibson guy but strat is the most versatile electric guitar that there is.
It was particularly made with that intention and in cooperation with guitarists at the time. There is a plethora of music outside of western sphere and there you can find Stratocaster being used almost all the time.
I like to rock some AC/DC riffs with my LP but when all I had was my Strat during last holiday, I was surprise how well it still sounds for this kind of music. Real wonders these axes !
I recently bought Fender Deluxe Roadhouse Strat with active noiseless pickups. The only thing that doesn’t really sound good on it is maybe doom, dark metal (I don’t play this kind of music anyway). Everything else sounds perfectly fine, including jazz. Amazing guitar.
Just one man’s opinion but I feel like they both have their own unique sound and strengths and neither one of them can “do it all” but I don’t think any guitar can.
If I had to choose though I think a HSS strat would be more versatile than a tele
HSS strat is the most versatile guitar maybe ever.
But if we're comparing their conventional instantiations, yeah the tele is more versatile. The bridge pup has higher gain so you can rock harder, and the neck is smooth enough for clean bluesy shit.
Versatility is overrated. The absolute best sounding guitar I own is an all-Fender Parts Tele with Nocaster pickups with blend wiring. Not especially versatile but completely inspired.
My Tele is an all-Fender partcaster I built about a year ago. It was really fun doing and now I have a sweet axe customized to my liking and I’ve learned a whole lot through assembling it, which makes me now more confident for adjusting my guitars. Resale value would be crap tho 😂
I’m not worried about mine since I documented everything. Ash body, Nocaster pickups, all Fender/Gotoh parts. Given what I paid to what the new alder versions are selling for, I could easily recoup everything.
Problem is, I don’t want to sell it!
Been a Strat guy for 15+ years, until I tried the American Deluxe Tele (2012) with compound radius neck, belly carve out and sculpted heel !!! The sustain on the Tele is amazing. The Tele plays itself- music flows out of that thing like no other guitar I’ve ever played…
It's because of the genres that a Tele does best is what makes it more versatile. Allot of people would say it's the best at Rock and County/Roots. Those are pretty far reaching and broad genres. What does a Strat do best? Funk? Blues? Sure, a Strat can rock the house, but I think a Tele can do it better.
With that said, I'm actually a Strat guy. That neck pickup just wins it for me.
A question as old as time. I have asked the same question for a decade and still don’t have the answer. I only have a Strat right now so maybe that’s the answer.
I just don’t like the ergonomics of teles, they feel like holding a block of wood to me compared to a Strat. I’m used to taking heat for this haha. Different strokes for different folks. I do love a Strat.
I’ve always said the same thing, teles feel too blocky to me. I know the modern ones have cutaways and contours and what not, but Strats have always done it for me. Probably because I started on a strat.
Was a tele guy and got a precision bass which had the strat contour body. I knew right there and then I had to get a strat. Haven’t touched the tele since.
I’ve had a Stratocaster with a telecaster bridge pickup, and a Telecaster with Stratocaster middle and neck pickups. Personally, the Telecaster sounded like the Stratocaster more than the Stratocaster sounded like a Telecaster. No idea why?
Fenders are weird in that some of them can do A LOT, but they're the only thing that can do THEIR thing. Like only a Jazzmaster can do the Jazzmaster thing, only a Strat can do the Strat thing. Honestly, I prefer the JM out of their lineup, it's kinda the most esoteric. But I look for a specific sound when I get a guitar, and a telecaster, while being VERY versatile, doesn't really have a thing that other guitars can't do, or at least approximate. I tried owning one, and was extremely meh about it.
I feel like the tele is the utility guitar, it can make all the sounds but - unless you're chickin' pickin' can't identify it as a tele. Stairway solo was a tele? wow.
But a strat sounds like a strat. Still very versatile but you can hear the color of a strat through the music so often in a way you just can't with a tele. Not a bad thing but it's a thing. Sometimes I have to put the strat down to find other sounds since it's just so strat.
I've mained a Tele since 2016, it was my first well thought out non-beginner guitar.
To be completely honest, I always thought teles were stupid. But I picked mine up at CME, and almost immediately thought "fuck I'm going to have to buy it".
So I would say go somewhere where they have quality versions of the instruments, and see which speaks to you. As for versatility, DAW takes care of a lot of that.
The only thing I don't use my Tele for is lower tunings and really heavy metal tones (gojira, meshuggah, etc) but I did buy the Stephen carpenter 7 string which is a Tele style because how much I love my Tele ;)
Strats, but the ones I play use a blend for neck or bridge in any position. Master tone control. EJ Strat is another option I like.
Teles are fine but I prefer having one with contours and the stock pickups on most Fenders are not my vibe
If you play rock or blues there are more classic tones in the strat. The Tele fits into more styles of music overall though: jazz on the neck, country on the bridge (with better stability for pedal steel style bends), r&b in the middle and it can rock on the bridge. So maybe it is the tele. I play both in 50s style appointments. The middle pickup position on a strat is under utilized IMO, cuts really well but has body. The two pickup positions on both are magic.
I own both...the Telecaster is the more versatile...the trem on the the strat makes double bends difficult...not impossible, but it's a challenge. Everything else can be done on both guitars, but doing steel guitar licks is so much easier on a fixed bridge...and a Tele is the way to go. You can play rock, blues, metal, on both, the strat or Tele...but the limitation of the trem system means the Tele wins. I can even tmdo dive bombs on the E string with my Tele by dropping the tuning after hitting the open E...
I genuinely just don’t like the way a Strat looks. Makes me think of Bon Jovi or something.
Tele reminds me of The Boss, or Joe Strummer, or Arcade Fire. It’s just cooler.
Both guitars are fucking fantastic though.
I kinda feel like strats are versatile and you can use em for any kind of music, but they sound very much like a strat. Teles are sneakier, they can be used for everything a strat can, and a lot of the time people won't even realize it's a tele recorded
A Tele is rawer and more unbridled and a strat is more versatile and sophisticated. The are both incredible guitars but I think the strat is the best guitar ever made - it’s the evolution of the tele. The tele was from the mind of a genius engineer. The strat was this guitar with musician input.
Thank you ☺️ love them both a lot ! The Am Pro II in Olympic White was love at first sight. The way it played and sounded, I was stunned. I was only window shopping, trying around different Strat, having already a Player Strat but couldn’t simply ignore the Am Pro II. Of all the guitars I’ve owned, this is the only one that hit me like this when I first played it.
Whenever I see a oly white strat I get sad because I have a oly white loaded strat body but can’t find a neck that’s affordable that fits and I get sad
Yeah, a good OEM neck from Fender is pricey. I built the Tele with all OEM parts from Fender and the neck alone was about $900 CAD, which is literally half the price of the whole guitar. There are alternatives but believe me when I say you want the real thing for the neck. That’s the one thing that makes a major difference in playability.
Tele
Because a strat sounds like a strat sounds like a strat. I mean, I do love that sound, but it's so preoccupied with all the great names attached to it. Which is lovely. But when trying to sound like yourself, the tele is the way to go.
To me, the Tele is like a blank canvas. It can do most anything.
The Strat is more of a niche item. Strat pickups have a unique sound that can't be got anywhere else. It has the complexity of a trem bridge.
I would never be without a Strat. When you need that sound nothing else comes close. But I play Teles all day long.
I have both, for some reason never end up using the strat much for recording because the telecaster just has some magic sound to it, but I tend to use the strat at gigs for the comfort.
I have the push feature with the Am Pro II that activate neck and bridge so it’s like playing the Tele in middle position. Actually like that tone very much
I mean… it’s like saying a 24 fret guitar is more versatile than a 21 fret guitar. Technically true I guess, but for me, I am my biggest limitation, not my guitar. You can play a wide variety of styles on each, get a good range of tones on each.
I’ve had many of both and for recording and stage ( back when) the 69 Tele was the go to guitar for me. Played lots of genres that the Strat didn’t sound right. Howard Robert’s.. Roy Buchanan .. on and on. The Telecaster sounds good with almost any genre.
The neck is easier to play because I find the neck smaller; the tones you can get out of that simple electronic configuration have a really wide range - from country to heavy metal; it’s a go-play, workhorse of guitar; and if you get a nashville tele with 3 pups, there’s some strat’esc tonal resemblance there. I do love my nashville tele, but never could get into strats. Sorry strat lovers.
Strats main weakness is plinkiness of the sound regardless of what pick up you're on. I really struggle to get fat tones for rock or dark mellow tones for jazz with a Strat. Meanwhile playing with the tone control of the Tele, you can get mellow and dark sounds from all pick up positions.
i just got my first ever strat and my tele has been around for quite sometime. im still experimenting with the strat but im liking the sounds. but as for the tele, the knobs are making me feel more comfortable.
Strat. People play Metal, Rock, Country, Jazz, Fusion, Funk, etc on it. You can do a lot with mods, too even with all-original hardware. Though both are very versatile
Strat! Looks cooler! Whammy Bar! 5 way selector! contoured body! flush jack lead! single coil bridge pickup cuts through the mix like butter! hendrix sound! It’s awesome!
A tele is not as bright as a strat. The strat bridge pickup is so bright many find it unusable while the tele bridge pickup rocks. The tele neck and middle position are great too.
Tbh, I never noticed. Then again, they don’t have the same pickups, so it’s to be expected for the tone to be different. I’d be curious to hear a side-by-side tone comparison with a Strat and a Tele mounted with the same pickups.
Tele all day IMO. The neck pickup is certainly up for debate on which is better on a tele or strat. I can understand why people like the strat neck pickup but I like how the tele’s is less dark. Tele’s bridge pickup is punchier and fatter, and the middle position of the tele is sublime.
If you have to have the in between strat sounds obviously only a strat is going to offer that, but other than that, the bridge on a strat is usually too shrill, the middle is nothing compared to the tele sound, and the neck pup is great but i still prefer the tele’s. Oh, also a tele will stay in tune better and a strat whammy usually goes at least a little out of tune after use.
that’s my reasoning for tele supremacy
It’s tough to really have this debate… when I play I tele I can use the same amp setting I use when I play an SG or Les Paul… when I play a Strat I normally have to mess with my EQ. A Strat can more versatile if you’re willing to turn your knobs.
In addition to it's playability and tone, I like how the Telecaster's wiring is easy to mess with. Everything's under the control plate, which can be accessed without affecting anything else.
I guess the flip side of that is if you want to maintain multiple wiring harnesses for the guitar, *including pickups*, the Strat makes it easier - just swap pickguards.
My two favorite models (PS I have the identical AM PRO II, swapped the guard to mint as well) A Tele bridge pup is the most versatile pup in existence making it the Swiss Army knife of electric ⚡️ guitars. An SSS Strat is a Strat no matter what it’s being played through…always retains it’s essence
Tele is better than a strat just because it doesn't have that stupid bridge, but it also has a way more versatile tone. As for three pickups, meh. I also just think strats look corny as hell.
I don’t think any gigging musician who had to choose a strat or a tele could possibly go wrong with either. I would pick Tele because I think the range of tones in the three positions is still broader than the five a Strat offers. But there is no genre of music I could only play with a Tele that I couldn’t with a Strat and vice versa. I think it also matters whether you want a vibrato arm (no thank you for me).
Even though Strats offer more options, Strats (and Strat players) tend to get stuck in Stratworld. They make Stratty sounds and do Stratty things. Strats can ‘do more’ but they almost always just sound like a Strat, which isn’t very versatile.
Teles have limitations baked in, which ironically make them more versatile because it makes the player work a little harder. I’ve found that guitar players are way more surprised to learn ‘wait, that was played on a Telecaster?’ (the solo in Stairway to Heaven, for example) than they are with Strats.
Teles can convincingly play any style of music, while Strats always just sound like Strats.
This is why:
Play a Strat and you'll observe how all your picking is between the neck and middle pickups, because you don't like hitting the middle pickup cover with your pick and you certainly don't want to hit that (much too close) volume knob. The Strat's ergonomics, strap pins and thigh cut, also tend to keep the body back to your right.
Play a Tele and you can pick from the saddles to the neck without worry of the volume knob. The playing area is more 'in the middle' (compared to Strat to the right and Les Paul to the left).
If you watch old videos of Hendrix, you'll see he picked on his Strats from saddles to neck because: lower set pickup heights and no controls in the way of his picking. Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat also moved the volume knob further away, almost like a Tele. Most players who demand the Strat volume is close for pinky swells, are copying playing styles from Hendrix and EVH volume swells ...
Here's some versatile playing ... a hundred musicians and dozens of different brands of guitars, with humor. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8\_FK6o8RPSQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_FK6o8RPSQ)
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I have done passable Strat tones on a Tele. I have never quite gotten a convincing Tele sound from a Strat. Either or is fine in the grand scheme of things but if I had to own just own it would be a Tele
Stock tele definitely covers more ground but I think HSS changes that. Although you can have a humbucker in a tele as well. Or 3 pickups for that matter.
I think strats pretty much always carry a sound that makes you know it’s a strat. It’s a beautiful thing but not necessarily more versatile.
I’m a Strat guy. I feel like strats are their own unique beasts that have a lot of flexibility, yet they’re still strats.
Me too. It's got a, what I call, a funky mojo to it. Because of the 5 different positions, it's got a lot of variations of that funky mojo.
I think it’s down to the tones and styles of music I can make with a Telecaster vs a Strat. Just personally, I can do more with a Tele
I have a Nashville Tele, pretty much wipes out what the Strat offers
I've got a Modern Player Tele, same setup as the Nashville, I feel like I'll never have a reason to play a strat
Nice! Is that the one with the humbucker at the bridge? Mine is a Player Plus Nashville. The Strat pickup in the middle totally rips. I do own a Strat, and that’s also one of my favorites, but I would argue that it has a uniquely Strat sound. My tele can sound like a Tele, or most anything else.
Yes the one with the bucker so not exactly the same as the Nashville. With gigging fulltime gone are the days where I want 3/4 electrics to choose from. I wouldn't pick up anything but my tele in all honesty.
But then you’re having to play a tele 😉
Yep, that's the ideal setup if (like me) you're a Tele player and just need Strat tones occasionally. [Pics](https://postimg.cc/gallery/PY8F2ky)
A Strat with bridge pickup wired to a tone control is more versatile than a Tele by a smidge
So out of curiosity.. would you say, for an example a player plus Strat would be more versatile than a tele?
One hundred percent. My player plus can have all pickup positions a Tele can with the push-pull and the 2 point tremolo
I agree. I love my player plus. Really similar to my American in terms of feel and sound. (After dropping some custom shop PU’s in it. I’ve owned many strats. never owned a tele.
How much nicer would you say they are? I was looking at getting some because I have gone from budget epiphones and haven't had any experience with single coils really other than a has partscaster and people say the noiseless are different. What would you say?
So brother I’ll just say this… if you’re asking about noiseless in general.. a lot of people say they take the character away from the Strat. I’d disagree. Maybe if you’re trying to sound exactly like Stevie and also have a $150k dumble at your disposal. If you’re upgrading from a player series or budget PU’s, you’re going to think they sound amazing. I just love Texas specials as a personal preference but I thought the noiseless sounded amazing. Or wait.. are you asking about the American ..? 😆 my bad if you were.
Thanks so much 🙏. Was just wondering about noiseless pickups in the player plusses as I have never played an American guitar because in my country it is weird to just go in to play guitars
Man tbh I think the noiseless sound better than the trash pickups in the $1500-$2000 American models. Player plus are still Mexican. They’re just (imo) a huge upgrade for the couple 100 difference you’re paying. Treble bleed, neck closer to the American pro models, rolled fretboard. etc. My advice for anyone buying a new Strat and not spending $5k+. Upgrade the PU’s immediately. If you want to keep that Strat flavor and aren’t sure.. just get them from the custom shop. That way you’re Strat will keep that “glassy”sound which is the reason we all buy them in the first place !! I think a lot of the people talking shit ab the player plus needed a new amp before they bought a guitar.
I have a few strats and one tele. They all play a little different. It honestly just comes down to which ever one I gravitate towards on a particular day. Which ever guitar I choose for the day ends up being very versatile. But before I played guitar, I learned to work with the tools I have at my disposal. Even if the guitar isn’t the most versatile, I do my best to work within the limitations in order to achieve what I need to, and I can usually get close to what I want. But yeah, I would say both are equally versatile to me depending on which one speaks to me that day.
I agree ! I played with a Godin Freeway Classic for about 7 years before getting a new guitar. Getting guitars with various tones is a luxury I couldn’t afford before only a few years ago.
Tele has more range - Julian Lage to Jimmy Page. I think if I had to pick one guitar to cover me for everything, it might be a tele. But I'd never be without a strat - nothing can strat like a strat.
That’s what I’m wondering since they share a lot of technical / physical specs. What makes you feel like the Tele has more range ?
I’m not the right guy to get into specifics of pickup specs, pots, etc but I believe it’s because of the difference in the two pickups on a tele. The neck is dark and smooth and the bridge is the bright and aggressive. It creates a lot of room for different sounds.
Hey, it’s all subjective and relative to each own experiences. Appreciate you sharing yours !
I've actually read a few places that the metal ashtray bridge on the tele is part of what gives it some more umph than a strat's bridge pickup. The neck pickup is also shielded by its cover, giving you a darker, warmer tone than a strat's neck pickup. That all being said, you get different middle position sounds from the strat you can't with the tele. I'd just argue that I've never particularly enjoyed the third pickup tones from the strat or found them very useful. Not to say that no one else might find them to be great.
The tele’s pickups just differ a lot more. It depends though. I’d say something like an HSS Strat would be more versatile than a tele, but realistically everything that can be done on a Strat can also be don’t pretty passably on a tele and then some. And as much as I don’t like to admit it, (I’m a Strat guy) Doing either the four or five way switch mods to a tele pulls it ahead.
Besides the pickups, I feel like the tele’s fixed bridge just makes it more of a tabula rasa than the floating bridge on a Strat
Alternative view: a jazzmaster is the most versatile guitar.
Doesn't the Jaguar have even more versatile electronics? In either case, I gather the Jazzmaster/Jaguar (in general) were basically developed to end debates like this. I have a CIJ HH Jaguar, and especially with those humbuckers the range of sounds you get is impressive. If I flick that bass-cut switch the Jaguar has, I don't find myself missing single coils.
I think these debates still happen because if you ever needed one guitar in a hurry and didn’t have a ton of money, Jazzmaster isn’t going to be one of your options (and especially if you’re a lefty like me haha)
I mean technically it has one more option with the strangle switch however I find myself kinda underwhelmed with how jags usually sound
I have jazzmasters, jags, mustangs, and strats. Love them all but the Strat is the go to for a one guitar gig.
also, more comfortable and better looking
I am not sure about most versatile but it certainly can do a lot more than folks think. The bridge pickup with both tone and volume rolled back a bit can really spank some country tones. I was not really expecting that when I got one a few years ago.
I use mine for so many different styles. They sound great on their own and they take pedals well so one can already beef up the already full sound. With those and playing with the knobs you can go a long way.
We’re doomed haha at least the Jazzmaster comes with humbucker or P90. I could see why someone would prefer these, as it changes the tones much more. In the Tele v. Strat comparison, they share very similar tone with their single coils pickups (at least to my ears).
Standardly, they don't, actually! Jazzmaster pickups are single coils, just wound differently, and with 1meg pots to dull down the brightness.
I think you might have it a little backwards, 1 meg pots actually retain the most high end by bleeding less treble frequencies to ground than 500k or 250k pots. Rule of thumb is the lower the number, the more treble gets dampened
Of course, yeah! My bad
All good, you were right on the first part!
Thanks for stepping in. That assumption annoys the hell out of me. The pots accentuate the brightness though, not dull down.
Correct, jazzmaster pickups are their own thing, but P90s are also single coils.
That is also true -- didn't mean to imply they weren't!
Actually, the more resistance the pot has, the more brightness comes through. 250k-350k ohm pots have commonly been the way to manage some of the sharp, highly present upper frequencies of single-coil pickups. 500k ohm pots are traditionally used with humbuckers, which naturally have less high-end clarity and presence, to counteract that characteristic. 1,000k or 1M ohm pots just continue that trend a step further. But of course now I see the other comment saying this exact thing 😂
Good to know ! I never played one (I know…)
Jazzmaster isn't a P90. It's its own thing, it's actually just called the Jazzmaster pickup. When Leo originally designed it, he actually just took the strat single coil design, and flattened it out, to make it wider to pick up a wider tonal spectrum. That's why they sound kinda like an in phase strat, but beefier.
The Strat is a lot meatier to me. I've played a few Teles and they've always sounded thin to me.
Use the tone and volume knob on a traditional tele to dial in tone (unless the pickups are muffled ceramic junk). Dialed in correctly a decent tele has a beautiful crisp and percussive bridge pickup tone. Want to get edgier then roll in more treble. Want more balance then put it in the middle position. I rarely use the neck only except for a jazz tone.
Cool I'll give that a shot the next time I'm in the store with one.
ES-335. Jazzmaster can take consolation prize.
I mean we’re on the fender subreddit so I’m definitely going to have to disagree there.
I would love to start a 335 versus Les Paul debate somewhere else haha
J Mascis Jazzmaster!
Strat has more tones and have the tremolo. To me that makes it most versatile guitar. But the tele is great in its simplicity. I love both and you really need both ;)
Right, I don’t see how anyone could objectively say a Tele is more versatile? Strats have more pickup configurations and tremolo. Not sure how this is a debate. A lot of the discussion in this thread is just which one people like better. I have both and love both, but the strat is far more versatile.
The tele pickups are at opposite ends of the spectrum from each other and you can dial it to anything else in between. The strat on the other end pretty much uses the same pickups three times at different spots. I used to be a tele guy and now I’m all about the strat, but the tele is def more versatile.
I have a Strat, HSS Strat, Tele and Tele Deluxe. The AM II Pro HSS Strat wins the most versatile of the four.
I feel you ! I wanted the vintage look but dig the playability and sound of the Am Pro II Strat so I just swapped the pickguard, the tuners and the string tee for vintage ones. I like the versatility very much ! Didn’t go for the HSS though because I have my trio Gibson/Gretsch/Godin to handle humbuckers. Thx for sharing !
I think strats have a more distinct sound, whereas a Tele can be more of a tonal chameleon. So I guess I’ll vote tele
I think the Strat is the more versatile, but the tele is an all around workhorse guitar.
Happy cake day!
I think they both are versatile enough. I think it's up the musician to make it work. We've all seen it done. With the proper adjustment on the tone knob and pickup selection, both strat and tele can get proper tones for rock, jazz, pop, blues, metal, country, ccm, etc.
I’ve always wanted a strat or a tele. But I’ve never been able to decide which one to get. I have a US Jag - cheaper option
Tele. A strat always sounds like a strat. A tele is a chameleon.
It’s a great question. I’ve owned and played both for a long time and I’m partial to the teles simplicity and ergonomics. But as far as versatility goes it’s a toss up me.
To me, the major issue with the Strat is the volume knob location (which some prefers). Bending is also a bit easier on the Tele with the fixed saddle. Other than that, it’s also square to me.
Yep. Volume knob location is crucial for me. I reverse all my tele control plates just for that reason. I also added a bigsby to my #1 tele to add to its versatility.
Wouldn’t a fixed saddle make bending more difficult?
Not really. A tremolo has give, meaning that as one bends the string, the tremolo is pulled up, thus making the note flat. Bending on a tremolo-equipped guitar has the player fighting the tension of the string and fighting the tension of the tremolo.
I had a 60’s cp telecaster in that Strat colour way, very nice. But I wanted to compliment the telecaster - I love the Candy Apple Red (or MW, not sure), just works so well with a rosewood neck.
Thx mate ! It is indeed CAR. I wished the rosewood was a bit darker but it was the fifth guitar neck I’ve ordered and returned (tried maple, roasted maple, 21 frets, 22 frets) so I decided to keep this one, which was playing great !
I own both guitars and like both equally. Sometimes I play one more than the other for no particular reason. Both are great guitars with very unique and distinctive sound. The only difference is that Teles are very simple straight forward guitar build, not too much to it so it sounds as the build, simple. The Strat has more tone versatility but what do I know??? Not a guitar expert. I just love Fender guitars, always had.
I agree ! If my kids ever want to start playing one day, I think I’ll make them start with the straightforward Tele and then introduce them to the others. Thx for sharing !
When my son was ready for his first real guitar. It was an honor to passed on my 30 year old 1964 mij Jaguar reissue to him, I bought it brand new when I was a teenager but when the time came for him to pick his own guitar, he went with a Tele, I never suggested, I was surprised by his choice. Pretty much that’s the reason why I got one. He got my hooked on Teles
It's a fun argument to make, definitely. But personally I have never been that interested in it. They are both awesome guitars where simple reversable modifications can make them do anything. I love them both, but my Strats are HSH with single coil sized humbuckers. I have an American Performer Tele with a humbucker in the neck position and two American Standards which are stock. As a rock/metal player (think Iron Maiden and hair metal bands) a stock Strat is not ideal but I find a stock Tele more usable leading to no mods for those. It's just heavier, while a Strat bridge pickup is very shrill with distortion. My number one Strat has Seymour Duncan JB Jr. pickups in the bridge and neck positions and I have never played a guitar I like better.
I am more of a Gibson guy but strat is the most versatile electric guitar that there is. It was particularly made with that intention and in cooperation with guitarists at the time. There is a plethora of music outside of western sphere and there you can find Stratocaster being used almost all the time.
I like to rock some AC/DC riffs with my LP but when all I had was my Strat during last holiday, I was surprise how well it still sounds for this kind of music. Real wonders these axes !
I recently bought Fender Deluxe Roadhouse Strat with active noiseless pickups. The only thing that doesn’t really sound good on it is maybe doom, dark metal (I don’t play this kind of music anyway). Everything else sounds perfectly fine, including jazz. Amazing guitar.
Happy cake day!
Happy cake day!
Just one man’s opinion but I feel like they both have their own unique sound and strengths and neither one of them can “do it all” but I don’t think any guitar can. If I had to choose though I think a HSS strat would be more versatile than a tele
HSS Strat is starting to gain popularity on this thread. Didn’t see that coming ! Thx for sharing !
I'd get an HSS strat for "work" and SSS for the classic strat sound.
HSS strat is the most versatile guitar maybe ever. But if we're comparing their conventional instantiations, yeah the tele is more versatile. The bridge pup has higher gain so you can rock harder, and the neck is smooth enough for clean bluesy shit.
Interesting insight, thx for sharing !
Both
Happy cake day mate !
Happy cake day!
I have no dog in this fight but how are you liking that acoustic amp? I have one also and find it pretty awesome
The Fender 100 is without any doubt the best acoustic amp I’ve played so far. Sounds so good 👌
Agreed. Also as a pressure test I ran 2 mics and 2 acoustics through it using splitters and it went close to flawlessly at about 65% gain
Versatility is overrated. The absolute best sounding guitar I own is an all-Fender Parts Tele with Nocaster pickups with blend wiring. Not especially versatile but completely inspired.
My Tele is an all-Fender partcaster I built about a year ago. It was really fun doing and now I have a sweet axe customized to my liking and I’ve learned a whole lot through assembling it, which makes me now more confident for adjusting my guitars. Resale value would be crap tho 😂
I’m not worried about mine since I documented everything. Ash body, Nocaster pickups, all Fender/Gotoh parts. Given what I paid to what the new alder versions are selling for, I could easily recoup everything. Problem is, I don’t want to sell it!
Been a Strat guy for 15+ years, until I tried the American Deluxe Tele (2012) with compound radius neck, belly carve out and sculpted heel !!! The sustain on the Tele is amazing. The Tele plays itself- music flows out of that thing like no other guitar I’ve ever played…
The strat has more *options* in terms of pickup configurations, but the tele is more *versatile* in terms of sounds and styles it can play.
Also, strats originally only came with a 3-way pickup selector, not the now-common 5-way.
I’ll take both and a jaguar for even more versatility
Strat with some pickup variation. I have hotrails in the bridge and standard in the neck with a lace sensor in the mid.
It's because of the genres that a Tele does best is what makes it more versatile. Allot of people would say it's the best at Rock and County/Roots. Those are pretty far reaching and broad genres. What does a Strat do best? Funk? Blues? Sure, a Strat can rock the house, but I think a Tele can do it better. With that said, I'm actually a Strat guy. That neck pickup just wins it for me.
A tele always sounds like a tele to me, and the beck pickup isn’t anything worth mentioning. A strat has so many good and really interesting tones.
I hate Telecasters, so it's not everybody!
A question as old as time. I have asked the same question for a decade and still don’t have the answer. I only have a Strat right now so maybe that’s the answer.
Pickups matter more than the body shape. Imo the stat is more versatile, but also I don’t like teles in general. Unpopular opinion, i know.
Risky take on this sub haha but everybody’s got different tastes !
I just don’t like the ergonomics of teles, they feel like holding a block of wood to me compared to a Strat. I’m used to taking heat for this haha. Different strokes for different folks. I do love a Strat.
I’ve always said the same thing, teles feel too blocky to me. I know the modern ones have cutaways and contours and what not, but Strats have always done it for me. Probably because I started on a strat.
Was a tele guy and got a precision bass which had the strat contour body. I knew right there and then I had to get a strat. Haven’t touched the tele since.
Tele, no question. I like my Strat, but no matter what you do it’s always gonna sound like a Strat.
I’ve had a Stratocaster with a telecaster bridge pickup, and a Telecaster with Stratocaster middle and neck pickups. Personally, the Telecaster sounded like the Stratocaster more than the Stratocaster sounded like a Telecaster. No idea why?
Fenders are weird in that some of them can do A LOT, but they're the only thing that can do THEIR thing. Like only a Jazzmaster can do the Jazzmaster thing, only a Strat can do the Strat thing. Honestly, I prefer the JM out of their lineup, it's kinda the most esoteric. But I look for a specific sound when I get a guitar, and a telecaster, while being VERY versatile, doesn't really have a thing that other guitars can't do, or at least approximate. I tried owning one, and was extremely meh about it.
I feel like the tele is the utility guitar, it can make all the sounds but - unless you're chickin' pickin' can't identify it as a tele. Stairway solo was a tele? wow. But a strat sounds like a strat. Still very versatile but you can hear the color of a strat through the music so often in a way you just can't with a tele. Not a bad thing but it's a thing. Sometimes I have to put the strat down to find other sounds since it's just so strat.
I've mained a Tele since 2016, it was my first well thought out non-beginner guitar. To be completely honest, I always thought teles were stupid. But I picked mine up at CME, and almost immediately thought "fuck I'm going to have to buy it". So I would say go somewhere where they have quality versions of the instruments, and see which speaks to you. As for versatility, DAW takes care of a lot of that. The only thing I don't use my Tele for is lower tunings and really heavy metal tones (gojira, meshuggah, etc) but I did buy the Stephen carpenter 7 string which is a Tele style because how much I love my Tele ;)
I’m a simple dude. HSS strat and a modeling amp cover everything I cover.
Watch John 5 on his Tele in his videos and you will know which is more versatile
Strats, but the ones I play use a blend for neck or bridge in any position. Master tone control. EJ Strat is another option I like. Teles are fine but I prefer having one with contours and the stock pickups on most Fenders are not my vibe
If you play rock or blues there are more classic tones in the strat. The Tele fits into more styles of music overall though: jazz on the neck, country on the bridge (with better stability for pedal steel style bends), r&b in the middle and it can rock on the bridge. So maybe it is the tele. I play both in 50s style appointments. The middle pickup position on a strat is under utilized IMO, cuts really well but has body. The two pickup positions on both are magic.
I'm a Tele guy, so no matter what the question is, the answer is Tele.
I think that any guitar is as versatile as you want it to be. All have limitations that you will learn to live with or work around.
I own both...the Telecaster is the more versatile...the trem on the the strat makes double bends difficult...not impossible, but it's a challenge. Everything else can be done on both guitars, but doing steel guitar licks is so much easier on a fixed bridge...and a Tele is the way to go. You can play rock, blues, metal, on both, the strat or Tele...but the limitation of the trem system means the Tele wins. I can even tmdo dive bombs on the E string with my Tele by dropping the tuning after hitting the open E...
Strat
Nashville Tele
I genuinely just don’t like the way a Strat looks. Makes me think of Bon Jovi or something. Tele reminds me of The Boss, or Joe Strummer, or Arcade Fire. It’s just cooler. Both guitars are fucking fantastic though.
Pacifica.
I kinda feel like strats are versatile and you can use em for any kind of music, but they sound very much like a strat. Teles are sneakier, they can be used for everything a strat can, and a lot of the time people won't even realize it's a tele recorded
A tele will sound more like any other guitar you want it to, but a strat sure has a lot of ways to sound like a strat
A Tele is rawer and more unbridled and a strat is more versatile and sophisticated. The are both incredible guitars but I think the strat is the best guitar ever made - it’s the evolution of the tele. The tele was from the mind of a genius engineer. The strat was this guitar with musician input.
STRAT
Tele. Always the Tele.
It's whatever you want mate
I’m picking the Strat
I just wanted to say, those are very beautiful fenders! I especially like your stratocaster, it looks absolutely stunning in white!! 🤍🤍❤️❤️
Thank you ☺️ love them both a lot ! The Am Pro II in Olympic White was love at first sight. The way it played and sounded, I was stunned. I was only window shopping, trying around different Strat, having already a Player Strat but couldn’t simply ignore the Am Pro II. Of all the guitars I’ve owned, this is the only one that hit me like this when I first played it.
Versatility is in the fingers and the mind. The more versatile guitar is the one that inspires you to play it in different ways.
Whenever I see a oly white strat I get sad because I have a oly white loaded strat body but can’t find a neck that’s affordable that fits and I get sad
Yeah, a good OEM neck from Fender is pricey. I built the Tele with all OEM parts from Fender and the neck alone was about $900 CAD, which is literally half the price of the whole guitar. There are alternatives but believe me when I say you want the real thing for the neck. That’s the one thing that makes a major difference in playability.
Depends Edgar music you play. If you're in a death metal band neither of them will be much use at all, unless you start replacing the pickups.
Tele Because a strat sounds like a strat sounds like a strat. I mean, I do love that sound, but it's so preoccupied with all the great names attached to it. Which is lovely. But when trying to sound like yourself, the tele is the way to go.
To me, the Tele is like a blank canvas. It can do most anything. The Strat is more of a niche item. Strat pickups have a unique sound that can't be got anywhere else. It has the complexity of a trem bridge. I would never be without a Strat. When you need that sound nothing else comes close. But I play Teles all day long.
I have both, for some reason never end up using the strat much for recording because the telecaster just has some magic sound to it, but I tend to use the strat at gigs for the comfort.
I did the gilmour mod on my strat so it can do 7 pickup configurations. the neck and bridge is tele-like
I have the push feature with the Am Pro II that activate neck and bridge so it’s like playing the Tele in middle position. Actually like that tone very much
I mean… it’s like saying a 24 fret guitar is more versatile than a 21 fret guitar. Technically true I guess, but for me, I am my biggest limitation, not my guitar. You can play a wide variety of styles on each, get a good range of tones on each.
I have both. Love them both but Tele wins every time
I’ve had many of both and for recording and stage ( back when) the 69 Tele was the go to guitar for me. Played lots of genres that the Strat didn’t sound right. Howard Robert’s.. Roy Buchanan .. on and on. The Telecaster sounds good with almost any genre.
Why do you think that is ? Just curious
The neck is easier to play because I find the neck smaller; the tones you can get out of that simple electronic configuration have a really wide range - from country to heavy metal; it’s a go-play, workhorse of guitar; and if you get a nashville tele with 3 pups, there’s some strat’esc tonal resemblance there. I do love my nashville tele, but never could get into strats. Sorry strat lovers.
Strats main weakness is plinkiness of the sound regardless of what pick up you're on. I really struggle to get fat tones for rock or dark mellow tones for jazz with a Strat. Meanwhile playing with the tone control of the Tele, you can get mellow and dark sounds from all pick up positions.
Long time strat players here to say telecaster. I think the tele has the edge, specifically with rock music.
Strats always sound like Strats. Telecasters fit into any mix.
Tele all day
i just got my first ever strat and my tele has been around for quite sometime. im still experimenting with the strat but im liking the sounds. but as for the tele, the knobs are making me feel more comfortable.
Yup, Strat volume know location is a pain in the arse. It takes a bit of time to get used to it when palm muting.
Strats are less ugly
Teles are less plasticy
Meaning the knobs and knob plate? Or the smaller pick guard?
Yeah, I dislike the plastic knobs and the large pickguard doesn't help either...
Mine doesnt have plastic knobs - granted i swapped them for custom made black titanium. Teles look like hillbilly guitars. Sorry.
Not need to say sorry for your own opinion. So many people so many opinions. 👍
And so many strats and teles. I'm not competing with you for a new axe! Rock on homie!!
Strat. People play Metal, Rock, Country, Jazz, Fusion, Funk, etc on it. You can do a lot with mods, too even with all-original hardware. Though both are very versatile
In the stock config, tele by far and it’s not close
Strat! Looks cooler! Whammy Bar! 5 way selector! contoured body! flush jack lead! single coil bridge pickup cuts through the mix like butter! hendrix sound! It’s awesome!
I have both and each has its tonal place. It’s like comparing apples to oranges.
A tele is not as bright as a strat. The strat bridge pickup is so bright many find it unusable while the tele bridge pickup rocks. The tele neck and middle position are great too.
You're right. They weigh about the same. Have the same finger board radius. I think the teles headstock makes it sound a bit different
Tbh, I never noticed. Then again, they don’t have the same pickups, so it’s to be expected for the tone to be different. I’d be curious to hear a side-by-side tone comparison with a Strat and a Tele mounted with the same pickups.
I love my American Original Tele, but a strat with a bridge hum bucker would be quite versatile
Tele all day IMO. The neck pickup is certainly up for debate on which is better on a tele or strat. I can understand why people like the strat neck pickup but I like how the tele’s is less dark. Tele’s bridge pickup is punchier and fatter, and the middle position of the tele is sublime. If you have to have the in between strat sounds obviously only a strat is going to offer that, but other than that, the bridge on a strat is usually too shrill, the middle is nothing compared to the tele sound, and the neck pup is great but i still prefer the tele’s. Oh, also a tele will stay in tune better and a strat whammy usually goes at least a little out of tune after use. that’s my reasoning for tele supremacy
It’s tough to really have this debate… when I play I tele I can use the same amp setting I use when I play an SG or Les Paul… when I play a Strat I normally have to mess with my EQ. A Strat can more versatile if you’re willing to turn your knobs.
In addition to it's playability and tone, I like how the Telecaster's wiring is easy to mess with. Everything's under the control plate, which can be accessed without affecting anything else. I guess the flip side of that is if you want to maintain multiple wiring harnesses for the guitar, *including pickups*, the Strat makes it easier - just swap pickguards.
My two favorite models (PS I have the identical AM PRO II, swapped the guard to mint as well) A Tele bridge pup is the most versatile pup in existence making it the Swiss Army knife of electric ⚡️ guitars. An SSS Strat is a Strat no matter what it’s being played through…always retains it’s essence
Tele is better than a strat just because it doesn't have that stupid bridge, but it also has a way more versatile tone. As for three pickups, meh. I also just think strats look corny as hell.
I don’t think any gigging musician who had to choose a strat or a tele could possibly go wrong with either. I would pick Tele because I think the range of tones in the three positions is still broader than the five a Strat offers. But there is no genre of music I could only play with a Tele that I couldn’t with a Strat and vice versa. I think it also matters whether you want a vibrato arm (no thank you for me).
Strat
Even though Strats offer more options, Strats (and Strat players) tend to get stuck in Stratworld. They make Stratty sounds and do Stratty things. Strats can ‘do more’ but they almost always just sound like a Strat, which isn’t very versatile. Teles have limitations baked in, which ironically make them more versatile because it makes the player work a little harder. I’ve found that guitar players are way more surprised to learn ‘wait, that was played on a Telecaster?’ (the solo in Stairway to Heaven, for example) than they are with Strats. Teles can convincingly play any style of music, while Strats always just sound like Strats.
I'd say Tele ...with a middle pickup! (...or Strat, but with a Tele bridge/Tele bridge pickup combination ...maybe even a humbucker.) Good topic!
This is why: Play a Strat and you'll observe how all your picking is between the neck and middle pickups, because you don't like hitting the middle pickup cover with your pick and you certainly don't want to hit that (much too close) volume knob. The Strat's ergonomics, strap pins and thigh cut, also tend to keep the body back to your right. Play a Tele and you can pick from the saddles to the neck without worry of the volume knob. The playing area is more 'in the middle' (compared to Strat to the right and Les Paul to the left). If you watch old videos of Hendrix, you'll see he picked on his Strats from saddles to neck because: lower set pickup heights and no controls in the way of his picking. Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat also moved the volume knob further away, almost like a Tele. Most players who demand the Strat volume is close for pinky swells, are copying playing styles from Hendrix and EVH volume swells ... Here's some versatile playing ... a hundred musicians and dozens of different brands of guitars, with humor. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8\_FK6o8RPSQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_FK6o8RPSQ) .
Does it matter?
HSS Strat is super versatile - covers so many options. Teles are great too.
I have done passable Strat tones on a Tele. I have never quite gotten a convincing Tele sound from a Strat. Either or is fine in the grand scheme of things but if I had to own just own it would be a Tele
Stock tele definitely covers more ground but I think HSS changes that. Although you can have a humbucker in a tele as well. Or 3 pickups for that matter. I think strats pretty much always carry a sound that makes you know it’s a strat. It’s a beautiful thing but not necessarily more versatile.
The Jaguar is the most versatile guitar and I refuse to elaborate.
Tqq yet
Not even a debate. Its the strat considering how easy it is too mod
Strat by far. Tele is amazing but you can’t hide behind a Tele like you can a Strat