Stratocaster or telecaster copy?

[Bluesberry]

When I think of Tele I think mostly of blues and blues-rock, there is a huge tradition in the blues and in blues rock where the Tele is supreme guitar, nothing else gets that tone.  Then again, I sure love Rory Gallagher and his beat-to-crap strat, that was strat tone to die for in the 70's blues rock circles.

[tom r]

Well I'm off to try out a Tele Baja on Thursday so unless it's a wreck, sounds and plays like crap. I will be the proud owner of a tele come Friday morning :-)
I havnt owned a tele for years so I am a bit excited!

Tom

[Blooby]

Congrats. I've said it before on this site. I can't get over how versatile a Tele is. I was surprised when I got one.

Blooby

[AndyR]

Yep good luck for thursday

There is something about the tele which sort of hides its versatility from the uninitiated.

I can remember seeing Vardis (a heavy metal/rock three-piece) a few times in 1980 or so. He used a standard tele exclusively. We were all watching him going "a tele for metal?", but it was spot-on, he created a huge rock sound. There's loads of examples like this, with all types of music involved.

Really, I believe you can play anything on anything and get a decent, or an authentic, or an innovative tone... the rest of it is comfort and personal playability with a big nod towards fashion and the emotional baggage that comes loaded with certain iconic shapes, colours, and the "out-of-the-box" tones that these things make.

[Geir]

Really, I believe you can play anything on anything and get a decent, or an authentic, or an innovative tone...

well said Andy !!! Well said.

[AndyR]

It's taken me 20-odd guitars to find it out though!   

[T.C. Elliott]

Turn on CMT and you'll see tele after tele... with a few other guitars here and there. But I seriously think of blues and blues-rock when I think tele. The tone Tab Benoit gets is to die for. Plus Brian Henneman from the Bottle Rockets plays a tele and a Creston (custom made tele-style) as well as Gibson live. And he rocks it.

I'm a strat guy. Always have been. But now I'm really wanting a tele or tele style guitar. Not sure I'll get one in the near future but I'd sure like to try it out. I've got two used cheapie strat copies (my strat needs a fret job) for $35 and the trade of two broken guitars. And they both are usable guitars. But it is hard as hell to find a used tele style around here.. at least for under a few hundred bucks.

[T.C. Elliott]

Btw, I have no idea if these guitars are worth a crap but you sure can't beat the price. Check this site out.

http://store.guitarfetish.com/xaviereguitars.html

[Ferryman]

Tele = punk for me. Great slashing rhythm guitar.

[Bluesberry]

Go on the Telecaster forum and you will see lots of posts abut why the Tele is the best guitar, better than a strat.  Go on the Strat forum and you will see lots of posts about why the strat is king of guitars.  Then again, they are both masterpieces from the mind of Leo Fender.  Hmmm, go on any Les Paul forum and you will see lots of posts why the LP is the best guitar...I see a pattern here.  I really like Godin guitars myself, in a ddition to strats, Teles, Les Pauls.  Hmmm I see another pattern here, I love guitars, all different types.  If I had to give them all back and only keep one guitar, between strat, Tele, Les Paul I think I would keep my Tele.  Weird hu.  ˆts all down to personal choice.  Some folks don't like the Fender neck, and prefer the LP type neck.  Interesting theory Nigel...