HSS Strat vs Telecaster

[Matt Spry]

Looking for a new guitar and I'm torn between the squier classic vibe 70's hss strat and the classic vibe 50's tele. I play a lot of different styles from metallica, led zep, maiden, motley crue, the smiths, stone roses, R.E.M, arctic monkeys both seem to be versatile guitars but does one have a clear flaw? is one going to be easier to play? if they are both great guitars then Ill guess itll be down to looks lol. I would also be open to other suggestions (below 400 squids and left-handed) and suggestions for an amp (below 200). thanks.

[ezbass]

The CV 50s Tele is a great guitar, I have one myself and, for full disclosure, I’m a huge Tele fan. So with that stated, let’s move along.

The Strat and Tele are quite different and not just in looks. Both guitars are versatile and can be used for any number of genres (just take a look at the wide range of styles users of them cover). The Strat has more pickup combinations and, therefore, more tones, but some folk just love the simplicity of the Tele and the need to work a little harder to get more tones out of it (a worthwhile endeavour IMO). The Tele seems to have a harder note attack which is no small way due to it being a hardtail guitar as opposed to the Strat’s trem bridge and it’s this that will probably influence your choice the most - do you want a whammy bar? Then you have the contoured, sculpted body of the Strat Vs the ‘plank of wood’ that is the Tele (part of its charm). Playability are going to be similar (body contours notwithstanding).
 

So to sum up, do you want a wider range of pickup tones and a trem arm or a simple, no nonsense, workhorse? 

[EdwardMarlowe]

Full disclosure, I'm automatically a bit biased against the stat as I hate humbuckers in Strats. (Truth be told, I don't think I'm  humbucker person at all, but....). I have a MIA 1994 US Strat standard (burst, rosewood), and a CIJ 71RI Tele. I plan in the future to buy a Player Series Strat (SSS, Tidepool, Maple), and a Squier CV50s Tele, with the intention of rewiring the latter as a Broadcaster. (All my guitars are left-handed - as, indeed, am I). I'm very much a Fender-type guy - totally over Les Pauls, despite many of my guitar heroes playing them.

THat all said.... I think the Strat would be arguably more versatile, (especially if you were to replace the HB with one of those Seymour Duncan P-RAils buckers and an appropriate microswitch for its HB/sc/p90 emulations). THe Tele will be a much ballsier sound, though. Don't forget that Jimi recorded Purple Haze with a Tele, not a Stat. Led Zep 1 - thinking of heavier stuff - was mostly Tele, and, indeed, with al ot of the earleir stuff nobody can tell whether Page is playing a Tele or a Les Paul, and he doesn't remember. I've always found a Tele can equal that monster LP sound in a way a Stat doesn't quite reach. Something ot do with the Tele bridge.

For me it ultimately comes down to whether you feel the need of a trem or not, I think. Note also that the Tele will have the three saddle bridge, which means a cetain levle of compromise on intonation, though tbh I've never found it a problem, and I'm convinced it makes the tuning more stable (superstition, maybe...). The Start Trem will be stable enough, though, especially if you don't abuse it too hard, and set it up to sit flat to the body (limits your vibrato from the bar to going down in pitch, but you can always finger-bend to raise it). Otherwise maybe look at a model with the Fender two-point trem. Despite still having the ugly af block saddles that were standard when I bought my 94 new back in the day (they use more taditional saddles in them now, and they look so much better!), I can't quibble with the design. Mine is set up to float, and it can take all the abuse I can throw at it (never felt the need for a Floyd - now *those* are ugly).

Within your price range,. it might also be worth considering a used Fender Player Series guitar. Same / similar options available there, but a bit nicer. Starting to see those hit the used market at around £400, and I suspect buying one of those usedwill mean it'll retain more of its purchase price on the open market than buying a new Squier should you choose to sell later on. Of course,  the used Squier could do similarly well, proportionatley in the long term., though from what I see it's surprising how many of them seem to sell on eBay for within £50 of the new price - in which case, unless money is really tight, I'd be more inclined to go with the security of buying new. The CVs are probably too numerous to ever be aq colectable on the level of the first run of Japanese Squiers from the JV 1982 series, but their quality iswidely recognised and I think they will hold fairly solid as used sellers over time. A good buy still, in other words.

Amp-wise, the Vox Valvetronix or Boss Cube series are great if you like modellers. I think the Boss Katana is within your budget - not played one, but hear good things. There are also a range of 5 and 10watt tube amps around these days - Joyo, Fame, Sub Zero, Harley Benton .... that seem pretty cool for a starter. The 5w Harley Benton tube amp is switchable down to 1watt, and comes in at around £120 new. A lot depends on whether you want loads of variety of sounds and built in f/x from your amp, or one, good staple sound and add pedals... Lots of cracking cheap minipedals around these days so you can try out most tpyes of effect for around twenty quid.

[Jazz Club]

Matt,

You might find this interesting?

The HB red Tele.costs £79.

Its a excellent guitar.

Comes in a range of colours.

I like the blue.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_te_20mn_ca_standard_series.htm?ref=search_rslt__461102_1_2

Edited July 24, 2020 by Jazz Club

[EdwardMarlowe]

Left handed options for the standard Tele type seem to be limited to the black with rosewood and natural with maple 52 style. If anythingl ike as good as people say, at that money they're insane value. Certainly a great start point to see if a Tele is for you.

[Matt P]

I have never really got on with strats, but I do have a couple of superstrats which I love (no idea why I love one and can't get on with the other!) I also have a mex telecaster which I love, if you want a chunkier sound out of a tele have a look at a 4 way switch mod, I have done it to a couple now and it gives you an extra sound which is very humbuckery and has extra heft, highly recommended. 

 

Matt