What’s The Difference Between A Telecaster And A Fender Stratocaster?

The question of which electric guitar to choose, the Tele or the Strat, is one of the most topical issues.

The question of which electric guitar to choose, the Tele or the Strat, is one of the most topical issues. The guitars from the Fender family have been among global leaders in the music market for more than half a century. Both of them have become icons of style and quality. In order to understand the difference between the Telecaster and Stratocaster, you should consider technical features of each model.

The Fender Telecaster and the Fender Stratocaster are electric guitars produced by one company. Both models are very popular in the music environment. However, they have some differences.

The Telecaster is a classic but effective model. It is the first of two brothers. It was released in 1950, while the Stratocaster entered the market four years later. They both are the best blues guitars.

The Fender Stratocaster is an electric guitar released in 1954. It is a modern guitar with advanced design. It immediately won the hearts of many famous artists. The Strat still does not lose its leading position in the music industry.

Sound

The blues sound of the Telecaster is achieved by switching the pickup to different positions. There are two of them: “bridge” and “neck”. The saturation of the sound changes due to a capacitor located on the tone control. The bridge position allows producing smoother sound, while the neck position produces sharper sounds.

Body Design

The Telecaster is designed with a single-coil pickup. The single-cutaway body design allows it to reproduce the pure vibrations of the guitar strings. This model with a solid body is demanding to produce a unique sound. Despite the fact that over half a century many other modern models have appeared, Tele is still popular with pop artists and blues musicians.

The Stratocaster has three single-coil pickups and double-cutaway body design. The back and resting place of the arm are beveled for a better fit to a musician’s chest and arms. There are also two cutouts to facilitate access to the upper frets.

Soundboard

The Stratocaster’s sound board is made of alder, and the Telecaster’s board is made of fir.

Tremolo

Unlike the Telecaster, its Fender brother is equipped with a tremolo cord holder.

The Advantage of the Telecaster

• Simplicity and smoothness of sounds;
• Unique bridge tone;
• Design that is devoid of unnecessary details and allows musicians to show all their skills and improvise without additional technical features;
• Versatility due to the variability of the pickup’s positions and different levels of the tone amplifier.

The Specificity of the Stratocaster

• The unique tone in a neck position;
• A variety of positions and combinations of the pickup;
• Availability of vibrato function in the model.

These are the main differences between the two guitars. Each of them will give wonderful moments to a skilled musician. Both models were used by famous musicians. Playing the Telecaster or Stratocaster, you can prove yourself in widely known genres (from pop to blues) or find your own style. So Tele or Strat? The choice is yours.