I jammed with a buddy and his band the other day. They are a country rock group, so I thought I would bring my 2002 Telecaster. As we were jamming, I kept thinking how uncomfortable the Tele is to play, and how the body doesn't fit my body well. it just feels wrong to me. I wish I had brought one of my Strats. Don't get me wrong, I love the sound of the Tele, and the neck, just not the body. Am I the only one???

Not at all, I feel it at times too. Leo sought player input to design the strat, the issue came up then too.

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No no and no

Well, Bill Carson was another one, so he pushed for the contour body in that new guitar that would be named the Stratocaster...

I have owned several Telecasters and just could not get used to them. I do love my Stratocasters though!!!!

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

I really love the way that Telecasters sound, and I like the neck on most of them too but they just don't feel right when you're used to a Strat.

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Try the MIA Deluxe Tele... It has the same contours as a Strat on the upper bout, a bound body, noiseless pups and S1 switching. I played an Olympic white with tortoise shell binding ( beautiful). Really liked it but did not buy it that day. Came back the next week and it was gone....

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I'm not slow... and I'm not fast... just sort of halffast...

In The Stratocaster Chronicles, Leo Fender is quoted as saying that the contour body was suggested by Rex Gallion (sp?), a local guitarist who hung at the factory in those days. He is being interviewed along with BIll Carson, and when Carson tries to hog the idea (as he did many of the Strat's innovations), Leo says:

"When Bill first came out here, we were already working on the Stratocaster.... before he came out we'd been soliciting information from every musician we could find. We'd shown this instrument to Rex Gallion before Bill came out. The design of the Stratocaster, well, the body design itself, is sort of a product in conjunction with Rex Gallion."

You can hear Leo's care in not offending Bill, who is sitting right there next to him, but he wants to make it clear that Bill's claim isn't accurate.

+1


Nikininja your signature is (vyvyan from the Young Ones? It's been a while since I've seen them. Especially here in the staes, noone knows who they are....

the chungky body on the Tele prompted the request for the countour tummy and forearm cuts on the Strat. I notice the body edge of the Tele on my forearm when I play mine but it's not a detriment, just something different.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

I own both a strat and a tele. I must prefer the feel of the strat body. Much more comfortable.

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"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."-John Wayne

The Strat has much better access to the higher frets, too. It is ironic because my Tele has 22 frets, but getting to #22 is some real work. Whereas my Strat has only 21 where I could really use that extra fret. Oh well, my Gibson SG also has 22 frets and (by far) the best access to the upper frets of all of them.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

I want to get a traditiona;l tele really bad(I have a J5 triple tele), but I never end p buying one:(

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Well after playing a tele for 10 years before buying my first Strat I still find the Tele the most comfortable guitar to play. The issue I had when I was younger was being so used to the Teles tone and volume configuration and then having to get used to sliding my pinkie in between the knobs on a Strat took some getting used to. To me they are the best two guitars with both having things about them that I like better on each model. I bought a Tele Deluxe this year and it has the belly contour and is just an amazing guitar. But I reached a point long ago where both feel like home to me to play.The only thing I prefer is the teles tone volume configuration and I guess guys like Paul Gilbert and John Petrucci must to because on ther super Strat signature model axes the knobs are away from the bridge like a Teles.

Greetings

I was also going to suggest playing an Am Deluxe Tele with the contour body design. It is much more comfortable than the Std. That said...the Strat seems to "hang" in a more comfortable position (for me). The fretboard just naturally falls lower than the Tele. I do really like them both, but they are different players.

Not trying to be too naive...I don't exactly get the Paul Gilbert (Ibanez Player) & John Petrucci (Music Man Player) reference? Help me out with that.

A little lost
Noodles

Nonsense.. Pefectly comfortable.. perhaps there's something wrong with your body shape..

Just kidding.

The Tele is an uncompromising design, but somehow it remains virtually unchanged to this day. Strats were designed from day 1 to be sexy and comfortable

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!