[tdowns]

It seems that a lot of influences expressed in this post are non-country music. In the 80s, Reggie Young was dominating the country airwaves with his strat solos. I never considered buying a Strat at that time, but I sure as heck slapped a middle pickup in my Tele, so I could copy those solos closer. I love that Reggie Young quack. My favorite is Hag's "Stay Here and Drink".

The PROBLEM is that you can't get a Tele sound out of a Strat, so I would never gig with it, because the Tele sound is...well...the sound I like. You can get a decent quack out of a Tele with a middle pickup. But it is hard to get the part I like best about a Strat...which is the middle and neck together. I have never wanted to put a Strat pickup in the neck of the Tele so I could have that combination in a Tele.

I keep a Strat around for studio work when necessary, but have never gigged with one.

Also, the stuff I play has no need for a tremolo bar, so that is just something else to degrade tuning stability.

If I played a different genre and had different up-bringing, would I perhaps consider a Strat as a main axe. Can't answer that.

Being attracted to a Telecaster is from a youth about the same impact as watching the deacons wife in church when you are pubescent. What you think looks cool just sticks with you!!