Nashville Tele vs. Strat

I have 1 regular Tele (the Muttcaster) and 2 Strats. Was thinking about selling one of the Strats and picking up a Nashville Tele.

Does the Nashville fall in between the Tele and Strat, or is it closer to one or the other?

Do I need such a thing?
:D

In my experience, the Nashville Tele is really its own monster, but does land much closer to a Tele than a Strat in tone. And it also depends on how you wire it.

A true Nashville Tele will have a 5-way switch, but not wired like a Strat. Bridge, middle, and neck positions will be identicle to a standard Tele, with the 2 and 4 positions being identicle to a Strat.

Also, most Tele players use the tone control as a major part of getting theit tone. Most Strat players just set the tone controls on Max and forget about it.

Personally, I like a 3-pickup Tele, but I used Strat single coils for the middle and neck positions, and I wire it like a strat.

you could drop a tele lead coil and brass saddles in to one of the strats...it takes a little work, but it's worth every bit...

you could drop a tele lead coil and brass saddles in to one of the strats...it takes a little work, but it's worth every bit...

I put a Duncan Broadcaster in my Strat last month....suspended from the pickguard like a standard Strat pup...

It sounded like total garbage. Extremely bright and totally unusable. I put the Antiquity Texas Hot for Strat back in the bridge and left it at that.

Granted, I didn't try the brass saddles on the Strat trem, but I'm not sure that I'd recommend this experiment. This might be the reason that we've not really seen this on many production guitars.

I had one ..nice instrument, but it is unlike a traditional Tele or Strat. Switching the selector around doesn't get Strat sounds like you think it would ..and the alder body (among other deviations) keeps it from twanging like a good 'ole Tele. I'd still rather have one than a Strat though.

you could drop a tele lead coil and brass saddles in to one of the strats...it takes a little work, but it's worth every bit...

I put a Duncan Broadcaster in my Strat last month....suspended from the pickguard like a standard Strat pup...

It sounded like total garbage. Extremely bright and totally unusable. I put the Antiquity Texas Hot for Strat back in the bridge and left it at that.

Granted, I didn't try the brass saddles on the Strat trem, but I'm not sure that I'd recommend this experiment. This might be the reason that we've not really seen this on many production guitars.

The thing is that a strat bridge pickup is positioned closer to the bridge than a tele pickup. That's why strat Bridge pickups sound so shrill. Jerry Donahue had fender built a strat with the bridge pickup as far removed from the bridge as the bridge pickup from a tele. And had Seymour Duncan wire that pickup to sound like his signature Seymour Duncan tele pickup. Nevertheless, the guitar ended up still sounding like a strat with a warmer sounding bridge pickup but a strat none the less.

http://www.rockinn.co.jp/used/img_fender/100535.jpg

I like it...not to bright...I wired like Brent Mason and it kills!!!

I would say that it really is a personal preference issue. I love the sound of a strat....when someone else is using it. I can't get one to sound good to save my life. I've got a partsacaster strat that over the past year and a half I've modded to hell and back trying to get usable. 2 days ago I finally threw in the towel and I've just put an ad in the local want ads paper to get rid of it. I used it for half an hour at a gig Saturday night... and I swear I came soooo close to doing a Townsend on it.
But I can make a telecaster sing. The guys in my band have found this whole thing amusing and they agree that with a tele I'm really good, but with a strat I'm crap. The ergonomics, the tones.....it's all wrong for me with a strat. I don't understand it.
So a Nashville is definitely a better idea for me than a strat if I want to get strat-like quack sounds. It's not a cross between a strat and a tele....it's more a tele with 2 extra strat-like sounds....but that would suit me.
In your case, my ever so humble opinion is that even if you get along with your strats you should still consider selling one and getting a good Nashville...just for the variety. But don't just grab the first one you find. Wait for a good one. Like all teles (and strats) they vary alot in sound and feel. Finding the right one is often more important than just deciding on a model. You'd still have 2 guitars while you look around.
Another idea is to look into the Esquire thing. Do something different for your 3rd guitar. Find some old threads here about Esquires and have a read. If I hadn't found my tasty 69ThinlineRI a few weeks ago I'd have bought...or made...an Esquire.
And a thinline is another idea, come to mention it. Telecaster tones with shades of ES335 hollow/woody qualities. Try one out if you get a chance.

..and the alder body (among other deviations) keeps it from twanging like a good 'ole Tele..

I am still kinda new to tele's so let me ask an honest question here, what kind of wood is considered to be a standard tele body wood?

Right now I have a MIA Nashville style tele w/ b-bender and I really am not sure what kind of wood it is, probably alder huh?

So with GAS building up what kinda wood body should I try out as I consider my next tele purchase?

The very first teles (before they were called teles) were actually made of pine. Then they were made of ash, mainly because it's more durable and was less easy to dent. But we all got used to the sound qualities of ash so now it's considered the 'classic' tone wood with a 'bright and spanky' sound (even though it can actually vary alot due to weight/density). But in the 60s they used alder, and even mahogany for a time. Alder is my favorite, generally speaking.
Your MIA is probably alder. If you want the classic tonewood for a tele go for ash....but preferably 'swamp ash'. It's ash that grew near water and is usually lighter and more resonant.
But remember that the tonal qualities of the body wood may be overshadowed by other factors like pickups, neck thickness, type of finish, etc...

Thanks tg for that answer, that makes a lot of sense

Muttcaster, sorry for hijacking your thread there, I should have asked that as a seperate question thread

I happen to like the tone of my Alder body tele very much

Muttcaster, sorry for hijacking your thread there, I should have asked that as a seperate question thread

Oh don't worry about it- it's fun to see which direction threads will go.

I've done the Esquire thing and it was fun, but I like having a neck pickup. I use the neck (TX Tele) a lot for Western Swing type stuff. In fact, I'd say I use all three positions pretty well equally....

Body woods- the "Muttcaster" is a former James Burton Std with....poplar body! I've had a '52 RI here in the house for a couple of weeks, and have had a Relic Partscaster for awhile, and- forgive me for my heresy- but I still like the "Muttcaster" best. It's cleaner and smoother w/out being too bright. I don't like my Teles to be too bright.

I actually had a Nashville a few years ago, but it was setup for 2 pickups. I eventually (stupidly) sold it with a Bill Lawrence bridge and Stew Mac humbucker neck. Dumb move. Oh well, I bought a banjo with the proceeds...

Here's a link to the Partscaster:
http://tinyurl.com/4gy96

and here's one to the "Nashville":
http://tinyurl.com/4uknn