Stratocasters In Country

[Heather Anne Peel]

As an owner of 7 Teles, and 5 Strats, I gotta say that I prefer the Strat to the Tele for Country playing. I know that's odd, but I also know there's others that feel the same. Plus, it was originally designed with Country players in mind. Strats are great! Teles are too! It's all good.
Heather

[eddiewagner]

i can hear ya heather. strats are also great for slide. out of reasons i dont know, i like a strat for slide better that a tele.
years ago i saw a great countryband and the guy played a white strat. he did alll the albert lees tuff. even albert lee himself uses a guitar with a stratish pup configuration.

[Scotland]

I love Strats but a Tele has the country tone for me. Last night I played my Strat on a country song as I just didn't have time to change to my Tele at that particular time and it just sounded all wrong to me. There are other songs I play that is exactly the reverse but for me, it's a Tele all the way for country.

[Gunslinger]

I don't completely agree they are better than teles but there are quite a few great country players that use strats. The most noteable for me is the late “great” Eddy Shaver, also Dave Grissom, Reggie Young, Brent Mason*, Chris Luzinger, Greg Koch, Lee Roy Parnell... the list goes on of people that use strats... AND teles.

Good subject for thought!

GS

[rockycreeker]

Hey Heather!! I started a similar thread on the Strat-Talk forum a few months ago. I play country - and everything else on my #1 guitar which is a 1982 "Dan Smith" Stratocaster. I love Teles and I own one, but I'm just so used to my Strat and I have worked for years to be able to get pretty much all the sounds I need out of one guitar for live gigs - that I just haven't been able to get as comfortable on a Tele.

We all had guitar influences when we were coming up - some were nationally known artists that we never got to meet and maybe more importantly some were folks that we came into contact with that just blew our minds and influenced us cause we saw them play - in person - up close. Murray Price was the latter to me. He was a left handed player that came from my area of middle GA. The first time I heard Murray - his main guitar was a left handed '56 Fender Strat. He played at a local jam session - and he was one of the first guys I ever heard to emulate pedal steel licks on guitar. That day is forever burned into my memory. Murray wailed!! - and he did it on a Strat. Later on - Murray did play a Tele - but I'll always remember seeing him that day on a Strat.

As I often say about great players who defy the "rules" set up by us armchair quarterbacks, Murray didn't know he couldn't play country on a Strat - and he played the fool out of one - and sounded great doing it.

[blue metalflake]

Its the old story where everyone has their personal favourites. Personally if I was playing a totally country set, using one guitar, it would be a tele every time. That said, there's things that sound best on the strat.

I've also listened to some awsome guys pickin real country stuff on a strat. Its whatever you feel comfortable with. Happy with your machine = playin well - all other things being equal.

[tdu]

I'd rather see a Strat than the Ibanez I saw a guy playing in a video on CMT the other day.

[stevieboy]

Vince Gill plays a strat a lot of the time.

I wonder if Leo and company were thinking, "OK, we built a country guitar, now let's build one for other stuff" when they created the strat.

[nick_g]

One of the main reasons the strat's vibrato/tremelo arm was added (according to a book called "The Stratocaster Chronicles") is that it meant that session men could approximate the sound of a pedal steel, with either the "violining" technique or a volume pedal, and the vibrato. Its funny thats never really caught on.

I'm also one who can't get used to playing country on my strat. Its not even about the twang, I just can't play country stuff as well on it. Very odd..

[J. Hayes]

I'd say that a Tele and a Strat both have their places in country but a Strat's usually someones "second" guitar for special tunes. Someone mentioned Vince Gill, I watched a concert of his on Austin City Limits where he played his regular Tele, a black Strat, and a yellow Strat. Having a guitar on my lap and playing along I noticed that Vince would use the Strats to play in open keys when the song wasn't. One song in Eb he used the black Strat and played like it was in E so it must have been tuned down a half tone, same with the yellow one. As far as recordings, I think it'd be safe to say that better than 99% of Brent Mason's major sessions are done with the Telecaster. Albert Lee's not on too many major sessions anymore but in his prime in the 70's and 80's his main guitar was always a Telecaster which he played on all his recordings with Emmylou Harris, Roseann Cash, Carlene Carter, Ricky Skaggs, etc. Reggie Young? One of his most famous solos was on Merle Haggard's "That's The Way Love Goes" which was cut with just a Tele and an MXR Dynacomp, the vast majority of his country sessions were with a Tele. The main guitar for country pickers who do their own leads is always primarily a Telecaster. Examples, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Brad Paisley. I love Strats but to be a complete country guitar they have to be modified as one of the most important country tones it the bridge and neck pickup together which can't be done with the unual 5 way switch. I'm glad to see Fender's making some Strats now with 7 way switching. I have one strat which has a mini toggle which when activated with the toggle in the neck or neck/middle position the bridge pickup will come on. All in all, Tele's have ruled in country since the 50's and probably always will. Remember Jimmy Bryant & Luther Perkins (Johnny Cash)? Both Tele pickers. Personally I prefer the Tele but I'll have to admit, the Strat is more comfortable to hold and fits your body better.............JH in Va.

[Heather Anne Peel]

This is my numero uno Strat. Country licks sound awesome on it!



Heather

[endzone]

When Leo built the Strat, he let Western Swing players help him design it. He then gave them to Swing pickers to "field test" them. Bill Carson, Freddie Tavares and Eldon Shamblin being the main ones. I had the priveledge of knowing Eldon in his later years and got to ask him lots of questions and listened to his stories. His opinion was that the Strat was a great "rhythm" guitar. He told me if you wanted something to play lead, then you should buy a Tele. Of course, he played the same Strat that Leo gave him right up until before he died, I believe in about '99.

[Acephspades]

Another strat country player here as well. I do have a tele and I have used it at gigs for a few years but here lately my strat has been my number one. I recently installed a DiMarzio ViruAL 2 bridge pup in the middle position and that pup with just a hint of OD puts me right in there for Pete Anderson's tone on "Dwight Live", it's also very reminescent of Eddy Shaver's tone, 2 of my all time favorite country pickers. Sure I love Don Rich and Roy Nichols but don't forget Roy played a Les Paul for several years, more than he did his tele. The Les Paul is more of the "out of place" guitar in country IMO.

I get plenty of twang from my strat in the middle position, actually it's a thicker tone than I can get from my tele, in my band I need that thicker tone, but I also like my tele a lot as well. I switch 'em up but for live I usually end back up with the strat. Besides I have my strat set up for an all in one guitar. Like I said I have that hotter DiMarzio VituAL 2 in the middle pos., and a single coil sized Symour Duncan Lil '59 in the bridge pos, stock in the neck. I play my country stuff in the middle position or sometimes 2 and 4 as well, the way my pups are set up I get a pretty decent, subdued, almost acoustic like tone from pos 4, and when I want my thicker lead tones for some classic rock tunes I got to the Lil'59 in the bridge pos. I have never been satisfied with distorted tones from my tele, but that's me. I would entertain the Nashville teles with the 3 pups like a strat though.

[sabby]

Originally Posted by Acephspades

I get plenty of twang from my strat in the middle position, actually it's a thicker tone than I can get from my tele, in my band I need that thicker tone, but I also like my tele a lot as well.

There's the trick for complaints about the thin Strat bridge pup.

[zooropamofo]

Though the Strat isn't my cup of tea (I've successfully weeded all of mine out of my collection) Vince Gill has layed down some amazing licks with the Strat...IMO, the Tele is still best suited for country, but the Strat sure does have its place.

[Chris S.]

Two words: "Steuart Smith." CS

[Grin'n'pick]

I play in a band which does mainly country and took my strat to rehersal along with my tele this week for the first time in ages. I was really pleased with some of the tones. Whilst it won't replace the tele for the majority of the material it adds a nice variety and certainly has some famous sounds that you hear occasionally on country records. For rhythm it sounded especially good so the points above ring very true to me. For country lead I still think that the tele sounds more like it. For really fat leads I prefer my tubescreamer with the strat neck pup over the tele, and a more neutral overdrive for the tele. Usually though I'm playing clean and for lead without a lot of gain the tele really shows the strat who's the boss.

[Stefan]

I have a 1976, walnut brown Strat with skinny frets. I play it sometimes but ONE of the reasons I prefer the Tele is because I think the middle pickup on the strat gets in the way of my picking. But I sure can get some nice Country tones out of the Strat as well! :-)

[mingo]

Originally Posted by Chris S.

Two words: "Steuart Smith." CS

I second that!

[Stuco]

I suppose a lot of players have it in their head(including me) that country is meant to be played on a tele and therefore don't feel as comfortable playing it on a strat which is rediculous but the "feel" a guitar gives you definately has an effect on the way you play(at least for me)

[jeffreyk51]

I am fortunate to have the best of both worlds. I put a prewired pickguard loaded with Lollar Blackface Strat pickups and a blender pot into my Custom Shop Strats. I now get great Strat sounds and with the blender pot on 1 (neck pickup and bridge pickup combo) I get the most authentic Tele tone at the turn of a knob. I am curently in a Country band doing all of the most recent Country hits and it works well.

Jeff

[Big White Tele]

Ive got a Strat with a Tele pickup in the bridge. Now thats a Strat for country.

[Tele wiz]

The Strat is a good choice for country playing. The #2 position (out of phase) position sounds very good for country lead.

[Mike Dickerson]

In the mid 80's to early 90's a big majority of all country road players were playing strats. If you go back and listen to that time period your heard a lot of strats on records too. That was the period when amps were a bigg no no on sessions. The players were going direct from a pre amp and a rack of effects. Chorus effects ruled back then. That is one reason why Ray Flacke jumped out of the pack. His early Skaggs records was a good old tele and a real amp.

[fenderix]

... "Crossroads" DVD, you can see Vince Gill smoking on his EMG-loaded Strat.
Sounds good to me.
I myself tend to use the Strat for rythm and the Tele for lead ... of course YMMV ...

[Durtdog]

I think Strats are fine for country. However, I'm not a big fan of the crystal clean "quack" sound...it needs a little hair on it, or it just doesn't do it for me.

[Telewringer]

Sorry Heather but you will never get a Strat to twang like a Telecaster.
Good example is to watch Vince Gill on stage. For his more rockier songs
it is the black Strat which sounds great for that type of song. Example
is the solo "What the cowgirls do". Then lsten to one of his more
country songs like "Oaklahoma Boarderline", or "Liza Jane"
and that white '53 Tele he uses, and it is the difference
between night and day. TWANGGGGG !!!!!
Pure Country, it is always the Telecaster.

[Keifer]

I've got a hardtail Strat with Frailin 'Steel-poled' pups & with a brass bass-plate on the neck pu. Tones controls are set up fpr neck and bridge with the middle run straight through. It has ALL the TWANG of a Tele. I use it quite a bit in country. For my Bender stuff I've got a Tele with a Hipshot (B=hip/G=palm lever). Guitars are wood, metal & electronics...you can get TWANG out of most any of them (well maybe not a 335)....and a good part of it is the person behind the pick.

[Aaron Schiff]

Originally Posted by nick_g

One of the main reasons the strat's vibrato/tremelo arm was added (according to a book called "The Stratocaster Chronicles") is that it meant that session men could approximate the sound of a pedal steel, with either the "violining" technique or a volume pedal, and the vibrato.

Check out my avatar. I played my first country gig in 1954; admittedly on accordian, not steel. Sorry for whoever wrote the book, but the "pedal" steel was still a glimmer in Paul Bigsby's and Shot Jackson's eyes when the Strat first hit the market. We got the vibrato by the hand motion of the steel. Pedals are used to change the tuning of the steel guitar, not to make a vibrato or tremolo effect and the "slurring" effect is done by combining the volume pedal with sliding the steel up the strings. IN any case, the popular steel guitars in the 1950s were non-pedal Fenders, Gibsons and Rickenbackers with usually either two 8 string necks or three 8 string necks. Pedals became popular in the 1960s and by the 1970s most people were using them. Non-pedal guitars have been making a slight comeback since the late 90s, but the pedals are still the overwhelming favorites.

Now, to the original topic: I've played Strats and Teles for country. My current favorite is a G&L S500. I can get the greatest variety of tones from that guitar of any I have owned and I can come very close to getting Tele tones from the bridge using the toggle switch.

[mojocasterman]

I always have a hard time deciding what guitar is better for what type of music. I've played some blues w/ my teles, some country with my strats, and vice versa. Bottom line, I don't reach for a guitar because of what it is as much as for the feel I get as I am reaching for it. Kinda hard to explain, but I trust as fellow musicians you get the drift.

Hell, I love strats and teles the same. It's just a matter of what I feel like playin' that night :)

[Charlie Bernstein]

Carl Perkins!!!!