fender strat vs. tele

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youtooellen

New Yorker
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Apr 5, 2005
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I'm not much of a guitar whiz but I know the basic do's and don'ts.. and maybe a tad more. But every time I go to my local guitar shop and play these two guitars, I always love playing them. I personally enjoy the strat more but I don't really have much knowledge about the tele.

anyone care to explain the comparison between the both and why you would prefer one over the other? which do you think would be more compatible with effects/Edge-like sounds?

thanks in advance. any info. would be great. :)
 
Basic differences, Tele has a 2 single coil pickups (bridge/neck), has a little different sound than a strat and doesn't usually have a trem on it.

Strat, has 3 single coil pickups (bridge/mid/neck), gives you more tone options. It usually has a standard trem on it.

Edge use to a Strat for alot of tunes (Joshua Tree), but he has never limited himself to just one guitar. Even on the Rattle and Hum movie he switches between, Gibson Les Paul, Rickenbacker, Stratocasters and a hollow body Gibson or Epiphone.

More recently he added the Telecaster (used this to play Vertigo and I believe Sunday Bloody Sunday on the Live in Chicago DVD), Gibson Explorer (Beautiful Day) and a Gibson SG (Elevation)

If you are looking for the "classic" U2 sound I would get a Stratocaster.
 
The Strat was (I think) the second guitar Edge played often onstage (the Explorer being his primary). Like kruz said, he added the Tele recently. He plays it on songs he used to play the Strat on, so it depends on whether you're going for a newer or older sound. For that "Unforgettable Fire" era sound ("Pride" & "Bad"), you've got to go with the Stratocaster. I personally would go with the Strat, but that's probably because it was my first electric guitar. :) Do you have a guitar already?
 
yeah I have a guitar, but it's from a starters pack.
right now I'm considering buying a new guitar, well I have been for quite some time, but I'm really indecisive.
I played the strat, tele, and epi les paul at guitar center and found myself in debate with a strat and tele (the epi les paul or les paul in general, is much too heavy for me :| ).

but right now, I'm thinking I'll just try to get the strat and perhaps do an imitation like Edge's and get it to be black on black. :hmm:

any ideas at all for a beginning Edge sound also? perhaps, a first pedal I should get as a beginner in attempting Edge's sound? and which would be best compatible with the strat or tele?

sorry, I'm a real beginner at effects. :reject: I know my basics and can play guitar decently well, I'm just very deficient on the knowledge towards the effects and that line.. :slant:

any help would be fantastic.
 
for Edge's early sound I would get at a delay pedal and maybe depending on your amps overdrive channel an overdrive pedal.
 
Yeah, you definitely need a delay if you're going to do Edge-y sounding stuff. Actually, TheEdge U2JT would be a lot more help here than I am (he plays guitar in a U2 tribute band). I'm sure next time he's on, he'll post something helpful. (Chedge...?)
 
tommycharles said:
I'm sorry....Edge *recently* added an Explorer?

I am sorry... I didn't see Edge with an Explorer till 2001 Beautiful Day video. (to me 2001 is recent in U2 History) If he used it before I didn't know about it.
 
kruz5150 said:


I am sorry... I didn't see Edge with an Explorer till 2001 Beautiful Day video. (to me 2001 is recent in U2 History) If he used it before I didn't know about it.

The Explorer was one of The Edge's first guitars. He recorded a lot of U2's early songs with it. Watch these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPeFWjPQmm8&search=u2 i will follow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YT9JHH7K2Y&search=u2 fire
(Ignore the mullet)

The earliest videos I can find online with evidence of Edge's Explorer.
 
The Strat is the guitar played on many of U2 most popular songs.

Bad, Streets, With or Without You, SBS, NYD, Gloria, Bullet, Pride, Just to mane a few.

And Yes, Edge NOWplays the Les Paul on NYD, Tele on SBS and a Fernandes on WOWY, but the start was the original guitar. Had to put that in before someone posted some stupid comment.

As for effects. A delay unit and an overdrive pedal would get you started. In the early days he was using a BOSS SD1. You can get a used one for around $50. He now uses a Ibanez TS9. You can pick up a used one for a little more than the BOSS SD1

As for delay, early on he used a Memory Man. A MM will run you $200. You can get a basic BOSS delay pedal for much less and be close enough for what you seem to want to do.

Without the tone of a VOX AC30 and some of the gear Edge uses, you will not be able to get the sounds dead on. However, you can get close enough to enjoy playing Prind in the Name of Love along with your CD's.

Good luck,

Chas
 
TheEdge U2JT said:
Without the tone of a VOX AC30 and some of the gear Edge uses, you will not be able to get the sounds dead on. However, you can get close enough to enjoy playing Prind in the Name of Love along with your CD's.

I don't think I'd have enough money in my entire lifetime to purchase some of Edge's gear or actually remake any of his actual sounds. :|

playing along with cds is just what I was aiming for though. :yes:


thanks for all the info everyone, I really appreciate it. :up:
 
Personally if your purse is tight, it would far better to get yourself a decent guitar midi effect processor together with one of those cheap Behringer midi controlers. Or an all in one pedalboard. On a tight purse you will never get that Edge sound. The guy just uses to much. At least with that effect processor or floorboard you can get a decent approximation for a decent price without having to collect a gazillion pedals for different sounds.
And besides, using a lot of pedals means a lot of tap dancing, cause if Edge uses 4 effects for one song it means activating 4 pedals! While the guitar processor/floorboard entails a lot of programming, which can scare some people off as it requires to read the f***ing manual, it pays of handsomely as you can activate a sound with one pressing, instead of tapdancing over several pedals.
 
I was considering getting a processor/floorboard but I wasn't too sure. I know that some are in the range of $200-$300's but I think I'd be pretty willing for that or the delay pedal and overdrive pedal.

I also don't know much about floorboards in general.
Any recommendations of which I should by?

(I'm just looking for a 'simplistic' feel, but of course with a large variety of effects. I've heard from friends at school who play guitar, that digitech or the boss guitar processors are good? :shrug: )
 
youtooellen said:

anyone care to explain the comparison between the both and why you would prefer one over the other? which do you think would be more compatible with effects/Edge-like sounds?

thanks in advance. any info. would be great. :)

If you haven't already watched Under a Blood Red Sky, rent it.
The black strat is used for almost every song, and is incredibly versatile.
 
youtooellen said:
I was considering getting a processor/floorboard but I wasn't too sure. I know that some are in the range of $200-$300's but I think I'd be pretty willing for that or the delay pedal and overdrive pedal.

I also don't know much about floorboards in general.
Any recommendations of which I should by?

(I'm just looking for a 'simplistic' feel, but of course with a large variety of effects. I've heard from friends at school who play guitar, that digitech or the boss guitar processors are good? :shrug: )

I've never worked with a floorboard but they are basically a processor and midi foot controler rolled into one. Great for beginners or people with tight budgets, although they tend to be just a tad little less capable then the processor/midi controler combo.

Now those pedals may look nice and juicy because Edge uses them (or used them) but they only do one thing, give you overdrive, give you delay. And while that is the core of most U2 songs, some come with LOTS of other effects. They won't give you wah that Edge uses a lot since Achtung Baby, no pitchshift, no vibrato, no modulation, no shimmer. My boss GX-700 is by now prehistoric but it can do a pretty good approximation of most of those sounds except for shimmer. And maybe it can do that as well if I read the f***ing manuel again.
IMHO going for the exact gear Edge uses is for people with lots of cash and lots of dedication. For most, its nice if you stumble acros a good deal but otherwise you can work aroud with a good multi effects processor/floorboard. It may be master of none but a steady reliable jack of all trades aint that bad either. Besides, most people won't hear the distance.

Most of the time. :wink:
 
these floorboards sound a bit hard to use :hmm:

maybe I'll go to my local guitar center again and ask them about floorboards in general?

or maybe I should save up and end up buying it all?
ah, the price of imitating the Edge :wink:
 
If you want to replicate the Edge's sound on a tight budget, you can get the vast majority of his sounds using the POD XT live (~$400). I bought one 2 months ago and have been extremely satisfied. The price is very reasonable for the 20 or so amp modules + distrotion + modulation + delay effects.
 
youtooellen said:
these floorboards sound a bit hard to use :hmm:

But if you master them you will get so much more sounds out of them then with seperate stompboxes. Like with everything the pay off will be in what you are willing to invest. Be that money or personal effort. A Pod XT Live or a Boss GT-8 are mighty fine floorboards that with a bit of effort and experimentation will give you most of the U2 sounds you desire. Don't be scared about them coming with thick manuals, if you're stuck each device has its own webboards where other users can help you out.


or maybe I should save up and end up buying it all?
ah, the price of imitating the Edge :wink:

You do realise that besides a simple Boss distortion and delay stompbox Edge uses dozens of other stompboxes, most vintage, 2 full flightcases of rack effects, most vintage, AND the mother of all huge ass floor controlers to control it all? It will be a mighty long save. :wink:
 

You do realise that besides a simple Boss distortion and delay stompbox Edge uses dozens of other stompboxes, most vintage, 2 full flightcases of rack effects, most vintage, AND the mother of all huge ass floor controlers to control it all? It will be a mighty long save. :wink: [/B]


It's estimated that, between the racks and guitars, Edge takes about $800,000 in gear on the road. Start saving!


As mulit-effect pedal board verese stompboxes. You can get good sounds out of a multi-effects unit, however with most units, you need to me patient and do a lot of tweeking to get good sounds.

Another good option is a VOX Valvetronix. I have two in addition to my AC30 and they are really nice. I perfer them over the POD's. The Problem, IMO, with the pod is getting good sounds through a combo amp. They are great for studio but take a lot to get a good sound through an amp. They should to shrill. That Vox has great tone and multi wattage setting so you can play at a very low volume with giving up tone.
 
Okay. The Tele vs Strat debate. I have had this with my alter ego, see URL below, and I have conluded that Tele is the way to go. IT can be country at one end and harsh at the other. Add a delay and distortion and you have beautiful music. Add a tube amd and you are in heaven!
 
I'm playing with an old Squier strat with a digitech gnx3 floorboard and I can get a lot of u2 song, now I just bought a fender american strat hss and can not wait to here the difference it will make.... The gnx3 by the way is awesome, very easy to use and I didn't read the manual yet, so I'm sure that it will get better...
 
strat

but right now, I'm thinking I'll just try to get the strat and perhaps do an imitation like Edge's and get it to be black on black. :hmm:

[/B]

I was thinking about doing the same thing with the black on black, does any1 know what would be better, get the cheapy and throw some nice pickups in it or get a nicer one? I know you get your money out of a nicer one but i haven't been able to play like a standard with some dimarzio pickups in it or something like that.
 
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