I’ve got an HH tele a modern MIM one with taps. I separated the front back taps and added a Seymour strat in the middle she weeps,twangs and quacks I only own 1 guitar so it works well for me. I do session work and it hits the spot for every thing but Djent but I’m wrong for that gig anyway....
It is actually a cheap copy but it sounds phenomenal and sounded better than the USA Gibson Les Paul standard I tried against it plus it knocked the socks off an Epiphone Les Paul too!
I must say, I love all the tones of both guitars but prefer the Tele staight up. After all, I own 7 Tele's and or Tele-types and only 3 Strats or Strat types. For me, bottom line, the Strat's have tone galore with glassy nuances everywhere but the Tele's are in your face to the point and clear and clean as can be.used in any setting. Plus, Tele's never go out of tune, EVER!
I like both, but I've never noticed the sound of the springs in a Strat until I read your comment - though I wouldn't call the sound muddy even if it does lack some of the tele's sparkle.
This is one of the best strat vs tele vids out there! At first I thought I wanted to get a strat but with this vid I'm considering a tele too! I want both!
Is the Strato a Fender Anniversary model? Both gorgeous anyway, you can only pick the best for the music you play, but these made the history of clean/crunchy sound, it's like asking which son you love more :)
I've tried very hard to get into Strats over the years. The shape is so classic, and so many of my heroes have played them, but something about them just doesn't work for me. Whenever I pick up my Strat, within 10 minutes I find myself reaching for my Tele. Something about it feels awkward and uncomfortable, and the tone is always either too muddy or too shrill. Somehow the Tele just works for me...
The Paranoid Blues Man I love the sound of a strat. But I’ve also had trouble getting comfortable with mine. I own an Sg and a Jaguar also and I borrow my singer’s tele sometimes and the strat is the hardest of all those to feel confident with. The sound is amazing, if not a tad shrill at times, but the position of my picking hand is a problem on strats. There’s no comfortable resting place in comparison and both the volume pot and the middle pickup are both obstacles to the way I play. They get in the way often. The jaguar is the most comfortable. The Sg is comfortable also but I prefer single coil. The tele is probably the best middle ground of all of them. But I will say.... geez... the strat neck pickup just can’t be beat!!
This is a great video. Both are beautiful sounding instruments with very distinctive characteristics. Pretty much apples and oranges. I did not know Teles could get such a sweet jazz tone. Also, outstanding playing--you were able to bring out the subtleties of each guitar.
Diego Mireles this is surf green. www.tfoa.eu/user_files/images/Fender%20strat%20Jeff%20Beck%202010%20Surf%20green%2004.jpg unless thats some seriously funky lighting, its not the same.
This is some very beautiful playing! I think Id have to go with the Strat, alot smoother sounding IMO. Man! This guys fingers are running around like spider legs!!
A really good understanding of the differences between the two guitars well demonstrated, two nice examples of the instrument and some damn fine playing. Thank you.
Guy's a bad ass player. Those jazz tones he was getting on that Tele were superb. I didn't really like the way that Strat sounded though, and I like Strats. Weird.
Guys, every guitar sounds different, that's why we all use different model and also different brands of guitar to perform. Concerning the wood, it all depends on our ears, how bright we like the sound of the guitar. I'm not a big fan of strato but I never said a bad thing on its sounding. Its is like a religious argument just because some of u would like the strato to sound differently.
I love the death stares before you start playing. Lol tele has a flatter more mid range sound and strat has a fuller sound. Fatter,bassier low end and more piercing high end.
Both guitars have qualities that can be used in different styles of music. I first bought a Tele, and later on I bought a Strato. I use them both a lot!
Very interesting... I play both and I've thought that I enjoy the sound of the Tele over the Strat. Both are the high end versions set about the same and both are original equipment, but the Tele always seems to have more flavor.
Hey thanks for posting, not sure if you'll get this but if you could kindly let me know what kind of strat that is also the color, never seen this shade/type of green before... thank you in advance.
I have 9 guitars.....2of which are Fenders. One is an American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster. This is an absolutely beautiful instrument with a Maple fret board and neck. I love this guitar. It has a great sound and plays like a dream. I also have 2 Telecasters. One is a MIM Tele that also has a Maple fret board and neck. This guitar is great. The sound is clear and snappy and you can get that popping sound that only a Tele can give. I also have a Squire Classic Vibe 50's Tele. I was hesitant about buying a Squire at first but every review I read on this guitar was good so I bought it. It is Butterscotch Blond and it too has a great sound and plays very easy. As to which one is better. I can't answer that. The Strat and Tele both have their place in music and both are awesome guitars. Country Artists almost exclusively use Telecasters. I like both and I guess that is my answer.
Too bad strats can't fucking stay in tune. The only reason I'm even considering a tele. They're just fucking solidly built and stay in tune forever. But the sexy strat body and that funky quack can't be topped.
I brick wall the bridge. I don't use the vibrato arm ever, so I tighten the screws holding the springs in the back as far as I can so that the bridge no longer moves. Turns it into a hard tail. : )
I've owned both plus Les Paul's and 335 types for many years. Each has it's own special qualities...different tonal colors if you will. But a lot of the tone comes from your fingers, so on a live application, I tend to take both and use what suits the acoustics, vibe and music type. Each makes me play a little different as do the Collings, Gibsons, PRS's. That said, if I had to use just one it would be a Tele.
The thing about Tele is it's very dynamic. It doesn't forgive bad technique. Strat is more comfortable to play but I would pick a good Tele any day, for any styles I play. The 2nd and 4th pickup selection on Strat are very unique, through.
Or two. I have a 1978 Tele, and one of the limited edition Telecaster Thinline Super Deluxe jobs. Some people are sledging it, saying it's not a real tele because it has TV Jones Fidelitron pups, but it still has the clean ringing high end tone you expect from a tele, but with some fat punchy tone available through the mid-range when you give it some gain. Telecaster = Class.
DassKla4 More to the point, this is a comparison video between the Telecaster and Strat. To make an equal comparison, it would have been better if both guitars has the same wood for the fingerboard. That way, one could better isolate the differences between the two without adding in a bunch of different variables.
I like the tele over all guitars. Not too bright, not too dark. Warm lows and nice highs. No other guitar has a better single coil bridge. And the string through body sustain is great. Easy to find a useable tone to go with whatever song. I play mostly clean, but the overdriven lead is great. Strat doesn't have as much solid sustain, guitar too hollow and gimmicky. But still great, as David Gilmour and many others has shown. That bell like tone comes in handy. Pickups sound best in the combined 2 and 4 position of the selector switch. But for pure all out rock, tele is it.
A Strat sounds like a river when its young babbling over pebbles, the tele when its mature, running through the city washing, getting tidal and flowing out to its delta (blues)
A friend of mine bought a Squier Classic Vibe with the f-hole, and while it did need to be set up, when it was, it was awesome for her. I'd never hesitate to recommend it to someone who doesn't need a harder sound. (she had a jazz teacher and was a better player in a year than I was in 5)
Brilliant video, he just plays the axes beautifully and clearly without bs lame talk. Love it! Thanks dude. One needs a Srat. and a Tele. No need for Gibson et al.
im just starting out but strats seem to be more rock and roll while the older bro teles seem to be more blues and rough,all though both are great sounding and both can do either really well. A mint stratocaster sweet.
I was jammin' when he turned the tone all the way down on the neck pickup on the Telecaster. That was really fluid sounding and it could have put me to sleep. (:
The Strat here is Sea Foam Green I believe. I had the chance to buy one very similar but I bought the Surf Green which is sort of similar to a Sonic Blue but a bit greenish and slightly darker than the pale Sonic. Model colours vary even if they say it's the same.
Ive always heard people say the telecaster is much brighter than a stratocaster, but after having one of each I'm convinced the stratocaster is much brighter than a telecaster, no matter the type of fretboard (if both have normal single coils).
***** Depends on the PU's, Fender US Vintage PU's in a Tele are very bright or the US Standard PU's. To beat them all buy a Fender Jap stratocaster ('62 RI) from around 1986, far better than virtually all other strats.
***** Hmmm... Gibson are better at blowing minds with tone, but I would never agree on that strats are useless when dirty. I kind of like the usual overdriven strat tone. It's sort of blazing, but thin, yes. That's not always the case though. Just listen to Ritchie Blackmore's tone on the "Burn" and "Down to earth" album! It's full and fat. One does not simply use distortion pedal when trying achieving really great tones by the way. Cranked amps are the answer.
PstScrpt Listen to Peter Greens les paul on "Man of the world" (especially 1:42-1:56) or Angus Young's SG on the "High Voltage" album and try to tell me that Gibsons aren't delailed enough. Have you ever heard a P90 loaded Gibson? You should! If you are learning music by ear (which is the best way to develop your musical ability) you will notice that overdriven humbuckers and P90's are easier to track then single coils. It's very possible to think of it as the other way around, because of the difference in brightness, but that's not true, quite simply. Both you and ***** have very radical opinions for some reason.
rafasounds2010 Yeah, quite recently I found out that people usually think of the tele as a brighter guitar then the strat. That really turned my world up side down. Not a single of all the telecasters that I've played (not too many) have been brighter than my strat.
+MrACangusyoungDC My brother has a Fender Strat, Deluxe Series- I played that guitar for years. I JUST got a Fender Tele, Standard, and I gotta say it beats the shit out of the Strat in terms of brightness overall, especially playing clean you can hear the difference.
It is unfair to compare a red guitar with a green guitar.
Lol
We all know alpine white guitars sound the best.
@@maraviyoso8473 My reindeer blue is a beast.
My dream is a purple Les Paul;)
A Telecaster "twangs",
a Stratocaster "quacks like a duck"
and a Gibson Les Paul, has 'weeping sustain"
I've owned them all and they are all great!
i think that is the best description explaining the difference i have ever heard.....
And SG sounds like "a plank of wood".
I’ve got an HH tele a modern MIM one with taps. I separated the front back taps and added a Seymour strat in the middle she weeps,twangs and quacks I only own 1 guitar so it works well for me. I do session work and it hits the spot for every thing but Djent but I’m wrong for that gig anyway....
I was strat all the way..... then I got my hands on a tele. The way forward is to have both guitars!!!
Great point. I might have to try a telecaster.
Yeah, get both and be happy!
I bought a Les Paul instead. Love it!
Ah yes..... The Les Paul is a beauty. Enjoy ;-)
It is actually a cheap copy but it sounds phenomenal and sounded better than the USA Gibson Les Paul standard I tried against it plus it knocked the socks off an Epiphone Les Paul too!
telecaster sounds great in all settings. that jazz tone coming from it made my jaw drop
i felt absolutely the same
@@kantvishi me too :D
Tele Start
0:18 - 2:15
4:10 - 5:11
5:29 - 5:46
5:57 - 6:48
Hope this will help :)
+Can Savaryego Actually it's the opposite
Your off on some🤷🏾♂️ nice of you to try
Both guitars are versatile, but in different ways:
-The Stratocaster has many tones.
-The Telecaster can comfortably fit in any genre of music.
Even punk?
Nathan Braswell
It can if you want it to.
Nathan Braswell Joe Strummer used a Telecaster.
Came for the guitars, stayed for the playing :)
I must say, I love all the tones of both guitars but prefer the Tele staight up. After all, I own 7 Tele's and or Tele-types and only 3 Strats or Strat types. For me, bottom line, the Strat's have tone galore with glassy nuances everywhere but the Tele's are in your face to the point and clear and clean as can be.used in any setting. Plus, Tele's never go out of tune, EVER!
dang this is tough, I've always used a Stratocaster, but the telecaster sounds so cool in this video
The Tele sounds clean and crisp while the Strat sounds springy and muddy. Tough choice.
I like both, but I've never noticed the sound of the springs in a Strat until I read your comment - though I wouldn't call the sound muddy even if it does lack some of the tele's sparkle.
+suicideposter tele on maple neck but strat on rosewood neck this compare useless
+AftershockPS3 Hah, swap and blind test. No difference.
+AftershockPS3 can't tell if serious or not lol
Agreed.......the Tele sure sounds a lot cleaner than the Strat....
This is one of the best strat vs tele vids out there! At first I thought I wanted to get a strat but with this vid I'm considering a tele too! I want both!
Is the Strato a Fender Anniversary model?
Both gorgeous anyway, you can only pick the best for the music you play, but these made the history of clean/crunchy sound, it's like asking which son you love more :)
I've tried very hard to get into Strats over the years. The shape is so classic, and so many of my heroes have played them, but something about them just doesn't work for me. Whenever I pick up my Strat, within 10 minutes I find myself reaching for my Tele. Something about it feels awkward and uncomfortable, and the tone is always either too muddy or too shrill. Somehow the Tele just works for me...
I know exactly what you mean... Look up Blues Counsel River is Rising and listen to the teles at the first of the solos they cut through the best.
The Paranoid Blues Man
I love the sound of a strat. But I’ve also had trouble getting comfortable with mine. I own an Sg and a Jaguar also and I borrow my singer’s tele sometimes and the strat is the hardest of all those to feel confident with. The sound is amazing, if not a tad shrill at times, but the position of my picking hand is a problem on strats. There’s no comfortable resting place in comparison and both the volume pot and the middle pickup are both obstacles to the way I play. They get in the way often. The jaguar is the most comfortable. The Sg is comfortable also but I prefer single coil. The tele is probably the best middle ground of all of them. But I will say.... geez... the strat neck pickup just can’t be beat!!
Wish you would have played the same jazz segment on the strat.
This is a great video. Both are beautiful sounding instruments with very distinctive characteristics. Pretty much apples and oranges. I did not know Teles could get such a sweet jazz tone. Also, outstanding playing--you were able to bring out the subtleties of each guitar.
You just sold me on the TELE for me from now on great playing man!!!
What is that awful green color? I dont know why, but I love it haha
Surf green
Diego Mireles this is surf green.
www.tfoa.eu/user_files/images/Fender%20strat%20Jeff%20Beck%202010%20Surf%20green%2004.jpg
unless thats some seriously funky lighting, its not the same.
JgHaverty It's known as "Dun Green"
KingInky13 Nice, thanks man
Its official name is Puke Green. Isn't it great?
I have to say that the Telecaster is my favorite. I own both
Between the two, I've always preferred the Strat. But they're both great guitars. Great video.
You show each guitars capabilities and character. One of the best demo's on U tube. Good sound, variety, video.
This is some very beautiful playing! I think Id have to go with the Strat, alot smoother sounding IMO. Man! This guys fingers are running around like spider legs!!
one needs a les paul, a strat, a tele, an ibenz, and a prs,
True that, I'm missing the strat, tele and prs.
ha ha..$$$ NO?
vajraloka1 Yep :( saving up. Either stratocaster or tele is next on the list!
Jake Mckinlay i have a strat and i really love it but i would be cool to try a tele
One also needs a golden toilet but sometimes you just gotta crap on porcelain.
i totally dig that jazz tone on the tele.
Thanks a bunch buddy! I came here to help me decide. Now I gotta buy both!!!!
Christ boy, you sure know how to play.
Good god does that tele sound fantastic. The jazzy parts were astounding. Any ID on that part between 1:50-2:05?
Isn't that tone ridiculous when he hits 1:50? So beautiful.
Bryan Stanley It sounds like it's wired Blackguard to me. Soooo creamy !!
one of the most honest and best comments I have ever read on any website ever good job dude very good point
A really good understanding of the differences between the two guitars well demonstrated, two nice examples of the instrument and some damn fine playing. Thank you.
Guy's a bad ass player. Those jazz tones he was getting on that Tele were superb. I didn't really like the way that Strat sounded though, and I like Strats. Weird.
If I could only keep one guitar it would be a Tele.
...and if I could only have one Tele it would be the Baja.
My tele baja body and thinline maple neck is the bomb love it
I love them both...they are like brothers with different personalities and I'm their mother.
I love them both. I own them both. I really like the bright clean sounds of the Tele.
tele for me , although Id take a strat or tele over a Les Paul
Michael Z Martin I like the look of the tele and it is a simple thing like my brain!
yeah!
I have a Les Paul and a Tele, while the Les Paul is very fun to play the Tele sounds much better.
***** The Tele offers three single-coil, two single-coil, two Humbucker, three Humbucker, or one single-coil and one Humbucker variations.
a tele and a strat are single coil guitars - variations are not true fenders
Stratocaster for me, they are far more articulated, almost vocal like if that makes sense
Exceptional playing! I watch this video once a year seems like
Guys, every guitar sounds different, that's why we all use different model and also different brands of guitar to perform. Concerning the wood, it all depends on our ears, how bright we like the sound of the guitar. I'm not a big fan of strato but I never said a bad thing on its sounding. Its is like a religious argument just because some of u would like the strato to sound differently.
I love the death stares before you start playing. Lol tele has a flatter more mid range sound and strat has a fuller sound. Fatter,bassier low end and more piercing high end.
Awesome jazz playing btw
Bad comparison, now I need both! ps Great Playing, thanks!
Both guitars have qualities that can be used in different styles of music. I first bought a Tele, and later on I bought a Strato. I use them both a lot!
I could listen to that guy's playing all day.
And the winner is Fender.... Instead of getting one of these made in USA, I would rather go for both of these Made in Mexico!
This guy could play over a cactus and it would sound fantastic.
Both are beautiful, I would want one of each. That way you get access to 2 awesome classes of tone
Superb playing, had me completely mesmerized.
Dream theater tho :)
I cried when The count of Tuscany started
George Garcia Yeah, man. Tha was reminding some things from the near past...
GHOSTRIKER j Actually, harder to play that "easy" thing than scales
Jazz at 6:13 wins it for Tele!
Def agree with that tele sound at 5:58 , really enjoyed this video a lot dude.
Very interesting... I play both and I've thought that I enjoy the sound of the Tele over the Strat. Both are the high end versions set about the same and both are original equipment, but the Tele always seems to have more flavor.
what song 01:50 i really love jazz
Jazz and blues... TELECASTER.
Count of Tuscany! Nice!
That tele and your playing has just made my decision.......there just simple, elegant and i fkn love em!
rise today at begining ?
at 5:57 whats that genre called?
contemporary jazz runs/riffs
Hey thanks for posting, not sure if you'll get this but if you could kindly let me know what kind of strat that is also the color, never seen this shade/type of green before... thank you in advance.
I have 9 guitars.....2of which are Fenders. One is an American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster. This is an absolutely beautiful instrument with a Maple fret board and neck. I love this guitar. It has a great sound and plays like a dream. I also have 2 Telecasters. One is a MIM Tele that also has a Maple fret board and neck. This guitar is great. The sound is clear and snappy and you can get that popping sound that only a Tele can give. I also have a Squire Classic Vibe 50's Tele. I was hesitant about buying a Squire at first but every review I read on this guitar was good so I bought it. It is Butterscotch Blond and it too has a great sound and plays very easy. As to which one is better. I can't answer that. The Strat and Tele both have their place in music and both are awesome guitars. Country Artists almost exclusively use Telecasters. I like both and I guess that is my answer.
Too bad strats can't fucking stay in tune. The only reason I'm even considering a tele. They're just fucking solidly built and stay in tune forever. But the sexy strat body and that funky quack can't be topped.
Put 5 springs in it, it keeps tune and you can actually use the trem
three words for you Eric Clapton mod
I brick wall the bridge. I don't use the vibrato arm ever, so I tighten the screws holding the springs in the back as far as I can so that the bridge no longer moves. Turns it into a hard tail. : )
Dana Thursday This is what I did to my squire strat years ago. I like the bar though.
But u can't wham on a tele
There's not much too debate here....
Not a single tone that the tele didn't nail
Bravo! The mash up is fabulous!
Great dynamic playing that makes me feel something! Thanks for the awesome vid
even if they were the worst two guitars on earth, your playing can sell them for thousands!!! I just got high on your music without the weed!
I personally like the srtat better it just sounds... Right. No offence to all telecaster fangirsl out there
learn English....then learn music....then be polite to people...or fuck off and do none of the above
+SqiroS22 shut up,you're the one being impolite.
I've owned both plus Les Paul's and 335 types for many years. Each has it's own special qualities...different tonal colors if you will. But a lot of the tone comes from your fingers, so on a live application, I tend to take both and use what suits the acoustics, vibe and music type. Each makes me play a little different as do the Collings, Gibsons, PRS's. That said, if I had to use just one it would be a Tele.
Great playing and two fantastic sounding and looking guitars .This is definitely one of the best and most entertaining videos on utube .
I think the tele sounds better
28 thumbs down, what do these people want.
Other people to think for them. I loved both guitars, and thought this was a very good comparison!
They've got their "authentic" guitar headstock broken
Maybe PRS;)
That Telecaster jazz riff is just awesome! =)
The thing about Tele is it's very dynamic. It doesn't forgive bad technique. Strat is more comfortable to play but I would pick a good Tele any day, for any styles I play. The 2nd and 4th pickup selection on Strat are very unique, through.
Telecaster! =D
Telecaster
Or two. I have a 1978 Tele, and one of the limited edition Telecaster Thinline Super Deluxe jobs. Some people are sledging it, saying it's not a real tele because it has TV Jones Fidelitron pups, but it still has the clean ringing high end tone you expect from a tele, but with some fat punchy tone available through the mid-range when you give it some gain.
Telecaster = Class.
I love the color of that Strat! I don't think I've ever seen one quite like it...
Should be used a strat with maple fingerboard.
why
DassKla4 Why?! Because different woods, different sounds! That's why.
Maple fingerboard = bright sound; rosewood fingerboard = warm sound.
***** They dont
DassKla4 They do.
DassKla4 More to the point, this is a comparison video between the Telecaster and Strat. To make an equal comparison, it would have been better if both guitars has the same wood for the fingerboard. That way, one could better isolate the differences between the two without adding in a bunch of different variables.
Dream Theater spotted!
I like the tele over all guitars. Not too bright, not too dark. Warm lows and nice highs. No other guitar has a better single coil bridge. And the string through body sustain is great. Easy to find a useable tone to go with whatever song. I play mostly clean, but the overdriven lead is great. Strat doesn't have as much solid sustain, guitar too hollow and gimmicky. But still great, as David Gilmour and many others has shown. That bell like tone comes in handy. Pickups sound best in the combined 2 and 4 position of the selector switch. But for pure all out rock, tele is it.
A Strat sounds like a river when its young babbling over pebbles, the tele when its mature, running through the city washing, getting tidal and flowing out to its delta (blues)
tele!!
Excepting the bridge pup, I favor the strat in this comparison. Both sound good, and this guy has crazy chops.
It gets philosophical, two mind sets - why all guitarists have to own both.
I got a 2012 Strat and a newer Telecaster. Both American Standard. Love them both equally.
Alter Bridge, Hendrix, Dream Theater... interesting selection of sounds. Very cool.
A friend of mine bought a Squier Classic Vibe with the f-hole, and while it did need to be set up, when it was, it was awesome for her. I'd never hesitate to recommend it to someone who doesn't need a harder sound. (she had a jazz teacher and was a better player in a year than I was in 5)
1:05 *-*
My favorite Dream Theater clean riff of all time :D
Great review Great playing especially that Jazz Tele bit you did on point sound
Each guitar is great in it's own right. Anyway, that guy would make ANY guitar sound superb! Fantastic playing!
Brilliant video, he just plays the axes beautifully and clearly without bs lame talk. Love it! Thanks dude. One needs a Srat. and a Tele. No need for Gibson et al.
BRAVO!!! Ho due chitarre e sono l'essenza della vita. Grazie amico per il talento nell'arte della musica.Saluti dall'Argentina.
I think the most owned guitar in the world is the strat, the models too. But id rather have a tele than a strat i live the way it looks and feels
im just starting out but strats seem to be more rock and roll while the older bro teles seem to be more blues and rough,all though both are great sounding and both can do either really well. A mint stratocaster sweet.
I like telecaster better. Brighter sound! Stronger. Beautiful! Love at first sight.
Dude you are way too cool. Really cool playing. It was inspiring.
definitely one of the better comparison videos, since you don't just play 1 style to compare them
My vote goes to to all the fender neck pickup tones. Tele, Strat, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, whatever I like them all.
Great sounds from both the strat & the tele, great playing too
Wow, I forgot I was comparing the sound of the two guitars because you're such a great player!
I was jammin' when he turned the tone all the way down on the neck pickup on the Telecaster. That was really fluid sounding and it could have put me to sleep. (:
The Strat here is Sea Foam Green I believe. I had the chance to buy one very similar but I bought the Surf Green which is sort of similar to a Sonic Blue but a bit greenish and slightly darker than the pale Sonic. Model colours vary even if they say it's the same.
this was such a great side by side comparison....thank you...great video.
Ive always heard people say the telecaster is much brighter than a stratocaster, but after having one of each I'm convinced the stratocaster is much brighter than a telecaster, no matter the type of fretboard (if both have normal single coils).
***** Depends on the PU's, Fender US Vintage PU's in a Tele are very bright or the US Standard PU's.
To beat them all buy a Fender Jap stratocaster ('62 RI) from around 1986, far better than virtually all other strats.
***** Hmmm... Gibson are better at blowing minds with tone, but I would never agree on that strats are useless when dirty. I kind of like the usual overdriven strat tone. It's sort of blazing, but thin, yes. That's not always the case though. Just listen to Ritchie Blackmore's tone on the "Burn" and "Down to earth" album! It's full and fat. One does not simply use distortion pedal when trying achieving really great tones by the way. Cranked amps are the answer.
PstScrpt Listen to Peter Greens les paul on "Man of the world" (especially 1:42-1:56) or Angus Young's SG on the "High Voltage" album and try to tell me that Gibsons aren't delailed enough. Have you ever heard a P90 loaded Gibson? You should! If you are learning music by ear (which is the best way to develop your musical ability) you will notice that overdriven humbuckers and P90's are easier to track then single coils. It's very possible to think of it as the other way around, because of the difference in brightness, but that's not true, quite simply. Both you and ***** have very radical opinions for some reason.
rafasounds2010 Yeah, quite recently I found out that people usually think of the tele as a brighter guitar then the strat. That really turned my world up side down. Not a single of all the telecasters that I've played (not too many) have been brighter than my strat.
+MrACangusyoungDC My brother has a Fender Strat, Deluxe Series- I played that guitar for years. I JUST got a Fender Tele, Standard, and I gotta say it beats the shit out of the Strat in terms of brightness overall, especially playing clean you can hear the difference.
It is a bit like comparing a car with a van. Horses for courses. They both serve their purpose well.