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Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster
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Playability
67
Sound
74
Build
62
Value
68
Score
68
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Playability
72
Sound
72
Build
62
Value
64
Score
69
FIND IT ON:
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Show Full Spec Comparison
Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster vs Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster Specs Comparison
Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster
General
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2002 2017
Configuration: SSS SS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Mexico Mexico
Series: Artist Artist
Colors: Black Patterns Gray Patterns
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Alder Spruce/Paulownia/Spruce
Bridge: 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo 3-Saddle Vintage-Style Strings Through Body Tele with Compensated Brass Barrel Saddles
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Vintage-Style Vintage-Style
Fretboard: Maple Maple
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: Black Dot Black Dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: Fender Soft V Enhanced V
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.9'' (22.9mm) - 12th Fret: 0.99'' (25.1mm) 1st Fret: 0.91'' (23.1mm) - 12th Fret: 1'' (25.4mm)
Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 21 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 9.5"
Nut: Synthetic Bone Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 42mm (1.654'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Fender Standard Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Custom Brad Paisley Spec Vintage-Style Telecaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Fender Standard Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Fender Standard Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Custom Shop Twisted Single-Coil Tele (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 5 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Dome
Pickup Mods: None None
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 2 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster's switch options
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster's switch options

Reasons to Get
Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster over Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster

Neck Profile
Fender Soft V vs Enhanced V
Great if you like to hang your thumb over the fretboard
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
SSS vs SS
Beautiful cleans and good tone versatility
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.9'' (22.9mm) vs 0.91'' (23.1mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.99'' (25.1mm) vs 1'' (25.4mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Bridge
Tremolo vs Fixed
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Value Score
68 vs 64
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster over Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster

Release Year
2017 vs 2002
From a more recent year
Neck Profile
Enhanced V vs Fender Soft V
Combines vintage and modern feeling
Pickups
SS vs SSS
Beautiful cleans
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.91'' (23.1mm) vs 0.9'' (22.9mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
1'' (25.4mm) vs 0.99'' (25.1mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Bridge
Fixed vs Tremolo
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Avg. Weight
6.2lbs (2.8kgs) vs 7.85lbs (3.6kgs)
Tends to be lighter

Other Key Differences
Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster vs Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster

Bridge Pickup
Fender Standard Single-Coil Strat vs Fender Custom Brad Paisley Spec Vintage-Style Telecaster
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Fender Standard Single-Coil Strat vs Fender Custom Shop Twisted Single-Coil Tele
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Alder vs Spruce
Different Body Wood

Shared Features
Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster vs Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Maple
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone
Same Nut Material
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Number of Frets
21
Same maximum octave
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • Top Pickup Brand

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Weight Relief
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • Expensive Wood
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

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Hand Size Comfortability

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster favors large hands more than the Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster.

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster meets only 5. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Woods Used in the Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster

Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.

Woods Used in the Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster

Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

The Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster has an SSS configuration while the Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster has SS pickups.

SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.

On the other hand, SS is the classic Telecaster configuration. It's used mainly for playing clean or with low-gain distortion, and it's very popular for the country genre because of their brightness. It doesn't give you as much versatility as a Strat SSS configuration, but you might like the cleaner look of a guitar body with fewer pickups.

Pickups Quality

Both come with some of the top pickups on the market. You can't go wrong with either of them. You'll probably never need a pickup upgrade.

You can purchase similar pickups to the Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster's and use them on any guitar:

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Tie.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

The Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster gives you 5 switch options while the Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster gives you 3. This means that the Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 60
Versatility 72
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 74
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 65
Versatility 54
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 72

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster compares to the Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Mexico.

Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

In this case, both have Synthetic Bone nuts. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

The Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster's brige is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

On the other hand, the Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster's is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. Both come with Vintage-Style.

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster
Quality of materials 56
Features 55
Quality Control 75
Build Quality 62
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster
Quality of materials 56
Features 50
Quality Control 80
Build Quality 62

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster Nut Width
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 42mm (1.654'').

This is considered a narrow width for a 6-string guitar. This means that this guitar will have a narrower string separation at the nut, which will affect your fretting hand.

If you are a player with big hands, you might find it difficult to play chords without muting strings. However, this is good for players who have smaller hands, as it will allow them to reach each string more easily at the nut.

Scale Length

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster and Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster's Scale Length
Both have the same scale length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".

This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.

However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster Neck Profile
Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster's neck profile
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster Neck Profile
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster has a V type of neck. This neck shape was more common during Fender's early years. Some people like it because they use their thumb over the edge of the fretboard to press the lower strings. It's rather thicker than most modern necks, so it's not usually used for playing fast solos.

The Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster, on the other hand, has a Soft V to C neck. This neck is also called boat neck because it resembles the shape of the bottom of a boat. It combines the Soft V many people like for playing chords for the first frets, and it transitions to a rounder shape as you get closer to the highest frets. It's a neck that takes a while to get used to, and it's not as popular as a simple C shape.

Fretboard Radius

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster and the Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster have the same fretboard radius of 9.5". This is the most common radius for Stratocaster guitars. It's considered curved when compared to most other models. This allows you to play chords very easily without muting strings accidentally and gives you more space between strings for fingerpicking. However, this curve also gives the guitar less allowance for lower action. If you bend too hard at the high frets, some of your notes might get muted because the curve will make the string fret out.

Fret Size

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster and Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium Jumbo fret size

Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.

Final Playability Scores

Fender Buddy Guy Standard Stratocaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 90
Solo Playability 50
Playability 67
Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
Chord Playability 90
Solo Playability 60
Playability 72