In the pic above, you see my Deluxe Nashville Tele, at a gig, with a broken string - before I switched to 11's. And that is how this story goes.
I have always been a Strat player-I just preferred them over everything else. I had my strats strung with 10's but always broke strings-usually on a gig. Tried 11's on them, but didn't like the feel at all.
I just happened to see the Modern Player (pictured below) and tried it out. I fell in love with it instantly.
Does it play like a Strat? For me, yes. Does it sound like a Strat? Well, no, not entirely. I can get it close though. The 2nd position "quack" especially.
On a typical Tele, the rear single coil sounds vastly different from a Strat.
The rear pickup took a little getting used to, but I can roll off the brightness with the tone control.
Telecasters don't typically have a whammy bar, which for me, works out fine. If I break a string on a gig, I can continue without a "fight" 😊 it will still be in tune. You will fight with a Strat for the rest of the song if you break a string while playing.
Verdict: As far as my playing style, here is what I like about the Nashville Tele:
I can get a decent amount of Strat type tones
I can keep playing after I break a string-and I play hard
It doesn't feel stiff when strung with 11's
The Modern Player Tele even has the Strat contour cut in the back
Yes, I still love strats-love em' ...but for work, at least at the moment, I'm going with the Nashville Tele.