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Review by
a visitor on 28.4.2008
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I bought this guitar at the now extinct Melody Shop in downtown El Paso, TX. I paid about $200.00. I bought this guitar because I thought it had good sound and playablility for the price.
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Features |
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Excellent action. It was easy to play. The neck was a little green, which meant that I had to have it worked on. After about 2 years the neck remained solid and I havennullt had to fix it since. The pick ups had a good twangy 50s sound. The bridge was not aligned very well, another thing I had to fix. The volume and tone pots had to be replaced after about 10 years. I still own this guitar, and after hot rodding it, it sounds better than even the newer American made Strats out there today. |
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Playability |
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With a few alterations, this has turned out to be an excellent guitar, especially for the road. Fenders can take abuse!!! |
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Quality |
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Stock pick ups (single coils) were a little noisy. For the price, this guitar was a great deal. |
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Durability |
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Itnulls a Fender, enough said!!! |
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Overall |
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Inullve had this guitar for 15 years, and it still sounds better than most of the new stuff thatnulls out there. |
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Review by
a visitor on 22.11.2007
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Bought this maple neck sunburst guitar from Bentley Music in Kuala Lumpur in 1992 for RM 1 670. It came with a rectangular nullFender USAnull moulded hardshell case (not form-fit) with screw-type SKB hinges and lock (padlock not provided). Had to go through 7 guitars until I found 1 that had a flaw I could correct (faulty volume pot). This goes to say that all the guitars I tested had unpardonable flaws such as poor string-polepiece alignment (you lose power and definition), ill-fitting neck-pocket, badly-seated nut (you lose tone and sustain) or scratchy/poorly tapered volume and/or tone controls (makes the guitar unsuitable for live gigs until these are replaced). This should not be the case with a fine company such as Fender. Quality control must be tightened, in my humble opinion. As mentioned before, out of neccessity; I chose one with everything nullin ordernull except for a faulty neck volume pot (the one closest to the bridge). A quick switch to a new Ibanez 250K volume pot solved the problem in no time at all.
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Features |
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The neck is fast and smooth with 22 medium-jumbo frets that have been fitted and crowned adequately; with no jagged fret ends to snare my fingers. The single-coil pickups catch a lot of interference from relays and stage lightsnull especially when overdriven. Positions 2 and 4 are hum-cancelling, though; and lend a glassy nullMark Knopfler-likenull tone to onenulls cries and bends.
A change to heavier strings sees a much more noticeable increase in string tension and bending difficulty; when compared to a Les Paul. This is due to the longer 25 1/2 inch scale length; as compared to the 24 3/4 scale for Les Pauls. The familiar 5-way blade switch does its job well, with no audible pops or clicks; and thatnulls a reassuring sign.
Tuners are sealed Am Stds, with a nylon collar and tension-adjusting screw. Stringing is fast and smooth. There is no slippage; especially if the unwound 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings are first bent and then wound back on themselves.
On the other end, the tremolo is balanced on 2 large screws (apparently brass). The six individual steel saddles are rectangular, with two height-adjustment screws. The sustain block seems to be compressed powdered steel. I added 2 more springs (to the factory-fitted 3) and tightened the tremolo flush to the body as I do not use it anyway. Plus, you get a natural sustain boost due to the extra contact of the tremolo with the body.
I have tried nullplaying aroundnull with the Am Std tremolo just out of curiousity; and the bad news is that after a few dives, the whole guitar goes out-of-tune. Putting pencil lead and oiling the undersides of the string trees did not help at all. Strat-playing friends have reported the same problem too. The only option might be to replace the stock tuners with locking Sperzels; and the nut with a Wilkinson Roller or locking nut. The problem does not lie with the 2-screw pivoting tremolo; but rather at the headstock end of things.
A unique feature is the 2nd tone pot (middle and bridge pickups) is a stacked nullTBXnull pot that acts as a normal tone pot from 1-5, and then gradually allows a remarkable amount of presence and highs to be added when turned from 5-10. The difference is noticeable, especially at higher amp volume settings. Inulld say that this feature is a great innovation and adds extra dimension; as compared to a normal tone pot. |
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Playability |
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The neck is fast and smooth, and bending is a breeze; thanks to the well-crowned medium-jumbo frets. If this guitar buzzes, itnulls because the player has set the strings too low without adequate relief at the 7th fret. |
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Quality |
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Sound-wise, itnulls classic nullFender twangnull all the way. Overdriven sounds are crisp and clear, but never as thick or dark as those produced by humbucker-equipped guitars such as the Gibson Les Paul and its clones.
Noise-wise (as mentioned before), this guitar is equipped with single-coils; which generate hum and noise from lights and relays in positions 1, 3 and 5. Which brings us to the question of shielding. With regards to this, the output jack socket and body cavities have been sprayed with a grounded, carbon-based paint that shows attention to detail. The same, however, cannot be said about the underside of the 3-ply white-black-white plastic pickguard. Only the area surrounding the selector switch, 3 pots; and pickups are shielded by metal foil, while the rest is bare. This is woefully inadequate; I would like to see fullly grounded foil on the entire back surface of the pickguard. This is very important for a single-coil-equipped guitar such as this. |
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Durability |
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I give this guitar full marks for durability. Any adjustment (intonation, truss-rod, pickup/string height) that one needs to do can be achieved with the proper tools (Allen wrenches are provided) and know-how. It does not need frequent adjusting. Probably the only time you will need to make adjustments are after changing strings (intonation) or changing to a lighter or heavier gauge of strings (intonation, truss-rod).
In terms of nullonstage security,null take note that no strap locks are provided; as with the Strat Plus. There is the tendency for your strap to slip; and the guitar to go crashing to the floor; if you use a strap with worn-out holes. The solution would be to purchase strap locks; or normal strap buttons with a wider flange. You could also get hold of washers (available at hardware outlets) and screw these on permanently in between the strap and your strap button. |
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Overall |
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The Fender American Standard Stratocaster is a good, dependable, and versatile instrument for anything from recording to live gigs. I donnullt think Fender makes this model any more; I believe it has been replaced with the nullAmerican Series.null The thing to remember is that the body and neck have to be good enough for your needs; electronics can be modified, added or removed later. If in doubt, get a guitar-savvy friend to accompany you when you next buy a guitar. The nullperfect guitarnull is an urban legend; and a total fairy tale. No one guitar can do it all. All said and done, besides the obvious noise and hum that is usually present; this guitar is a must-have for any gigging guitarist who needs a versatile instrument for a variety of musical styles. A Strat is a Strat; with all its tonal characteristics and inherent weaknesses. Let us never forget that is these very qualities that have made the Strat a timeless classic.
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