Easy as pie... (Fender American Stratocaster)

Member Name: foxwithfender

Product:	Fender American Stratocaster
Date:	24/09/07 (276 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ease of use, cheap and easy to find parts, aesthetically great, well rounded guitar, versatile sound

Disadvantages: strap locks come loose and headstock is fairly easily snapped off (don't ask)

Whenever guitars are drawn, cartooned or caricatured into other merchandise, more often than not the shape is that of a Stratocaster. They are the most grossly overused, overplayed, overmentioned and overexposed guitars out there... And I love them.

Unless you've got a highly customised one or have built one yourself (as I did, from bits of various Strats because I'm pretty boring as a person and I find things like that good fun), they are the easiest guitars ever to play. Apart from the obvious cheaper Yamaha Pacifica (a cheap replica of the Strat), this is probably the best beginners guitar you are going to find, and pretty much anyone could make a tune sound good with one (unless you're genuinely rubbish).

Easy as pie to fix and find parts for as the whole thing is slotted, screwed and soldered together and they are sold in nearly every country in the world. There are hundreds of add-ons and gadgets that you can get for them (Floyd Rose systems coming highly recommended from yours truly) and as they are SO universal, pretty much every generic bit of kit you can get can be used straight away with no modification.

They give a good, clean sound and have a diverse range of tones (depending on what kind of pickups you have on them, I guess, but I've always found them to be really versatile). Don't expect them to sceam for you without any heavy effects like a more "top of the range" guitar could but with the right tweaking it can be done!!

I can't comment on the tapping action as my stumpy sausage fingers don't work like that. :)

My only complaint would be that (on the three that I have owned) the strap locks come loose really easily and need to be tightened regularly... But that's just me being petty.

Summary: Great guitar for beginners and everyone else!!