Hmm..... Gibson or this? (Fender American Stratocaster)

Member Name: vincent.buchan

Product:	Fender American Stratocaster
Date:	13/10/01 (1266 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Classic design, versatile, decent price

Disadvantages: not a vintage design for people who like them , possibly dodgy craftmanship

The American Standard is now what I (and a lot of guitarists) consider a production "Strat". It takes the basic, classic design of the Stratocaster and refines it just a little bit with modern features. I am going to address issues that someone who is perhaps at an intermediate stage in their guitar experience might find interesting.

While the need for one extra note on the 22 fret neck isn't a good example of "modern features", the flatter finger board radius (10") makes these guitars set up and play much nicer than "older/vintage" models. These will set up with a lower action and not fret out when compared to a more rounded radius neck.

The medium jumbo frets are a nice compromise between really huge frets that some like and the older style narrower and small size.

The 2 point bridge has a smooth feel to it, different than a vintage tremelo, but it seems to stay in tune a bit better. The saddles are heavier and larger, which possibly contributes to greater sustain and a pingier attack. Personally I'm not sure if the bridge was a good idea; I think a lot of the classic strat sound has to do with the stock tailpiece.

The pickups - again, perhaps quieter but I'm not sure if that is the ultimate goal of what I want from a Stratocaster. I'm not sure if that is an improvement; the resonant peak seems a little wider than a vintage Strat pickup has, which I feel sort of removes the "stratiness" from the sound. This my be a plus for some - it does make it a little more apt to do more metal-ish/saturated sounds.

The tuners are a great improvement over the old. They're more accurate and easier to deal with, and stay in tune well.

NOW FOR THE MORE "SUBJECTIVE" SECTION:

I think their quality is all over the place recently. Some of these guitars I've played are built really, really well. Some - quite poor.
Things I would recommend l
ooking for would be:

Poor fretwork - ends not extending to the edge of the fingerboard, or hanging over; ridiculous for a guitar in this price range. Also, I've encountered a few where the frets seem like they weren't polished at all - scruffy dressing, you felt grinding when bending. This will wear away after a while, but again - it shouldn't be like that. Overall it seems the height and action are consistent, though.

I've seen a few that have sketchy finishes; look for spots where the paint appears to be "dimpled".

The quality of the wood the body is made of I can't comment on, but the necks I've seen vary from being relatively tight and straight grained, to being wavy and full of knots. I would look for a consistent, tight grain pattern and no knots (again, for a guitar in this price range). Curiously, you'll see nicer wood on necks on guitars in cheaper lines from Fender... I don't know what Fender Corporate is thinking sometimes...

Outside of that, if you find a good one it's probably the most versatile guitar available in that price range. A good upgrade from a cheaper Strat line, a great choice for someone buying their second guitar.

(my ranking is based on a well constructed strat)

Summary: