Price Paid for Fender American Standard Stratocaster: $700 USD
Description of Fender American Standard Stratocaster: Alder (i believe) body, maple neck, 22 frets, three single coil pickups, american standard fender bridge.
Tone of :
Comments about Fender American Standard Stratocaster: Fenders are naturally pretty bright, and while this is no exception, it's a "little" darker than the standard strats i've played. It's a pretty well-balanced tone, very crisp but with decent sustain and body. The stock pickups were excellent, but i eventually replaced them with a set of Gold Lace sensors- improved clarity and definition, and a bit less noise. I guess the body material varies based on the color (mine's an inca silver), and while a maple body will give you more of that SRV snap and pop, the alder doesn't lose much and is a bit more balanced, for lack of a better word. An excellent sounding guitar, on par with much more expensive fenders.
Quality of Fender American Standard Stratocaster:
Comments about Fender American Standard Stratocaster: Flat out, this thing just "feels" like a fine instrument. just the quality of the finish, the way it balances on you, and the appearance, it's a very reassuring guitar to play- i've played some other guitars that i really like in the same price range, but they feel more like tools you make music with than musical instruments. It's tough to put into words, but you know you're holding a quality guitar from the minute you pick it up. I'm pretty abusive witrh my guitars, and with that in mind i'd say ti's holding up pretty well so far. it's earned every single nick and hairline scratch i've given it, and has taken the abuse much better than my prior guitar, a yamaha pacifica. The setup was pretty good- i like my action really low and my neck almost perfectly flat, so obviously i had a bit of work to do, but it came with a stock setup that would be ideal for your average blues/rock guy. my biggest reccomendation would be to go with heavier strings- this is subjective, but i feel it gives you a bigger tone and better feel.
Overall Opinions of Fender American Standard Stratocaster:
Pros: come on, a choice american made guitar for quite a bit less than a grand? Well made, great tone.
Cons: upper access isn't stellar, but that's a fault of all guitars with a strat-style body, and isn't crippling, just a minor nuisance. Also, if you don't like single coils, then this guitar isn't for you. But if you don't like single coils, you wouldn't be reading this, would you?

Submitted by:
Drew Peterson (ajpeters@middlebury.edu)
Playing Experience:
three to five years
Musical Tastes:
alternative blues heavy metal

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