Fender Stratocaster Iron Maiden

I walked into my neighborhood Mars music store and saw one hanging on the wall. Seeing as how they want $895 for it (which I guess is fair, but I don't have at the moment) it's still hanging there.

The very first thing that I was delighted with (other than they actually gave one of metal's great bands some recognition)was the fact that a Fender Strat with a Floyd Rose had a maple fretboard!!! I don't know if you've noticed, but try and find a Strat with a maple fretboard and a Floyd. I prefer the maple neck on Strats. It's already got cool high output Seymore Duncan pickups and the mirrored pickguard is undeniably cool.

The only thing I don't like about this guitar is that I don't have one yet. Key word there being yet.

It's a Japanese Strat, so it's not quite as detailed as the USA Strats, but a nice guitar none the less. The one I picked up had a minimum quickie set up but still played very nice. I could tell that with a little tweaking for personal taste, it would be absolutely killer. You couldn't ask for better pickups and with the resessed Floyd Rose you have a weapon to unleash any brand of sonic mayhem you wish.

This guitar kicks ass like the band whose name it bears. I'll have one. Soon.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Iron Maiden Stratocaster was a limited edition Strat that Fender Japan released. It featured a basswood body, maple neck and maple fretboard. The guitar also included a recessed floyd, which is actually pretty rare for Fender guitars. Most Fenders that have floyds tend to be flush mount. This model came equipped with a mirror pickguard and mini humbuckers -- Hot Rails in the neck/middle and JB Jr. in the bridge. Aside from that, everything else was pretty much the same. I believe the bridge tone might have been wired a little differently, but I can't remember.

UTILIZATION

Fender Japan is a pretty underrated division of guitars, for some reason. They tend to be more consistent than the MIM and even the MIA line at times. The Original Floyd Rose was an awesome touch on this guitar, and the fact that you didn't have to replace the pickups made this guitar great right out of the box. The neck is a Fender standard thin U neck which is somewhat similar to the ESP Thin U. The fretwire was medium jumbo, and the radius was 9.5''. I wish the frets were bigger and had a flatter radius, but these features were pretty standard on almost every Fender at the time.

SOUNDS

The guitar sounded pretty good, but it doesn't sound that much like a strat. For one, the JB Jr. is a bit thinner than the normal JB. It seems to lack some body that the original has; it's simply not as lively. The Hot Rails generally sound pretty good, but the middle pickup was totally useless due to the output. The biggest issue I battled was that the body is basswood. I like basswood bodies with Ibanez guitars, but this is a Fender. It should have really come with an alder body. Why they chose basswood, I have no clue.

OVERALL OPINION

Towards the end, the bushings in the floyd started pulling out of the basswood. I had to glue them back in, so if you have one, be sure to check for bushing movement. It can cause some trem. instability and other tuning issues. If you don't mind the floyd being flush mount, I actually recommend trying to find a Fender Floyd Rose Classic American Strat. They can be hard to find, but the quality is usually just as good, and it has an alder body like a proper strat should. For the Iron Maiden collector, it's a pretty cool guitar. Just realize that none of the Maiden guitarists really played this that much.

CHARACTERISTICS Classic Floyd fairly common one, with ... a floyd therefore a natural varnished a brilliant level of the neck and finish original paradoxelement has little do with the ultra strat myhtique used by the group.

We are waiting, with the possible exception of mcaniques be worthy of the name, but the block is suffering less than their modest quality. Caution plate mirror s'abme very easy too ... Not cool!

UTILIZATION

Like his sister is a countless rgale particulirement of play and thanks to the patent of the handle which offers a rare comfort of play that acute CHAC is good, the management of micro idalie brief we are in a stratum pocession so everything here is the classic that is obvious.

Nanmoins I regret a few more boxes on the handle ... nobody is perfect.

SOUNDS

Custom is that I sold. I t's enough, I expected something more wild and it was the classic trs again. The output level is the the EHJV but I also think that the choice of microphones is not the height. lack of sustain even with the heavy artillery derrire.

Trs finally close to a Fat Start Floyd Classic or scratch these will overlap. I did not find the personality that should have had, in fact. Even if the whole is excellent in clean, crunch and distortion rock, not expect a dvoreuse amp.

Short but good sound for the price why buy a japanese when you have the USD for the same or nearly rsultat??

OVERALL OPINION

I think that's the limit object for the fans but not a good tool to conventional dmarquer a stratum. I sold enough of after a year because it was really duplicate my Strat Classic Floyd since I boost with a plate and EMG SL20 ... is pure happiness! everything I was looking for is concentrated in the skyscraper! Clearly the hot prcis as well as the saturated killing remaining prcis also versatile.

In short this is Iron Maiden signature dcevante trs and marketing but is a strat finish orginale default to be really ffective.

Be careful before you buy essay impractical not to make con .... O)