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MGR/Evan Thor « Fender American Fat Strat »
Published on 12/04/03 at 15:00I bought it @ Musiciansfriend.com for $699. Saw the same thing @ guitar center although for a lot more. I ordered a surf pearl with rosewood neck. Not really in tune with vintage pallettes of colors I saw pearl and automatically assumed white...well that funky mint green came in the mail and the color has really grown on me, now I wouldn't have it any other way.
I took a chance with the rosewood neck. I had never really played on rosewood with a fender always prefering maple on fenders. It really paid off though if you want a warmer mid punch, then rosewood pays dividends. All I can say about the Texas Specials is "incredible!", best pick-up ever, hands down, the harmonic nuance, especially w/ a clean tone, are unparalleled. The Pearly Gates pickup "named after Billy Gibbons guitar...'59 Les Paul" pulls off that type of tone PRS/Les Paul robust and glimmering while still sharp as a razor. I have .014-.050s on it and that feels lighter than the .012s that are on my other strat (whichs say it all about the playability); other strat is maple neck Blue Lace & Red Lace sensors & an EMG SA mid position but I placed it in the back for neck and bridge assignments in the fourth position. As much as it hurts to say, the Fat Strat sounds better that my "Frankesteined" Strat.
Not a damn thing, I'm an amateur when it comes to luthier shit. But the guitar came w/ 9s and I put 14s on it w/ a little clock wise turn of the truss, and adding a fourth and fifth spring to the back and tightening them slightly everything set up nicely, no change whatsoever in the perfect intonation. You can also make this thing work like a hardtail, which I recommend if you like to bend the shit out of strings like me. Just tighten the hell out of five springs in the back and presto no pull back on the tremelo. Overall I like it better like this. Intonation doesn't change on other strings no matter how many steps I bend its fellow comrades.
C'mon I practically "you know what" all over my self when I picked it up out of the case. Even though it feels like butter its tougher than nails a la no intonation change when bumping up the string guage by 5.
I would tell you to buy this guitar but I don't want all my fellow guitarist out there having as rich of a tone as me. So don't get one, it really sucks, I've changed my mind and I think it sounds like hail on a tin roof. Super thin sound, the neck feels like an arthritic Louisville Slugger. Damn it I can't do it, it is actually better than the $2-3 grand Les Pauls and PRSs that I have played. Good job Fender, now if they would just stop pawning off those damn tex-mex "caliente" pick-ups and being good...can't win them all.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
I took a chance with the rosewood neck. I had never really played on rosewood with a fender always prefering maple on fenders. It really paid off though if you want a warmer mid punch, then rosewood pays dividends. All I can say about the Texas Specials is "incredible!", best pick-up ever, hands down, the harmonic nuance, especially w/ a clean tone, are unparalleled. The Pearly Gates pickup "named after Billy Gibbons guitar...'59 Les Paul" pulls off that type of tone PRS/Les Paul robust and glimmering while still sharp as a razor. I have .014-.050s on it and that feels lighter than the .012s that are on my other strat (whichs say it all about the playability); other strat is maple neck Blue Lace & Red Lace sensors & an EMG SA mid position but I placed it in the back for neck and bridge assignments in the fourth position. As much as it hurts to say, the Fat Strat sounds better that my "Frankesteined" Strat.
Not a damn thing, I'm an amateur when it comes to luthier shit. But the guitar came w/ 9s and I put 14s on it w/ a little clock wise turn of the truss, and adding a fourth and fifth spring to the back and tightening them slightly everything set up nicely, no change whatsoever in the perfect intonation. You can also make this thing work like a hardtail, which I recommend if you like to bend the shit out of strings like me. Just tighten the hell out of five springs in the back and presto no pull back on the tremelo. Overall I like it better like this. Intonation doesn't change on other strings no matter how many steps I bend its fellow comrades.
C'mon I practically "you know what" all over my self when I picked it up out of the case. Even though it feels like butter its tougher than nails a la no intonation change when bumping up the string guage by 5.
I would tell you to buy this guitar but I don't want all my fellow guitarist out there having as rich of a tone as me. So don't get one, it really sucks, I've changed my mind and I think it sounds like hail on a tin roof. Super thin sound, the neck feels like an arthritic Louisville Slugger. Damn it I can't do it, it is actually better than the $2-3 grand Les Pauls and PRSs that I have played. Good job Fender, now if they would just stop pawning off those damn tex-mex "caliente" pick-ups and being good...can't win them all.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com