![Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster [2003-2010]](https://img.audiofanzine.com/img/product/normal/1/2/127133.jpg?fm=pjpg&w=300&h=218&fit=max&s=6ec597bcfd5ff57825eecba3836eaad0)
View other reviews for this product:
Hatsubai « Great sounding strat »
Published on 10/04/11 at 16:21This is the 60th anniversary deluxe that Fender decided to release. In reality, this isn't much different from the other guitars during this time except for the fact that it has a nice logo on the headstock that says it's the 60th anniversary model. The guitar features an alder body, a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, dot inlays, a two point tremolo, locking tuners, three single coil configuration, one volume, two tones and a five way switch.
UTILIZATION
The nut on this needed to be recut. It had some issues with tuning stability as the slots weren't cut properly. If you've ever tuned and noticed some sort of "ping," then you know that string is binding at the nut. I noticed this with the G and B strings. It's a relatively easy fix, but you have to watch out for quality control with these guitars. The neck joint was pretty tight, and there wasn't a huge gap. The tremolo on this is very nice, but I tend to prefer it to be resting on the body rather than floating like some people like it. The locking tuners were also very nice. I tend to like these locking tuners the best. I'm still not a huge fan of the radius that Fender uses with their guitars, and I wish they'd use something a bit flatter than the standard 9.5'' radius, but I'll have to live with it.
SOUNDS
The guitar had SCNs installed in it. The SCNs also come with an S1 switch. First of all, the S1 switch is basically a capacitor being thrown on to make these pickups thicker. In reality, it just muddies up the sound, so I recommend just leaving it off. The SCN bridge was awesome for high gain. It was super powerful, and it could rival a humbucker. On top of that, it's completely silent. I was shocked at how quiet these things are. They're even quieter than some of my EMG guitars. The neck and middle worked great for getting a strong sounding clean tone. On top of that, you could get one hell of a lead tone. It was singing and sustaining for days. If you're looking for a classic blues sound, however, you'll be sorely disappointed. These pickups seem to have been made for metal players in mind.
OVERALL OPINION
The guitar is very solid quality, but I don't think the anniversary model has anything going for it that the others don't have. If you find a good deal on one of these, definitely check it out. However, if you find that these are going for more than what the other models are going for, just get the other model. They're all pretty much the same when it comes to the Deluxe line up. Be sure to buy used to save money.
UTILIZATION
The nut on this needed to be recut. It had some issues with tuning stability as the slots weren't cut properly. If you've ever tuned and noticed some sort of "ping," then you know that string is binding at the nut. I noticed this with the G and B strings. It's a relatively easy fix, but you have to watch out for quality control with these guitars. The neck joint was pretty tight, and there wasn't a huge gap. The tremolo on this is very nice, but I tend to prefer it to be resting on the body rather than floating like some people like it. The locking tuners were also very nice. I tend to like these locking tuners the best. I'm still not a huge fan of the radius that Fender uses with their guitars, and I wish they'd use something a bit flatter than the standard 9.5'' radius, but I'll have to live with it.
SOUNDS
The guitar had SCNs installed in it. The SCNs also come with an S1 switch. First of all, the S1 switch is basically a capacitor being thrown on to make these pickups thicker. In reality, it just muddies up the sound, so I recommend just leaving it off. The SCN bridge was awesome for high gain. It was super powerful, and it could rival a humbucker. On top of that, it's completely silent. I was shocked at how quiet these things are. They're even quieter than some of my EMG guitars. The neck and middle worked great for getting a strong sounding clean tone. On top of that, you could get one hell of a lead tone. It was singing and sustaining for days. If you're looking for a classic blues sound, however, you'll be sorely disappointed. These pickups seem to have been made for metal players in mind.
OVERALL OPINION
The guitar is very solid quality, but I don't think the anniversary model has anything going for it that the others don't have. If you find a good deal on one of these, definitely check it out. However, if you find that these are going for more than what the other models are going for, just get the other model. They're all pretty much the same when it comes to the Deluxe line up. Be sure to buy used to save money.