« Better with alder »

Fender has been building guitars for half a century now and they have changed little about the classic American Fender Strat that has made them so famous. These guitars have been so popular that nothing other than the Fender telecaster and the Gibson Les Paul have made such a huge impact on the guitar world. Many other builders have copied this design and body shape and some have made it better but nothing says rock n roll like an American red Stratocaster.

This one has an ash body which is not my favorite when it come to Strat guitars. I would much rather prefer the alder body wood with the maple neck wood. This will make the guitar thinner and lighter in sound compared to the alder which is a little warmer with the alder.

UTILIZATION

Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster Ash Electric Guitar Features:

Model Name: American Deluxe Stratocaster Ash
Series: American Deluxe Series
Body: ash with contoured heel and body
Neck: maple, modern "C" shape
Fingerboard: maple or rosewood (depending on the color), with compound radius
Pickups: 3 Noiseless N3 Strat pickups (neck/middle/bridge)

Controls: master volume (with s-1 switch),
Tone 1. (neck pickup),
Tone 2. no-load tone control (middle and bridge pickups)

Pickup switching: 5-position blade and 2-position push/push S-1
Bridge: Fender Deluxe 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo with pop-in arm
Machine heads: Fender Deluxe Staggered Cast/Sealed locking tuning machines
Hardware: chrome
Pickguard: 3-Ply Mint Green on 700 (3-Color Sunburst) and 770 (Sunset Metallic), Brown Shell on 720 (Amber) and 723 (Olympic Pearl), 3-Ply Black on 759 (Tungsten)
Strings: Fender 250L Nickel Plated Steel Ball End, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-0250-403
Accessories: cable, strap, polishing cloth
Case: New molded Fender-exclusive/SKB case with TSA locks, glass reinforced nylon trigger latches, and form fitted plush interior

Unique features:
Compound Radius fretboard
Noiseless N-3 Strat pickups
Reconfigured S-1 switching
2-Point Synchronized Tremolo with pop-in arm
Locking tuning machines
Contoured heel
New molded Fender-exclusive/SKB case with TSA locks, glass reinforced nylon trigger latches, and form fitted plush interior

SOUNDS

I love the look of the three tone sunburst Fender Strat. These guitars do not change from any other Fender Stratocaster that anyone has ever played. This guitar will work in any environment. If you have played one American Fender Stratocaster than you know exactly how one sounds. The tone of this guitar is exquisite.

They sound good with Fender amps , with Mesa Boogie amp as well as they with any Marshall. They sound just flat out amazing to me. There isn't too much variation of tone between Strats. They either sound like a Stratocatser or they sound like a Telecatser. You can definitely hear the difference. Something to be said about the original and you can get boutique all you want but the Fender Strat is still a staple in rock music. So the 50th Anny is a cool way to remember the first original rock guitar master.

OVERALL OPINION

At new these guitars come in right at around $1600, which is a great price for a guitar that is built in America. This guitar just screams to be played and played hard. You can a great sounding guitar for under $2000 and many places online will include free shipping and depending on where you live you can get no tax which is even better. I highly recommend this guitar to anyone flirting with the idea of getting an American classic deluxe built guitar. It is a one high performance machine.