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MGR/Fretgrinder « Fender American Fat Strat Texas Special »
Published on 06/24/04 at 15:00Purchased from: Mass. Street Music, Lawrence KS
Price Paid: $950 U.S.
I needed a stage guitar that was versatile and fulfilled all of my musical tastes. My favorite music is the cleaner, more difficult rock (Think Red Hot Chili Peppers). So I needed a guitar with awesome clean, clear sounds, which demanded single-coil pups. I also play Foo-Fighters stuff, which demanded a guitar with good separation when driven, with plenty of sustain. I also play a LOT of classic rock, from Hendrix to Pink Floyd, up to Gun's and Roses. For this I'd need a humbucker. So here was the delimma I was facing, I needed killer clean tone, and a guitar that could really shred classic rock. The clean tone came first, so I turned to Fender. I knew I had to have a humbucker in the bridge, so the only real option was a Fat Strat. But at the time I was gigging with a band that played a lot of grunge music (Green Day, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins) and the such. It's hard to pull off authentic Nirvana with a humbucker, so I knew I'd have to find a Fat Strat with slightly hotter single-coils. Naturally, my requirements lead me to the Fat Strat Texas Special.
What impresses me most about this guitar is the combination of two things: The tonal range, and the integrity of the tone throughout every single configuration. Whether you want to get bell-like and silky-smooth, a fuzzed-up grunge sound, or vintage Clapton or Beatles sound, this guitar can do it, with the most immaculate tone you've ever seen. Most guitars can fatten or thin out their sound just fine, smooth it out or make it harsh, but few can keep the tonal superiority in every setting like this axe can. As a stand-alone guitar, it is the absolute best you can buy, at any price.
This guitar is also very well constructed. No gaps anywhere, and perfect playability. It has fast action and it's easy to really let loose. Top marks to Fender.
The only thing I can find to complain about would be the bone nut/ tremelo bridge combination, which makes tuning the thing a slight struggle, especially when the strings are new or very old. When the strings are in their "prime", however, tuning is no problem and during a performance, you can go for 45 minutes or more without worring about your tuning. I may make this sound a little worse than most people would think it to be, but that's just because I play a lot of clean, harmonic stuff, and I really notice if a string is even ever-so-slightly out of perfect tuning.
Like I said, this is a very well built guitar. It is an American series guitar, and it is much better than any of the Mexicans I have owned. The quality is about as good as it gets for guitars that aren't custom-ordered, and I should know.
For the money, I really don't think you could find a guitar with better tone and versatility. If your musical style is divers, and you need a lone guitar to carry you through an entire show, or if you could only have one guitar in your entire arsenal, this is really your only option. I would recommend it any serious musician. (This excludes death-metal retards and Metallica cover-bands, as well as Euro-pop)
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
Price Paid: $950 U.S.
I needed a stage guitar that was versatile and fulfilled all of my musical tastes. My favorite music is the cleaner, more difficult rock (Think Red Hot Chili Peppers). So I needed a guitar with awesome clean, clear sounds, which demanded single-coil pups. I also play Foo-Fighters stuff, which demanded a guitar with good separation when driven, with plenty of sustain. I also play a LOT of classic rock, from Hendrix to Pink Floyd, up to Gun's and Roses. For this I'd need a humbucker. So here was the delimma I was facing, I needed killer clean tone, and a guitar that could really shred classic rock. The clean tone came first, so I turned to Fender. I knew I had to have a humbucker in the bridge, so the only real option was a Fat Strat. But at the time I was gigging with a band that played a lot of grunge music (Green Day, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins) and the such. It's hard to pull off authentic Nirvana with a humbucker, so I knew I'd have to find a Fat Strat with slightly hotter single-coils. Naturally, my requirements lead me to the Fat Strat Texas Special.
What impresses me most about this guitar is the combination of two things: The tonal range, and the integrity of the tone throughout every single configuration. Whether you want to get bell-like and silky-smooth, a fuzzed-up grunge sound, or vintage Clapton or Beatles sound, this guitar can do it, with the most immaculate tone you've ever seen. Most guitars can fatten or thin out their sound just fine, smooth it out or make it harsh, but few can keep the tonal superiority in every setting like this axe can. As a stand-alone guitar, it is the absolute best you can buy, at any price.
This guitar is also very well constructed. No gaps anywhere, and perfect playability. It has fast action and it's easy to really let loose. Top marks to Fender.
The only thing I can find to complain about would be the bone nut/ tremelo bridge combination, which makes tuning the thing a slight struggle, especially when the strings are new or very old. When the strings are in their "prime", however, tuning is no problem and during a performance, you can go for 45 minutes or more without worring about your tuning. I may make this sound a little worse than most people would think it to be, but that's just because I play a lot of clean, harmonic stuff, and I really notice if a string is even ever-so-slightly out of perfect tuning.
Like I said, this is a very well built guitar. It is an American series guitar, and it is much better than any of the Mexicans I have owned. The quality is about as good as it gets for guitars that aren't custom-ordered, and I should know.
For the money, I really don't think you could find a guitar with better tone and versatility. If your musical style is divers, and you need a lone guitar to carry you through an entire show, or if you could only have one guitar in your entire arsenal, this is really your only option. I would recommend it any serious musician. (This excludes death-metal retards and Metallica cover-bands, as well as Euro-pop)
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com