« Alchemy Fender embodied and concentrated in a guitar »

Well, start with the general appearance. I am the proud owner for a year and a half of a Fender Stratocaster U.S. Standard 2008 vintage bought second hand. Yes, because a tool such as this, it is reasonable to assign it a vintage. And 2008 is a good year for me. I got it used, almost new. The guy wanted a Les Paul U.S., and it is expensive, so we sold all his equipment, slip included. Clarification: I mean a real Strat 'USA and not a highway one.

The sunburst: My Start is wearing the new sunburst 08 ',' sienna Mapple. Very beautiful. I wanted a dress that changes from brown sunburst "standard" flooding the market and new housing opportunity. I. For skeptics, it is a sunburst that aged very well, taking an orange tint. Texas finally mood. One begins to Billy Gibbons' lack more than the beard and Stetson.

The handle: Neck and maple fingerboard. Sweet as honey. As pleasant as silk. Very good use is discussed below for the sounds. It is a timber that does not tear the phalanges. Those who are used to rosewood fingerboard, it will change you. We note that the button lights up a lot, and not need a neon to view: A good layer of varnish covering it. A delight for those with delicate fingers. For loggers or category sweating like a boxer in the 15th round, flip you over rosewood, because on all the strats, rosewood I tried, the amount of varnish is smaller compared with maple and therefore it involves no risk of you sticking your fingers a bit. QED. In short, forgive me, but this wood is a maple syrup for those who can appreciate it.

The pickups: 3 single coil SSS standard U.S. layout. 5-way switch. I will not expatiate here on the 3 knobs Volume - Tone 1 - Tone 2. The plastic of the pickguard, pickups and knobs are in good factory, they age well, I mean they do not crack and will make a beautiful cream color over time. If he remains true, the mistress of a MILF tonight will and will improve with time and discovering previously unknown ways.

Mechanics: Good manufacturing too. Even for fans of woodcutters bends one octave, it takes the agreement. For skeptics and languages ​​of vipers who tell who want the mechanical Fender are no better than dog excrement in a box of William Saurin, I say no. Wrong. I tried a Les Paul U.S., hence at Gibson, and it is there bah less agree that the Start '. And I'm not anti-Gibson.

The Bridge: Wilkinson. Not Floyd, unhappy. Please note that the bridge meets the stem less stress. No need to force a bear is a helping paw to take.

The frets: Count them if you like, but it's not a guitar designed for metal.

So, I put 10/10 for the general appearance, because it's beautiful, nice and very good quality. It's expensive for something new, like all other people will say some, find a OCCAZ 'which has little use and negotiate.





UTILIZATION

Let us now look in a little less visual.

The maple neck, I hope you know now that it's one of the finest woods, with lots of varnish on it, I will not go.

Ergonomics: Oh, my god. You can sleep with, to quote good old Keith. It's built like a divine damsel, if I can this lyrical excesses. Very good weight distribution. It is light. For those who have had fake-strat 'between 150-300 €, you will understand me. It's simple: You sit down, put it on your thigh, it does not address. It can be used "all day long".

Access to Acute: Yes, easy to access. Afterwards, it's not a Jackson either.

To put in context, it is not a guitar maker custom made with wood hand-picked, dried thirty years steam Havana and whose manufacture takes months. For those who think they have the best guitar of all time, will require ironing. At this time, choose your own wood, please let dry for thirty years, buy a winding machine, copper wire and stuff you 10,000 rpm. It said.

Obtaining sound: Yes it's easy. For starters, you'll discover a whole world with the two knobs Tone. Readily obtained a good sound, all mic sound good anyway, we shall see in section sounds. Generally, a layer is designed to make it sound immediately when connected.

In fact I would say, according to my tastes, but three guitars are essential: Stratum "for clean sounds, the Les Paul for the big crunch, and the Jackson Soloist for his harmonic metal.

Well, I put again 10/10. This lack of objectivity you might say. Certainly. It comes in the more technical points.

SOUNDS

While, sonorities. Here, I will praise the previous perspective.

The styles of music available in the original configuration: Country, Blues, Funk, Rock, Hard Rock. Do not count out the Zakk Wylde that. And yes, it suits my style: Hendrix, Gilmour, Rory Gallagher, Eric Clapton, Mark Knofler, Billy Gibbons, etc..

The types of sounds obtained: Haha, it depends on many parameters my friend. It is plugged into a Marshall Haze 40 (hey, I know, this is not the reference lamps Marshall but I could not afford to buy a JCM 800 and playing in a room of 15 square meters, I do not see the point).
In clear channel, clear sound, like Fender, amazing is not it?
Position 1 may seem to lack body, I find myself in any case it is the best. In this position I sound Hendrix, must be adapted after the saturation, of course. Position with a lot of middle.
Position 2 has more depth, I found more fat, less clean. Good for the Rory Gallagher.
Position 3: Its really crystalline, very good on a Marshall clean sound. Less than a Fender, too steep for my taste.
Position 4: Son richer, typed English Rock by John Mayall & the Yardirds.
Position 5: The less workable but very nice when you know an amp set. His blues 60s. Quite acute, much more than previous ones. You can really make a good blues sound type Peter Green and BB King. In general, the sound is magnificent clear channel. Really. And saturated crunch is so beautiful. Clearly, I have the sound of Pink Floyd ... needless to say that to me the effect. Wonderful, it's another galaxy. The guitar carries you in its colorful melodies.

We go in the least: Average Output. Not enough potato. Obviously, these are single coil. When I plugged a Les Paul on my Marshall, I was almost twisted an eardrum, I had to turn down the volume of 1-1.5, and a lamp, it seems. But really not enough sustain. I thought about changing the pickups. Custom Shop 69 ', Texas Special, Irish Tour ... but we finally get a sound very distinctive, almost designed for one style of music. It's a bit sacrilegious to change pickups on a U.S.. A strat U.S., a set microphones for life. In addition they take a different color of his strength to play and age, it's still good workmanship. So I've kept. But hey, eventually it will. For those who want to sustain the large Black Label Society, bah do you buy a chainsaw ... No I'm bad. It's not a guitar designed for heavy sustain, that's all. By Rory Gallagher cons of the bottleneck is fully in its strings. And here we find that sound on a strat U.S., it's not worth looking elsewhere. It's a guitar you need to know to appreciate, everything is in shades. We discover a little more each day.

Of wood ash body. The sienna sunburst is the only standard U.S. to use Ash: The more crystalline, and even less cluttered than alder.

It should be noted that the config 'SSS was not enough to sustain me with the original pickups. This is bypassed with config 'HSS. But in this case, you lose the single coil bridge, which is unfortunate because it has a very personal sound, that must be mastered in order to draw its essence. In short, to sustain, at the end: you need two guitars, a Les Paul and a Start. These two instruments are very endearing that you'll be hard pressed to separate you. Like good doggies seeking hugs and a little bit of recognition.

It is a guitar made for blues sounds, there is good. Also for the British rock for years 60-70, for the Hendrix (really?), To funk, there's also good for hard rock to the limit. Note: Yngwie Malmsteen played on a Start with Seymour Duncan .... Iron Maiden also in part.

In short, do not expect a nuclear war, but it is a very good guitar for blues, rock, funk, and country also.

I love all the sounds of the Start ', is his strength: versatility. You can find different sounds moult, unlike a Les Paul. Cheers selectors 5 positions and the two tone knobs in particular. So on a deluxe, it's worse, even more different sounds. In short, good.

I put 8 / 10: Not enough output ... But still very good for the versatility of sounds.

OVERALL OPINION

Before, I had a Peavey Predator AX ... Wow. So infamous that I just do not care for that color, a beautiful green surf, but its recycled cardboard. So, obviously, it changes. I will adapt an EMG HZ above, at least it will serve me something, Metallica: Live long and prosper.

I tried many guitars before I decide: Les Paul (Gibson and Epiphone), Jackson and Telecaster. The stratum is the one with which you can find the most different sounds, I took it for its adaptability to almost any style of music, but especially for grain standard, blues-rock sound.

A tip: Banish Worn Road-type models attractive to the eye. it's not worth much. Same for the Highway One series, a shame. A good mex 'the cap to the pole.

Editorial on Mex ': I'm still quite variable reluctance for something, finishes. Even Deluxe not worth one U.S. raps the stick too much, not enough polish. For loggers guitars, okay, ie. those they do not care about the game quality, ease of play That said, for the efficiency of exit, Mex, good vintage deluxe upgraded with Custom Shop 69 'Stratocaster an equivalent of U.S. Standard with a few differences. After it is, as one of my illustrious teachers employed this expression, "the ass pounding of flies." We must play five hours a day to really enjoy it, we must spend his life. Or you need a little ear. And do not push grandma into the nettles anyway, if I may: It's not for nothing that the mex 'are two times less expensive ...

You want a very good guitar factory, without breaking the bank, which covers a wide range of sounds and possibilities: Honestly, objectively for once, this is the guitar for you.
Start the U.S. maple neck: For sensitive fingers and followers of crystalline sounds. Perfect on Marshall, Fender or less on a rosewood fingerboard will be more suitable (except amp 57 'Twin Amp, but valid for all others).
Start 'mex'deluxe series or special: For small budgets, and need to upgrade the pickups in 98% of cases, if you do not want to end up with sounds cardboard. Oh, and think about dressing for Mex ...

Head to the strata of U.S. with maple fingerboard! And it really gets better with time, it's not a legend.

Verdict: 10/10...Hendrix, Clapton & Billy Gibbons mood ...