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Hatsubai « Standard American Strat »
Published on 04/25/11 at 17:01The Fender American Strat is one of the most well known higher end strats in the Fender lineup. it has the standard alder body, maple neck (this one had a maple fretboard too), SSS configuration, two point tremolo, special neck joint with micro tilt adjustment, 22 frets and extremely nice rolled edges on the neck.
UTILIZATION
In other reviews, I mentioned a complaint about the 9.5'' radius. It's not for me, but it works for most people. This guitar has the same issue, but again, it's personal preference. The two point trem on this is very nice, and it stays in tune nicely. One of my favorite features on this guitar is the nicely rolled edges of the fretboard. This makes it feel very broken in and not nearly as sharp as some other instruments tend to be. MIA fretwork is usually pretty good, but it can be hit or miss depending on the day it was built, how the luthiers were feeling, etc. I'm also glad this instrument has 22 frets instead of the 21 that is featured throughout most (if not all) of the MIM line. The neck is a very comfortable medium-esque C shaped neck that seems to be actually somewhat similar to an ESP neck at times.
SOUNDS
The pickups on this guitar are pretty good. They get that great vowely tone that single coils are known for, have a great quack, sound very nice with clean, mid gain and even high gain tones. That said, I still usually replace these with aftermarket pickups. My favorite singles at the moment are most likely the DiMarzio Area series, and they really make this guitar come alive.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're in the market for a strat, this is the model you should check out. It can be had for a great price used, and they're fairly solid guitars. That said, you should really play before you buy as Fenders can be hit or miss with fretwork.
UTILIZATION
In other reviews, I mentioned a complaint about the 9.5'' radius. It's not for me, but it works for most people. This guitar has the same issue, but again, it's personal preference. The two point trem on this is very nice, and it stays in tune nicely. One of my favorite features on this guitar is the nicely rolled edges of the fretboard. This makes it feel very broken in and not nearly as sharp as some other instruments tend to be. MIA fretwork is usually pretty good, but it can be hit or miss depending on the day it was built, how the luthiers were feeling, etc. I'm also glad this instrument has 22 frets instead of the 21 that is featured throughout most (if not all) of the MIM line. The neck is a very comfortable medium-esque C shaped neck that seems to be actually somewhat similar to an ESP neck at times.
SOUNDS
The pickups on this guitar are pretty good. They get that great vowely tone that single coils are known for, have a great quack, sound very nice with clean, mid gain and even high gain tones. That said, I still usually replace these with aftermarket pickups. My favorite singles at the moment are most likely the DiMarzio Area series, and they really make this guitar come alive.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're in the market for a strat, this is the model you should check out. It can be had for a great price used, and they're fairly solid guitars. That said, you should really play before you buy as Fenders can be hit or miss with fretwork.