Fender American Standard Stratocaster HSS [2008-2012]

- Alder Body
- Maple Neck
- Rosewood Fretboard
- HSS pickup configuration
- 5 way switch
- C shaped neck
- Copper infused steel bridge block
- 2 point trem
- 22 frets
- USA made


UTILIZATION

One of the most popular guitars made today, I’d say the American standard is pretty usable. Comfortable thin spacing between the strings, 22 frets, HSS pickups, and nice flowing sustain. Definitely a reliable guitar that will last a while. The issue I have with these, is that I haven’t found them to be THAT much more playable than the Mexican versions, despite the significant up charge. The material quality and build s definitely significantly superior, but in terms of sheer playability, they standard series can be a little underwhelming.

SOUNDS

They sound pretty great. Classic Strat tones, nots of bass on the neck pickup, and a warm liquid mids on positions 2 and 4. I really dig the HSS configuration, makes it just that much more versatile than the all single coil layout. Having a humbucker involved brings in a little more grit and attitude. 5 way switch gives you room for just about any pickup combination you could ask for, so you’ve got quite a bit of versatility tonewise. The single coils can be a little noisy, you might want to consider an upgrade at some point.

OVERALL OPINION

A basic American Strat. Not a whole lot of fancy features, just a well built guitar with quality components. It isn’t the best guitar on the market, and a little overpriced in my book, but definitely a solid choice. This is a definitely a players guitar, and America built is important to you, go for it. Personally I would talk a look at MIJ strats as they are quite a bit more affordable at a competitive quality. Some of the older ones are just fantastic, and a great affordable alternative until you can afford a deluxe or custom shop Strat. G&L guitars are also an alternative worth looking into.

The Fender American Standard guitar is pretty much the Fender that everybody thinks of when they're thinking of Fender guitars. This one has an alder body with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard, 21 frets, a standard vintage style tremolo, an HSS configuration with one volume, two tones and a five way switch.

UTILIZATION

The guitar is put together decently. The fretwork needed a bit of attention, though. The biggest issue was that the frets weren't perfectly crowned. When you look at the frets, they should have a very nice roundness to them, but these were slightly flat on the top, and it wasn't due to fret wear. The nut was cut nicely on this, and it still had all the features of a regular strat. One thing I wasn't a fan of was the 21 fret limitation. That's a big issue for me as I'm a lead player who tends to travel up to the higher end quite a bit.

SOUNDS

The guitar sounded decent. The stock pickups in this thing weren't the best. I forget exactly what they were, but I believe they were all Fender made. The neck single had a cool single tone going on, but it didn't floor me. I only use the middle for splitting, and the split positions sounded decent; they had a decent quack going on. The bridge was kinda dull sounding and lacked the clarity I would have liked in a quality humubucker. That said, the guitar was pretty versatile thanks to this configuration. You could cover all kinds of different genres with this thing.

OVERALL OPINION

The guitar is decent, especially considering the price. However, I recommend you play quite a few of these before you buy simply because some might have some fretwork issues. The biggest thing to listen for is resonance as everything else can usually be fixed by a competent luthier.

For technical details:

Fender: http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0110100700

In MusicStore (Cologne): http://www.musicstore.de/fr_FR/BEF/Guitares/Guitares-lectriques/Fender-Am-Standard-Strat-HSS-MN-Black-inkl.-Case/art-GIT0012541-000

Particular features maple neck:
reported no key (the key is the handle = "fingerboard buffed") + satin varnish on the back of the neck (it slides better for the hand!) and gloss over the "key".

Peculiarity of the bridge: the bridges are different from old ones.



UTILIZATION

The neck is especially nice! The satin finish allows it to slip behind without hooked!

Ergonomics is the stratum, for me is ideal.
Weight: Featherweight.
Access to treble: I only play very rarely in the treble, I would not be good advice ...

The sound: classic Fender sound, except for the first 2 positions = humbucker sound more "full", a little distorted, less clear than a simple bobinnage.

SOUNDS

Style of music: rock / pop / blues

For distortion sounds: the position humbucker is ideal, for others, his classic Fender.

I play on a Trace Elliot bass amp (I'm bass player)


OVERALL OPINION

I wanted to buy a Start (my ex-strat sold several years ago).

I tried the same with a rosewood fingerboard, but I have not had time to realize the difference.

What I like about this guitar, the back of the neck in satin finish (not glossy, it slips less). And body shape that you can play sitting without seeing the stick up or down (I tried a Gibson Les Paul is way too unbalanced, I do not like, but then not at all!)