NGD - Fender American Standard Strat

[Robert]

I got a nice deal on this guitar - our friend Rylan "bonused me up" with shirts, bags, guitar polish and what not. Quite the package. Then, when the guitar was scanned at the till, it popped up that I get a Fender bar stool with it too! How sweet! This bar stool is awesome. :thumbsup

This is an American Standard Stratocaster.

So the guitar has CS Fat 50s pickups, and they sound great. The guitar has a fatter tone than my Suhr, which I loved a lot. However, I sold it because I started feeling that it sounded a bit thin. I think the bridge might have been an issue.

This new Fender stays in tune better than any Strat I've ever had, I'm quite amazed! It has the 2 point tremolo, and I didn't think I was going to like it as much as I do.

The neck is wider than my Road Worn Strat, but still comfortable.

I think this is probably the best Fender Strat you can get for the money. It does sound a lot fatter and bigger than the Road Worn.

Click to enlarge:

 

[tjcurtin1]

Hey Robert - I've seen/heard you play this one in a few clips now - I have to say that i was very partial to the sound you got from the Road Worn strat, (which I thought was fuller than the Suhr) and I'm not sure that I'm convinced that this one sounds better.... Maybe we need a bit of a demo...! (tho I know you are a busy guy these days).

 

[Robert]

I'm very busy with my lessons, and I don't have as much motivation these days to make demos... they don't help my business that much, so I focus on lessons instead.

But maybe I'll do a quick demo some day. I'll try.

 

[Tig]

Awesome! HNGD :thumbsup

 

[tjcurtin1]

I'm very busy with my lessons, and I don't have as much motivation these days to make demos... they don't help my business that much, so I focus on lessons instead.

But maybe I'll do a quick demo some day. I'll try.

completely understandable - Fender should pay you to do one!

 

[kidsmoke]

you sold the Suhr? wow. never thought I'd read that! I still haven't had a bonding experience with Strat as I have with other style's, but clearly I'm in the minority on that point. Great to hear that they're nailing it out of the box like this. :thumbsup

 

[Robert]

Yeah I was surprised I liked it so much "out of the box".

I think Fender is making currently their best Standard Strats ever (in recent times, from 70s and onwards).

The only thing I don't like is that the bottom tone knob affects both middle and bridge pickup. I prefer it on the bridge only, but I can fix that.

 

[marnold]

So the guitar has CS Fat 50s pickups, and they sound great. The guitar has a fatter tone than my Suhr, which I loved a lot. However, I sold it because I started feeling that it sounded a bit thin. I think the bridge might have been an issue.

Wow! I too am surprised that you sold the Suhr. Flabbergasted, almost. Of course, I hear you about thin sounding. Of course, I feel that almost any "vintage" style single coil is unbearably thin sounding unless you run it through a Tube Screamer or the like. The Lace Hot Gold in my '51 is about as close as I care to come, and that really only in the neck position. Then again, as a metalhead, that is to be expected.

I do have a soft spot in my heart for traditional Tele bridge pups though . . .

 

[duhvoodooman]

So the guitar has CS Fat 50s pickups, and they sound great. The guitar has a fatter tone than my Suhr, which I loved a lot. However, I sold it because I started feeling that it sounded a bit thin. I think the bridge might have been an issue.

I love my '12 American Standard Strat, and agree with you 100% on how great the CS Fat '50s pickups sound. Mine holds tune very well, too. How is your trem set up? Do you let it float or adjust the spring tension so that the plate lies against the body, i.e. the trem bar will only drop the pitch?

 

[Robert]

I have mine floating. And it stays in tune like fist in glove.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Brian Krashpad]

Congrats Robert!

 

[kidsmoke]

Robert, I've got a 97 Am. Std. In the house and I don't care for the neck. A bit shallow/thin. How would you describe the neck on this? Above you say wide...that to me means the nut/fretboard. Is that the case or do you mean deep? I like a meaty neck, although a '59 carve (in Gibson speak) isn't necessary, I like it. I ask because a similar guitar is available, but I can't get my mitts on it to check it out.

 

[Robert]

This neck is not particularly thin. The Road Worn's neck is a bit thinner.

By wide, I mean it feels like the nut width is a bit wider, which it is as you can see below. I didn't know 0.8mm difference would be noticed much, but I can definitely tell. But it's hard to describe how it feels. I can say the Am Strat feels less thin, compared to the Road Worn Players. You should try them both.

Hope that helps.

Road Worn Player Strat:
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (241 mm)
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)

Am Standard Strat:
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (241 mm)
Number of Frets: 22
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 1.685" (42.8 mm)

 

[Jipes]

Great Axe Robert Congrats I heard lots of praise about those new models and the 60' special reissue

 

[Robert]

Yeah the new Fenders are better than ever, it seems.

 

[kidsmoke]

This neck is not particularly thin. The Road Worn's neck is a bit thinner.



Hope that helps.

It does, thanks.

 

[Tig]

Yeah the new Fenders are better than ever, it seems.

This is good news. (Well, bad for my banking account!)
I've been wanting a well made Strat but there are so many good choices. I'm thinking the 2014 Am Standard is the best quality for the dollar. It has everything I could ask for (except stainless frets on a compound radius fretboard -nice but not required by any means).

 

[Robert]

That would be an excellent choice, Tig.

 

[Duffy]

Congratulations.

I very much like those Fat Fifties pickups. I have them in a strat and the sound is as the name suggests. I would recommend them anytime.

 

[Spudman]

I played an American Standard Strat today with the Custom Shop pickups. Wow! Those are some rally nice sounding pickups, and the guitar played nicely too. Probably the best sounding Strat pickups I've ever played.

The bridge had a sticker over the tremolo arm hole. Do these have a pop in arm or a screw in arm?

 

[riverrick]

Congrats Robert....What a deal you got with all the extra goodies very sweet. ENJOY!!!

 

[Robert]

Thanks!

 

[duhvoodooman]

The bridge had a sticker over the tremolo arm hole. Do these have a pop in arm or a screw in arm?

Screw-in. The American Deluxe model has the pop-in trem arm.

 

[Robert]

I played an American Standard Strat today with the Custom Shop pickups. Wow! Those are some rally nice sounding pickups, and the guitar played nicely too. Probably the best sounding Strat pickups I've ever played.

The bridge had a sticker over the tremolo arm hole. Do these have a pop in arm or a screw in arm?

Oops, missed your post, buddy!

Yeah, I think it sounds very sweet. That's why I bought one!

Screw-in, and I never put the guitar in the hard case, because that means taking off the whammy bar = lost whammy bar spring... unless I put some tape over the hole or something.