Fender American Standard Stratocaster Guitar Review

For many musicians, there comes a time when discount models that try to imitate classic guitar models simply don't make the grade anymore. Whether it be because your band is getting ready to start live gigging, you are seriously considering music as a career, or just because you've been playing for a long time and want to treat yourself, sometimes it's best to go with the original. One of the most well known of these originals is the American Made Fender Stratocaster. Let's take a look at the latest version of the Fender Strat.

Features: The Stratocaster, since the 1950's, has always had a solid alder body. Unlike cheaper branded aren't solid all the way through, this one is. The new edition of the Stratocaster comes in a multitude of finishes. They are all the old classics, including white, ebony, and sunburst. As an added option, you can choose which type of fretboard you want, either rosewood or maple. The neck is set into the body, and is made of maple, and looks to have a very complex finish. It's really sharp looking. The fretboard, as mentioned before, can either be made of maple or rosewood. It has twenty one well crafted frets, with either pearloid or black dot inlays. The hardware is all upgraded. This includes a bridge with bent steel saddles, and the tuning heads combined with the headstock have a new design that helps the Stratocaster stay in tune in even the most extreme conditions. Electronically, the new American Strat has all the classic essentials. There are three hot Fender brand single coil pickups, two tone and one volume control knobs, and a five way selector switch.

Playability: The Stratocaster has long been known for its playability. Few name-brand instruments compare to it in ease of use. This edition of the American Strat is no exception. One new feature is that the neck and string spacing has been compressed a bit. This is a step in the direction of more modern playing. Whereas old blues players preferred larger gaps between strings, newer artists like narrower gaps to allow for faster movement up and down the neck and the ability to play more notes faster.

Sound: The American Stratocaster sounds, well, like a Stratocaster. It's long been a standard that's compared to by other guitar brands and companies. On the treble end, you can bust out the thin, nasaly tone you've heard from the amplifiers of the likes of Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy. On the rhythm end, you can achieve tones like that of virtuoso Eric Johnson or newer artists like John Mayer.

Overall: Let's be honest. You don't need a review to know that the Fender American Standard Stratocaster is an amazing instrument. There's been no argument about that for fifty years now. And if you have the means, then by all means make one yours. You can find the Standard American Strat in music stores for about $1,000.