I have been a Gibson and Ibanez man since the beginning of time. They have always felt just right in my hands. Not to say they are perfect but there is just something about them that allows me to play with more control. Pick attack position, effortless palm muting and neck shapes/fretboard radius that just seem very natural to me. However I have always liked the trademark chime and sparkle of the Strat and the looks are just downright sexy. I always wanted to have a Fender and I tried repeatedly to forge a bond with the Strat, but alas it just never took. I had bought then sold 6 Strats in my day and try as I might to love them but it just didn't take. I really tried cuz I wanted to add that tone/look to my arsenal. Even though I had bought top grade new American Strats and even one vintage 1960, they all failed miserably in my hands. The neck always felt too small for my hands and while picking, my control was off because my pick kept hitting the pickups when I tried to anchor my hand at the bridge for reference.

I had given up hope and just assigned myself to a coil splitting Strat-less future. Still, every time I went to the local music shop I'd give another one a try with the same disappointing results. Then a couple of months ago while grabbing some strings I saw this beautiful aged cherry Ash American Deluxe/Rosewood fretboard that was flawless. As I picked it up I asked if it was new and I was informed that a Father had bought it for his son as a graduation gift and for whatever reason the kid never played it so it sat in the case under his bed for almost 7 years untouched. The father decided to try to recoup his investment by putting it out for consignment. Long story short I made an offer of $750 and it was mine. Nice molded case with all the original case candy, Fender strap, cord, toolkit, warranty, extra strings, winder, bumper stickers, polish...the Works!.

Initially it felt different in my hands than any Strat I had tried before, finally I found one that had a shot. After I brought it home I commenced giving it a thorough spanking and before I knew it 5 hours had passed. The bridge was smooth and comfortable under my palm. The neck felt great (I came to find out it was because of the compound radius) and the contoured back with room for my beer gut along with the tapered forearm lower bout and contoured neck heel made it feel like an old friend at first touch. Add to that the steel sustain block with the smooth steel bridge saddles, noiseless Sumerian cobalt pickups, the S1 switching system, locking tuners and Schaller straplocks all stock, left me with nothing to bitch about. Even the fit and finish were flawless...Alright I guess that I should say that I prefer Nitro finishes if for nothing else than the way that they age so gracefully. Still it won't be for 20+ years that I would have a legitimate gripe.

That just leaves tone. This functional art masterpiece has tone for days. All the spank, chime and sparkle you could ask for with a respectable fat humbucker tone using the S1 switching. This thing feels as if it has a soul. It's like it comes alive in your hands. You can actually feel it respond to your will, much like a supercharged engine instantaneously responds to the slightest touch. As good as the neck felt, I can't sleep at night knowing that it is not absolutely perfect. So as with all my guitars I bring them to Mike Lull (this guy is AMAZING and has many famous -i.e. Heart, Journey, Pearl Jam- repeat customers nationwide) in Seattle for a professional set-up and Plek service. Come to find out that the neck required NOTHING, it was perfect. Mike told me he had only seen 2 other guitars in his lifetime that had perfect necks. He did however say that the nut was way out of whack. So as with every guitar I own, I had him install a legal Pre Ban Genuine Elephant Ivory nut to make what was an already exceptional guitar into a Strat that could share the spotlight equally with the finest Strats on the planet. I have 2 vintage Goldtop Les Pauls, a 69 SG, a Custom Shop ES 355, a Gibson Korina Flying V, an Ibanez Iceman, an Ibanez Korina Destroyer, 2 Martins and a partridge in a pear tree and still I find myself playing the Strat about 50% of the time now. I don't know if that will wear off soon, but for now, I'm having fun trying to wear these frets out so I can put some new Stainless steel ones on it.

It took a while but Fender finally got me.

galleryg owns this item

I have wanted an American Strat since I was 14 years old. After trying out a load of Strats at Long & McQuade in Burlington, Ontario about two years ago, I settled on an American Special Strat HSS and figured I was done.

That is until I played my Tobbaco Burst, Maple Neck American Deluxe Strat Ash... in a word; unbelievable. Those Strat chimes, the reedy mids, the resonant lows... the Ash body really amplified those qualities the Strat is known for. And the S-1 switch is really a great innovation from Fender, allowing the player to get from that Strat "quack" through to a humbucking growl.

Think I'm finished now... but never say never!

Joe Czarnuch owns this item

This is another fine Strat. I chose this one because of the more versatile S-1 pickups and Jackson-like gradient neck radius. I can get everything from traditional Strat to brutal leads from this ax. People are very generous with their praise for the Metallic Siena Burst too! I would give it a five star rating, but it took me and Center Coast Guitars 2 months to figure out what was wrong with my pick ups. Once we found the problem, Fender did the right thing and replaced them. I have had no problems since and would buy another one of these exact guitars if I needed a spare onstage.
GJ FENDER

jimi_cunning@yahoo.com owns this item

I bought this guitar in aged cherry burst with a maple neck about two years ago after saving my money for five years. It was well worth the money and the wait. I own six guitars and this is by far the best. It has incredible tone, and thanks to the S-1 switch, is very versatile. It sounds absolutely incredible through my HR Deluxe, and pretty good through my little practice amp.This guitar also looks just as good as it sounds, you can really appreciate the craftsmanship. I know this is a durable guitar and I will likely have it for the rest of my life.

j_rockr91 owns this item

In tobacco burst with a maple board it looks absolutely fantastic and it plays like a dream. It may not be vintage correct but it stays in tune and is perfectly intonated. It also, at least to my ears, has fantastic tone played through a decent valve amp

steveted owns this item

This is a great guitar. It's easy to play, has fantastic sound and multiple tone options, and is very well made. I bought my first Fender guitar in 1964 and this one is better.

Wick owns this item

Great guitar.Easy to play everywhere thanks to the compound radius. I really like the tone of the N3 pickups, wide range of tones from bluesy to more heavy ''humbuckers like'' with the s-1 switch.This is my first american strat.I owned a mexican one that i sold to by this baby and she's a solid sexy guitar!

frankouille owns this item

This Strat is an absolute beauty to look at, feel and importantly play. The fretboard is silk like and a dream to play. The tone is pure Strat with the added advantage of the S1 switching which throws you into another dimension. I have 5 guitars now, and this one is right up there...

CJ owns this item

I've played a few Strats in my time and this one has it all - tone, play ability, and sweet strat looks. I can get pretty much get any sound I need with the versatility of the pickups. And no annoying pickup noise! I've had several players remark about the great tone.

fabgear5 owns this item

This is my go to ax for gigs and practice. The quality and workmanship that goes into this guitar is amazing. It feels very comfortable in my hands and can play it for hours on end. The flexibility that the S-1 switch offers comes in real handy when playing tunes that should have more of a that humbucker sound and less of the single coil tone. It stays in tune really well when using whammy bar which i know we can all appreciate. Oh, and weight wise, your back will thank you.

socal323 owns this item

I bought an American Deluxe Ash Strat several months ago and have been delighted with it. Apart from the classic Strat tone and playability, it is also a beautiful looking guitar. I paid extra for the Ash model because I wanted the Tobacco Sunburst finish, and ordered it with the Maple fingerboard instead of the Rosewood. Everyone who sees it seems to think it's as cool as I do. The new N3 noiseless pickups are great, and all I have to do now is improve my playing until it's worthy of this great guitar.

EnglishExile owns this item