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Forum members,
I am in the process of buying a Fender American Standard (USA made) Stratocaster with the s/s/s pickup configuration (that is the genuine Strat sound, right?) and can’t decide on color, fingerboard, etc. I am posting some links below representing the canddidate guitars I’m considering, but would really appreciate your opinion:
https://reverb.com/item/800891-fender-american-standard-stratocaster-3-tone-sunburst
https://reverb.com/item/2235034-fender-american-standard-stratocaster-maple-fingerboard-3-color-sunburst-0113002700
https://reverb.com/item/1357712-fender-american-standard-stratocaster-jade-pearl-metallic-maple-733
https://reverb.com/item/2204575-fender-american-standard-stratocaster-olympic-white-maple-845
https://reverb.com/item/2081262-fender-american-standard-stratocaster-olympic-white-demo
https://reverb.com/item/2064435-fender-american-standard-stratocaster-rosewood-bordeaux-metallic
https://reverb.com/item/1433261-fender-american-standard-stratocaster
https://reverb.com/item/683254-modified-new-fender-american-standard-strat-duncan-ssl-5-cs-69-cs-fat-50s
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender/Limited-Edition-American-Standard-Stratocaster-with-Rosewood-Neck.gc”I am leaning towards a rosewood fingerboard, perhaps an all rosewood neck and fingerboard, but am undecided on the color configuration.
Your feedback is much appreciated.
Cheers,
Richard
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Eegads!
Some hard choices there! Here’s how I would look at it Richard. If you dig viewing the wood grain in a guitar, it’s gotta be the 3-tone sunburst.
But for the painted models, I’d go w/ Oly white, jade green or metallic bordeaux probably in that order.
For me…on a Strat’?…I like the maple fingerboard. But rosewood is good too (especially if it’s dark in color rosewood!).
Decisions, decisions…I’m drooling! That black one w/ the maple fingerboard is a hottie too!
Hope that helps!Jim
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I had a 50th anniversary 3 tone sunburst but spent more time polishing the finger marks of it than playing it and always put it back on its case. It was a work of art really beautiful. So I sold it and bought an Olympic White with maple neck and play it all the time, keep it out on a stand and rarely dust it down.
But then I’m an ass.Happy picking in more ways than one.
George
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Thank you for the responses. Here is another candidate I was looking at:
Here’s one with a maple neck and maple fingerboard, like the black.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratAMMBLK2
And the same guitar with a rosewood fingerboard.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratAMRBLK2
A little more money, but how about this Sunburst color, pretty eh?
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratAMRSSB2
And last the bordeaux metallics in maple and rosewood.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratAMSMBxM
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratAMSRBxM
Any more feedback?
Cheers,
Richard
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First and foremost; Go test drive Strats, as many as you can. I strongly suggest you purchase your guitar based on how it feels in you hands after at least 30 minutes of play. Try different amps. I’m 59 and have owned and played many guitars. The best playing Strat I have ever held and owned was made in Korea. Used guitars can save you money, may have been set up very nicely. Do not purchase a guitar from any store before they set or at least check the intonation, action, and pickup height. You are buying a guitar that you can make sing, the S/N, color, nor year of country of origin do that. It is you, your guitar and how well the two connect. Go play many guitars. If you have not played other types of guitars than Strats you should play many many more before you purchase you one guitar. Have Fun!
Kentucky Old Crow
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Hey John, it comes in a 3-tone sunburst
Cheers,
Richard
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Hi Richard for what its worth I have a Strat with sunburst and rosewood neck its an old one a 63 and it still looks fine. I love the look of maple but it does get a bit tacky with age and hard use and as was said above if it to sit in the box or be ready to grab and get played right away….o well you will have to buy the lot!!!
John Strat -
Only thing you are asking that might have an effect on the tone is the rosewood vs. maple neck. So you are asking basically for our taste on looks, which is fine. For me, I like Olympic White with Maple Neck best, followed by Olympic White with Rosewood fretboard. And then the first sunburst on the list. All of them look good. If everything else were equal, except appearance, I would probably end up going for the cheapest, but that’s just me.
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I used to have an Olympic White with the tortoise shell red pick guard… it was a Lonestar Strat with the neck and middle pickups being “Texas Specials”, the neck pickup was a Seymour Duncan humbucker. Love love love the sound of those Texas Specials! Sadly, it was used in a partial trade toward my ES 335 I got a few months back. Someday I’ll run across another one…
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For me, it’s how it sounds first. Then it’s about how it plays/feels. The rest is just your personal preference. Single coils have their unique sound qualities, as do humbuckers and P-90’s. I bought all of them. Now days you have the opportunity to have one guitar and use modeling amps and software to get your different tones.
But starting with a good quality guitar is a good choice. And you have already made that decision.
I don’t think you will be dissapointed. Post a picture when you get it. -
Like somebody said, it’s how it sounds to you, how it feels in your hands. For the time and money you’re gonna invest in improving your playing, you should have an instrument that you really love to pick up and play. I’ve probably done my 10 thousand hours many times over, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, mainly because I love the feel and tone of my guitar. Apart from my wife, it’s my best friend, and it’s given me more pleasure than anything on this planet.
My guitar is a very personal part of my life, and when I occasionally buy another guitar, I visit guitar stores and play dozens of axes. Sometimes I pick one up and put it right back, doesn’t feel right. Other times I’ll spend half an hour playing a guitar, running it through different amps, getting the feel of it in my hands and the tones in my ears. For me a guitar is a very personal thing so no one can really help me. I’ve gotta hold it and play it and if I’m not totally in love with it, then no deal.
Stevie Ray Vaughan must have tried thousands of guitars over the years, but one day in a guitar store in Texas he picked up an old Strat, fell in love, and played it the rest of his life.
It’s a totally personal thing, Richard. Just go to music stores and start trying them out. Hopefully you’ll find one that you’ll love to pick up and play for the rest of your life. -
I have a 3 Colour Sunburst Classic Player 60s, with a rosewood fingerboard, which has – I think CS 69 pickups.
I also recently picked up a used black Standard (not American Standard) with a maple fingerboard, and have been loving it – however, the pickups are not as nice as on the CP.
If I had my druthers, I would love to have the CS69s in a regular Standard, and might actually go that route in the future.
Good luck with your quest, John!
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I appreciate the great feedback thus far. As you know I am a beginner so it’s not as easy for me to know the myriad nuances that most of you do. For example, rosewood vs. maple fingerboard: I’ve been told by a few players and store salespeople that maple is less forgiving if you’re late to play a note, while rosewood, besides being a tad warmer, is more forgiving.
Also, three single coil pickups vs. other options: the s/s/s is the classic Strat setup and sound, so I am leaning for that one.
Then, all rosewood neck: I heard that it might be a bit “darker”, but I went to Guitar Center yesterday and tried a Limited Am. Std. Strat with all rosewood neck – it was not “darker” but rather “snappier” and a bit more “agile”.
On colors: not so critical, but want to retain the classic Strat look and feel.
Again, thank you for all your feedback, I will make good use of it.
Cheers,
Richard
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There’s a fairly long running dispute about whether the type of wood makes any difference at all. Some people insist that it does, but can’t prove it.
Others say that what matters is whether the wood resonates at all. For an electric guitar, you typically want as little resonance as possible, because that means that energy is being lost in areas that are not directed toward the pickups.
Paul Reed Smith says that the choice of wood makes no difference at all. But what matters is the dryness of the wood. Any moisture staying in the wood will have the tendency also to dampen (pun intended) the response of the guitar.
I don’t know where I come out on this. But its worth noting that every claim that you hear about the differences between woods is debatable at best.
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