Fender Review: American Series Strat

History:

Purchase: I got this guitar from a SamAsh Music Store in Westminster, California for $800 plus some extra accesories Fender and SamAsh threw in. Some of the accesories that Fender included was a set of Schaller straplocks, a Fender logo strap, a cleaning cloth, a plastic hardshell case, and a warranty. It has a metallic blue finish (Fender calls it "Chrome Blue") and a rosewood fretboard. Mine has the two-point tremolo system.

What I Like About This Fender American Series Strat: The finish is beautiful, the neck is fast and easy to play on. The frets are rolled on the edges instead of just filing at an angle which many companies do. The tuners keep the guitar in tune, so I don't have to tune it often. The pickups are great, they get all the classic strat sounds you'd want out of this styled guitar. The tremolo system suits my needs (If you really crank on it the guitar needs to be retuned). The pickguard and white knobs, etc. are just barely off-white, setting it apart from lesser strats, but don't look too yellow. The straplocks by Schaller are a nice add-on, the guitar won't fall off of you if the strap gets twisted. The wood has a smoother tone than the wood used on lesser Strats. The overall look of the guitar is beautiful. The case it comes in is a really nice plastic hardshell, molded on one side but straight on the other so you can set it on its side. Unlike most plastic cases, this one doesn't crack or break easily.

What I Do NOT Like About The Fender American Series Strat: The strap that came with the guitar is cheap, so I'd recommend getting a nicer strap. The tremolo system is not suited for hard rock or metal use. Other than that I have no other rants.

Fender American Series Strat Quality Rating: This guitar is great quality. Everything about this package is great. The only item that I would replace is the strap.

Review Summary: This is a great guitar!!! I would take it over almost every other guitar I've played. It is great quality equiptment. I'd definitely recommend saving up for this guitar instead of getting a mexican strat. It may seem like a lot of money but it is worth every penny.

Rating of this Fender product: 5

This Fender American Series Strat Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Geoff

Review Date: 2003-04-24