Since the early 1950s, the Fender Stratocaster has been one of the most popular electric guitars in music history.
Since then, its classic design has undergone numerous refinements to ensure it stays at the forefront of guitar technology today. The American Standard is currently one of those incarnations and is used by some very famous people such as Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead who’s known for dismantling his Strat and using it as a makeshift percussion instrument! So what makes this guitar so good? And do you need to be famous or rich to own one? Let’s find out…
First things first: Get your hands on a Fender Stratocaster and chances are it will feel instantly familiar. With its headstock, double cutaway, 21 medium frets, tremolo, vintage style tuners and 5-way selector switch – it’s pretty much your traditional Strat. But looks can be deceiving…
The American Standard is made with alder body which isn’t all that common for Fenders but it’s strong, light and helps to give the guitar a unique tone. If you feel like you don’t quite have enough pointy bits on your axe then fret not because the Strat comes loaded with some of those lovely jagged edges too! The bridge has 6 adjustable saddles so you can go nuts if you want to change those intonation settings whenever you want! This means more than ever before potential for fine tuning. But as with guitars, this is really down to personal preference.
One of the most important things about a guitar is how it feels in your hands and from these early impressions, I can already tell this guitar doesn’t disappoint. Even if you’ve never played a Strat before, it instantly feels like a Fender which isn’t surprising considering they’ve barely changed over all those years! So what’s the verdict? Are there any major differences between this and other Strat models? Yes…
The neck felt great as soon as I picked it up and didn’t tire my hands out even after longer than average sessions. It has a compound radius fingerboard meaning that as you move towards the higher frets it gets flatter, making those tough chords easier to play for people with larger fingers or those who play up the neck a lot. It also has jumbo frets for more accurate finger positioning.
One feature I wasn’t expecting to be so cool was the locking tuners fitted as standard on the American Standard Strat. Intonation is now easier than ever before because there are no gears, just small levers which lock down your tuning in place! This means you don’t have to tune your guitar every 4 minutes either which gives you one less thing to worry about when trying to perfect those bends or crazy whammy bar antics…
The American Standard certainly doesn’t disappoint with its tone either…
To start off with, I plugged it straight into my amp and cranked it up. The pickups sound great – especially that middle single coil which gives a really funky bite to your sound. And if you’re looking for some classic Strat sounds, the 5-way selector switch offers everything from those more mellow neck and bridge positions to beefier middle ones. The American Standard is no one-trick pony though…
If you feel like adding an extra dimension of dirtiness to your tone, there’s even a push/pull coil tap on the tone knob which means you can split your signal between single coils and humbuckers without having to search through all those knobs! I found this particularly cool when experimenting with different pickup combinations – especially when coupled with that push/pull coil tap.
It’s not just about finding perfect tones either – it’s chunky riffs and crazy solos that the American Standard Stratocaster was made for. This guitar has a vintage-style tremolo arm too – but unlike other Strats, this one doesn’t have any locking nuts or springs to hold it in place. This means you get a lot more give with your whammy bar which is great news for people who want to bend and dive-bomb their way through their favorite songs! Many players will be familiar with the original 5-way switch that came with older Strats meaning it can take some time to get used to anything different.
I’ve been playing the Fender American Standard Stratocaster for almost a year now and I’m really impressed by what they’re capable of… In fact, they’re so good that I’ve now got 3! I’ve found that the more you play and experiment with your guitar (and Strat in particular), the better you’ll be able to find your perfect tone and this will really help if you’re looking for a guitar that is versatile enough to keep up with whatever music style you like playing.
And as for those who aren’t quite as experienced at guitar, don’t worry – Fender has made things easier again by including a second set of control knobs on the other side of the American Standard Strats… This makes it much easier to change those settings safely without adjusting those salivating volume levels mid-gig! The best part though…
..is in my opinion how good they look straight out of the box. I’m the kind of player who has to change everything – strings, plectrums, strap buttons… but not these. They were perfect with the factory-fitted Ernie Ball 10-46s (I tried both 6 and 46 in my 3 Strats) with no buzzing or intonation problems at all.
This is something I feel is very important for beginners too because it means you won’t have to worry about getting your guitar set up properly before you can start playing it – just open the box and play! At this price range though, some might say that’s quite an ask so what are they worth?
It’s difficult to pick a winner when reviewing guitars because finishing touches like personal preference really do come into play… But if you’re looking for the best Stratocaster you can get at this price range, then I’d recommend getting your hands on a Fender American Standard.
Having played so many guitars over the years, even I’m amazed by what the American Standard Strats are capable of… And if you have any questions about them, feel free to leave a comment below!
