Want to know Fender American Standard Strat Quality?

[kanak333]

I've been thinking about buying a American Standard but
I've heard people knocking them on different fourms and reviews saying that they are very low quality and that the Squier Classic Vibe series or most of the MIM's are better.I usually go to
GC or SamA to get a feel for what I like and do my ordering online,but as most know going to GC can be less than a fun experience with every 14 and 15 year old kid thinking there Dimebag or EVH and sounding more like a chicken caught in a exhaust fan.I was hoping I could skip all that and get some thought's from the fine people here.I already have two great Strat's a 2000
American Deluxe and a 09' Highway one but was wanting another.

[Stratlover]

I have had a couple of the recent American Standard Strats as well as a Classic Vibe 50's. The CV 50's had been upgraded by the previous owner and sounded as good as any other Strat I have had. To me, the American Standards were far better when it came to the overall feel of the guitar.

I would say that, out of the box, the American Standards are an excellent value that I would not feel the need to do any mods. I like the 2012 American Standards better than the ones I had from the early 2000's. I also like the Classic Player Strats for overall value as well.

That said, I enjoyed the Classic Vibe while I had it.

[S. Cane]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

These people you read say that any Squier or even most MiMs are often BETTER than American Standard Fenders are either nuts or envious.

Don't get me wrong, I am not corksniffing here; but that's nonsense. People say all kinds of self-based theories in guitar forums, there are even the classic "Epiphone is actually better than Gibson" and "My Squier beats any Fender around" threads... Funny to read, but facts are facts. Mexican Fenders and some of the Squiers are, indeed, good guitars. Professionals can play them onstage or at the studio, just fine. You can even mod them ad libitum and end up with a better guitar (for your needs) than a stock US made guitar can be.

But if we're talking about comparisons between the different series, there's no contest there: American Standards are the flagship standard instruments Fender makes, they're very good quality guitars, while the other ones you mentioned are basically budget versions. Cheaper parts, and made within a wider QC.

I dare to say that the more expensive series like custom shop and elite are just meant to fit some customers' personal taste, rather than proper higher quality...

Particularly, I have never seen anyone say anything real bad about Am Std series. I NEVER saw anyone say they're LOW quality guitars. I often see two kinds of "complaints":

1) Modern American Standard guitars are not as "good" as the 60s pre-CBS stuff. Well, if you have a pre-CBS Fender, that's wonderful, you have every right to love it. Some people just can't get rid of that feeling that only the old gear is good enough... That's up to them. Doesn't mean that modern Fenders are bad at all.

2) American Standard instruments lack luxury details. About that, there seems to be some kind of misunderstanding of what Leo Fender's geniality was all about. A Fender guitar is meant to be something modular, practical and futuristic by design, not a luxury item like some of the Gibson models are, essentially (i.e. the Les Paul).

An American Standard strat, for instance, is today EXACTLY what a 1962 stratocaster was, back then: a modern and fine instrument, made for players and artists, not an icon made to become old, collectible and worshipped as a totem.

[ch willie]

Well, I expect someone to throw the book at you, Sergio, but I agree with you. Of course, my heroes play the original vintage instruments--but I'm with you on modern instruments.

[DanD]

I also agree with Sergio. I've had CVs and MIMs in every form. The latest AM STDs are very nice guitars and need no upgrades. The new AM STDs have a very thin, dare I say, nitro like finish. The devil is in the details and the fit and finish of the AM STDs is a cut above anything coming from abroad.

The only downside I see is the neck size. Fender as of late seems to be on the same 'smaller is better' kick that Gibson is on.

I like a Goldilocks necks in the .84-.86 range at the first fret and the new AM STDs often run shy of medium. That's fine if you like a slimmer neck in the .80-.82 range. If you like something a bit more substantial I'd shop where the seller states the neck size.

Just my .02. Good luck on the hunt! I don't think the AM STD will disappoint, unless you are fanatical about vintage spec.

[S. Cane]

Kenny said it all in one sentence.

The Am std is the modern classic "standard" Fender stratocaster. Period.

[S. Cane]

One last thought on vintage vs modern Gibsons/Fenders:

Actually, there isn't a single reason why people should try to compare vintage and modern strats, letters, or whatever.

Vintage instruments have a VERY cool appeal, some of them were indeed top quality (yeah, pre-CBS Fenders, Bursts... They're wonderful). Owning a 59 Les Paul or a 62 strat is something one dreams about, I myself LOVE them, and if I ever come across one I can buy, he'll, I will. But back then, they were simply good instruments. Now they're collectible, that's very cool, but that's another thing.

Clapton, Gilmour, Page, John Lennon, Harrison, Beck, these guys never bought their instruments back in the 60s/70s because they were some kind of vintage holy grail... they bought these guitars casually, sometimes sending roadies to fetch a pair of identical blue strats like the Beatles, sometimes used ones like Page's Les Pauls... because they were good, reliable and good sounding instruments that would fit their needs.

Being modern guitars, Am stds will be different from vintage strats, and some of us, like Kenny, will prefer other series, that's cool... Some, like me, Willie and others will like both...
In a sum, if the question is about quality, you can buy the Am std and be sure you got a good American Fender.

Just like one of us goes to a store and buys... an American Standard Strat...

[ch willie]

Clapton, Gilmour, Page, John Lennon, Harrison, Beck, these guys never bought their instruments back in the 60s/70s because they were some kind of vintage holy grail... they bought these guitars casually, sometimes sending roadies to fetch a pair of identical blue strats like the Beatles, sometimes used ones like Page's Les Pauls... because they were good, reliable and good sounding instruments that would fit their needs.

John and George mostly played whatever somebody gave them or that somebody went out and bought for them. Mal Evans famously found their sonic blue Strats. Clapton gave George his Les Paul and a Strat. Ric gave Paul his bass; Epiphone gave them their 3 Casinos. And so on and so on. Point in fact: these were all off the shelf instruments, and they were well-made instruments, and none of The Beatles was ever a cork sniffer until McCartney started getting into gear in the 80s. At least, none of them pursued instruments like a Billy Gibbons does.

[S. Cane]

Sure, Willie.

But my point was, all the instruments these artists bought or were given back then were modern at the time, and not collectible jewels like today.

The Reverend himself and players like Joe Bonamassa collect iconic guitars nowadays, that's great, but back in the 60s and early 70s there was no such worshipping of Fenders and Gibsons.

[smitty_p]

I would place the American Standard somewhere between the American Deluxe and the Highway One.

As others have pointed out, the Standard is a fine instrument. Go for it.

[Stratslinger]

Yes the people knocking the American strat aren't right ! An American Strat is a thing of beauty and no a MIM is not going to be on par with American . They can be made to sound almost as good. with electronics swaps , but the overall feel of it is going to be higher quality and the attention to detail to the frets will make the neck feel better . That being said you can just feel the difference and hear it in the quality

[ch willie]

Sure, Willie.

But my point was, all the instruments these artists bought or were given back then were modern at the time, and not collectible jewels like today.

The Reverend himself and players like Joe Bonamassa collect iconic guitars nowadays, that's great, but back in the 60s and early 70s there was no such worshipping of Fenders and Gibsons.

Of course, the passage of time makes even mediocre instruments valuable--look at all the pawn shop pos out there being touted as great retro instruments.

To many, the Strat was a collectible jewel--not like they would be with the passage of time, but in England, people like Clapton and Beck and others of the generation, for them, Hank Marvin had made the Strat iconic. It wasn't just a tool for them but an actual Holy Grail.

I'm not disagreeing with the gist of your point. Today, we fetishize things just because they're old. New as they are (78, 96, 08, 11, 11, 12, 13) my guitars are holy icons to me, though none is an outrageously expensive instrument.

Like most, I'd love to own a good old pre-CBS Fender collection. Let's admit it:some of those guitars are among the greatest in the world, BUT there were also pos lemons back then too. I'm happy with my new-ish guitars and basses, and I wouldn't turn down a vintage instrument, but I'd never pursue one.

[Offshore Angler]

Any American Stratocaster, properly set up and played by a competent musician, is easily capable of Grammy-winning performances.

[ch willie]

Ha ha ha. The OP has to be a sham. No response whatsoever. Somebody wanted to see if we were fawning. Maybe I'm wrong? Maybe I'm not.

[Offshore Angler]

Ha ha ha. The OP has to be a sham. No response whatsoever. Somebody wanted to see if we were fawning. Maybe I'm wrong? Maybe I'm not.

Just a troll.

[supershifter2]

I have 4 Made In The USA American Standard Strats from the 1990's. 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998 and all 4 are top quality. AND I like that 22nd fret that the MIM doesnt have.

[Don]

but back in the 60s and early 70s there was no such worshipping of Fenders and Gibsons.

I took lessons in the '70s and pre CBS Fenders and old Gibsons were a very big deal. Also, if you look into the 1960s British blues scene, you'll see that '50s Les Pauls were really sought after.
That doesn't really pertain to this (old) discussion, though. The reason they were already considered classics is that the guitars that Gibson and Fender were turning out in the '70s were considered to be of pretty poor quality. That's not the case now. Fender and Gibson are both building some pretty great guitars at a lot of price points.

[ch willie]

The reason they were already considered classics is that the guitars that Gibson and Fender were turning out in the '70s were considered to be of pretty poor quality. That's not the case now. Fender and Gibson are both building some pretty great guitars at a lot of price points.

There are some legitimate criticisms of Fender and Gibson, but I think the instruments on the whole are sturdy, easy to play, and until you get into a lot of the CSes, pretty affordable.

I know a lot of us remember the days when if you bought a cheap guitar, you got a piece of poo. Now you can get a very good guitar for under 300.

[Offshore Angler]

There are some legitimate criticisms of Fender and Gibson, but I think the instruments on the whole are sturdy, easy to play, and until you get into a lot of the CSes, pretty affordable.

I know a lot of us remember the days when if you bought a cheap guitar, you got a piece of poo. Now you can get a very good guitar for under 300.

Agreed. A lot of $300 guitars these days play better than vintage Fenders I've owned and played back in the day.

[S. Cane]

I took lessons in the '70s and pre CBS Fenders and old Gibsons were a very big deal. Also, if you look into the 1960s British blues scene, you'll see that '50s Les Pauls were really sought after.
That doesn't really pertain to this (old) discussion, though. The reason they were already considered classics is that the guitars that Gibson and Fender were turning out in the '70s were considered to be of pretty poor quality. That's not the case now. Fender and Gibson are both building some pretty great guitars at a lot of price points.

That's not what I was talking about, Don.

they were sought after because they were good. Not worshipped or overprivced like a Fabergé egg, as they are today.

[VibroCount]

I think the best description here spoke of better parts and tighter quality control.

Any guitar (any instrument) can be amazing. I have a $35 ukulele which plays better than many $200 ukes. The right wood, the right glue, the right set, even frets, and it sings when anyone plays it.

You can buy a Squier or MIM Strat which will play and sound as good as an American Standard, but these are few. I had to play 12 Squier 51s to find two worth considering and it took another 15 minutes of playing the two for me to choose the one I bought. I played between a half dozen MIM Strats to find the one I bought.

But the quality of the wiring is less than that of an American Standard, and the woods are less consistent in quality, and the tremolos are slightly different and the other parts are of a lower quality. This may make zero difference when the guitar is new, but the Squier's frets eventually turned green. (I cleaned them, but I think I preferred the tone the green frets had.)

My current Strat is a MIM 50's Classic Player (I sold an American Standard to buy my AVRI '62 Jazz Bass). I have spent twice as much as I paid for the guitar on upgrades I installed myself, including pickups, wiring, and other mods.

Play lots of guitars and buy the one which sings to you. You will find lots of variations in quality of less expensive instruments, and less variation in higher priced guitars.

[THguitar]

well Honestly I have a standard strat usa that comes with fat 50s and frankly speaking, one of the best guitars I've played - and I played a bunch of them

You can check out the sounds here on my channel

It's not a 4000 Dollars guitar , but definitely sounds amazing

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2Q...-D-VSssuWYYEMg

Cheers

TH

[treborillusion]

I think the best description here spoke of better parts and tighter quality control.

Any guitar (any instrument) can be amazing. I have a $35 ukulele which plays better than many $200 ukes. The right wood, the right glue, the right set, even frets, and it sings when anyone plays it..

Does a $200.00 uke play like a $1, 000.00 uke?

Because that's what the American Fender Standard Stratocaster is, more or less.

[OldStrummer]

This entire thread makes me curious: everyone has an opinion on the American Standard Stratocaster, but no one seems to offer an alternative, except to suggest that one might go search for a pre-CBS model (and then pay the price, of course). I checked Fender's web site just now, and here are the models (variations on a given model are omitted, if the price is the same) being offered. The prices are MSRP as listed by Fender, round up to the nearest dollar:

American Elite - $1,800
American Standard - $1,100
Deluxe - $800
Jimi Hendrix - $900
Standard - $600
Special - $1,000
The Edge - $1,800
Eric Clapton - $1,600
American Vintage '56/'59 - $2,300
Eric Johnson - $1,900
Jeff Beck - $1,600
Stevie Ray Vaughan - $1,700

...okay, I give up. There are variations on many themes, and they range from $800 - $1700 range. Even the Vintage line ranges from '56, '59, '65, etc.

Put another way, these are the series that Fender offers:

American Standard
Standard
American Special
Deluxe
American Vintage
Classic
Artist
Limited Edition
Special Edition
American Elite

If American Standard is the measure by which the others are gauged, where do they fall? And if you think the American Standard is "poor," which would you recommend instead?

[treborillusion]

This entire thread makes me curious: everyone has an opinion on the American Standard Stratocaster, but no one seems to offer an alternative, except to suggest that one might go search for a pre-CBS model (and then pay the price, of course). I checked Fender's web site just now, and here are the models (variations on a given model are omitted, if the price is the same) being offered. The prices are MSRP as listed by Fender, round up to the nearest dollar:

American Elite - $1,800
American Standard - $1,100
Deluxe - $800
Jimi Hendrix - $900
Standard - $600
Special - $1,000
The Edge - $1,800
Eric Clapton - $1,600
American Vintage '56/'59 - $2,300
Eric Johnson - $1,900
Jeff Beck - $1,600
Stevie Ray Vaughan - $1,700

...okay, I give up. There are variations on many themes, and they range from $800 - $1700 range. Even the Vintage line ranges from '56, '59, '65, etc.

Put another way, these are the series that Fender offers:

American Standard
Standard
American Special
Deluxe
American Vintage
Classic
Artist
Limited Edition
Special Edition
American Elite

If American Standard is the measure by which the others are gauged, where do they fall? And if you think the American Standard is "poor," which would you recommend instead?

Your post here prompted me to research this;
http://support.fender.com/library/20...Price-List.pdf
Says here the 2015 Deluxes are $1, 750.00
I have a 1999 American Fender Deluxe Ash Strat

[OldStrummer]

Your post here prompted me to research this;
http://support.fender.com/library/20...Price-List.pdf
Says here the 2015 Deluxes are $1, 750.00
I have a 1999 American Fender Deluxe Ash Strat

My source was Fender's own web site. (http://shop.fender.com/en-US/electri...&prefv1=Deluxe)

In addition, Sweetwater has a page of Deluxe Strats all priced at $799. (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/sear...e+stratocaster)

Your list is from 2015. From what I understand, Fender ceased publishing MSRP in late 2014. The "consumer price list" may be what is known as the MAP, or Manufacturer's Advertised Price.

I guess the real question is, what could you get for one if you decided to sell one? What does Fender expect to get?

[S. Cane]

This entire thread makes me curious: everyone has an opinion on the American Standard Stratocaster, but no one seems to offer an alternative, except to suggest that one might go search for a pre-CBS model (and then pay the price, of course). I checked Fender's web site just now, and here are the models (variations on a given model are omitted, if the price is the same) being offered. The prices are MSRP as listed by Fender, round up to the nearest dollar:

American Elite - $1,800
American Standard - $1,100
Deluxe - $800
Jimi Hendrix - $900
Standard - $600
Special - $1,000
The Edge - $1,800
Eric Clapton - $1,600
American Vintage '56/'59 - $2,300
Eric Johnson - $1,900
Jeff Beck - $1,600
Stevie Ray Vaughan - $1,700

...okay, I give up. There are variations on many themes, and they range from $800 - $1700 range. Even the Vintage line ranges from '56, '59, '65, etc.

Put another way, these are the series that Fender offers:

American Standard
Standard
American Special
Deluxe
American Vintage
Classic
Artist
Limited Edition
Special Edition
American Elite

If American Standard is the measure by which the others are gauged, where do they fall? And if you think the American Standard is "poor," which would you recommend instead?

Indeed, that has always been my point when I discuss this.

[S. Cane]

Anyway, seeing people say that Am Std is a poor series in any way always reminds me of the times when I played mostly a Les Paul and frequented related forums.

The mantras were always like this:

You buy an Epiphone and post about it.
People say "meh, only a Gibson is good enough"

You buy a Gibson tribute series or a Studio and post about it.
People say "meh, that's worse than a top notch copy. You shoulda bought standard"

You buy a Standard and post about it.
People say "meh, those were good back in who knows when, now they're crap. Only a historic has the real Les Paul mojo"

You buy a R9 and post about it.
People say "meh, why would someone buy a guitar that looks like a '59 without being real?"

Well, a real '59 costs... Forget about it.

Anyway, the bottom line is, nobody will ever do anything that will please all the world. The Am Std Series isn't an exception, nor will any series be.

[sticko]

No real dog in this hunt, but I would like to add that I think it's cool that Fender steered the AmStd line to a more "vintage" looking aesthetic compared to what the line looked like say, 15 years ago.

[Don]

Anyway, seeing people say that Am Std is a poor series in any way always reminds me of the times when I played mostly a Les Paul and frequented related forums.

The mantras were always like this:

You buy an Epiphone and post about it.
People say "meh, only a Gibson is good enough"

You buy a Gibson tribute series or a Studio and post about it.
People say "meh, that's worse than a top notch copy. You shoulda bought standard"

You buy a Standard and post about it.
People say "meh, those were good back in who knows when, now they're crap. Only a historic has the real Les Paul mojo"

You buy a R9 and post about it.
People say "meh, why would someone buy a guitar that looks like a '59 without being real?"

Well, a real '59 costs... Forget about it.

Anyway, the bottom line is, nobody will ever do anything that will please all the world. The Am Std Series isn't an exception, nor will any series be.

My thoughts exactly! This should be a sticky somewhere!

[kaicho8888]

Just reflecting on this thread...

In the early '60s...yeah, I'm an old fart, you're lucky if you find a Fender Strat hanging, one or two Les Pauls, etc. in your favorite music store. And this was a well known music store in San Francisco where you will find famous players frequently.

Back then we did NOT dwell into the minutia of specifications. You were judged by how well you played. Today, for some reason, people put so much technical emphasis on the instruments and not address the purpose of the instrument. How well you played it is the goal.

Am Std Strats are for the most part, well made and excellent playability. Anyone that compares it to a lesser model like a Sqr Classic Vibe will (should) feel the difference. How it sounds can be tweaked with the EQ on amp and guitar knobs.

Amazingly, I saw on factory tours that they can produce 750-1000 guitars per day! In the sixties, that use to be 500 - 1000 for one model per year....ah, advancement in mass production.

[S. Cane]

Just reflecting on this thread...

In the early '60s...yeah, I'm an old fart, you're lucky if you find a Fender Strat hanging, one or two Les Pauls, etc. in your favorite music store. And this was a well known music store in San Francisco where you will find famous players frequently.

Back then we did NOT dwell into the minutia of specifications. You were judged by how well you played. Today, for some reason, people put so much technical emphasis on the instruments and not address the purpose of the instrument. How well you played it is the goal.

Am Std Strats are for the most part, well made and excellent playability. Anyone that compares it to a lesser model like a Sqr Classic Vibe will (should) feel the difference. How it sounds can be tweaked with the EQ on amp and guitar knobs.

Amazingly, I saw on factory tours that they can produce 750-1000 guitars per day! In the sixties, that use to be 500 - 1000 for one model per year....ah, advancement in mass production.

Exactly!

[ch willie]

I am happy with both Fender's and Gibson's standard American lines. I quit worrying about folks and their snobbishness about standard Ams. I know the Gibson Rs are very good and may have superior parts to the Standard. But I've put mine up to a couple of reissues, and my Traditional has sounded as good as one, better than the other. I've also received a lot of compliments on each of my Fender AmStds. Each of my guitars is easy to play and puts out very good tone.

If I had more disposable income, I might go for a CS jobby or two, but I'm fairly happy with my geets and would probably spend the money on better recording equipment (oh but only after I got a lefty 335 with block inlays).