Arm Contour Uneven

[yes9310]

I just got a new Fender Amercian Standard Strat in Olympic White with Maple neck. It looks and sounds great except for two things, well three if you count the hum. The maple neck wood looks a little greenish yellow to me and a few others who saw it. My main question though is about the arm contour. I let a fellow rocker try it out the other night at a gig and saw it under the stage lights and noticed all this waviness in the body around the arm contour. At first I thought it looked like a bad drippy paint job and then I noticed that where the flat part of the body meets the crease that begins to round the arm contour, that there is a flat unrounded edge right on the crease on one angle, and what appears to be a deeper sanding that dips slightly inward into the body at the point of where the flat part of the body meets the crease at yet another strange angle. Is this typical? Should I return it? Could it be the Olympic white showing it more? I have several other cheaper guitars in the $2-400 range and they're completly rounded smooth at the arm contour. I'd post a pic but it's hard to see it with the Olympic white finish until a light hits it at an angle. Any suggestions much appreciated.

[photoweborama]

I don't know, mine are smooth, but you might just consider it a feature that makes it different from other guitars. just think, in 10 years when Fender is making the Yes9310 signature strat, they will be spending painstaking hours trying to duplicate that....

[Marcondo]

Thats why I buy the MIM Fenders they have less paint flaws than the USA ones I see. All the USA Fenders I have owned had paint flaws and bad workmanship 7 guitars. I have bought 9 MIM and MIJ Fenders and they were all flawless with zero flaws anywhere.

Made in the USA doesnt mean what it used to Japanese and Mexico workmanship is much better.

[yes9310]

I can appreciate your sentiment Photowebarama. However, if they're going to make a yes9310 signature strat, I'd prefer it be me who created the dings and markings instead of Fender. Otherwise I'd try to build one myself employing my own lack of skill and sanding equipment. ;-) As for Marcondo's comments, that is a real paradigm shifter for me who always thought the American made ones were better. You'd at least think they would be, considering the American Standard cost nearly 3 times as Standard MIM Strat and made at Fender's new state-of-the-art facility. I did notice how nicely the MIM's were finished at GC and liked the bright white maple neck against the Olympic white ala Hendrix, instead of the older vintage yellow-green look on the American. However, I chose to go for the American because it has the rolled edges on the neck, more fret detailing with medium jumbo frets using quarter sawn wood instead of the less expensive cross cut, with the thin vintage frets of the MIM, 2 peice Alder body instead of 3 on MIM, as well as having the Alnico magnet pups instead of the ceramic ones on MIM. Even so, with as noisy as the pups are, I may be better off to get the MIM Standard, replace the pups with Kinman Noiseless Woodstocks, refret with bass frets and put some locking tuners and a tremesetter on it for about the same price as the American. Now if I could just get it with the large headstock, I'd do it. Since that's not possible, the only other option is to build from scratch which defeats the whole purpose. I considered the MIM 70's Strat but that's made of Ash and a bit too bright for my taste with the maple neck. Now if the 70's Strat came in Alder...hmmm Sounds like I may need to talk to the Custom Shop folks after I hit the lottery.

[photoweborama]

I do have an AmSer Tele and it's really a great guitar. Has none of the flaws I read about. The frets did wear rather fast though. Faster than my MiM Standard Strat with vintage frets.... Also my MiM Standard has rolled edges….

I did notice an imperfection on my Tele the other day when the light hit it right. A little further down from where my forearm hits, there seems to be a dip in the wood. You can't really see it unless the light is just right...

I do like the MiM guitars. I've been to the factory and saw how they were made.

Here is the link incase you did not read it yet.

[yes9310]

Thanks for the link photorama! Is there one for where they make the U.S. models? I did notice on your link how the MIMs use the 3-peice instead of the 2 on the U.S. models. Wonder if the 3 peices being glued together affects the tone any? I think the U.S. models have 2 peices glued together.

Also, I wouldn't mind a slight wood imperfection or natural dip. Mine just looks like it was improperly rounded or must have missed the final sanding along with the dip. :ahem

http://www.allthingsstrat.com/2004%2...uitarbody.html

[photoweborama]

No, no US tour. I got nixed on that one. They may let me next year. AP has the US factory pictorial sewed up, but I've never seen it yet... I am going to the Seymour Duncan plant next month though...

I've been told that as long as there are no seams under the bridge, the three pieces don't cause an ill effect on the tone.

[yes9310]

Ah cool! I remember seeing a pictorial of the Cornoado plant somewhere a whiles back. I think it may have been in an older Frontline Catalog. In any event, somebody was asleep at the wheel when my arm contour was being rounded at Coronado. :bwa

That would make sense about the seams under the bridge. All the bodies in the pics look like the largest peice of the 3 is straight down the center.