I read Willie's latest post and I must say I was surprised when I saw him talk about people bashing on American Standards ("awful AmStds"), cause I myself never saw anyone say that...
What exactly do people complain about regarding that series, Willie?
There's nothing wrong with American Standards. We just have a lot of traditionalists here. American Standards have been tweaked to be a little more user friendly and their sound is maybe a little smoother (less raw?) than an equivalent vintage style guitar- tweaked to better suit many guitarists rather than focused to appeal to a few.
translation: dumb down for the masses...
I have seen mild stuff here--slight bashing of AmStds when boasting of the MIMs. I wish I could find an example.
On other fora, I've heard people bitch about the bridges, the tuners, the body shape, the headstock shape, the decal, saddles, nut, etc. Most times, there's a comparison to another guitar.
But I really don't mind. People have their ideal guitar(s) in mind.
I love AmStds, and while I've swapped pups, I have found my ideal tones in these guitars. In one Strat and the Tele, I get the vintage-y tone I've always searched for; the Strat with HBs is a monster for heavier rock. As a lefty, I've been lucky over the years to play a few custom shop Fenders, and I prefer the AmStds I've played.
To quote Paul Simon, "One man's ceiling is another man's floor."
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
I see.
This is a very interesting "issue". I myself like both old and new Fenders. Maybe not the limited run odd models that mean to be something "different", like the longboard strat, but I do like 'em in gereral.
I understand people who value tradition and prefer the older models. These guys will definitely stick to old guitars and the vintage reissues... No problem at all. I myself would love to own a historic and definitely dig the reissues! They are beautiful and sound great to my ears, since I like 60s music a lot.
Others like the modern ones, they are incredibly playable and let's say, "improved" with little things that make them more comfortable.
But as for deeming the American Standards something less desirable because they are not just like a 50s strat, well... I consider that a lack of understanding of what Fender is all about. If we were to desire a guitar that is "pure vintage", then we'd all play Esquires and telecasters.
Fender has ALWAYS made a point of blending tradition and innovation, and the stratocaster itself was meant to be a modular futuristic guitar, and since 1954 it hasn't remained the same for more than a couple of years. Pickguards changed over time, headstocks, pickups, switches (originally they were all 3-ways), you just don't pick up two "standard" strats from two decades and get two identical guitars.
There is not a SINGLE standard Fender (especially the strat) that wasn't meant to be something new and more playable by the time it was released...The American Standard series is today what the 1954 was meant to be back then... The rest is hype.
As for the American Standard being "smoother", well maybe they say that regadring the 90s and early 2000s guitars, but the Am Std now comes with Custom Shop Fat 50s from the factory, and those pickups sound full and traditional enough to me. It's a guitar that you can bring along to the stage, and play most anything you like, from Buddy Holly to Pink Floyd or Dream Theater.
Please note that this is just my opinion, I'm not trying to say that anyone is right or wrong, to each his own.
I would love to have one guitar of each and every model
Last edited by S. Cane; 10-22-2015 at 06:03 AM.
I quit chasing other guitarist's tones long ago, at least not intentionally anymore. I like the vintage-y sound I get from the Fender CS vintage pups. My geets don't sound exactly like vintages sound, and they no longer sound like AmStds. But with the AmSTd as a platform, I've found my ideal sounds.
Yes, each to his own according to which model and year he or she loves. Right handers have so many excellent model choices. Lefties can only drool--everything from vintage sounds to the most modern of tones is so attractive. Fender should be applauded for those models that get it right.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
The Fat 50s and Twisted Tele pups installed currently on the AM STDs are excellent. I personally have no issues at all with my '13 AM STD Tele. I've owned vintage Teles in the past that were no where near as good.
From a production standpoint the tolerances in the neck pocket are much tighter on new AM STDs than many a vintage Tele. Especially the Fenders from 70s. Many of those 70s Fenders were dodgy at best.
I like the vintage stuff too and I've played some that were phenomenal. On the other hand some are dogs. I think it can fall either way on the new AM STDs too. I also think a good AM STD will more than suffice as your main guitar with no problem.
I like the workmanship and the feel, factory produced as the AmStds are. I once had a really good MIM, but I didn't like the pups in it or the veneer sunburst top, just couldn't get past these. They have different pups in them now, and maybe that puts them closer to a good old AmStd.
I am not a cork sniffer. I would play a broom with one string if I loved its tone.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
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