2017 Fender American Special Stratocaster Hss Olympic White Review
Where does Fender''s new American Special series fit in their family of Strats and Teles?
 | Download Example 1 Strat Make clean - Span & Middle, vol. 7, tone half dozen. |
| | Download Case two Strat Clean - Neck & Eye, vol. eight, tone 7. |
| | Download Case 3 Strat Dirty - Bridge pup, vol. 9, tone 5 |
| | Download Example 4 Tele Clean - Bridge pup, vol/tone rolled off slightly |
| | Download Instance 5 Tele/Orange Overdrive 2/Dirty - Bridge pup, book/tone rolled off slightly. |
| Clips recorded through Vocalization AC30CC2 (unless otherwise noted) in Logic Pro on a MacBook Pro with Focusrite Saffire Pro 24, using Sennheiser e609 and Rode NT-1A mics. | |
The new American Special series represents Fender's efforts to "bring the full Fender feel of a terrific-sounding, smooth-playing, rock-solid-congenital US-fabricated Fender guitar to the workingman without emptying his banking company account."
Nosotros assume that fifty-fifty the functionally clueless tin appreciate what a challenge that must accept been, since in practice it ways giving players the ability to bring abode a new, United states of america-made Fender for a price that is basically (once you lot've adjusted for inflation) a fraction of what a new American Fender electric used to cost, even during the heydey of American manufacturing—and at a time when so many foreign-fabricated guitars have conspicuously demonstrated themselves as equals to their domestic rivals in quality, even exceeding many of them in value. To have an American-made Fender for the price of a foreign-made Fender in 2010 is some dream, and the fact that Fender appears to accept pulled it off is, we think, a testament to the company'due south determination to go on satisfying the demands of its customers even as those demands become more… well, challenging.
Finding the Line
Assessing the value these newcomers offer to working guitarists, nonetheless, turns out to exist quite a claiming in itself. Fender has been very successful at its strategy of offering ever more variations on two of the most archetypal electrics in existence— namely the Telecaster and the Stratocaster— and there are about as many iterations of these storied instruments every bit at that place are kinds of players. The American Special series, like the Highway One and Classic Role player serial earlier it, isn't out to offer an instrument so particular that information technology's totally unlike annihilation already bachelor in Fender'south lineup, so those looking at this new serial will rightly wonder if they have anything new to offer, and if they justify replacing the trusted and well-worn Fender guitars already in their possession.
Quite a large number of players, though, have expressed a desire for an American-made guitar that doesn't come at a premium toll. And supplying that is something new for Fender, even if the instruments themselves aren't a radical departure from previous offerings. At what signal does the trade-off become reasonable? Street price for the American Special Series comes in right around $800, and Fender has numerous Mexican-fabricated instruments at that price point—quite effectively blurring the line betwixt USA-made and strange-made instruments. Then, the real question is: how important is the fact that they're made in the The states? Every bit we've said, props should exist given to Fender for answering the telephone call from players and addressing the desire for legendary American-fabricated quality at a price that's affordable. Indeed, the key ingredient in the American Special recipe is the "fabricated in the U.S.A." characterization, but that might turn out to exist something of a shibboleth. Some players will only buy U.s.-made guitars for ethical reasons, and want to feel that they're supporting the American worker. Others purchase them based on the supposition that they're of a higher quality simply because they're made in the United States. For those to whom information technology means a lot, it means a lot, simply for the toll-witting buyer looking for a workhorse Fender electric with which to pay the bills (or at least some of them), it's less articulate how important that will exist. What is important is how they measure up in quality to their more expensive domestic brethren, and whether they're on par with Fender'southward summit-of-the-line strange-fabricated models.
With the number of models Fender currently produces begetting the Strat and Tele namesakes, information technology'southward all-time to compare the American Specials to those they accept most in mutual with: the American Standard series and the Mexican-made Standard and Highway One lines.
Comparing Offerings
In relation to its south-of-the-border brethren, the American Special Strat and Tele both have some subtle even so apparent differences. There are 22 frets instead of the Standard'due south 21, and the fret size is full colossal, as opposed to the medium jumbo on the Standard. Like the Standard, the American Special features a standard truss rod and no micro-tilt aligning. The cervix is finished in a satin urethane and capped off with a large '70s-era Fender headstock, but information technology has a different feel compared to the satin urethane cervix of the Mexican Standard. Role of that difference might exist due to the extra one mm of width at the nut—this might seem like a trivial thing to note, but players used to the 42 mm spacing of other Fenders might wonder why the neck feels a piddling strange to them. In most every aspect of the neck, the American Special is closest to the Highway Ane line. Another important detail to indicate out is that, like the Highway 1, the American Special offers only a maple fingerboard on the single-coil Strat (the American Special HSS Strat board is rosewood), whereas the Standard and American Standard models take a rosewood option.
Finish options for the American Specials are minimal compared to those offered for both the Standard and American Standard models, with only 2 bachelor for each model, compared to the sometime's v and the latter's seven. The American Specials we received for review do indeed brandish high-quality gloss urethane finishes— as good as whatsoever Fenders we've seen. Like many players, this pair of reviewers leans toward nitrocellulose finishes, when they're available, for the sonic qualities those guitars showroom. In this regard, we think the Highway Ane models might have a leg upward for many, but there's no lack of guitarists who'd rather have a glossy cease.
Stratocaster
The Standard Stratocaster is equipped with a set of ceramic magnet-powered singlecoil pickups, but the American Special Strat ups the ante with Fender'southward pop Texas Special pickups, and it shares Fender'southward unique Greasebucket excursion with the Highway One line. The Greasebucket wiring allows the player to whorl down the Tone command without adding any bass to the sound, a trouble that is the bane of many a unmarried-coil guitarist. It works equally described—though information technology's more effective on the Strat than the Tele, which does drift toward muddiness as you roll the knob down. Another major difference is the span: where the American Standard model utilizes a two-point vibrato with bent steel saddles, the Special comes fitted with a vintage-style bridge that is similar to the 1 employed on the Standard.
Telecaster
Evidently, the Telecaster is a very different beast from its Stratocaster cousin. The American Special model has a major element in common with its original ancestor, and that is the inclusion of a string-through vintage-style bridge with three brass saddles supporting the six strings. We're big fans, and nosotros applaud Fender for the decision. In comparison, the Standard Telecaster has a modern way bridge with individual saddles and a string-through torso. While the added coupling from the string-through design helps with sustain, the contumely saddles from the American Special Tele help it fit more than in line with the vintage, bright and twangy sounds of yesteryear. Like the American Special Stratocaster (and the Highway One Tele), information technology features Fender'south Greasebucket wiring, an additional 1 mm at the nut, Jumbo frets, Texas Special pickups and an additional 22nd fret.
Playability and Tone
Any actor with some real mileage on the odometer, who'south not a newcomer to Fender, will have adult some preferences where the Stratocaster and Telecaster are concerned, and it's for sure that one of the trade-offs that makes the American Special serial possible is a limited set of options. For players who find these guitars clogged of their favorite features, they're sure to exist more than satisfying than for those who gravitate toward different specs. In the interest of full disclosure, this pair of reviewers has to admit nosotros find ourselves a footling more in latter military camp. We do tend to be more than choosy near Strats than Teles—a disposition that is not uncommon. It may be only the fact that the Tele is in many ways a much simpler musical instrument, while the Strat has always been, in the succinct words of one of our colleagues, "a fragile balancing human action." We tend to prefer rosewood boards on our Strats, but nosotros similar maple but fine on our Teles. Neither of us is crazy about the super-size frets, though we're more doubter when it comes to the larger headstocks and the differences between the two-betoken and vintage-fashion tremolo systems.
Both American Specials did require significant setup work upon arrival, just both yielded gracefully to the undertaking. They are equally accommodating and playable as any of their like, and the modern C-shaped cervix is comfy and familiar. The fretwork is good, and the Texas Special pickups on both guitars obediently delivered the signature tones we were looking for when nosotros plugged them into a Vox AC30CC2. The Strat has plenty of dishonest in the notched positions; the bridge pickup has but the right amount of cut seize with teeth without the harsh brightness; and the neck pickup offered up a characteristic bluesy swagger. All three are balanced well with each other in terms of output, and they clean up nicely when you gyre the Volume knob off. Our merely reservation here is with the taper of the Strat'due south volume pot, which leaves a little to be desired in terms of its evenness and usefulness for volume swells.
Similar the Strat, the American Special Tele's pickups are on the hot side, with plenty of sizzle. They too are well counterbalanced, though they tend much more toward modern sounding even with the traditional bridge. The brass saddles practice seem to provide all the snap and bite we like to hear in a Telecaster, and they didn't frustrate our efforts to reach a workable intonation. Nosotros didn't like the audio of the bridge pickup with the Volume and Tone knob maxed (a get-to setting for both of us) as much as we wanted to, only we take to admit we've been fairly spoiled by the sound of the Mexican-fabricated Road Worn '50s Telecaster nosotros acquired concluding year. Information technology has bona fide vintage tone and a degree of subtlety and tonal versatility that's hard to compete with. Despite that, the American Special Telecaster does take what it takes to satisfy many, if not all, Tele afficionados.
The Terminal Mojo
We establish the build quality, fit and finish of the American Special Stratocaster and Telecaster to be on a par with many of Fender's top Mexican-made offerings, but we can't say they've exceeded them. For the price, that means a adept, solid value—provided buyers aren't set on having a wider diverseness of options available to them. Those who do know exactly what they want in an über-reliable Fender axe would probably do well to consider the long-term benefits of stepping upwardly to an American Standard, even if it ways a lilliputian more coin.
Buy if...
these specs make your middle go creep, and a "Fabricated in the U.S.A." characterization is essential.
Skip if...
you lot're looking for a number-ane Fender electrical that's merely the way you lot desire it.
Rating...
Source: https://www.premierguitar.com/gear/fender-american-special-stratocaster-telecaster-reviews
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