Fender American Standard Stratocaster Review

The Fender American Standard Stratocaster guitar is the full name for a long standing classic in the world of guitars.  Every guitarist knows the classic stratocaster shape and most, if not all, would love to own at least one, if they don’t already.

Fender is an institution in guitar manufacturing and have consistently created instruments that are not only supremely playable, but are visually appealing and desirable, and they’ve been doing it for well over 50 years.

The American Standard guitar doesn’t disappoint and through the years it has been a stalwart for both Fender and musicians alike.

This guitar looks great, sounds great and feels totally comfortable to play due to the attention to detail lavished on each one.  Each and every part of every guitar has been scrutinized regarding its effect on the look, sound and playability.

There are 3 versions of the American Standard; the classic, the HSS (Humbucker, Single Coil, Single Coil pickups) and the left-handed versions.  We are going to look at the classic first and then the HSS as they share many qualities, with the left-handed version sharing the same features of the right-handed classic.

Starting with the main body, previous models used a thick polyurethane coating which has been discarded in favor of a thinner nitrocellulose coating which improves the resonance and lets the wood body breathe.  This feels more natural too, allowing the instrument to become almost part of you while playing it.

At present there are 14 different colors to choose from including the popular Sunburst and its variations along with 2 new colors, Sienna Sunburst and Blizzard Pearl.  My personal favorite is Candy Cola with a Rosewood neck, indeed the choice of Maple or Rosewood neck is available.

This model has 3 single coil pickups, the variety of sounds/tones you can achieve with these in combination with the bent steel saddles and copper infused bridge block is large and typical of a Fender guitar, useful for so many styles of music from blues to metal, funk and beyond.

The American 2-point trem is still as musical and expressive as ever, with the expected quality pickguard to limit damage to the beautiful finish.

Moving to the neck and this has been treatment-tinted to give it a truly lush and well polished look.  The hand-rolled fingerboard/fretboard edges give a feeling that the guitar has already been ‘broken-in’ and is ready for you to play as if you’ve already put hours of play in and the back of the neck also has the satin-like finish and feel to it which keeps it smooth – especially good when your fingering hand gets a bit hot and sticky.

This model is played by many famous and well respected guitarists including Nils Lofgren from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Ritchie Blackmore, Boz Skaggs and many more so if you want to get closer to their sound, this is the guitar for you.  Of course, being a Fender Stratocaster, you can dig into its endless sonic pool and create your own sound.

The American Standard HSS model has many of the above mentioned features except that it comes fitted with two Tex Mex™ single-coil pickups and a Diamondback™ humbucking pickup for a warmer sound and 8 different colors including the new Blizzard Pearl and Sienna Sunburst.  This is the Stratocaster for those who like to play a bit of everything and anything style-wise; rock, blues, jazz, funk, metal, ambient – you name it, this is a true multi-tonal instrument.

Both of these models come with great protection in the form of Fender’s own SKB molded case, so you can carry your prized possession with peace of mind and if that wasn’t enough, all Fenders come with a lifetime warranty.

If you’re already interested in buying a Fender American Standard Stratocaster, then also consider that Fender guitars never lose their value, so you don’t need to worry about selling it on, not that you’d want to unless it was absolutely necessary; these guitars are that good.

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