The Fender American HSS Strat Delivers Sonic Versatility for the Non-Traditionalist
Written: Dec 31 '06 (Updated Sep 22 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fender quality, very cool pick-up alternatives, fatter sound
Cons: May offend traditionalists.
The Bottom Line: The HSS Strat has a humbucker in the bridge and nine total pick up selections that deliver fatter and more versatile sounds that the usual Strat. Velly intellesting.
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| buffoonery's Full Review: Fender American Series Stratocaster Hss |
Author's Note: This was previously (and improperly) posted under the Fat Strat category. Thanks to category lead sparkospunky for adding the HSS product. The old, identical review has been deleted.
You gotta give Fender credit: they take one of the greatest guitars ever designed, the Stratocaster, sell a bazillion of them cuz you have to own a Strat, and then keep improving the product so you have to buy another and another and another.
The result of this quite stupendous marketing philosophy is the Fender American Stratocaster HSS, under review here. It will save a lot of you the time and trouble of doing your own modifications. Read on, but note that this guitar is really for an experienced player who understands the need for a multitude of pick-up combinations and is willing to pay the price for them.
The HSS Strat looks like an ordinary Strat to the ordinary on-looker. Those with any semblance of experience will immediately note that, instead of the usual three single-coil pick-ups, there is a humbucker pick-up in the bridge position. Except for this humbucker (more later), it basically is a garden variety American Stratocaster. It comes in two different varieties, one with an Alder body the other with a maple. The neck is a maple C shape with either a rosewood or maple (butterscotch finish only) fretboard. The neck is 25.5” with the usual 22 frets, the cutaway offering excellent access all the way up the fingerboard (one of the Strat’s great design strengths). The tuners are Schaller Deluxe and the bridge American an 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo.
As I said, so far this looks, tastes and smells like an American Stratocaster. The heart of the design lies in the pick-ups. It comes with two Tex-Mex single-coils in the neck and mid and—herein lies one of the major innovations—a Diamondback humbucker in the neck. The two Tex Mex’s deliver the typical Strat blues/rock tones that have made the guitar justly famous, while the humbucker provides a, well, fatter humbucker sound that may not quite be a Gibson 490 Alnico but is getting into the ball park.
The real rub lies in the volume controls, which are not what they seem to be. Apparently the standard one volume/two tone control design, the HSS actually employs Fender’s S-1 switching system, which (see the chart below) provides nine different switching alternatives: the pick-up selector has the usual five, but moving the master volume control up or down permits you to select five additional choices. With the volume control up, you get the choices that would be most familiar to the Strat player, with the exception of engaging the humbucker:
1. Bridge with humbucker in full series
2. Middle with inside coil of humbucker in parallel
3. Middle
4. Middle and Neck in paraller
5. Neck
It’s when you push the pot down that things get a lot more complicated:
1. Bridge with humbucker in full series (same as 1 above)
1. Full Bridge Humbucking Pickup with Coils in Series, in Parallel with Neck Pickup
2. Full Bridge Humbucking Pickup with Coils in Series, in Parallel with Neck and Middle Pickups that are Paired in Series
3. Inside Coil of Bridge Pickup Paired in Series with Neck Pickup, in Parallel with Middle Pickup
4. Middle Pickup in Series with Neck Pickup
Here, you can get some funky,un-Strat tones. Well, maybe not exactly for funk, but some of these selections provide a very un-Strat fat and beefy tone that will satisfy a lot of hard rockers who would never otherwise trade in their Les Paul or SG for a Stratocaster. I’m not saying that you’ll want to trade-in your Les Paul for this guitar, but the point of it is that there is much more sonic versatility to the HSS than the typical three-single coil Strat and, besides that, it’s a lot of fun to play.
Construction-wise, this is a high-quality Fender product. I didn’t see any neck or body flaws, the paint job is great, and play up and down the neck is Strat-smooth. What you give up for the lack of a single-coil in the bridge (the humbucker by itself isn’t as sharp as a single-coil), you gain in fatness and versatility. For the Strat player who’s looking for something different and has a little spare change, or someone looking for the extra oomph that this guitar delivers, it’s well worth examining. Traditionalists may be initially appalled, but give this guy a chance and you may come around.
Model Name American Stratocaster® HSS
Model Number 011-7000-(Color #) and 011-7002-(Color #)
Series American Series
Colors (700)* 3-Color Sunburst, *add $50.00,
(706) Black,
(744) Shoreline Gold,
(747)** Sienna Sunburst, **add $150.00 for Special Wood Requirements,
(750) Butterscotch Blonde, (Maple Fingerboard Only),(Polyurethane Finish)
Body
Alder on:
(700)* 3-Color Sunburst,
(706) Black,
(750) Butterscotch Blonde,
(791) Chrome Silver,
Ash on: (747)** Sienna Sunburst
Neck
Maple, Modern C Shape,(Satin Polyurethane Finish)
Fingerboard Rosewood (p/n 011-7000) or Maple (p/n 011-7002), 9.5” Radius (241mm)
No. of Frets 22 Medium Jumbo Frets
Pickups: 2 Custom-Staggered Tex-Mex™, Single-Coil Strat® Pickups (Neck and Middle), 1 Fender® Diamondback™ Humbucking Pickup (Bridge)
Controls Master Volume (with S-1™ Switch),
Tone 1. (Neck and Middle Pickups),
Tone 2. Tone Control (Bridge Pickup and Bridge/Middle Pickup Combination)
Pickup Switching
5-Position Blade and 2-Position Push/Push S-1™:
S-1 Switch Up:
Position 1. Full Bridge Humbucking Pickup with Coils in Series (Lead Tone Control)
Position 2. Middle Pickup and Inside Coil of Bridge Humbucking Pickup in Parallel (Lead Tone Control)
Position 3. Middle Pickup (Lead Tone Control)
Position 4. Neck and Middle Pickup in Parallel (Lead and Rhythm Tone Controls)
Position 5. Neck Pickup (Rhythm Tone ControlS-1 Switch
Down:
Position 1. Full Bridge Humbucking Pickup with Coils in Series (Lead Tone Control)
Position 2. Full Bridge Humbucking Pickup with Coils in Series, in Parallel with Neck Pickup (Lead and Rhythm Tone Controls)
Position 3. Full Bridge Humbucking Pickup with Coils in Series, in Parallel with Neck and Middle Pickups that are Paired in Series (Lead and Rhythm Tone Controls)
Position 4. Inside Coil of Bridge Pickup Paired in Series with Neck Pickup, in Parallel with Middle Pickup (Lead and Rhythm Tone Controls)
Position 5. Middle Pickup in Series with Neck Pickup (Rhythm Tone Control)
Bridge American 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo with Stainless Steel Saddles
Machine Heads Fender®/Schaller® Deluxe Staggered Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
Hardware Chrome
Pickguard 3-Ply Parchment On:(700)* 3-Color Sunburst, (706) Black, (744) Shoreline Gold,(747)** Sienna Sunburst,1-Ply Black On:(750) Butterscotch Blonde
Scale Length 25.5” (648 mm)
Width at Nut 1.6875” (43 mm)
Unique Features
S-1 Switching,Black Knobs, Switch Tips and Pickup Covers on: (750) Butterscotch Blonde,Parchment Knobs, Switch Tips and Pickup Covers on: (700)* 3-Color Sunburst, (706) Black, (744) Shoreline Gold, (747)** Sienna Sunburst, ,Original Headstock Shape, Original Body Shape with “Original Contour Body” Decal on Headstock, Rolled Fingerboard Edges, H/S/H Pickup Routing
Strings: Fender® Super Bullets® 3250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-3250-003
Schechter Diamond C+1
PRS Single Cut
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Recommended:
Yes
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