shopaholic_man's Full Review: Fender Standard Stratocaster Maple with Gigbag
My son has been taking guitar lessons for over six months now, and I must say, he has really stuck to them, and practices almost every day. He also has a genuine love of the guitar. He asked that I upgrade his entry level Squier Stratocaster to a real Fender Stratocaster. For financial reasons we decided to take it one step at a time. Yes, two beautiful Custom Shop Stratocasters hang on the wall at Crossroads, one in faded red, the other an aqua blue, but at $2500 apiece, I cannot afford them. The same goes for the American Made Fender Stratocasters at $1,000 plus apiece.
A Great Value
My son and I were able to reach a compromise however, the store sells many quite good Fender Stratocasters that were made in Mexico at less than half the price of an American Strat'. We found one that he loved marked down to $380 and he could trade in his Fender Squier towards the purchase. We were sold, and my son is now the proud owner of a genuine Fender Stratocaster with the most outrageous deep purple satin finish on it. To top it off, we had a speckled purple pick guard installed to replace the plain black one.
What you Already Know about the Strat
The Standard Fender Stratocaster is a lightweight, but solid guitar so it is easy to hold for long periods of time, it just "feels right" when you hold it. It has three single coil pick ups and a five position switch for the bridge pickup, middle pickup, neck pickup, and combinations thereof. 22 Frets, thin neck, great action. Three knobs; one for volume two for tone. Fret markers are on the fret board and on the bass side of the neck.
So what can we say about one of the most popular guitars that hasn't already been said?
It is a perfect guitar for my son. He is 11, and he is very enthusiastic about the guitar, and has been even more so with the Fender. Fender isn't just a brand name, there are definite advantages to having this guitar. Right away he noticed that the Strat was a bit lighter than his Squier. He noticed that it doesn't go out of tune as much. He noticed that the action is lower and easier to play. That being said, my son loves to tell his friends that he has a real Fender Stratocaster.
I've played it a number of times since he got it, and I find it as easy to play as my American Telecaster.
I found the finish of the guitar to really be well done. While I might not have picked the satin purple that he did, it has not a blemish on it, and because it is a satin finish, no fingerprints! It is a striking looking guitar and just looks more expensive than the Squier. I don't believe that it is a guitar that we will trade in, even if eventually he gets an American Strat or a Gibson Les Paul.
The Shape of Things
The other guitar my son had considered was a Jackson V. My son is a fan of Metallica, and saw Kirk Hammett playing one on a concert DVD. The problem with the Jackson V and other similar odd shaped guitars is that they are hard to hold, especially when sitting down taking guitar lessons. If you are still at the lesson stage of guitar playing, or if you like to sit a lot and play guitar, the Fender Stratocaster fits perfectly in your lap with the indentation resting on your leg and staying put. Then you can concentrate on fingering and chords. Although the Jackson V was a cool looking guitar, my son and I decided that since he was taking lessons, it was impractical because the V keeps sliding when you play seated. Moreover, the cutaway in the back of the body, and the rounded edges of the Strat just make it a very comfortable guitar to hold. I have to admit that the Strat is a bit more comfortable to hold than my Telecaster.
Whammy Bar
The Standard Srat does allow attachment of a Tremolo bar, but my son's guitar teacher has discouraged him from this for this stage in his lessons. Therefore, I can only tell you that you may put one onto the guitar.
The SOUND
The Fender Stratocaster sounds great! It has that slightly thin, but rich sound that just screams. We just got a new amplifier, a Line Six Spider III (review coming soon) so many times it is hard to tell if the great sound is from the amp or the guitar, but I am pretty sure that it is a combination of both. In various settings on the amp, I can recreate that great crunchy sustained wail of Neil Young's Like a Hurricane and Nick can get that twang in Led Zeppelin's Black Dog and Rock N Roll. Notes bend easily for songs like Dazed and confused. Harmonics are a breeze to form. Distortion is there if you stand too close to the amp and you do get a bit of feedback hum.
Satisfaction
My son and I are both very happy with this guitar. He has a definite pride in ownership with this guitar. Although he liked the Squier to learn on, he always asked when he could get a real guitar. He had no problems giving up the Squier to trade. He really loves his guitar and has told all his friends and family that he now owns a real Fender Stratocaster. Although he still looks at the American Strats, and definitely wants a Gibson Les Paul, he does NOT want to trade in his first real Fender Stratocaster. It is a great guitar, and the fact that it was built in Mexico does not detract from that.
My son's Comments
Some days my son helps me with my reviews, other days he doesn't say much. I asked him to read this and add any of his comments. He said It's Purple and it's cool!. He also said to mention that he got the matching strap, pick guard and picks to go with the guitar. He is bringing it to music class after vacation to play the songs he has learned in front of his class.
Summary
For less than three hundred dollars (we got $100.00 trade in for his Squier) my son owns a legendary guitar, the Standard Fender Stratocaster. We love it.
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