Can you believe these Fender "American Special" Strats and Teles?

[AprioriMark]

Ok, American made Teles and Strats with Texas Special pickups and this "Greasebucket" tone circuit?  Out the door for 800 bucks?  I had a buddy raving to me about these last night; apparently he bought one of each and says they're better than any Fender he's played in years.  I'm off to check one out tonight. 

Could this be a turning point for Fender?  I mean, they only come in 2 colors per model (Strat, Strat with bridge Humbucker and Tele), but if they're true American-made workhorses for 800 bucks... someone is doing something very right.

I'm curious about your opinions of these if you've played them.

-Mark

 

[ironeddie]

We sell them at the store that I work at.  Not a bad little axe.  There are a couple of differences though... like the texas special pickups.  Also they don't have a bi-flex truss rod.  That means that you can only adjust the neck against the tension of the strings and not crank relief into it if needed.  The finishes aren't as good as the american standards and they only come with a bag rather than a moulded hardshell case.  Those are the only downsides.... and since those aren't really even a big deal, for the price to get an american made guitar is pretty sweet.  I sell a bunch of these and I haven't had any troubles with them coming back with problems and whatnot.  :glasses9:

 

[AprioriMark]

I'm not sure I understand.  Has there ever been a truss rod that you couldn't adjust both ways?

-Mark

 

[-CB-]

All traditional truss rods going back to day one, use a curved channel in the neck, and a single straight rod. 

The bi-flex is similar to the Wpro truss rod, but not quite the same.  It allows you put some relief into the neck, in case the string pull is very low, and the neck does not flex enough all on its own.  A fix for a very very unusual problem.  I wonder what Fender did all the years before they had bi-flex...

Its more marketing than practical, and adds weight.

 

[Dan025]

sounds like they are trying to offer a traditional style strat much like a MIM but a notch above in quality. the american standard is a modern instrument with modern innovations. this sounds like they want to use traditional style pickups with rod magnets just like they were back in the day. 6 hole trem and stamped steel saddles and i assume the tone block is not zinc like a MIM. there may be be a market for this for people that want traditional and quality or people that just can't afford an american standard.

 

[m4rk0]

that is not bad........ but this is how I think:  :icon_biggrin:


Maple/RW neck                                 $157.00
Neck All Clear Satin                         $65.00
Nut                                                 $25.00
Finished body from the showcase $285.00
Pickguard                                         $25.00
Texas Special SET                         $135.00
vintage 6 hole trem                         $44.00
set of gotoh tuners                         $30.00
pots, knobs, switch, screws, strap holders,  
cap, Jackplate & string tree                        $33.00
______________________________________________________
TOTAL                                         $799.00
Having the fun of putting it together PRICELESS!
taking the time to write this up:         Angry Boss!

 

[kboman]

that is not bad........ but this is how I think:  :icon_biggrin:


Maple/RW neck                                  $157.00
Neck All Clear Satin                          $65.00
Nut                                                  $25.00
Finished body from the showcase $285.00
Pickguard                                          $25.00
Texas Special SET                          $135.00
vintage 6 hole trem                          $44.00
set of gotoh tuners                          $30.00
pots, knobs, switch, screws, strap holders,  
cap, Jackplate & string tree                         $33.00
______________________________________________________
TOTAL                                          $799.00
Having the fun of putting it together PRICELESS!
taking the time to write this up:          Angry Boss!

I like this man.

 

[SonicWizard]

I ordered a Fender Highway 1 Texas Tele... it was a nice guitar, but I sent it back because I knew that for just a few bucks more I could make something so much better and personal to me.

What I liked about the Fender:

• Body finish was very cool. The thin, matte finish will wear nicely.
• Shape of the neck was nice. Felt like more of a V-shape than the C-shape they advertise. It was surprisingly comfortable. Also 12-inch radius and large frets were cool.
  
• 
  Action, setup, and all were spot on. Felt fantastic.

What I didn't like:

• I hated the pickups. I thought "these need to go right away". They sounded thin and cold to me. No warmth. Sounded ok with overdrive/distortion, but clean didn't get anywhere near the sound I was hoping for.
  
• The neck felt a bit 'plastic-y' to me and was not finished well. There was a rough spot on the back where it met the headstock.

After thinking about how much it would cost to get the pickups I want and how much fun it would be to do a new build, I decided that it would be worth it to me to order my own parts. Plus, I'd have a unique look and the personal intimacy you get with doing a build.

If you go with a Fender, I'd suggest keeping in mind what it'll cost to 'make it right'. By that, I mean, to meet your wants/needs. Yeah, you can get out the door for $800, but you'll probably have to add $200 in changes. Especially if you're used to playing Warmoth!

 

[SonicWizard]

Oh, I'll add too that the "Greasebucket" circuit is nothing special. I didn't care for it. Seemed to thin out the sound more than anything. I'd rather take a regular tone knob.

I don't mean to bash Fender, but it seems more like a marketing thing to me than a serious feature. Just my $0.02.

 

[tfarny]

These seem like a step in the right direction, good for fender. But give me a bit of time on ebay to find pickups and some of the hardware, and I can make a top-class tele or strat for $800. Now if they would only sell the Deluxe RRI or Princeton '65 for a decent price....

 

[old_metal_head]

I like this man.

I don't think I'll ever own another guitar that I have not put together as well.

 

[nathan a]

Now if they would only sell the Deluxe RRI or Princeton '65 for a decent price....

+1000

What I want, at this point in my geetar-playing existence, is not another Fender axe. Warmoth builds me kickass almost-Fenders. No, what I want is a Fender amp. Preferably something I'm not gonna have to mod!

 

[llmtelecaster]

I played one of these at Guitar Center the other day. It's a nice little guitar. It's basically just a tweaked MIM strat.....upgraded pickups, jumbo frets, etc. I'm a little confused by Fender these days. They raised their prices on American tele's and strats. Then they lowered them back to where they were. And now they've come out with this new American Special, which is just a hundred or two less than the American series. I do own an American strat and although the "American Special" is a nice guitar, I'd pay the couple extra hundred for the American Standard.

 

[Justinginn]

that is not bad........ but this is how I think:


Maple/RW neck                                      $157.00
Neck All Clear Satin                              $65.00
Nut                                                      $25.00
Finished body from the showcase      $285.00
Pickguard                                              $25.00
Texas Special SET                              $135.00
vintage 6 hole trem                              $44.00
set of gotoh tuners                              $30.00
pots, knobs, switch, screws, strap holders,   
cap, Jackplate & string tree                        $33.00
______________________________________________________     
  TOTAL                                            $799.00
  Having the fun of putting it together    PRICELESS!
  taking the time to write this up:            Angry Boss!


Make the neck something exotic and NOW you're talking.

 

[stubhead]

Gee, I don't mean to be Mr. Poopyhead or something, but when a company is selling their basic US-made Strat for $800, then it's $900, then it's $1100, then the economy crashes, and they start selling a basic US-made Strat for $800, doesn't it kinda make you wonder if back there a little ways, they were just trying to SCREW you for whatever they could? What they can't do is just drop the price of an American Standard back to what it's worth, cause that'll give the game away - so they make up a new category! :laughing3:

Gibson got their "Custom Shop" Les Pauls up to $6,000+ there for a while, now they're under five grand. You know - the custom shop, where they round off the fret ends and check for paint drips before they send them out. :toothy12: Les Paul Studios with a "worn" finish are now $800, which is what Les Paul Studios with a shiny finish used to cost, before they cost $1,000, $1,100, $1,200 - except if you get a Les Paul with a "relic'd" finish, it costs more than a shiny one.
Oooooooh, I am so confused, I guess I'll just have to buy one of all of them to make super-triple-sure I'm not getting SCREWED. :dontknow: Mmm-hmm.

 

[many typos]

I am not a guitar Basher at all so don't take this the wrong way... I've seen at least a dozen of these at a few dealers locally... They look a lot like and feel like a MIM guitar. Nothing special about them..
However they are made in the USA... That's enough for me when parked next to a MIM for similar money.. That doesn't mean I would buy one... I wouldn't.

 

[mullyman]

After 3 Warmoth builds, one of them having done for a friend, I can say that I will not go back to a production guitar unless it's something I can't get by doing it myself from Warmoth. There are 2 guitars on the market right now that I would buy if I had the cash available right now, meaning I will buy them once I do. First is the EVH Wolfgang with a maple top. The other is a Music Man Silhouette. Other than those 2 I can't think of anything. It's so much more satisfying sitting there with a fine instrument that you built by yourself......well, not actually built from the ground up, but you know what I mean. I bet it's even better if you can do everything yourself....like cutting out the body, neck, fretting etc...
MULLY
I could probably go for a Zakk Wylde Bullseye LP too