Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster Mini Review

Current revision

American Deluxe Strat

Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster Mini Review by Fran

As the name implies this mini review is about an American Strat model which has some extra features not found on regular American Standard models. There's nothing much we can add to the usual specs of the legendary Strat that we don't already know: they are basically single-coiled guitars equipped with three pickups, a simple tremolo system, bolt-on neck... and six strings

But there are some details about this specific model that shouldn't be overlooked if you are in the market for a new strat. Let's take a look at them:

- S-1 Switch: This is a push-button "hidden" inside the usual volume knob of the strat. When you click it all 5 pick-up configurations change their tone. To do so the guitar produces sound with its pickups in parallel and also uses a Special Tone Capacitor in some of the positions.

- Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups: I love these. They are single coils that produce no humming noise. I hate humming noise!. I love their tone, so distinct from humbuckers, they ring like a bell, lovely crystal cleans, as spected from Fender. For the purists out there I suggest you listen to them yourself, as some players say that they lack that "Fender" sound due to their "noiseless" nature.

- Locking tuners: A nice addition. No more winding and winding the strings around the tuning pegs, just insert in the hole, cut and tune. I really dig them. I should add this guitar stays in tune like a rock. I'm very pleased with the locking tuners and its Fender Deluxe 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo. Of course if you are looking to use and abuse the whammy like Vai, this might not be for you.

- Beveled neck heel: This guitar is finished so well. The neck is a dream, soft like butter. And the beveled neck heel is just classy. Its rounded edges are much better than usual strats squared neck heels, and you can notice it when playing the upper frets.

There are some other details about the model which you can check here, but these are the most important ones to keep in mind when comparing the American Deluxe & the American Standard models.

Although the S-1 switch could seem to be the most enticing feature of the American Deluxe, truth is I don't use it at all, as the "normal" array of sounds of the pups are actually more than enough for me. But it doesn't hurt to have some extra tones in there shall I decide to use them some day. So why did I choose this model?

This guitar was the one that felt better in my hands out of all the different strats I tried at my local shop, and that includes american standards, vintage, classics, signatures & even a custom. They all look the same but they feel a bit different in your hands. They say there's a strat for every player, so make sure to try a few before deciding

Have you got one? Write your Mini Review here!