American Special Strats?

BRISTOL86

How are they? Found a good deal on a new Special which isn't too far north of a used Am erican Standard. 

Are they vastly different beings quality wise?

Funkfingers

Similar woodwork, cheaper hardware. 

TBH, I would not buy either variant brand new.

Neil

Of the two - used American Standard. 

BRISTOL86

Funkfingers said:

Similar woodwork, cheaper hardware. 

TBH, I would not buy either variant brand new.

Even at not much more than a used Standard?

BRISTOL86

Neil said:

Of the two - used American Standard. 

Thanks. What makes the standard the better option, better pups? 

Still getting my head around the plethora of strat variants!! 

I have around £600-£700 for what will be my one and only guitar. What's the best Strat bang for buck here?

StefB

The American Specials are decent guitars, watch out for weight though.  I had one for a short while and it was 10lbs, which is very heavy for a Strat.

Guitarist review here - http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/fender-american-special-stratocaster-237197

guitars4you

BRISTOL86 said:

Neil said:

Of the two - used American Standard. 

Thanks. What makes the standard the better option, better pups? 

Still getting my head around the plethora of strat variants!! 

I have around £600-£700 for what will be my one and only guitar. What's the best Strat bang for buck here?

for £600/700 then I'd say a Strat Std - unlikely to get an AM Strat Deluxe for that price which is the next model up - Although Fender have effectively called it the Strat Std for a number of years now and during this period they have 'upgraded' it a number of times - If you can find a later model with Custom Shop pick-ups then IMO a good option

BRISTOL86

Thanks both. 

@guitars4you would you steer clear of the American Special then? Especially at more than a used Standard?

guitars4you

BRISTOL86 said:

Thanks both. 

@guitars4you would you steer clear of the American Special then? Especially at more than a used Standard?

I've had them in the past and sold them - They are good value for the money - officially a notch below the Std based on prices, but not a lot in it - To be honest your best bet is to play both and see which you prefer

BRISTOL86

guitars4you said:

BRISTOL86 said:

Thanks both. 

@guitars4you would you steer clear of the American Special then? Especially at more than a used Standard?

I've had them in the past and sold them - They are good value for the money - officially a notch below the Std based on prices, but not a lot in it - To be honest your best bet is to play both and see which you prefer

Thanks will do. New will cost me c. 25% more than a used Standard. I prefer to buy new purely based on my inexperience of buying - i.e. spotting potential pitfalls and after sales issues etc but not against buying used if it really makes no sense to spend the difference. 

paul_c2

I know its not very politically correct, but I've always had negative connotations about their "special player" guitars. However, I think these are made in China, so not the same as an American Special Player one. Personally I'd always take the chance on a reasonable secondhand model rather than buying new - they're just too poor value for money nowadays new. If you're going to regularly play and travel with the guitar, condition isn't massively important, you'll doubtless put a few dents and knocks in it etc. Guitars aren't terribly complicated so anything mechanical or electrical that's wrong with a secondhand one can normally be sorted out without too much bother. However if you'll hardly ever play it, you might want to get the best condition one possible, in which case you might need to travel to see a secondhand one in the flesh, then decline it.

Adamski

The best thing to do in your situation, considering your reservation buying secondhand, is to get an American standard used from a dealer. I've regularly seen them in most of the big shops for £650-700, which is a small mark up on one from here usually but may provide you the security you desire. 

Personally ive never had a bad dealing with anyone on here and would suggest that putting out a want to buy ad in the classifieds would yeald your best results! 

As for the two options, I've played a few specials and many standards and almost always the standards have felt slightly better and have been lighter too (which I like). Sound wise there hasn't usually been much in it - I think the specials use Texas special pickups which I've always found to be at least decent. Don't forget that only the standard will give you a hard case, if that's desirable. 

BRISTOL86

Thanks both. Hard case isn't a must to be honest as I have one with my MX Strat so I can sell it without a case. 

Might keep my eyes peeled for used from dealers like you suggest.

The reason I was leaning towards the special was that I love the look of it with the big headstock and the black guard on sunburst (shallow I know!!) - the TS pickups sound good too from what I've heard. But I really have no benchmark other than my MX. The HSS config is a nice bonus too as I never use the bridge pickup anyway and gives a bit more versatility I guess. 

But its a case of whether at £100 more than a used standard it's a smart decision. 

Perhaps I'll pop down to PMT and actually play one through the amp I'm planning to get. 

gubble

I've a American Special Strat. I wanted a maple fingerboard, non gloss neck, big headstock strat with texas specials - so for me the special on paper was the ideal guitar.

I picked up mine for £500 s/h. The previous owner was a complete muppet, had messed around with the wiring inside, tightened the neck screws too much and the corrosion on the saddles and some of the screws was too much considering it was a five year old instrument. I actually became a little worried after buying it that it wasn't the real thing.

In the end I took it to my local guitar tech people who did an amazing job on setting it up and sorting out the little niggles. It's now a fantastic instrument that inspires me to play.

My only niggles are that the tone control on the bridge pickup isn't very good it's either all or nothing - in fact it doesn't do anything between 2 and 8. Also the rear cavity plate has to be removed to change strings as even when floating the holes don't line up with the block.

BRISTOL86

Thanks @gubble !

I also fancied a non gloss neck which would be another plus point for the Special over the Standard

Chalky

I'm near Oxford so about 90 minutes from Bristol, and if you fancied a drive you could try my American Special and my American Standard. If you bring your money, you could buy either of them for £500.  Take it home for a week and if you changed your mind, bring it back and I promise to give you the same cash back.

BRISTOL86

Chalky said:

I'm near Oxford so about 90 minutes from Bristol, and if you fancied a drive you could try my American Special and my American Standard. If you bring your money, you could buy either of them for £500.  Take it home for a week and if you changed your mind, bring it back and I promise to give you the same cash back.

Chalky that's incredibly kind, thank you.

I've actually just negotiated a staggeringly good deal on a new American Special - subject to playing it and confirming it's what I want - so I'm going to see how that goes first but will let you know if things don't pan out as planned! 

Chalky

BRISTOL86 said:

Chalky said:

I'm near Oxford so about 90 minutes from Bristol, and if you fancied a drive you could try my American Special and my American Standard. If you bring your money, you could buy either of them for £500.  Take it home for a week and if you changed your mind, bring it back and I promise to give you the same cash back.

Chalky that's incredibly kind, thank you.

I've actually just negotiated a staggeringly good deal on a new American Special - subject to playing it and confirming it's what I want - so I'm going to see how that goes first but will let you know if things don't pan out as planned! 

Sounds great - my American Special is HSS and you don't need to worry about knocking it, unlike a new guitar!

jeztone2

Erm it depends what you want. The American Special has jumbo frets. So by that alone it's the guitar I prefer to play. It's got Texas Specials too. 

BRISTOL86

jeztone2 said:

Erm it depends what you want. The American Special has jumbo frets. So by that alone it's the guitar I prefer to play. It's got Texas Specials too. 

The Texas specials sound great from what I've heard so far and I'm really keen to try the jumbo frets and see how it compares to my MX standard. 

dannyboy82

Hi,

I've just picked up a lake placid blue American special tele.

Having owned various levels of telecaster over the years from standards up to custom shop models this certainly doesn't feel an inferior product.

Fit and finish are spot on and the thing looks and sounds stunning.

If a hard case isn't a must and you want a brand new guitar (some people do!) I can see a lot of sense in going for the special, especially given the current prices of the professional series.

One caveat would be the jumbo frets, I prefer them but it would be better to try one first to make sure they suit you.

Cheers,

Dan