HNGD: American Special Strat

[hardtdc]

That's hot. Congrats. And no, you're not insane.

[Doctor Morbius]

Congrats on the new Strat!

[Alecto]

I have a mental illness

You're not the only one.

Blacked out. This thing is a beast.

Very nice! Happy New Guitar Day! My tastes are similar to yours, but I'm impressed that you could look beyond them and appreciate such a gorgeous player.

[docjeffrey]

Honestly, I like both the Am. Special strat and tele better than the American Standards. The tele has the correct bridge with brass saddles, and the strat has the vintage 6-screw trem, which I think works and sounds better than the two poster. Plus, you get Texas Specials and a 9.5 radius on the Tele (not sure what the strat has). Those strat-style saddles on the Am. Std. tele are just stupid. They work fine on the Thinline and Deluxe, but on a traditional-style Tele, I think Fender is making a big mistake by moving away from what was a winning formula for over 60 years.

 

Your black HSS looks fantastic! I'll bet it's a blast to play.

[deadllama]

Honestly, I like both the Am. Special strat and tele better than the American Standards. The tele has the correct bridge with brass saddles, and the strat has the vintage 6-screw trem, which I think works and sounds better than the two poster. Plus, you get Texas Specials and a 9.5 radius on the Tele (not sure what the strat has). Those strat-style saddles on the Am. Std. tele are just stupid. They work fine on the Thinline and Deluxe, but on a traditional-style Tele, I think Fender is making a big mistake by moving away from what was a winning formula for over 60 years. Your black HSS looks fantastic! I'll bet it's a blast to play.

 

I like them both, really (6-screw and 2-post). I've never been a fan of the gigantic headstock, but it's growing on me.

 

On my 88 Am Std, I keep four springs on it so the bridge is pulled back to the body, and only use the whammy to dive. It stays in tune a lot better that way... when I had the bridge floating I couldn't really ever get the kind of stability I wanted.

 

With this guitar, after about an hour with a screwdriver, I was able to get the bridge floating where I wanted it. I had to raise the string tree on the middle strings and put some graphite in the nut slots, and ever-so-slightly adjust the intonation, but I can bend up and down with the trem and be in tune, which is a new experience for me with Strats

 

EDIT: and the Strat has a 9.5" radius as well.

[JoeFatFish]

Congratulations, and thanks for your excellent overview. I've been looking at the Tele and I'm this |-| close to purchasing one. But I'm gonna have to go online for the white one.

 

 

Excelelnt choice sir on the Black HSS Amer. Spec. Strat, I have the very same one and I know what you mean. And as the white Tele goes, I picked that up as well at GC. I went in for a Strat abut at the time they did NOT have the all Black HSS Amer. Spec, so i tried a tele for 1st time, and I was in awe, it sounds and plays like a dream...soooo, GET IT!