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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 8:05 am
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odin69 wrote:
I'd like to see stainless steel frets put on them. Then maybe I'd quit eye balling the Tom Anderson Strats.

If I haven't bought a Dave Murray Strat for x-mas, I'd be all over one of the deluxe Strats being price cut right now. There are some good deals going on right now.


Some of the competition is doing SS frets at the American Deluxe price point so this is a possibility. Right now you can get SS frets on the "base model" Suhr Classic Pro guitars that have a MAP of $1,999.99. And the two new EBMM guitars - the Sting Ray and the Cutlass - are going to have SS frets at a $1,499.99 MAP.


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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 8:28 am
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John C wrote:
odin69 wrote:
I'd like to see stainless steel frets put on them. Then maybe I'd quit eye balling the Tom Anderson Strats.

If I haven't bought a Dave Murray Strat for x-mas, I'd be all over one of the deluxe Strats being price cut right now. There are some good deals going on right now.


Some of the competition is doing SS frets at the American Deluxe price point so this is a possibility. Right now you can get SS frets on the "base model" Suhr Classic Pro guitars that have a MAP of $1,999.99. And the two new EBMM guitars - the Sting Ray and the Cutlass - are going to have SS frets at a $1,499.99 MAP.


Yeah, I might take a look at the EBMM's. I tried out some Suhr's along with the Tom Anderson's, I preferred the TA's. I liked the overall feel of guitar. The neck shape and bevel on the lower horn of the body made it easier for me to play.


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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 9:06 am
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The Stingray & Cutlass guitars are completely different beasts; they retain many of the sibilings from their ancestors but the 4+2 headstock, asymmetrical neck plate, pickups and passive circuitry make for a modern reinterpretation of the 1970s originals.

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Image


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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:14 pm
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chromeface wrote:
The Stingray & Cutlass guitars are completely different beasts; they retain many of the sibilings from their ancestors but the 4+2 headstock, asymmetrical neck plate, pickups and passive circuitry make for a modern reinterpretation of the 1970s originals.

Image

Image


Actually the Cutlass may be somewhat "active" - it has a new version of their "Silent Circuit" which does take a battery, and it also has some kind of "buffered output" this time around. With the old Silent Circuit the guitar would work without the battery, but would just have the typical noise in positions 1-3-5 on an SSS guitar. If this one works like the boost/buffer found in the Luke III and some Petrucci models (JP13, JP15, and Majesty models) then the guitar will need the battery to work.

Some other tidbits on these: the new Sting Ray is supposed to have an asymmetrical neck shape so I suspect it will be something like the Axis neck, and the Cutlass is supposed to have a "V-to-C" shape - this is per the review in that same issue of Guitar Player as the Fender ad I found last night.

Evidently MM did a prototype "Cutlass" guitar back in the day - this would be post-Leo but pre-bankruptcy, after they finally parted ways with CLF Research for building the instruments. The "Cutlass I" bass was a Sting Ray with a graphite neck, and the "Cutlass II" bass was a Sabre with a graphite neck. They found a "Cutlass guitar prototype" in Tom Wheeler's collection after he died that was a Sabre guitar with a graphite neck and a Kahler flat-mount tremolo. EBMM revived the name for this Strat-ish model that is based on the Sabre body shape. They have also killed off the SSS version of the Silhouette Special; it's only an HSS guitar now (and only made in black or white).


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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 2:27 am
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I checked Tom's website last year; their Icon Classic lacks off the dual strap buttons but does sport a recessed jack socket, a 3-knob layout and an SSS setup.

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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 12:03 pm
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John C wrote:
Rumor no more; the American Deluxe Series is now the "Fender American Elite Series".



They should have kept the "Deluxe" name, but that's just me.


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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 4:25 am
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Slightly disappointed to see the HSS verisons have not got the fancy roller nut anymore and now have a string tree which is surely by far one of the worst culprits for going out of tune when using the trem heavily :shock:

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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 7:48 am
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93greenstrat wrote:
John C wrote:
Rumor no more; the American Deluxe Series is now the "Fender American Elite Series".



They should have kept the "Deluxe" name, but that's just me.


I agree - why give up 18 years of brand equity in the "American Deluxe" name. The cynical marketer in me isn't going to be surprised if Fender brings back the American Deluxe name for the next generation - due in 2022. This reminds me of 2000 - when they updated the American Standard and decided rename them the "American Series", only to restore the "American Standard" name with the next major revision of the model for 2008.


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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 7:51 am
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Strat Boy wrote:
Slightly disappointed to see the HSS verisons have not got the fancy roller nut anymore and now have a string tree which is surely by far one of the worst culprits for going out of tune when using the trem heavily :shock:


I don't know if you noticed it in the specs, but apparently they are now using "all short post" locking tuners on these instead of the 3 tall/3 short that they've been using for decades. They are using that same one on the Teles.


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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 8:23 am
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John C wrote:
Strat Boy wrote:
Slightly disappointed to see the HSS verisons have not got the fancy roller nut anymore and now have a string tree which is surely by far one of the worst culprits for going out of tune when using the trem heavily :shock:


I don't know if you noticed it in the specs, but apparently they are now using "all short post" locking tuners on these instead of the 3 tall/3 short that they've been using for decades. They are using that same one on the Teles.


Hi - yes, saw that

However, my 2013 am dlx hss has the roller nut and no string trees thus making tuning pretty stable even after sever wang bar abuse!!!!!!!! LOL

even with the short post tuners, they are still now fitting a string tree - seems a backwards step to me (or cost cutting)

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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 11:52 am
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Strat Boy wrote:
John C wrote:
Strat Boy wrote:
Slightly disappointed to see the HSS verisons have not got the fancy roller nut anymore and now have a string tree which is surely by far one of the worst culprits for going out of tune when using the trem heavily :shock:


I don't know if you noticed it in the specs, but apparently they are now using "all short post" locking tuners on these instead of the 3 tall/3 short that they've been using for decades. They are using that same one on the Teles.


Hi - yes, saw that

However, my 2013 am dlx hss has the roller nut and no string trees thus making tuning pretty stable even after sever wang bar abuse!!!!!!!! LOL

even with the short post tuners, they are still now fitting a string tree - seems a backwards step to me (or cost cutting)


I agree, kind of a backwards move, but likely a move to satisfy those who didn't care for the LSR nut. It could be that Fender has some consumer research that shows more people dislike the LSR than like it.

I don't think it would save that much cost - LSR nuts are $35-$40 dollars, but they probably save some labor since the LSRs don't require the handwork that the usual plastic "synthetic bone" nut requires. I notice that some places are sold out of them, so maybe Fender was having supplier issues with LSR like they did with Schaller (when they changed to the Ping tuners).

And to Fender - the info is out there; why not just go ahead and turn on the webpages now? NAMM is only 12 days away.


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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 12:35 pm
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John C wrote:
Strat Boy wrote:
John C wrote:
Strat Boy wrote:
Slightly disappointed to see the HSS verisons have not got the fancy roller nut anymore and now have a string tree which is surely by far one of the worst culprits for going out of tune when using the trem heavily :shock:


I don't know if you noticed it in the specs, but apparently they are now using "all short post" locking tuners on these instead of the 3 tall/3 short that they've been using for decades. They are using that same one on the Teles.


Hi - yes, saw that

However, my 2013 am dlx hss has the roller nut and no string trees thus making tuning pretty stable even after sever wang bar abuse!!!!!!!! LOL

even with the short post tuners, they are still now fitting a string tree - seems a backwards step to me (or cost cutting)


I agree, kind of a backwards move, but likely a move to satisfy those who didn't care for the LSR nut. It could be that Fender has some consumer research that shows more people dislike the LSR than like it.

I don't think it would save that much cost - LSR nuts are $35-$40 dollars, but they probably save some labor since the LSRs don't require the handwork that the usual plastic "synthetic bone" nut requires. I notice that some places are sold out of them, so maybe Fender was having supplier issues with LSR like they did with Schaller (when they changed to the Ping tuners).

And to Fender - the info is out there; why not just go ahead and turn on the webpages now? NAMM is only 12 days away.

My local store here in the UK already has them in stock to buy!!!!!!!!

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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 2:54 pm
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Yeah not much info but a quick look here on the tube .... makes you wonder where the official fender vid is...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbc-0aSWtcI
:D


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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 6:11 am
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Strat Boy wrote:
...My local store here in the UK already has them in stock to buy!!!!!!!!


In stock? I saw only "preorder" options. :?

If they really are actually in stock, could you provide a link?

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Post subject: Re: Rumor Mill - American Deluxes being replaced?
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:27 pm
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John C wrote:
93greenstrat wrote:
John C wrote:
Rumor no more; the American Deluxe Series is now the "Fender American Elite Series".



They should have kept the "Deluxe" name, but that's just me.


I agree - why give up 18 years of brand equity in the "American Deluxe" name. The cynical marketer in me isn't going to be surprised if Fender brings back the American Deluxe name for the next generation - due in 2022. This reminds me of 2000 - when they updated the American Standard and decided rename them the "American Series", only to restore the "American Standard" name with the next major revision of the model for 2008.


Yes, I have a 2005 American Series Strat. Not sure what's up with the name changes. At least it's not as bad as using the name of a vintage model like the Starcaster to sell a low-end guitar at places like Best Buy, then re-issuing the vintage guitar model. Yikes! The site says Fender launches the new products on January 21st.


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