Phew!!

Thought you were gonna say "Beer" for a second there

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Erika Nicole 1/09/88-7/05/08

http://indiemusicworks.com/Axe/

This is great. I was stratless for almost five years.

Congratulations, Axe!

Thats one of my favorites of the Am Deluxes.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

thats the same with me..i just came into a little cash and bought a 2009 american deluxe with ash body and, i am totally in love with it i also purchased the 65 deluxe reverb amp and when i plugged in i expected the good ole strat twang but, not like this lol the sound is amazing and i am very happy. cant seem to put it down for long.

Oh you did good! I also have had an American Deluxe for two years and she still takes my breath away when I look at her. The S1 feature is great!

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"If I don't see you no more in this world I'll meet you on the next one and don't be late... don't be late." -Jimi Hendrix

Damn you! so many beautiful guitars, not enough cash or time to play them!

Its a beauty, best of luck with it.

The SCN pups in the AmDlx are some of the most convincing noiseless SC sized pups. The tonal options of the S1 switching system is awesome.

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"If I don't see you no more in this world I'll meet you on the next one and don't be late... don't be late." -Jimi Hendrix

More pics,, we all like pics right??









I don't take the best pictures

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Erika Nicole 1/09/88-7/05/08

http://indiemusicworks.com/Axe/

thats a beautiful guitar thanks for the pics. if i can figgure out how to uplaod i will send picture of my guitar if anyones interested to see it. i believe the color is call faded cherry burst or something. it was the only deluxe ash guitar they had and i love the color anyway too.[/img]

Thanks

I wanted to post a few pics because when I was deciding on a color I couldn't find any real world pics of Olympic White/Maple board American Deluxe Strats. All the pics I ran across seemed to be vendor pics and are even worse than mine

This Strat is really starting to grow on me

I still think I may go with a smoked mirror pickguard..

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Erika Nicole 1/09/88-7/05/08

http://indiemusicworks.com/Axe/

My 2007 American Deluxe in Vintage White



and My 2009 Highway One HSS

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"If I don't see you no more in this world I'll meet you on the next one and don't be late... don't be late." -Jimi Hendrix

So how do they compare?

Vintage White was my first choice for color but I couldn't pass on the deal Sweetwater offered me on the Olympic White AM Dlx

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Erika Nicole 1/09/88-7/05/08

http://indiemusicworks.com/Axe/

The AmDlx is by far more refined in many aspects. The neck receives a detailed hand rolled dressing of the fret ends. In comparison the HW1 is very sharp and causes great discomfort to the crook of my thumb when sliding up and down the bottom E when I play rhythms. It's bad enough (for my perpetually tender skin) that I know I'll need to address it at some point.

Weight wise the HW1 feels just a bit lighter. It may have to do with the super thin matte lacquer finish whereas the AmDlx has a deeper and richer finish on both the body and the neck. Since the contours and balance is pretty much the same, props have to go to the HW1 in terms of adding endurance to my playing by relieving me of just a few ounces or so I imagine. I don't have a scale but you'd be able to feel a difference.

For a guitar that in not equipped with a double locking tremolo, the tuning stability of the AmDlx is phenomenal. The the combination of the Schaller locking tuners and the Deluxe 2 point fulcrum bridge allows me to dive bomb like crazy and not need retuning for weeks! This is no exaggeration. because the angle of the strings over the saddles is shallower, relieving a great deal of stress, the bridge just slips back in tune naturally. In comparison, the MIM Synchronized Vintage Tremolo is unmistakably cheap. First and foremost is the Tremolo arm which has absolutely no temper to it what so ever and is just too soft. I have to keep bending it back to straighten it out. Not too crazy about the 2 1/16" string spacing. I'm swapping that out for a Wilkinson 5+1 which is a direct replacement for the MIM bridges but increases the string spacing to standard width.

Most Important: How They Sound

They are two different personalities. The AmDlx is a very flexible guitar. The Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups are so clean they are pristine. The S-1 switching options provides for a great sonic pallet. The guitar has a lot of sophistication but with that comes a bit of a lack of attitude. When I want to do Psychedelic Rock, the HW1 gives me the feedback and distortion I need to pull off Hazey, Dazey and Sunshiney songs but we have to take the 60 cycle hum that comes with it. All it takes is tweaking the selector and volume as you play to fix that. There is a reason why Leo put the volume knob where it is.

All in all, if I had to be stuck with one or the other in stock condition then I think I would lean towards HW1. It has the more traditional (albeit warmer) Stratocaster sound of the two. The addition of the humbucker on the bridge gives it another + for flexibility.

Bottom Line? I'm glad I don't have to choose

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"If I don't see you no more in this world I'll meet you on the next one and don't be late... don't be late." -Jimi Hendrix