American Special HSS Strat

DetroitBlues · **Joined:** Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:58 am **Posts:** 2187

dkals wrote:

Slightly off topic. What kind of saddles are on the H-1 upgrade / American special? Cast or bent steel?

Vintage Tremolo and saddles, otherwise, Cast. Same setup as the MIM strats.

budglo · **Joined:** Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:17 pm **Posts:** 1986

DetroitBlues wrote:

budglo wrote:

DetroitBlues wrote:

The American Special Strat HSS or SSS is almost the same guitar as the Fender Lonestar and Roadhouse Strat's for $150 less. The finish is almost the same and the big difference is an extra fret on the American versus the MIM. However, the Lonestar and Roadhouse are deluxe series with tinted necks and improved fret dressing; not to mention the 50's/60's headstock.

I'll stick with my Roadhouse. I'd only consider the first Highway 1's that had the smaller headstock. The 70's headstock was the dumbest thing CBS did to Fender...

Dont the Deluxe Series have a 12 " radius neck?

The only Deluxe series with 12" radius is the Deluxe Players Strat. The other three are only 9.5". The only other MIM strat I can think of with a 12" radius is the Kenny Wayne Sheperd Strat.

Ah , so its not just a deluxe series with Texas Specials.Too bad they dont offer both the sss and the hss in either rosewood and maple.My dream guitar is the MIA Texas Special with ash body ,sienna burst finish and a maple neck.What I have is a MIA Texas Special with a rosewood neck and a chrome silver finish.

DetroitBlues · **Joined:** Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:58 am **Posts:** 2187

rkreisher wrote:

chromeface wrote:

I wished Fender to offer the guitar with a maple neck option, a white shell pearloid pickguard and a better humbucker. The Atomic sounds very crappy.

Texas Specials in the neck and middle, a Pearly Gates in the bridge and voila! you've a great-sounding axe for a smoky blues-rock jam!

Making a maple-neck HSS model is easy to do. Simply swap the rosewood neck with a maple one taken from a "regular" SSS model.

You can buy the SSS model, buy a new pickguard, and put in the Pearly Gates. That is what is great about Fender guitars, you can do anything you want to them. If the American Special is built anything like the Highway 1, it should already be routed for HSS configurations. The SSS models have maple necks.

Granted mine is a Highway 1 but it started out like this:

to this and no routing required:

RK

Or spare you $$$ and buy a Lonestar Strat.

DetroitBlues · **Joined:** Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:58 am **Posts:** 2187

budglo wrote:

DetroitBlues wrote:

budglo wrote:

DetroitBlues wrote:

The American Special Strat HSS or SSS is almost the same guitar as the Fender Lonestar and Roadhouse Strat's for $150 less. The finish is almost the same and the big difference is an extra fret on the American versus the MIM. However, the Lonestar and Roadhouse are deluxe series with tinted necks and improved fret dressing; not to mention the 50's/60's headstock.

I'll stick with my Roadhouse. I'd only consider the first Highway 1's that had the smaller headstock. The 70's headstock was the dumbest thing CBS did to Fender...

Dont the Deluxe Series have a 12 " radius neck?

The only Deluxe series with 12" radius is the Deluxe Players Strat. The other three are only 9.5". The only other MIM strat I can think of with a 12" radius is the Kenny Wayne Sheperd Strat.

Ah , so its not just a deluxe series with Texas Specials.Too bad they dont offer both the sss and the hss in either rosewood and maple.My dream guitar is the MIA Texas Special with ash body ,sienna burst finish and a maple neck.What I have is a MIA Texas Special with a rosewood neck and a chrome silver finish.

I love my Roadhouse, but I'd rather have the Lonestar neck.... I'm not a HSS fan.

budglo · **Joined:** Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:17 pm **Posts:** 1986

DetroitBlues wrote:

budglo wrote:

DetroitBlues wrote:

budglo wrote:

DetroitBlues wrote:

The American Special Strat HSS or SSS is almost the same guitar as the Fender Lonestar and Roadhouse Strat's for $150 less. The finish is almost the same and the big difference is an extra fret on the American versus the MIM. However, the Lonestar and Roadhouse are deluxe series with tinted necks and improved fret dressing; not to mention the 50's/60's headstock.

I'll stick with my Roadhouse. I'd only consider the first Highway 1's that had the smaller headstock. The 70's headstock was the dumbest thing CBS did to Fender...

Dont the Deluxe Series have a 12 " radius neck?

The only Deluxe series with 12" radius is the Deluxe Players Strat. The other three are only 9.5". The only other MIM strat I can think of with a 12" radius is the Kenny Wayne Sheperd Strat.

Ah , so its not just a deluxe series with Texas Specials.Too bad they dont offer both the sss and the hss in either rosewood and maple.My dream guitar is the MIA Texas Special with ash body ,sienna burst finish and a maple neck.What I have is a MIA Texas Special with a rosewood neck and a chrome silver finish.

I love my Roadhouse, but I'd rather have the Lonestar neck.... I'm not a HSS fan.

Me either. I bought mine as a Texas Special Fat strat because they were discontinuing it for 500 buck and converted it to a SSS by changing the pickgard and putting a single coil in the bridge.Now I have what I want.The beauty of the strat.The upgrade cost me less than 100 dollars.

DetroitBlues · **Joined:** Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:58 am **Posts:** 2187

budglo wrote:

DetroitBlues wrote:

budglo wrote:

DetroitBlues wrote:

budglo wrote:

DetroitBlues wrote:

The American Special Strat HSS or SSS is almost the same guitar as the Fender Lonestar and Roadhouse Strat's for $150 less. The finish is almost the same and the big difference is an extra fret on the American versus the MIM. However, the Lonestar and Roadhouse are deluxe series with tinted necks and improved fret dressing; not to mention the 50's/60's headstock.

I'll stick with my Roadhouse. I'd only consider the first Highway 1's that had the smaller headstock. The 70's headstock was the dumbest thing CBS did to Fender...

Dont the Deluxe Series have a 12 " radius neck?

The only Deluxe series with 12" radius is the Deluxe Players Strat. The other three are only 9.5". The only other MIM strat I can think of with a 12" radius is the Kenny Wayne Sheperd Strat.

Ah , so its not just a deluxe series with Texas Specials.Too bad they dont offer both the sss and the hss in either rosewood and maple.My dream guitar is the MIA Texas Special with ash body ,sienna burst finish and a maple neck.What I have is a MIA Texas Special with a rosewood neck and a chrome silver finish.

I love my Roadhouse, but I'd rather have the Lonestar neck.... I'm not a HSS fan.

Me either. I bought mine as a Texas Special Fat strat because they were discontinuing it for 500 buck and converted it to a SSS by changing the pickgard and putting a single coil in the bridge.Now I have what I want.The beauty of the strat.The upgrade cost me less than 100 dollars.

I should of done the same. I had a Lonestar and traded it in for an indentical roadhouse just for the SSS.....

tbazzone · **Posted:** Tue Jan 26, 2010 4:29 pm

I played one today it was OK nothing great

rkreisher · **Posted:** Tue Jan 26, 2010 9:19 pm

DetroitBlues wrote:

rkreisher wrote:

chromeface wrote:

I wished Fender to offer the guitar with a maple neck option, a white shell pearloid pickguard and a better humbucker. The Atomic sounds very crappy.

Texas Specials in the neck and middle, a Pearly Gates in the bridge and voila! you've a great-sounding axe for a smoky blues-rock jam!

Making a maple-neck HSS model is easy to do. Simply swap the rosewood neck with a maple one taken from a "regular" SSS model.

You can buy the SSS model, buy a new pickguard, and put in the Pearly Gates. That is what is great about Fender guitars, you can do anything you want to them. If the American Special is built anything like the Highway 1, it should already be routed for HSS configurations. The SSS models have maple necks.

Granted mine is a Highway 1 but it started out like this:

to this and no routing required:

RK

Or spare you $$$ and buy a Lonestar Strat.

That's not a Pearly Gates humbucker in there. Way better pickup. Plus I like the jumbo frets and big headstock which you cannot get with a Lone Star Strat. My guitar suits me just fine. I have no issues with it at all. Don't get me wrong, my next guitar purchace may be a Lone Star Strat because I like them too, but I will never get rid of this one.

RK

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