Hello folks,

I have finally decided to persue my passion for guitars. Never played guitar before so I am planning on taking private lessons and practicing as often as possible (probably about 2 to 3 hours a day).

I decided to go with a new American Standard Strat (3-burst) w/Rosewood board.

At the store that I bought it from (since I cant play yet) I had my sales guy play it for me and it sounded pretty darn good... but then again, I don't know what to look for.

I am looking at all these different options and I see 62 reissue, and some sort of a 59 special strat that was made as well.

If anyone could answer some questions for me, it would be appreciated:

Whats the difference (sound, tone, sustain) bewteen the 3 guitars (American Standard, 62 reissue, 59 GC special)?

Is there anything I should check on my guitar to tell quality/build etc.?

I paid about $935 for the guitar brand new... did I get a descent deal?

Thanks in advance.

As far as music I like/plan on playing would be Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Jimmy, Eagles, Metallica, some Blues...

G'day. Welcome to the forum and congrats on your purchase. You really can't go wrong with an American Std and if you look after it, it should last as long as you do!

If you goto the "Products" section at the top of this webpage you can look up the various models and compare the specs. That'll give you a bit of an idea of the differences. Basically what you have is a good, "modern" version of the Strat. The '62 re-issue is, like the name suggests, based around what would have been standard back in 1962. The '59 GC special would be some sort of special configuration which would have been made for GC.

The music you listed (well, at least the Led Zep and Metal) isn't necessarily what's normally played (or what would have been originally played) on a Strat. More like what's played on Gibson but don't worry. What you have is probably one of the best electric guitars you can get to learn with. And once you learn how to use it, there's not much it can't do. Especially with a good amp and a couple of wisely chosen effects, it can be used for virtually anything.

However while you are learning, don't fall into the upgrade trap, where you might hear or read about stuff and then decide you need to swap the pickups and hardware. What you have is VERY good to begin with so learn to use it, and understand it, before you think about changing anything.

Once again welcome, and good luck. And as always, we'd love to see pics of your new toy.

Cheers.

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MIM Std Tele, MIM HSS Strat, Homemade Mongrel Tele, Blues Jr, Champ600, coupla pedals...sweeeet!

+1. I'll second that. Very well put. Oh, and do yourself a favor and get a tube amp if you haven't already. Make sure the guitar is setup right as well. They don't usually come setup from the factory. Your dealer might have done it, but that's not always the case. There is a setup guide on this site. Congratulations on your new guitar.

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-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

Welcome to the forum and to guitars. For a first guitar you sure got a good one and you should be happy with it. Theres plenty of time for upgrading and wanting other models. For now enjoy what you bought because you can`t go wrong with that Strat.

Most problems get picked up at Fender quality control if you can see flaws in the finish or have problems tuning or with electronics - then I would invoke the warranty.

Under $1000 is a good deal. You did get the hardcase with it and everything new? The serial number should read Z9 if it was made in 2009. Not sure what the 2010 ones are yet. Perhaps someone here knows.

My last Fender (new) needed a truss rod adjustment, had a electronic problem and needed minor nut adjustment. I think I was just lucky.

Fender can send me another free one if they feel sorry for me they have my contact details. I ended up fixing the problems myself.
 

Thanks for the replies, its appreciated.

I think you guys are all right. I'll stick with the MIA Standard Strat. Its a beautiful guitar.

I'll have to find an authorized Fender place and take it in to get it professionaly tuned and adjusted.

2 more quick questions while I am typing though. I noticed that the body of the guitar seems to be two pieces of wood (down the middle). Is this normal?

Also, I am not sure if I'll ever use the Tremolo arm because I hear it makes the guitar go out of tune. Do I HAVE to put the bar in or can I leave it out?

Thanks all, will post some pics of the beauty tonight.

Most guitar bodies are pieced from two or three pieces of wood glued together. This is normal and remember glue has a stronger bond then wood, so its nothing to worry about.

As far as tremolo goes, I never use it either in fact, my guitar was set up so the tremolo lies flat, not the back edge floating above the body. The tremolo arm doesn't need to be used if you don't want to.

When you have your guitar set up, let them know you won't use the tremolo and they should do the same.

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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Somebody up above mentioned making sure your guitar is setup correctly. I've been learning on this guitar since September and still don't entirely understand the now the 5-position switch and two tone knobs work in relation to each other. I know it has something to do with selecting one of the three pickups. Could somebody give us a quick idiot's guide? And also any recommended amp settings? I still have no idea who much reverb, gain, etc. I should be using. I'm really just doing simple learning techniques at this point.

Thanks to all in advance.

The 5 way works like this

from Position closest to the Fretboard
1. Neck
2. Neck and Middle Pick up
3. Middle pick up
4.Mid/Bridge
5.Bridge

Of course all of this can be re-wired differently, especially if it is used or a special model advertising "Special Switching" like the CP 50s.

Normally a Strat has 2 tone knobs, the first working for the neck pickup and the 2nd for the middle. Usually the bridge doesn't have a tone control but it is a common mod to re-wire the 2nd tone control to work for both the bridge middle. IIRC American Standards are wired that way.

Also I wouldn't worry about a Strat not being able to handle metal or Led Zeppelin. Most of the early Zep tunes were recorded on a Tele, not a Les Paul, and Iron Maiden guitarists used strats ( Although with pickup swaps).

Great info Yogi. Thank you. I'm assuming the differences in sound is that the neck pickup is the brightest tone and the bridge pickup is the darkest?

No reverse that. The bridge is the brightest and the Neck is the darkest/mellower

Haha. That would make more sense. Thanks.

Yeah, got the hard case with it (very nice case indeed) and the serial is z9. Got it from a GC so its legit (thank god).

If you cannot find a Fender setup tech you should call around dealers and tutors in your area and ask who is the best. Just say your looking for a pro job and who would they send it to. If they are too expensive then ask them who they recommend heheh.

They don't have to be specifically Fender techs to do a good job but that is a good place to start.

If you go for a flat bridge (hard tailing/blocking or tightening flat) then you will have more stable tuning. It is fine if your beginning or won't use the tremolo. If you are playing styles that use it then best to get it properly setup floating for whammy/trem use.

As you learn more about guitars its possible to do all this yourself. But it takes a fair bit of practice to get it like a good setup tech or luthier. A shop that has a big waiting list is the one you want your guitar to go to

Turmoil.

Just one thing mate. I'd suggest you forget the idea of 2-3 hours practice a day. I'd rather you pracice something for 15 minutes solid hard concentrated practice and dont become bored with it. When I started everyone was going on about practicing scales for hours and it was dull. You'll learn far more by doing somnething you want to do. Explore the rabbithole you find interesting. When it gets boring (note: not when it gets difficult) move on to something else.

After you've been going a bit, be a bit more stricter with yourself by all means. You've started it through passion/love/ or however you want to describe it. Dont wear that out by forcing yourself to repeatedly do something till you find it mind numbing. Move on to something else and come back to it after a hour or two, even a day.

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No no and no