Hey guys, new to the forum here. Just a couple of quick questions to get me started :

After work tomorrow I am going to check out an Am. Special SSS that is in stock at the local store. I've done quite a bit of shopping and thinking about what model to go for and it seems like the best deal... In saying that, I haven't played it yet.

In fact, I have never really owned a 'real' electric. The best I have ever owned was an entry level Ibanez which I ended up selling up to buy a nice Tanglewood electroacoustic (Student with no room for amp together with the lacklustre sound from the Ibanez). Now after a couple of years of playing with the electroacoustic I am aiming to get back onto the electric scene.

I was wondering if you could tell me if there is anything in particular I should be looking out for with the guitar when trying it out. I have never really put a guitar through it's paces in the shop. Have there been many reports of duff Am. Specials and anything that gives them away?

I know it's a bit of a vague topic and I am thinking the answer might be "Play it and see if you like it" but I thought I'd ask anyway incase there are any quick tips.

As a second question, a lot of sites recommend getting the guitar set-up out of the box. Makes sense.. However do shops generally do this before putting them up on the wall for sale or is it an after sales thing. Also, I previously played with 10s, would this require a set-up (Im guessing it's stock 9s) or is the difference negligable?

As I said, it's the first proper guitar I am buying and I am afraid I have no guitar mates down where I live just now to give me all the advice I need.

Cheers guys!

I have the HSS and I also have an Ibanez RG, I still love my Ibby for half step tuning but this Fender (my first also) is awesome. I also switched to 10's with minimal adjustment. The tones are insane (to me), just play one and see what you think, from what I have seen there are not many complaints (I have none) and it's usa built to boot.

Well firstly you have to consider what sound you want. Your never going to make a strat sound like a LP, or a LP like a strat. Personaly I prefer the clarity of singlecoils along with their ability to drive well.

Then you need to consider the neck, what shape do you need? Skinny or cavemans club?

After you've used those variables to whittle down the choices, it really is just a case of going and trying a load of guitars till you find one your happy with and can afford.

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No no and no

Hi Arrow 2100 welcome to the world of Fender and the Forum.The best answer Is to try and see if you like it,as long as the guitar feels comfortable for you to play,that's the main thing.A lot of the larger chain stores just unbox the guitars and put them out in the showroom.In my experience a lot of Mom and Pop stores do set ups before they put them out.Some guitars come with 10-46 while most come 9-42. A change in just one gauge size shouldn't make any or much difference on intonation however you may need to adjust the screws holding the vibrato springs a tad especially if you have it floating.If there's fret buzz or the intonation is off you will need a setup but after you put on the gauge of strings you'll be using.As long as the neck is straight,the volume and tone controls can be adjusted without scratchiness and the pickup selecto functions properly everything should be fine.Good luck and happy guitar hunting.When you find your guitar I hope you know that's imperative to post pix lol.That should be about it,I'm sure that if I missed something someone else will fill you in.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Hey guys, thanks for the speedy replies

Nikininja, I've thought this guitar through - both in the past weeks and since I was 15 with my first electric. The biggest problem now was deciding exactly what sort of sound I wanted. I am used to my hummers when I used to play rock/metal in the after school band, but I don't think I will be staying on that route. I've mellowed out a little with my acoustic playing and I am thinking I will do better with the single coils for the foreseeable future. At the end of the day, if I do change my mind I can always seek a humbucker and swap it out. It won't be an SG as you say, but I think I could live with it better than I could live with a Gibson.

Guitslinger, thanks for the little checklist there. I am more nervous/excited about testing this guitar out than I was when I bought my first motorbike

And Stringjunkie, is it the Am Spec. HSS you have or did you swap out the pickup yourself?

In theory, this is the guitar for me. From playing my mates strat years ago, I should like it =] I just hope the guitar will live up to my expectations now.

Any further hints and tips would be grand also

Cheers guys,
Andy

Well Arrows humbuckers can do mellow too. That said I think you have a battle on your hands to find a strat that convincingly does both good metal and mellow tones. They all seem to be geared up to the rockier side of things. Why not try the HSS American special with a view to changing the humbucker if need be. You can get great mileage out of the tone andvolume controls, as far as tonal changes go.

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Ahah, thinking backwards eh I'm certainly going to give the HSS a shot when I get to the shop, however I am not a fan of a rosewood fretboard (which I beleive is the only fretboard you get) and I'd rather have the candy apple red over the black or sunburst.

Aesthetics, maybe.. but I want to love this guitar

As I said, I am pretty certain my tastes have changed from years on the accoustic and I'm pretty confident I'd be happy with a "nice" SSS and getting a humbucker installed in the event I do revert back..

Does anyone know if the body is carved for HSH in the new models? As far as I have read the strats have a history of having room to spare...

Lots of good advice here. Play heaps of guitars with an open mind until you pick up something you really love.

As far as checking out guitars in the shop, here are a few other good ideas:

Check the wood grain on the back of the neck. It should be free from knots and blemishes and running straight, parallel to the neck itself.

Make sure the neck is straight by looking down towards the headstock from the bridge. If set up properly, the neck should be slightly concave as you sight down it in this manner. This technique is harder to do than describe, but even a quick glance will confirm that the neck is good.

Examine the nut. The strings should be evenly spaced and the slots should not be so deep as to completely contain the heavier, bass strings.

Examine the bridge. If the neck is good and the action is not where you like it, do you have room for adjustment? If you want a higher action, can you make it higher? Can you lower it?

Check the truss rod to ensure that it is neither broken nor loose. This more or less entails giving it a poke with a pencil to see if it rattles.

Look at the frets, and feel the edges of the neck. Are they set properly in the fingerboard? Do they protrude out past the edges and pose a risk to your hands?

Test the machine heads. Do they feel too tight or too loose, or is one noticeably different in feel from the others? Make sure they work properly. Also, check the string trees (if there are any) to ensure that they're properly placed and screwed down tightly.

Check all of the electronics. Play it on all pickup settings, and make sure all of the controls do what they are supposed to do.

Examine the cosmetic elements. Is the finish consistent and in good condition? Are any plastic parts in good shape? Does it look good to you?

If the above leads to the conclusion that the guitar is well-manufactured, in good condition, and playable, then you have a possibility. Now play it, preferably through the same variety of amp you plan to use it with. Play at all volume levels and listen to the instrument. Does it sing, does it hum, does it quack? Most importantly, does it sound good to you?

If all else fails, a good electric guitar will generally sound good unplugged. Bad electric guitars won't.

Also, take someone with you who really, really knows and understands guitars. It can only help.