Yayyy...first post!
Anywho, howdy there. I've wanted a guitar for years and years and finally came to the point that I WILL get one..and very soon. I originally was aiming for a Tele but was told Strats were more versatile. And since I want to play a little bit of everything...it was a pretty easy decision there.
I was also originally aiming at getting a Highway One HSS since I want an american guitar and was also told that a humbucker in the bridge would be more versatile over the SSS. But over the past day I've been looking at the American Special (and more videos on Youtube than I care to remember) and I must say they sound and look amaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzing. I kinda blew off the AS when they first came out because the first initial reviews were all "These suck""worse than HWY1" etc. etc. But reviews I've seen lately say the exact opposite. Decisions, decision. D:
/wallotext

TL,DR Version: Which would be the best for a versatile, good sounding, first guitar? HW1 HSS(or SSS?)? Or AS HSS(or SSS?)?
And basically..are the AS worth the $100 more? I haven't found TOO many videos of HWY1s on youtube..a lot of the ones I did find were with non-stock pickups. Have found TONS with the AS. And while I LOOOOOOOVE the "retro" sound of the singlecoil in the bridge..I also want to play a lot of modern rock..and I don't know (seeing as I've never played before) if the single coil can sound similar to the humbucker in that regard.
Thanks..I'll shut up now.

Don't believe everything you're told. That's one of the most flagrant internet-proliferated mistruths out there.





My opinion: if you want a Stratocaster, get the SSS configuration; anything else isn't quite a Strat. If you're looking for humbuckers, go another route.




I can't comment on the AS series as my experience is limited to thirty seconds of music store gawking, but I can reiterate. Stratocasters have three single-coils; if you desire humbuckers, a different route is preferable. Strats sound like Strats. Attempting to change that seems silly, a bit like dressing a Ferrari up like a Maserati. Two different breeds.

I agree the American Specials are good guitars, but if your just getting your first guitar, maybe your should start out with something a little..cheaper? just in case you decide that electric guitar isn't for you.
I would suggest a Standard Stratocaster with the HSS pickup configuration. It is made in mexico, but don't buy into all that nonsense about american vs. mexican blah blah blah. Mexican guitars are also made very well, granted they don't use the high end components of US, but they are a perfect "base". So as you progress in your playing, and skill, you can upgrade your guitars electronics and such.

now regarding HSS and SSS. SSS is pretty straty but there are also humbuckers that fit into a single coil's slot. so if you want that metal-ish/hard rock sound, its very easy to swap the pickups, with say

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... sku=300068

or somthing.

When I was starting out, i hated the sound of single coils. They sound to thin. I craved the warmness of a humbucker.

Now my tastes have changed, and i love the clarity, and sparkle of singlecoils, and i hate the muddy sloppy sound of humbuckers.

so its all a mater of your tastes. i suggest you bring a guitar playing friend to the music store with you and have him play all the guitars, and pick the one that you like the best based on sound.

blah blah blah

just my two cents.

ps: sorry about the terrible punctiations and spelling, and gramer.

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1991 MIA Std Strat, Partsocaster, and a Blues Jr.

I've heard nothing but band things about the mexican standard. I did look at the Deluxe Player one that is like $100 more than the mexican standard...that one looks nice. Only comes in SSS though...though they ARE noiseless..which is a plus.
I'm one of those weird folks that tries to buy American whenever possible.

dang if i didnt know better pickguarder was reading my mind when he made his post.

ok heres my thoughts.
if your new, you cant go wrong with the HSS.
the humbucker will give you that rockNroll sound you
will be looking for. humbuckers growl and roar where as the
single coils sing and sting.
so by this, you will have the H in the bridge position for
hard rock and metal styles, the single in the mid and neck for
bluesish and classic rock sound.
you get the best of both worlds at this point, until
you start to learn and find your own sound.
in the begining your gonna want to play around and use stomp
box's and such. if things dont sound right you might become disinterested or go spending cash in places ya dont need to just yet.
i think the SSS is a aquired taste honestly. rarely does the newbie
desire that config. down the road he/she will drift in that direction
to take a looksee. some stay, some go.

I always try to get the most I can for my money..and the ceramic magnet pickups on the standard MIM or a big turnoff for me..especially when the Deluxe Players has $120 US-made pickups and the guitar itself only is $100 more. And it looks damn sexy.

haha, great minds think alike.

so anyways, if you must buy american. I'd go American Special due to the pickups. Ive heard only great things about Texas Specials. Although, as you progress you might want the bridge/middle quack, but whatever.

so yeah, American Special HSS. go for it.

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1991 MIA Std Strat, Partsocaster, and a Blues Jr.

What's the general consensus on the Deluxe Player's?

I tend to get things that do more than what I currently need to do so as I learn I can grow into it instead of having to change things around or be held back by it.
It's the computer geek in me.

i beg to differ, you can play anything on a strat ,even that one.

I'll ask this then..ignoring price..how good are Highway Ones and American Specials?

The bottom line is that as a rank beginner any guitar made by Fender will be an excellent instrument for you. Furthermore, you'll experience great difficulty in attempting to classify instruments just by listening. I probably couldn't tell the difference between ceramic and ALNICO pickups--I know what I like, but not necessarily why. Tone is in the hands; the guitar is just a tool.

To Vulkan:
SOME tone is in the hands, but if he has a terrible tone, it will discourage him to play. The work can't be done if the tools don't work. I remember when i got my first all tube amp, a Blues Jr. (technically it has some solid state stuffs). I played it non-stop for about 6 hours. i couldn't get over the warmth it had. The amp didn't make me a better player, but it made me happy with how I sounded and that encouraged me to play more, and that in turn made me a better player.

Which leads me to this next thing, most fender guitars are of high quality, and will last you a loong time before you "out grow" it. This includes the MIM standards. But no matter how good your guitar is, it will sound crappy if your using a crappy amp. So maybe focus more on what amp to get.

In short, bad amp= unsatisfied customer that usually blames his guitar for bad tone when in truth, the amp was the culprit.

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1991 MIA Std Strat, Partsocaster, and a Blues Jr.

I remember hearing this tale a few years back. Supposedly a Fender executive flew over to Japan back in the 80's to inspect the quality of the Stratocaster's their overseas plant was turning out. The beautiful strat he was handed to inspect was of such high quality it's said, he wept. Now those older Japanese strats are highly sought after and respected. Today there is another similar situation happening with the Mexican production of the Fender Deluxe Players Stratocaster. Extreme attention to detail at a very modest price. This would be a super first strat for you and it won't break the bank. Buy it and one day, you'll be damn glad you did.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--FEN133000
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/ ... index.html

_________________
An object at rest tends to stay at rest...
and an object in motion tends to stay in motion

Thanks.
Sometime soon I'm going to go crawling around local guitar shops. There's one relatively near by whose drum manager and whose co-owner sometimes plays in my church band (both play drums). Hopefully they can help me with a good setup.