Cross post from other forums:

Very exciting for me as this is my first high quality guitar. For the past 2 and 1/2 yrs, I've bought many different types of inexpensive guitars to see which style I liked best before purchasing a very expensive one. After realizing that nearly 1/2 of them have been strats (6), I knew that the strat was THE guitar for me.

So I pulled the trigger on an Amber American Deluxe HSS. I'm loving it. I know people don't seem to like the N3's, but I do. They aren't "vintage" sounding, but they do sound like strat pups just a bit more modern. I already have a CV50's and 60's, an Affinity with GFS Jimi's and a MIM with Tonerider Pure Vintage pups, so I think I have enough of the vintage stuff covered, lol.

I love the "passing lane" button, which is like the blower switch on Guthrie Govan's sig (big fan of his). Didn't know the Deluxe HSS had it until I tried it out at Guitar Center. Compound radius? Love that too. Before trying out the Deluxe, I was considering getting a Suhr Rasmus GG model (in sept) because I wanted a compound radius neck.

Another thing... I didn't realize until I was shooting the pics that the Amber with tortoise PG and RW neck is almost identical to Paul Gilbert's Fireman which I'd buy in an instant if it wasn't so expensive. It's my fav. guitar design, LOVE the aesthetics. Big PG fan (have his Injectors in my Agile strat). Funny how the sub-conscious works, isn't it?

I don't know if this was intentional or not, but the Deluxe is set up so when you bend pull the trem all the way back, the open G goes up a m3, the B goes up a M2, and the high E goes up a m2. This is how I set up my MIM after watching the Carl Verheyen vid. Very cool.

Of course the pics:

Nice one, enjoy

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I'm loving mine. It's just an all around good guitar. There's really nothing about it I would complain about. I want other guitars that are a little different, but not because the Am Dlx is lacking in any way.

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'10 American Deluxe HSS Sunset Metallic
'10 JA-90 Thinline Telecaster
'15 Music Man JP-15 Blueberry Burst
'07 Les Paul Standard Faded LCPG #82
'14 Carvin ST300
'12 Carvin CS424S
'66 Guild Starfire IV w/Bigsby
'14 Warmouth Partscaster Daphne Blue

Still lovin' mine too!
it was pre-passinglane button, but it has Delta Tone function on toneknob-2.
I have no problem w/the N3's mines SSS and I can get great "vintage" tones out of it by adjusting my amp a little.

enjoy !!

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You won't hurt its feelings boy, play it like you stole it!
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do you find that the bridge and neck pickup are matched in terms of output? or is there a big drop in power when you flick from bridge to neck?

Larsson

Now that is a good looking Strat!

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the N3 pups and the S-1 switching.

BTW: Nice pic's!

Andy

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Pending Greatness

No, they are not matched, but also the difference in output is not as big as a regular single coil vs. hb. There is a drop in power when going from position 5 to 1, so it cleans up a bit, which I like, but doesn't sound anemic compared to the HB.



thx. I quite like the N3's. I've read many people immediately replace them because they don't sound like vintage strat pups, which they don't, but they still do sound like strat pups, just a bit more modern. I think many who've swapped them never even gave them a chance tbh.

I already have a CV 50's and 60's strat, a MIM with Tonerider Pure Vintage, and an Affinity with the GFS Jimi set, so I'm pretty sure I have the vintage stuff covered, lol.

The only other strat I have with modern pups is my Agile ST-802, which has Dimarzio Injectors (the Paul Gilbert sig pups). Nice to have another.

btw: I didn't even realize I picked the Dlx model with a color-scheme similar to PG's Fireman until shot those pics, lol. (PG fan, love Fuzz Universe)