New to the forum but looking for feedback on quality, tone and preferences between the American Deluxe Strat and the American Vintage '57 Reissue models.

Tks - Will

Will - the quality of both is top-level. These (along with the Artist series) are the top of the line of Fender's USA production line instruments.

However, comparing them is pretty tough - the American Deluxe has noiseless pickups, locking tuners, a different trem, modern compound radius (9.5" to 14" if I'm remembering correctly) and a host of modernized changes from vintage spec. The AV '57 is going to be dead-on like a real vintage '57 Strat, including the round 7.25" radius, small frets, vintage tuners and trem, and even a 3-way switch installed instead of the modern 5-way switch (but you do get a 5-way in the case that you can install).

For me, I much prefer the vintage tone of the AV's - the pickups are noisey, when you have the 5-way switch you don't get the hum cancelling in positions 2 and 4, but you do get a certain sound that I don't think you get from the noiseless pickups. I also don't care for most compound radius fingerboards - I seem to prefer ones with less "flattening" like ones that go from say 9.5" to 11".

Of course for every person like me who prefers the reissues you will find another person who prefers the American Deluxe. The best thing to do is try to play them both and just trust your ears and hands.

i would just go to a good Guitar store and play them all--FYI- i really like my Amer. Dlx HSS-

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2011 PRS 25th SAS
2008 Eric Clapton Custom Antigua Strat
2012 PRS Artist Package Studio Special Order

Great info and looking forward to all the feedback that may come. Both look like killer guitars so I'm going to pick one and either will be a great a choice.

i have a 62 RI strat and the 57/62 pick ups are amazing.

Also check the avri 57 hot rod ,
Has a 9.5 r scn neck and mid tone zone at the bridge
and a 5 way switch.
I have it, and it's a versatile instrument

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

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I much prefer the AVRI '57 Strat but that's my personal preference.

If you were seeking something sort of in the middle....the Vintage Hot Rod '57 Strat would be a great one as a previous poster mentioned.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=21212

Some comments here

The '57 Hot Rod sucks. I've had two and even after the guitar has been set up the strings are veering off the fretboard. When I got the guitars they were veering towards the right, now they veer towards the left.

Believe me, American Strats are just more expensive due to increased labor cost. They certainly ain't better than the Mexicans. I got a Classic Player '60s that blows it away.

Well the mexican strats are nice for sure, but... I owned a 95 strat plus, a 2000 floyd rose standard and a 2010 blacktop. They could not compare to my American Deluxe even after complete re-works and heavy upgrades. If your wanting to make a lifetime investment in the best guitar money can buy, get the American Fender.

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My best advice to you is let your music dictate the strat you need. Blues, Country, and Classic Rock benefit from vintage instruments. The voicings in those vintage guitars are best suited for those genres.
Jazz, Rock, and Metal are best for American Deluxe HSS Stratocasters. They are humbucking and set up for modern tech and higher gain. Some light Jazz players still prefer vintage though.
So what type of player are you?

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Just picked up a American deluxe SSS sunset Metallic maple neck last week, after messing around with her for a bit I have to say this is the best stratocaster I have ever played hands down. The tones I get from this guitar using no effects is just amazing. Not to mention the S-1 switch gives you five more pickup arrangements to play around with. The neck plays beautiful with the 9-42s I restrung back to factory specs. Yes i had to restring the guitar.. The strings were not even wrapped around the tuners a full peg.. Which is normal for locking tuners, but I found they still slipped after some David Gilmore licks. So I recommend a restring and setup once you acquire the guitar... Anyways I love it like I said. But to be fair your buying a fender so it's going to be a quality instrument either way you go!!!

I totally agree with you an American Deluxe is hands down the best choice, hss or sss. Those two guitars can cover the entire spectrum of music.

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I personally love the American Deluxe. The neck just felt right to me. Also love the locking tuners and the fact the pickups are hum cancelling.

That S1 switching system also opens up a whole pallet of tones that you can't get in any other single guitar Fender makes. It's probably the most versatile strat Fender makes.

as far as which is better - it's like asking what kind of apples do you prefer to eat, red delicious or macintosh. They're both apples but very different from one another. The 57 RI strat gives you all the classic features of the orginal 57 strat, the American Deluxe gives you modern features.

One thing, the pickups in the Am Dlx don't sound quite the same as the ones in the 57 RI, but they still give you what I consider a Strat sound with the right amp and/or pedal settings. They're a hotter pickup that's more suitable for hard rock or metal than the ones in the '57 strat, but work well for any other style too. If you use a lot of gain in your sound, you would probably rather have the Am Dlx because it's quieter, but some people would rather have the tone of the vintage style pickups and put up with the hum...all depends on what's more important to you.

Has anyone heard anything more about the pickups in the Deluxe being replaced for 2012 (with the Super 55's)? There have been a couple of posts here that suggested that.

If so, that may influence your decision.