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Post subject: strat standard vs special
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 12:12 am
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Hi guys
what are the differences between them( besides jumbo frets and headstock )? is the special more similar to the HW1?


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Post subject: Re: strat standard vs special
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 1:26 am
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Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 10:34 pm
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The American Specials are equivalent to the American Standard with a more classic / "vintage" design. Features include a solid alder body finished in a gloss urethane, 9.5"-radius maple necks with 22 jumbo frets, CBS large headstock with black Fender logo and three Texas Special pickups with 5-way switching and Fender's Greasebucket tone circuit.

The Greasebucket was first seen on the Custom Pro series guitars; functionally similar to a traditional tone control, while providing a more natural roll-off of high frequencies, without the bass frequencies becoming more present as can occur with traditional tone circuits. The HSS models feature a rosewood fingerboard, a 3-ply black pickguard and a Fender DH-1 Humbucker in the bridge position.

American Special Stratocasters feature the same woods and manufacturing quality as the American Standard, differing on the following points :

- Vintage 6 points tremolo on the American Special Stratocaster (versus modern 2 points tremolo on the American Standard)

Hotter Fender Texas Special pickups on the American Special Stratocaster (versus cleaner, modern and more versatile Custom Shop Fat 50s pickups on the American Standard)

- Greasebucket tone circuit on the American Special Stratocaster (versus No-Load Tone Control on the American Standard)

- Classic single action truss rod on the American Special Stratocaster (versus modern Bi-Flex truss rod on the American Standard)

- Large 1960s / 1970s CBS style headstock on the American Special Stratocaster (versus small pre-1960s / post-1970s headstock on the American Standard).

The Highway-1 series, originally introduced in 2002 and re-designed in 2006 (and discontinued in October 2011), were made in the U.S. and incorporate a hybrid of hardware; the string trees are similar in design and quality to those on American Series instruments, while the bridge hardware and tuners are the same as the American Special Series.

Both body and neck are the same on the Highway-1 and American Special Strats, except that the body finish on the Highway-1 Strats benefit from a thin satin-finish nitrocellulose as opposed to the thick polyurethane coating used on both Standard and American Series models. This coating provides a very vintage look, as nitrocellulose was the standard lacquer finish for vintage Strats.

Highway 1 Strats use hotter Alnico III pickup polepieces similar to those on American Series guitars.

The first model (3+ years) of Highway 1 instruments resembled "pre-CBS"-era instruments with the traditional headstock design, small frets and vintage color choices.

Beginning in 2006, the second model (upgraded) was redesigned to resemble 1970s-era instruments with a large headstock, bigger frets, and CBS-era color schemes.


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