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Post subject: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 3:02 pm
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I hope this topic isn't overanalyzed but I'm in kind of a tough position.I only play blues ..(BB King,Albert King,SRV ,Jimmy Hendrix....)and I was curios to know if the Select Stratocaster (only from let's say a blues point of view) sound better than a Deluxe or American Standard.
I was thinking of buying it but if the difference between a select and a deluxe is just in looks more than sound I guess the extra $ for a Select isn't worth it (even if it looks AMAZING). I know the Select has different pick-ups but to they sound better?

If the Select isn't that good I was looking at models : Fender American Vintage '56 Stratocaster Fender American Vintage '65 Stratocaster , Hot Rod '60s Stratocaster, Hot Rod '50s Stratocaster and American Deluxe.(I prefer the Deluxe because of looking tuners , N3 pickups less noisy, cheaper).Do these other models sound better ?(from a blues point of view?)


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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 4:19 pm
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Don't over analyze the situation.
All the models you mention are good for playing blues - the sound is in your hands and your attitude more than any other factor.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 4:34 pm
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I'm just concerned about the price .Between 2,849 $ and 2,299 $ there's a big difference for me .If the difference is just in looks I'd buy just the deluxe or other better sounding models!


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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 5:19 pm
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I think the main difference would prolly be in the pickups. The AS uses Fat 50s, the AD uses Noiseless and the Select uses Fender Select. I have no experience with FS pups but I can't believe they would be not as good for blues as the Fat 50's. I don't envision Fender putting lesser sounding pups in their flagship model. The challenge with any noiseless pup is getting it to sound like a true single coil. Noiseless pups have come a long way since they were first introduced and they accomplish the single coil sound fairly well now but they're still not perfectly true to a true single coil sound. The Fat 50's are single coil and they are awesome for blues. I would say they come closer than anything else Fender ever made before to the custom wound pups Stevie used in his Number One. I believe they would be better for blues than noiseless pups but noiseless pups have the advantage of being silent with regard to hum in positions 1, 3 & 5. As I said earlier I can't see Fender making the special pups in the Select being second best to their other offerings and they are true single coils.

If you have access to all three I'd suggest you try them all and see what you think sounds most like the sound you hear in your head when you think of the Blues. Bear in mind that you'll also want to consider how much processing you will put in your signal chain and what kind of processing you will use be it a multi processor or individual pedals and also consider the quality of your pedals regardless of which type you're going to use. The amount and quality of the processing will bear directly on the amount of noise you have.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 5:31 pm
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Another very important aspect of your tone and particularly for the Blues is your amplifier. Many people do not share my values on this subject. I am of the belief that the amp is at least as important as the guitar and in some cases more important than the guitar when it comes to the quality of your overall tone. In the event you use a lot of processing that's when both the amp and the guitar become less important to your tone as that's when the processing starts to override the guitar and the amp in how much they affect tone. Some people use so much processing that you can't even hear the guitar.

By the way, welcome to our forum.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 5:54 pm
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I was thinking that Fender was looking to target a larger class of guitar players and a larger class of musical genres so that's why they keep adding new models(Fender Select). I'm not saying that the new Select is worse I'm only curios to find out if it has " true blues power" or it might just be a good tool to play almost anything not necessarily a tool that emphasizes blues.(Thank you for the invitation!). Most certainly I'll be using a Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb (sometimes with a Wah pedal )and maybe a little distortion.But I try to keep it as simple as possible!I was just curios to find out as much as possible before buying a Fender to narrow down my possibilities because in my town there is no Fender dealer or any any shop that sells Fender's so sadly I have to travel 248 miles to the nearest shop so I don't have allot of time to test all the guitars I want so I can get the perfect one because I'm already exhausted by the trip!(even if I know that's a bad thing).


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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 9:01 pm
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stratmangler wrote:
Don't over analyze the situation.
All the models you mention are good for playing blues - the sound is in your hands and your attitude more than any other factor.


Twew dat!

Blues is more visceral than intellectual.

Any decent guitar and amp will give you the fundamentals......the rest is up to you and how much of your soul you put into the effort. I've heard a 15 Y/O kid in a garage band playing a piece of crap Hondo LP clone and a 10-watt "fume-o-matic" amp that sounded more authentic than some millionaire jet-setting dilettante flogging a real '59 flametop through a Marshall Super Plexi stack. Musical inspiration comes from the heart, not the wallet.

JMOOC

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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 10:26 pm
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GG36 wrote:
2,849 $


https://vimeo.com/78092822

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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 3:56 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
stratmangler wrote:
Don't over analyze the situation.
All the models you mention are good for playing blues - the sound is in your hands and your attitude more than any other factor.


Twew dat!

Blues is more visceral than intellectual.

Any decent guitar and amp will give you the fundamentals......the rest is up to you and how much of your soul you put into the effort. I've heard a 15 Y/O kid in a garage band playing a piece of crap Hondo LP clone and a 10-watt "fume-o-matic" amp that sounded more authentic than some millionaire jet-setting dilettante flogging a real '59 flametop through a Marshall Super Plexi stack. Musical inspiration comes from the heart, not the wallet.

JMOOC

Arjay



That maybe true but I don't think that's always true.A good instrument will always enhance qualities that's why ALMOST every great guitar players had an amazing instrument(Hendrix,SRV,Albert King,Fredie King,BB King). They didn't use Hondo LP clone ,they hade amazing guitars and amplifiers for that matter so that the gear would further show there RAW talent.I don't think any guitar player performing or trying to achieve a certain level would use a cheap instrument just to prove that there talent is greater than the instrument or at least do that all the time ! I'm just trying to find out ,from other people's experience how to spot a weak instrument or a faulty one that may not be for me! I may not be as talented as the kid you mentioned but at least I can sound half as decent with the help of a good Stratocaster. And right now I'm just searching for the tone that "amazing blues " tone!!! That's why I was curios to find out if the Select Strat is an option for the job!


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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:42 am
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I would think for the money, the Fender American Standard would be the best guitar money could buy.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 5:43 pm
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An AS thru a Deluxe Reverb is pure tonal heaven ( blues and otherwise). Those CS Fat 50s really sing imo. I think with the Fender Select , you are paying for the woods and attention to detail. I doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference 10 feet away.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 4:14 am
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budglo wrote:
An AS thru a Deluxe Reverb is pure tonal heaven ( blues and otherwise). Those CS Fat 50s really sing imo. I think with the Fender Select , you are paying for the woods and attention to detail. I doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference 10 feet away.

TY so after all there's little difference except the wood and a bit on the tone part!


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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 6:47 am
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BMW-KTM wrote:
Many people do not share my values on this subject. I am of the belief that the amp is at least as important as the guitar and in some cases more important than the guitar when it comes to the quality of your overall tone.

Hey BMW, I'd have thought the large majority here share that view, no? In fact, it sounds like I share your view even more than you do - if you see what I mean ( :) ). In as much as, I think the amp is wa-a-ay more important than the guitar, far as tone is concerned.

Of course, the guitar is vital for how your hands feel on the instrument, and that's also a hugely important part of making music.

These are all links in a chain.


GG36 wrote:
...sadly I have to travel 248 miles to the nearest shop so I don't have allot of time to test all the guitars I want so I can get the perfect one because I'm already exhausted by the trip!

Hi GG36: that's a problem, certainly. Still, if you are contemplating paying in the 2-3K range for a guitar I suggest it's worth the trip to try them in your hands before buying. Instrument spec sheets and pictures on a screen never really let you know what it's like to play the thing.

Every Fender dealer I know has at least a couple of Select Strats on the wall, some have many. So in a shop you'll be able to demo all the guitars you're talking about side-by-side and find out which does the trick for you.

For my money the American Standard is called The Standard for a reason. If you can't get fabulous blues sounds out of it that's your fault, not the guitar's.

...On the other hand, I think the Selects are just gorgeous. That's largely cosmetic, of course. But if I had the cash in my pocket and one of those babes in my hands I wouldn't be leaving the store without it, that's for sure. Can't be quantified, but the lustful feelings you can have towards a guitar sometimes affect how you play it. That's totally subjective and personal, of course.

For the little it's worth, the couple of Selects I've handled sounded just fine to me: completely authentic and Stratty. But we will all make up our minds differently on these things.

Take the trip and try 'em in person, that's my view. And then buy the one you like from the real shop, rather than a webpage. Keep music live.

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 8:49 am
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They didn't use Hondo LP clone, they had amazing guitars and amplifiers for that matter so that the gear would further show there RAW talent. I don't think any guitar player performing or trying to achieve a certain level would use a cheap instrument just to prove that there talent is greater than the instrument or at least do that all the time!


Good point. What big star used a Hondo or other budget or copy guitar?

Jeff Healey played a Squier.
I remember seeing Bachman-Turner Overdrive playing copies back in the day.
Jimmy Page played a cheapo towards the end of Zeppelin.
David Lindley plays various pawn shop type cheapest.

That's all I can come up with now.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Select Stratocaster sound
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 9:42 am
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orvilleowner wrote:
Quote:
I don't think any guitar player performing or trying to achieve a certain level would use a cheap instrument just to prove that there talent is greater than the instrument or at least do that all the time!


Good point. What big star used a Hondo or other budget or copy guitar?

Jeff Healey played a Squier.
I remember seeing Bachman-Turner Overdrive playing copies back in the day.
Jimmy Page played a cheapo towards the end of Zeppelin.
David Lindley plays various pawn shop type cheapest.

That's all I can come up with now.

Mark Knopfler seems to do a number or two on a Danelectro virtually every show, these days. A Dano ain't quite a Hondo - but it ain't exactly a Custom Shop Strat either.

Can't say for certain, but I get the feeling he does that precisely to show that his talent is greater than the instrument! :lol:

Cheers - C

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