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Post subject: Roadhouse vs American Standard
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 10:12 am
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I just bought a 1997 Roadhouse Strat. I know that it has different pickups than the American Standard, but what other differences am I looking at here?

It's Made In America, apparently, so why the low price point? I guess the real question is, what about the American Standard makes it so valuable? I am talking about the $1200-$1500 guitar and not the American Special.

Thanks for your input.


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Post subject: Re: Roadhouse vs American Standard
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 11:11 am
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Basically a 1997 Roadhouse Strat was the same as a 1997 American Standard except for the pickups - the Roadhouse had Texas Specials instead of the regular American Standard pickups.

The price difference - it's a used guitar and the price was lower on all guitars almost 20 years ago, and they aren't going to be considered "vintage" and really appreciate in value since the made so many of them. It seems like older Fenders from the 1990s and 2000s are going for $100-$200 less than the current models used, particularly since they changed to CS pickups on the American Standards in March of 2012. That being said, you always take a hit on selling a guitar you bought new; even used 2014-2015 American Standards are going to go for more like $800-$850 used instead of the $1,300 MAP price. And ones from the 1990s and 2000s are more in the $650-$700 range.


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Post subject: Re: Roadhouse vs American Standard
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 1:11 pm
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Thanks, John! A few follow up:

Quote:
they changed to CS pickups


Can you explain this to an amateur? What's the significance of a custom shop pickup?

Quote:
Basically a 1997 Roadhouse Strat was the same as a 1997 American Standard except for the pickups


This makes me feel kinda good about my purchase now.

I have a mim strat that I've really grown to love. I was planning on trying to flip the roadhouse strat and try to pocket a couple hundred bucks (for new pickups, maybe) but now it seems that I've got the coveted, call-it-a-day MIA strat.

Should I sell the mim then? I can't keep both...

I know the answer will be to just play them and keep the one I like better. The roadhouse is being worked on at the moment and I have yet to play it.

If I keep the roadhouse strat, but want more of a classic strat sound is it advisable to switch out 1 or 2 of the pickups?

Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: Roadhouse vs American Standard
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 2:19 pm
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hoopla wrote:
Thanks, John! A few follow up:

Quote:
they changed to CS pickups


Can you explain this to an amateur? What's the significance of a custom shop pickup?



In March of 2012 Fender changed from the version of the American Standard pickups they had been using since the 2008 update to the model to using Fat 50s model pickups that are wound by Fender's Custom Shop. There have been a couple of corresponding price increases - basically by 2014 American Standards were $200 more than they were in January 2012 (before the change to the Fat 50s pickups).

hoopla wrote:
Quote:
Basically a 1997 Roadhouse Strat was the same as a 1997 American Standard except for the pickups


This makes me feel kinda good about my purchase now.

I have a mim strat that I've really grown to love. I was planning on trying to flip the roadhouse strat and try to pocket a couple hundred bucks (for new pickups, maybe) but now it seems that I've got the coveted, call-it-a-day MIA strat.

Should I sell the mim then? I can't keep both...

I know the answer will be to just play them and keep the one I like better. The roadhouse is being worked on at the moment and I have yet to play it.

If I keep the roadhouse strat, but want more of a classic strat sound is it advisable to switch out 1 or 2 of the pickups?

Thanks!


If you like the USA Strat a lot more than the MIM then you could sell it, but it might be worth keeping it around as a backup, an alternate tuning guitar, etc.

There are a lot of different "classic Strat" sounds; Texas Specials are supposed to replicate a specific early/mid '60s Strat sound. It's really up to you - if that isn't what you're searching for then it might be worth changing them. But since the Roadhouse is somewhat more rare than a regular American Standard I would suggest getting a loaded pickguard and keeping the original intact in case you sell the Roadhouse down the road.


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Post subject: Re: Roadhouse vs American Standard
Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:05 am
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hoopla wrote:
This makes me feel kinda good about my purchase now.

I have a mim strat that I've really grown to love. I was planning on trying to flip the roadhouse strat and try to pocket a couple hundred bucks (for new pickups, maybe) but now it seems that I've got the coveted, call-it-a-day MIA strat.

Should I sell the mim then? I can't keep both..

Remarks like this tend to confuse me, so forgive me for my following follow up questions.

1). If you have grown to love the MIM, why would you wanna change the pickup's?

2). If you "can't keep them both", was your sole reason for the purchase of the Roadhouse just to flip it?

3). If you had just planned to flip the Roadhouse, why spend money on having it worked on? Was there something wrong with it?

4). What is wrong with having more than one guitar?

I'm not asking you for answers here on the forums (it's none of my business)....just ask yourself these questions.
If you bought a guitar you really couldn't afford, but was more of a business decision, then stick to your plan of flipping the Roadhouse.
If you can afford to keep both, keep both.
If you planned to flip the Roadhouse for upgrade money on the MIM, why didn't you just upgrade the MIM instead of buying the Roadhouse?

Different people think differently. Me? I would keep the Roadhouse, because I wouldn't have bought it if I couldn't afford it and/or didn't really want it.

I know, I know....I tend to "over think" things....but it's the way I am, and I hope I can help people see issues in a different light.


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Post subject: Re: Roadhouse vs American Standard
Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 8:06 am
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There's an alternative solution: buy an American Standard, swap the Fat '50s for a set of Texas Specials by dropping a loaded white pearloid - or brown tortoiseshell - pickguard assembly and you'll get a MIA Roadhouse in a fraction of the cost.

Bad news for those craving for a USA Big Apple/Lonestar. Fender no longer sells the Pearly Gates Plus as a SPA.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Seymour-Dun ... 1133272086


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