Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar  (Used)

Comments about Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

Mine is the H/S/S. After 30+ yrs of picking (more professionally now), I have my first US Strat! Bought it 2nd-hand from a guy who never played it - still had the plastic on the pups/pckgrd. Untouched, basically. When I strapped it on, I immediately noticed how uncomfortable (sharp) the "bent-steel" saddles are when palm muting (I do it alot). I also noticed the chimey STRAT SOUND of the single coils, esp in #2/4 positions. LOVE that part! But then playing lead, even on the dirty channel (& esp on clean), the B & E strings were just super weak-sounding, not only in volume but in fatness; just very thin sounding. Did NOT like that part. I noticed the pole pieces are staggered (B is lowest - recessed under pup surface). Researched this issue & it seems Fender has been making their pups this way for decades [since the G string was wound (???)] Most of the info I found (way too much out there) said the unwound strings were louder than the rest & that's why the pole pieces are recessed. Well, they overdid it, IMO (or at least on this guitar). Have now changed out the stock pups for Rio Grande Muy Grandes (all 3: H/S/S). Not quite as much strat-quack, but a good compromise for more beef on the B/E. The only other knock that was noticable was the lack of sustain on the G @ 12th fret. I mean, it dies quickly (3 seconds). Other strings are not like that. Changed out stock bridge to Callaham bridge since I read so many rave reviews. It did help some - am I floored by the improvement? Nah. Now that I've covered the knocks against it, I LOVE: the beef in the neck pup on leads! I have never been much of a neck pup man until now. This thing is legit (esp since the Muy Grandes went in). Still get that quack. Love the 'burst & finish & oh, yeah (reverting to my teen days & watching my idols play)I love the big honkin' headstock & just the overall vibe I get when I play my US Strat! Get alot of compliments on it when we play out - both in appearance & sound. When it comes to "doing it the way we have always done it just because we are Fender", this is a little arrogant & backwards thinking, IMHO. Esp when there are products out there that are making better components & explaining why it helps with sustain, etc. (ala Callaham bridges). So I wind having 1,100 in it (600 barely used; 500 in upgrades including locking tuners & TUSQ nut). Would that same 1,100 have bought me a Deluxe that needed NO upgrades at all? IDK, but I'm trying to totally love it the way I have it now. Will it be my last Fender? Prob not, but I now know what to look for in components. :-) Peace!

Comments about Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

Mine is the burst, HSS with rosewood board.

I'll start with the only negative - the fret ends were very sharp. This was not a problem for me as I have been building and working on guitars for years. However, Fender should make sure that this is not a problem. I know it's not a top of the line guitar but, at this price point, there is no need for frets that are not properly dressed.

Otherwise, fit and finish were superb, with a tight neck pocket. There were no finish flaws and the neck finish wasn't sticky.

Any new guitar needs a setup, and I did so changing the strings to tens and tweaking the truss rod and action as needed, witch wasn't much. The intonation was way off, but quickly dialed in. The tuners are not bad and work well, but I change all my tuners to locking tuners because it makes string changes quicker.

The Texas Special pickups sound really nice, and I have not made up my mind about the Atomic Humbucker. In short, it sounds like a Strat should, more stratty than the Alnico III pickups of the Hwy One.

It's solid, sounds good, and works. A great gigging guitar to deliver quality wile leaving your more expensive guitars at home.

Comments about Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

Great feel, great sound and looks absolutely beautiful.I like the 5 way switch.The neck just makes you want to play.This is one sweet guitar. The 3 tone sunburst is a work of art.I wish I could afford another one.

Comments about Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

Holy smokes! This guitar is an absolute joy all the way around. I bought mine in three-tone sunburst, and the fit and finish are dazzling.

Some observations:

- As far as set-up goes, straight out of the box all it needed was tuning. Then, off I went to tick off the neighborhood.
- I was worried about UPS as I've had some very bad experiences with them lately, but no problem there. The factory box was within another shipping box and a load of packing. Arrived in pristine condition.
- Holds tuning as well as can be expected with a stock tremolo. Actually, better than I expected.
- I didn't weigh it, but it's pretty heavy. That's OK, I'm not going mountain climbing with it any time soon, and it's good for resonance.
- Action with the jumbo frets is great.
- My Les Paul comes out on top for rhythm through my Marshall but, believe it or no, not by much.
- On the other hand, with the pickup switch in lead positions, watch out. This thing totally blows my Les Paul out of the water in that department. Take cover mother!
- Switch the amp to clean, and nothing but beautiful tone.

Also, I have to say a few kind words about Musician's Friend customer service:

- They're offering a FREE Fender Pro Series case with this guitar until 01/31/2013 in black or tweed. It'll take up to 60 days to arrive per the rebate form, but the guitar came with a very nice Fender Deluxe gig bag to tide me over until then.
- There was a 10% sale two days after I bought this guitar, so I sent email to MF to see if I would be eligible for some sort of credit. Fifteen minutes later, I received an email back from them to let me know they were refunding the appropriate amount to my credit card. A few days later, there it was.
- In the end, I got an -AMERICAN- made Strat for super cheap. So much a steal, I almost feel guilty about it.

To say I'm totally satisfied is an understatement. Much thanks to Musician's Friend and Fender!

Comments about Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

After lots of research I decided to go with this model and I'm glad i did. Great work Fender!

Comments about Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

A great playing instrument right out of the box. Action is quick and smooth with no buzz whatsoever. Quality of construction and attention to detail is classic American Fender. I cannot find even a very minor defect on mine to reference. I've been playing since the early 1960's and remember the early strat's very well. Over all these years Fender still knows how to make a perfect strat. I also have/play guitars by Gibson, Martin, Takamine, and Taylor. This is my first, truly my own Fender and I love it! A great value for the price. Thanks Musicians Friend and Fender!

Comments about Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

I have played guitar on and off for over 45 years. When I was a teenager, in the little local rock band, I always wanted a Stratocaster. It was just always out of my budget limits. Over the years I have owned a Yamaha, then a Guild and now a Guild F412 (acoustic) that sounds as beautiful as it looks. When I bought my 6 yr old a Squier Ministrat for this past Christmas (he's been taking formal lessons for over 1 1/2 yrs) the bug bit me once again and ths time I could afford my Stratocaster. After much comparisons and deliberation I settled on the AmericanSpecial HSS.Right out of the box, after a quick tune up, it was ready to go. It fingers so smoothly it was as if I had been playing it for years. The neck is perfectly sized for my hand. It feels so natural that I really feel one with the guitar and have since I first played it. Though the amp has a lot to do with it (obviously), I use a Fender G DEC 30 and this Strat sounds as good as any electric guitar I have ever heard. I am by far only a beginner but this axe makes even my playing sound good.
Easy natural fit with great looks and sound quality.
Beautiful finish and craftmanship
Well worth the MSRP, but getting it through Musician's Friend makes this a steal. Excellent value for a fine instrument.

Comments about Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

I own many guitars. Many Gibsons because of the quality of American workmanship. Also I own National and Dobro resonators which are American made. What had kept me from Fender for many years was the foriegn made guitars. Not that they were bad, I just support American made guitar luthiers. I bought an American Tele about a year an a half ago and it quickly became my favorite. This guitar is a jewel to play.
This guitar plays very well out of the box. Only needed minor bridge adjustments. It comes with Fender XL stirngs, a 9 set. I prefer 10's but no biggie. I like the c style neck as opposed to the bigger V and D styles. The jumbo frets are like my Les Pauls. I also like the option of having the Humbucker at the bridge. Plays very well.
Excellent quality. So far no flaws in workmanship.
Hard to beat an American made Strat at this price.

Comments about Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

Rated a nine until I find a better guitar.
I took the advise of the guy with generations of experiance. Boy am I glad I did!
I have played three thousand dollar guitars. PRS, Les paul, Jackson, Ibanez, etc.
Never have I felt a connection to an instrument as strong as this one. Also got the Fender Schaller locking tuners, plan on tephlon injected saddles. Got the three tone sunburst. Top section of wood has a tigersrtipe.Looks great. Sounds authentic on my spider III. This is a great deal. Buy it, you will not regret it.
You have a computer. You play music, so you must have brains. Google how to set up a guitar, Buy a screwdriver. Enjoy

Comments about Fender American Special HSS Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

This testimonial may not be fair to the Fender American Stratocaster HSS guitar since I am a total beginner, however, I have tried three other guitars before purchasing the Fender Strat.
Didn't really know what I was looking for in the way of sound because I wanted
to learn how to play the bluesie stuff. Well, this is the baby. She delivers the
sound I like even thru a small Fender Mustang Amp.
Can't go wrong with this one.