Wasn't really planning on this, but the deal was too sweet. Thing was already a good price for a U.S. Strat. I had a couple of old amps and a half dozen pedals looking to unload and Long&McQuade gave me a good price on all of them. Bottom line, a new American Standard Strat for a few hundred cash outlay.

Been wanting a standard strat for some time. I love my 2004 deluxe series HSS, but wanted a change for different pickup options. The bridge bucker is nice but doesn't give that classic Strat sound, obviously. Well, this thing sure does. Classic Fat 50s pickups are a real joy in all 5 positions. The bridge PU is awesome classic bright Strat tone. The out of phase positions are quacky as heck and just a lot of fun and the neck pup is just what you'd expect. These pups really cut too, quite a bit more than the ones on my HHS.

Also love the C neck. Just a perfect blend of heft and speed. And the back of the neck is matt light finish. Heard some criticism of tuning stability but once I stretched and used the bar for a couple of days it stayed in tune just fine. Pretty happy with the thing, especially since it wasn't too much cash. The appearance of mine is just what you see in the link. Love the colour which Fender calls Arctic white and I call cream. Happy camper here.

http://www.makenmusic.com/fender-ame...720219741.html