LemonCello Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Just seen that every guitar shop in the land is selling these. Has there been skimping on the parts or buiild quality cos they are iro £750? Any ideas, anyone tried one? Asking because my Roger Waters Artist STILL hasn't turned up!! LC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 [quote]The latest incarnations of Fender's famous Telecaster and Stratocaster models comprise the new American Special series-built "by the people and for people" as value-conscious "guitars for the times." They are designed specifically to bring the full Fender experience of a terrific-sounding, smooth-playing, rock-solid-built U.S.-made Fender guitar to the workingman without emptying his bank account. The three instruments in the new series—the American Special Telecaster, American Special Stratocaster and American Special Stratocaster HSS—are highly affordable Fender electric guitars that are within the reach of an entire spectrum of players. As such, they share many features with their cousins in the acclaimed Highway One™ and American Standard series. All three American Special guitars feature alder bodies with gloss urethane finishes, 9.5"-radius maple necks with jumbo frets, and Texas Special™ pickups (the Stratocaster HSS has an Atomic™ humbucking bridge pickup). The American Special Telecaster has a vintage-style string-through-body Telecaster bridge with three brass saddles, a black pickguard, and is available in Olympic White and Three-color Sunburst. American Special Stratocaster has a vintage-style synchronized tremolo and white pickguard, and is available in Candy Apple Red and Two-color Sunburst. The American Special Stratocaster HSS has a rosewood fingerboard, black pickguard and vintage-style synchronized tremolo, and is available in Black and Three-color Sunburst.[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Essentially, they're somewhere between a Highway1 and US series instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 They do seem to sit in the middle but they do have a lot of differences to the HW-one. I cant tell if they are below or above the HW-one as the price is pretty similar. Discussed here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=117346"]New Fenders[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 anyone got their hands on one of these yet?? or seen any reviews?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duarte Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I'm liking the look of these, saw a couple in birmingham today. They look brilliant but I didn't try them out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 were you at PMT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 tried one of these today - very lush sounding pick up with a lot of output - has the Greasebucket Tone Circuit the maple neck was straight, shallow and easy to play, frets good - not sure the bridge was wholly in right place, but maybe my eyes and the fact I needed a p*** For the price which is averaging about £750/£850 mark from what I've seen online etc, (this one was £999!!) they seem a good instrument but I can't detect any discernable OBVIOUS difference between these and the Am Standard, the latter of which I used to have. Bewilders me the constant upgrade in ranges etc - but it all makes money I guess!! Anyone shed any light on what the Greasebucket tone circuit actually means?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 [quote name='Jigster' post='1156682' date='Mar 10 2011, 02:44 PM']Anyone shed any light on what the Greasebucket tone circuit actually means??[/quote] It means when you back the tone knob off you only loose the top end, rather than the usual slight boost in the low end. At least, thats how i understand it,. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchman Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='1156684' date='Mar 10 2011, 02:46 PM']It means when you back the tone knob off you only loose the top end, rather than the usual slight boost in the low end. At least, thats how i understand it,.[/quote] That's exactly right. I have one or two of these circuits in instruments. Actually, with careful selection of components and tweaking, I prefer the ordinary tone control. Then again, I play a fair amount of reggae and I'm a passive instrument codger so having a little low boost available via the tone pot is very handy. As regards the OP's point about American Specials, I can only reiterate what I consider to be the paramount point: One should go for the bass that does it for one, and try to ignore what it says on the end. This is no way intended to be critical, however, of an honest question. The answer to which is, as I understand it, that the Am Special is basically a Highway One with a more standard finish. There will be small detail differences abounding, but then there are big differences in tone and playability between one seemingly identical Fender off the line and the one after it! Wood varies a great deal in density (i.e. weight). Pot values vary as much as +/- 20% (yeah, even "good" CTS ones), and this dictates the resonant peak at the start of every note with the pot wide open - in other words the character of the instrument. And then it all goes through an amp that I think has far more to do with it all than most things. In a room which, well, ditto when we're talking about low frequencies. So I think that one wants a bass that feels right, looks hopefully good to one's eye, balances and has tolerable bulk, stays in tune and is generally reliable mechanically, and also provides a decent tone which can be worked with in conjunction with one's rig and venue to get a good sound. It's worth mentioning that it's a rare gig when I hear my bass as the audience does! The wavelengths involved mean I'd need to be quite a way from my rig, and that seldom happens. On a larger gig, my bass sound is for the band and the sound guy and the principals of acoustics as applied to that room take care of the audience. Of course for recording or playing at home sound jumps to the top of the list. Very different from live work! Sorry, went on a bit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 [quote name='watchman' post='1176102' date='Mar 25 2011, 04:14 PM']That's exactly right. I have one or two of these circuits in instruments. Actually, with careful selection of components and tweaking, I prefer the ordinary tone control. Then again, I play a fair amount of reggae and I'm a passive instrument codger so having a little low boost available via the tone pot is very handy.[/quote] Im with you on that. Its a nice idea but sometimes that extra little bit of low end boost makes all the difference. Just before i got my last HW-one i started a thread asking how to re wire the bass to put it back to how Jazz should be wired. As it turned out i didn't mind the GB circuit as much as i thought i would, but that was a Jazz. On my old HW-one P i did feel it lacked something when the tone was backed right off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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