Fender American Standard Stratocaster and Telecaster
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
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In this video Guitar World's gear editor Paul Riario demonstrates the features of the Fender American Standard Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars.
The finish on that Strat is superb
They aren't that great sadly. The lack of a proper basecoat means you can see the joins in the 3 piece bodies ..
Still love mine though. :) The Delta pot is very nice. I would like a slightly less flat radius on the board but it does allow for a nice low action.
These old A5 pickups (pre-fat 50's) absolutely SCREAM too.
Just bought one of these 2008 American Standard Stratocasters, in this exact pearl color and rosewood board in November, 2020. Bought it online and I'm really anxious to get it.
All I need is a strat and a les Paul. I think those two do a pretty decent job of covering almost every genre. Except metal.
This was the first ever guitar-video I watched on youtube! Thanks Guitarworld for some great videos!
2:30 "Thinner finish so the wood can breathe a bit"
What a load of bullshit. You were just cutting costs and we all know it.
bigstudwithaguitar damn..... Tell em...
Na it is true. More finish is less resonant. Sounds stupid ino but true
Cameron Walsh NZ
The paint is such a non-issue. If they REALLY want to build resonance, they wouldn't be building strats. The 4 bolt neck design alone is where you lose most of your resonance. The paint makes no difference. It makes a difference on acoustics, but electrics... no... not even a little. The resonance in your strat is going into the whammy bar, the neck joint, and usually the truss rod (depending on how tightened it is).
If you don't have a neck-through-body design... you don't get to blame your resonance on paint. For fuck's sake, you have your soft shirt and your gut pressing into the guitar and you think the PAINTJOB is making a difference? No. Not on electrics. Resonance in electric guitars is spring suspended. the wood is a non-issue.
In an ACOUSTIC... yes. You would have a point. The string resonance is channeled through the wood in an acoustic. The wood is actually making the sound.
Anthony L im not meaning paint i am meaning thick laquer. (Sorry if laquer is spelt wrong)
bigstudwithaguitar yep. Ahwell different facts i guess...
@Dontwant2thinkofuser Also the sienna sunburst strats have ash bodies which means that you get to see all of the grainy wood under the finish. They are also brighter than non ash bodied strats.
problem? malmsteen plays with stratocaster
This is an excellent review. I am a bass player who feels ready to try and dabble in electric guitar. I play acoustic btw. But my top three choices which are all in the same price range are these two OR a Gibson Les Paul Studio. I cant shred. I can do basic blues on the guitar thanks to my experience with acoustic, but its not my first favorite genre to play. I'd like to eventually be able to shred at least as good as this guy can. What would you experienced guitarists recommend of the three?
I don't like the term 'beginner guitar ' ! Like a bed, get the best u can afford. Ur gonna sound shitty at first anyway. If u get somethin nice, ur gonna want to pick it up more
That's not how beginning guitar works mate. When I started, I wanted a good guitar but couldn't afford it. So I thought the 300 dollar guitar I bought was shit. 2 years later. I now have a Fended american tele like the one in this video. But I picked up my 300 dollar shit guitar and realised how good it sounded. Because it's not the guitar but the player that makes it sound good.
Anthony L the problem being is that money doesn't grow on trees (as far as I'm concerned) meaning not everyone would even have money for a 600 dollar guitar, I don't blame you, I like me guitars easy to play but if you start off with one that isn't too easy (like my first guitar), you will pick up a fender american strat and play it to death after 2 years of learning. Instead of being frustrated, learn to keep on trying. Hell, I broke my right wrist 3 weeks ago and can still play fine
+Flynn Hendry sometimes it's not whether u can afford something, it's a priority issue. Had a buddy that said he couldn't afford a nice guitar, but Always had beer , cigarettes, rental movies & Fast Food!!
Hmmmmm ? Not always case, but maybe sometimes?? How bad u want somethin?
billyclub56 well I spent my earnings on a fender amp worth 2500 so have to wait for a better guitar
@@Anthony-ni1mm Buddy Guy started on rubber bands stretched across two nails.....
Paul you have the best job in both the northern and southern hemisphere
Best guitar there is. Just ask Jimi!
Alder is a porous wood, a semi diffuse-porous hardwood, but you're right about the PU finish, its practically a plastic coating stopping the wood fibres resonating as much. I'm into finishing guitars with first a thin coating of varnish watered down with oil and then a thicker one for protection. That way its water-resistant and you still get the nice tone of the wood be it warm or bright
i feel so horrible for having a fender strat, and a damn expensive one, while i can't play for shit and never even took classes... :/
Are you a spoiled kid? If you worked hard for it and saved up for it, then yeah I guess that's understandable, but if you were spoiled, I'd say some nasty stuff to you.
you could say i was spoiled, yeah, and i do deserve all the nasty stuff you wanna say to me. Never realised as a kid that other kids got less toys than me. Now, however, i insisted on my parents not to give me anything anymore, because i do feel horrible about it. Now i'm 18 and i swore not to use the money i inherited from my grandparents because i don't deserve it.. It doesnt change me being spoiled, but its horrible to feel so bad about yourself for not having been able to share and not realising..
As long as you're aware of that and work hard to deserve that inheritance, then damn, respect. There ARE some people who think they're better than everyone else just because they're fucking spoiled and I can't stand those people.
I'm still $600 shot of buying a brand new American Fender....since they upped the goddamn prices.
Damn, Lewis, good luck. I truly hope you'll get it. what guitar do you have now?
I too can't stand those people who think they're much better, But there's a big disadvantage to being spoiled, too, because i'll never be as happy to have a fender as you will be. That's basically where other spoiled children want more money and more expensive things of their own, while i'd be glad to give my fender away to you just to see you rock it like i never could. Unfortunately, my parents don't feel the same way :/
Don't have a guitar right now. Recently I had to sell my MIM Tele for money which I needed ASAP But now I am pretty comfortable financially and could treat myself to a Strat this time...just a MIM model.
ooooh you serious? ;)
I went from being a strat person, to a tele person, and now im back to strats. It really depends what you want to play. Teles are more versatile, but if you strictly play blues/blues rock, the strat is the perfect guitar. I love having both! :)
Brandon Mayhew
I own the same blizzard pearl American Standard Strat.. I was too scared with the hum noise when playing distortion or OD and thought something is wrong with my pickups but thanks to your awesome demonstration. Now I can concentrate more on my playing and less on guitar hardware. :)
I have had both fenders and Les pauls. both are great guitars, and they each have their good qualities. the one thing that stands out to me about the strats, is the airy bluesy tone they get.
@alejorag your very welcome. i would just recommend that you visit a local guitar shop and try some guitars out before you buy one. when you find the guitar you really want, you'll know it right away by playing it. good luck on finding a guitar thats right for you
i like the bridge pickup in the strat, but i'm absolutely in love with that tele neck pickup tone. It sounds really nice.
Really nice demo by Paul. If I ever start a guitar company I'd want him to demo my guitars! Another guy you should check out is Luis Maldonado. Terrific demo comparing Strat, SG, and Les Paul through Rivera amps. Really shows off the Fender clean tone.
@DRGK9 I case you don't know, it really doesn't make sense to buy a Mexican strat with the American Special and Highway One strats on the market. What you'll end up doing is changing the pick ups on your Mexican strat and that will cost you about $250.00 (about $150.00 for new pick ups and about $100.00 for installation). That brings the total cost to $750.00 not including taxes. The American Special costs $800.00 and the Highway One costs $700.00.
This review is the reason I got my Stratocaster in 2009
definitly. I personally recommend a strat or tele to anyone who likes to play hard because you really have to pick soft to get good sounds out of a les paul
@skylorz Thank you for your response; and it's an interesting response, at that. To tell the truth I don't own either a standard Tele or Strat, so I'm certainly not in a position to comment on their quality. My instruments are either reissue or deluxe. I was under the impression that because the standard series are American made, they're probably very good. By the way, I agree that the Japan made guitars are fine instruments. I intend to investigate the standard quality. Again, thank you!
Not a professional guitarist, but love the Stratocaster. Favorite sounding guitar.
@guitarshredder47 you can if you custom set the guitar up. It has some drawbacks though because it is nearly impossible to palm mute because the tremolo becomes very sensitive when you do so. What you have to do is adjust the springs to that it allows the bridge to float
I have an American tele and I have to say it screams amazingness! great tone on a bogura tube amp with half gain and a little high on the mids. I use it in my worship band and I have never gotten a better tone for the money.
I've played fender guitars for over 30 years (and I just can't choose!). The Tele has a wonderful edge that almost resemble a good acoustic steel string guitar. I think the tele might be the ultimate rhythm guitar. The strat has a tendency to be a little throaty and shimmers at times when the amp gets hot. Beautiful. The Strat is definitely more comfortable to hang around your neck. I prefer a Strat for blues. It also has more options. A good tele will be sound unto it's self. perfect
tons of metal players use fenders, the american standards and deluxes have 22 frets, and thats a personal choice because of the position of the neck pickup. tons of fenders have hot humbuckers or noisecanceling pickups, also there are ways to keep a strat trem in tune just fine, especially with the locking tuners and roller nuts. tons of fenders are fine for metal. last i checked jim root has a sig strat, even the am std in this vid can do super crazy metal with the right amp.
Really, you need both of these guitars. You will find yourself needing them across many types of music. I prefer a Tele a bit more, but still a Strat is very useful. Bravo.
@skylorz there is a method to it, usually involving a little sandpaper, and putting as few coats of clear on the guitar as possible. There are "step by step" guides to a realistic relic you can google for. Don't use a hammer if you want a realistic look.
Uploaded in 2008 and comments are still blowing up! I love them both. If only one, id choose my American strat hardtail. I was told today that my playing style would be better suited on a LP. I don't agree, I think my strat is very versatile, and a strat feels the best period to me . I would like to think I can get down on a LP just as well , but it feels awkward and I don't enjoy it as much.
Thanks for posting this video! It helped me decide that I'm definitely going to get a Strat, and not a Tele! Strat is much more my style soundwise.. Happy newyear
Both Strat and Tele have great cleans. You can also get some nice distorted tones on both - even the Tele, as Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and even Eric Clapton demonstrated. Page played a Tele prior to Led Zep II. If I just wanted the thick sustained sound I would get a Les Paul if I could afford it, but Fenders produce some wonderful tones. Now that everybody uses the overdrive sound it isn't as thrilling as back in 1966.
Amazing!!
its always good to have both stratocaster and telecaster!
Great demo! Thank you for that! I like both never much but I prefer the Tele with the vintage saddles because it has more of a bite.
I love that last solo he played on the strat
@zenpipo Teles and strats both sound great clean, the difference is that the tele has a country like twang to it whereas the strat has a more bluesy sound. The strat can twang a bit on the bridge pick up but not as much as a telecaster. Teles are also brighter and sound thinner or lighter than a strat.
Paul, your the man as usual, youve got the greatest job ever. If you have video review of a gibson sg i would like to see it, couldnt find one here.
@robbie932 it wasnt shaped like a nocaster/telecaster it was the shape of a stratocaster with the headstock of a telecaster and the pickgaurd went up both horns/cutout parts and it was thinline/ semi hollow
I have to say, when I first started looking at Fenders, I wasnt really interested, but, my friend has a Stratocaster with a mexican body, and it was one of the best guitars Ive ever played, so I cant imagine what an American body would play like.
@qp304 try adjusting the truss rod. there are many guitar with this problem, but most of the time this issue can be easily fixed
@DaNorthernLight
Not always true my friend, i have single coils in my 70's fernandes strat and with the right guitar and amp, you can get tons of low end. Also lace sensors give a thick sound much more like a humbucker than a single coil, though they are single coils.
2 things:
1. which of the two do you prefer?
2. what's the difference between the $1000 strat standard and the $500 strat standard?
Man, that distorted Strat solo was great.
I think it's fair to say I grew up watching this guy play guitar
I have the same guitar , just with the maple neck. Its a friggin dream to play!!
i prefer the tele, but its all about personal preference. if youre thinking about buying one of these, make sure you try both.
I'm always tossed up between a tele an strat they are both so cool in their own way. Love the stringy tone of the tele! But love the strats out of phase tones as well. Love the teles simple heavy duty controls and pedal steel lick ease behind the nut. I lean towards the tele but a strat is a sharp looker to!
@1con0clast Oh and he noted that the current line are some of the best Fender has ever made including vintage and older models. If you have an issue with that they you can take that up with him.
@GuitarFreak1901 No, deluxes are about 1500. I think your talking about the mex strats.
I have the Tele just ordered my AS Stratocaster today im so excited charcoal is the color
i think these are some of the best american standards so far. i got the olympic white strat with maple fingerboard.... totally stock besides to mods i did, switched out the stock tremolo block for a full size vintage style callaham block (seriously do this mod and it will take the blanket off your strat much tone improvement and sustain), second i put a mint color pickguard cuz i think it looks fancy in a subtle way. Love my strat!
People underestimate Strats/Teles/ for metal/hardcore. Some of my favorite group, with the coolest/unique tones (imo) use strats/or/ teles for metal/hardcore.
Love the chimeyness of the Stratocaster, beautiful.
Paul, my friend, you totally rock!
@PossessedDonutz Keith Richards said "I've a thousand guitars but give me 15 minutes and i'll make any of them sound the same". He didn't mean he makes any guitar sound good, he meant a player sounds like they sound whatever guitar. Ask yourself, does the guitar stay in tune? does it feel fimiliar when you pick it up? is action not perfect but you know it's faults? has it's bad points but wont let you down?. If the answer is yes to all, it's your a good guitar for you whatever you do to it.
Keith Richards like his Teles and Stevie Ray Vaughn liked his Strats. Jimi Hendrix was another guy who loved the strat. Anyway, both are very good guitars. When I was at guitar center I played Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones on a tele. Sounded awesome.
i was considering buying a tele and you've comfirmed that purchase
THANX!
KILLER STRAT TONE!!love the vintage 60 cycle hum!
great point for someone that has never had a strat before....Oh, I have a LP, lets go pay 1500 bucks cause I d like to know how a strat feels. So, what strat do you sugest for long strat users? Some original 69' or maybe a custom shop one at around 8000 bucks..?
@1con0clast Re: Strats and Teles. I like your analytical comment very much. Your analogies are very entertaining and really do provide a good description of the sound each instrument produces. Personally, I prefer the telecaster but have over time come to enjoy and appreciate the sound of the stratocaster. I've been playing both guitars for quite some time and have, without really meaning to, built a fair collection of both instruments.
Most session guitarists have a Tele as their instrument of choice. Most of Jimmy Page's recorded output with Led Zeppelin was done on a Telecaster. I call bs on those saying Tele is a one-trick pony. I love the way both guitars look and feel..
Heck.....Yeah. Honestly the main reason I want a strat.
@Monkdaddy well GE Smith stated that the current Fender line of guitars are some of the best that they have ever made and I would take him at his word since he knows his stuff. As far as custom shop goes, the same applies to the entire line of Gibson guitars, their necks are prone to break because they are angled. That's a fact, you can google it.
should I bought a stratocaster or telecaster cause I like both of them and i can choose just one as i m a beginner ^^
@DylanBStringer91
IMO
The hum gives life to the sound
The buzzing is either because it's poorly set up or the strings are too light for your picking style
Feedback can be used as a beautiful thing, but I don't get any feedback from Strats
Never had the volume knob impede my playing
Never been cut by the saddles. I think they're a comfortable place to PM from
I don't use the tremolo
I like the bigger frets. I like it when my fingers don't touch the fretboard.
IMO
That's why I'm getting a Strat!
Just hit refresh when the commercial comes on and it goes right to the video,for me.
I see everywhere things about “american standard” pickups in the 2008-2016 models, but getting into actually buying a strat they all have fat 50’s, tex mex, etc… it’s clear to me that the american standard pickups sound the best, and it looks like a lot of people agree. But where do I find these pickups???
@emvir8gto8
Strat: V neck, rosewood
Tele: C neck, rosewood and maple
Strats are awesome.
AC/DC used a Gibson SG. The new SG for 2013 is really nice sounding and seems pretty close to a 60s one. They cost about the same as an American Strat.
I don't know weather anyone actaully answered you or not but yea go for it, Strats are brilliant guitars.
Hi, thank you very much for the video I loved it!!! I just wanted to know what is your overall opinion about the stratocaster and the telecaster, in other words witch one do you think is better and for what style of music does each of the guitars aim for and if they are able to play heavy rock and shredding thanks in advanced and keep up the good and helpful videos
Zach.
Great review! So complete and clear
@GLK2780 No offense, GLK2780, but I must disagree with you. I've sampled squiers. The quality isn't there. They don't feel good in my hands and I don't think they'd deliver in the studio. That said, hats off to the quality of the cheaper instruments now being made. They're wonderful. I'm an older guy, and in my day cheap was cheap. The action of these guitars I speak of was a good half inch off the board and intonation was all but absent. Thanks for your generous comment!
@christofa96 any thin skin or vintage model because they use nitro finishes. Basically any guitar that uses nitrocellulose lacquer will show age over time.
I like to watch this over and over again until I get one of those.
@HarPoonz18
I wouldn't buy a deluxe for the S1, you don't need it I think.
However they do have a better finish, noiseless pickups and locking machine heads,
which are more important to me
Middle and neck PUs is probably my favorite tone i can get from a strat...with the tone knob at about half
ive got an epiphone g400 and love it because my hand sits nicely on the bridge and theres plenty of room between the classic alnico humbuckers to pick. i love the look and sound of strats but i can never get used to the faqct i cant seem to rest my hand properly and also that i always hit the pickups with my pick.
Check out the Jackson Adrian Smith San Dimas. It's just like a Strat, but more versatile. Jacksons are made by Fender, btw.
@lnhuman nope. You're going to want to look for a guitar with humbucker pickups. Check out a Les Paul or SG to start for harder rock stuff. Although it's not at all a rule, Strats tend to be for blues. The single coil pickups don't handle the super high distortion you want for metal. Good luck.
@qp304 You need the guitar Pro. Set up . Possible neck adjust. Don't attempt yourself unless you are very familiar with adjustments.
Rock On -Forever.
@DRGK9 You said that you don't think they sound different not that you don't think they sound much different. They actually sound pretty bad when you compare them to an American strat unless you change the pick ups.
Generally what is the difference? Like the Tele, Strat, and Les Pauls are the "American" guitars. The tele obviously has more twang to it (unless it's the effect)? And the Strat is pretty good for rock
Love that neck pickup on strats
I love the strat, this guy is amazing
@funkyp4nd4 kinda. the punk will be no problem with the stock setup. however, if you drop a humbucker in the bridge, you gain the 80's rock sound without losing the punk sound, I have one and did that to mine, so i'm saying from experience and not assumption.
This guy is awesome when it comes into playing fast....
i love those guitars. treir sounds are so amazing
@spareaxe These ones are American Standard, so they are made in the states. The ones that are only Standard are the Mexican ones. They are the same concept of guitar with different woods pickups and so on. The Americans have a higher quality control.
I want a Strat so bad!! Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Yngwie Malmsteen, and my favorite, my hero, Dave Murray of Iron Maiden ALL use Fender Strats! Wish I had a badass job...
@skylorz I'd attack the side where your strum hand is with sandpaper after the paintjob is finished. That's how fender makes its worn stratocasters, look up a vid
I love them both! They have different personalities sonically. Just go ahead and get one of each, and get it over with!!
The American standars is badass .. really want one!!
instead of talking about the guitars, we should all thumbs up for the guys skill on it!
Ok thanks, one more question, does lowering/making them higher alter the sound and/or tone of the guitar? And does making them higher or lower take a lot of skill? lol.
@alejorag although malmsteen played a strat, he didn't get a regular strat sound out of it because he was a metal player. for malmsteen you need an ibanez or schecter. so i would say for you styles get a les paul.
@1uzi98suicide5 to make the maple more sturdy and less likely to bend inwards its called a skunkstrip