It's true. :( Great player, did many a Lick Library lesson with him. www.guitarinteractivemagazine.com/issues/issue-45/features/michael-casswell-a-tribute/
Most informative review I've seen so far of these. Instead of just listing the brochure features and going into a playing wank session, you discussed the things I was interested in that no one else seems to talk about: the fret edges, how well the nut was cut, the tonal differences with the S1 (TH-cam audio doesn't translate well and most people just hit the switch, play and say "here, listen to the difference."), resonance, how well it actually stays in tune with tremolo use, etc. Thanks for producing an actual useful review.
I dont think the S1 switching is explained all that well in this and indeed in other reviews I've seen on youtube so I did a bit of digging and came up with this explanation of what the S1 switch does... S1 switch OFF - the American Elite Strat functions as normal: Position one: bridge pickup only Position two: bridge and middle pickups wired in parallel Position three: middle pickup only Position four: middle and neck pickups wired in parallel Position five: neck pickup only S1 Switch ON - you get 5 more tonal options: Position one: all three pickups wired in series Position two: bridge and middle pickups wired in series Position three: middle and neck pickups wired in series Position four: bridge and neck pickups wired out of phase, with a special tone capacitor Position five: bridge and middle pickups wired in series and out of phase, in parallel with neck pickup
Have you guys ever considered putting together a CD of all of Michael's playing on these demos (the backing track jams), maybe donate proceeds to his family? I'd buy it for sure.
Kerrie im gettin mine same model and colour with maple end of the month. is it really good and do you still get the warm fender tone ? cause i read lot of negative comments about noiseless pickups ,
Nice, sensible review and great playing. Very sad to learn that this gentleman has departed this world so young. Say hello to Jimi, Duane and the rest of them for me, Michael.
2nd review in a row that doesn't even know the s1 switching before hand. I get it if you need a cheat sheet but here is what the switching does. American Elite Stratocaster As has been the case for decades, the five-way selector of the Stratocaster offers a slew of wiring configutations. But with the S-1 switch, there is a new world of options. Here is the configuration when the S-1 switch is off: Position one: bridge pickup only Position two: bridge and middle pickups wired in parallel Position three: middle pickup only Position four: middle and neck pickups wired in parallel Position five: neck pickup only When you engage the S-1 switch on the American Elite Strat, you have even more tone alternatives that you don't get to hear every day. Position one: all three pickups wired in series Position two: bridge and middle pickups wired in series Position three: middle and neck pickups wired in series Position four: bridge and neck pickups wired out of phase, with a special tone capacitor Position five: bridge and middle pickups wired in series and out of phase, in parallel with neck pickup
is it because i am watching ton load of fender strat videos on youtube that i find the sound and tone so fking beautiful!!! the first piece played by this dude was so melodic n nice ,i could listen for hours!!i wish i had a fender strat standard,dont even need an elite :)
Here in Canada, a Fender Elite is over $2500 CDN. I can get a very good quality strat from warmoth (their modern built necks are even better), with a Floyd Rose, 3 single rail from Seymour Duncan (switches included if I want these pickups to be switch from single to humbuckers), in fact it's an authorized copy from Fender (!!!), for under $1500! They drill all the holes, paint it if I want to, put a coat of varnish if I want, and it's still going to be under $2000 for the same quality (maybe better). My next buy, for sure, is going to be from warmoth.
Stunning guitar. I'm very close to buying one almost identical to the one in the review, but I am going for the maple board as it suits the blue colour so much better.
Hello, Congratulations on the tests. I would have to choose between a new STATOCASTER VINTERA 50 MAPLE NECK and a STATOCASTER AMERICAN ELITE MAPLE NECK ex demo (with guarantees) at the same price. Music genre: CLAPTON - GILMOUR - KNOFLER. I'll proceed to the tests anyway. Which would you choose? Thanks. I always follow you
I have a 2006 American Deluxe and have an Elite already on its UPS route to me can't wait to see the difference between Deluxe vs Elite, SCN vs 4th Gen Noiseless, 9.5" flat to the new compound board, etc. Could do without the truss rod wheel but ehh
My opinion: If you ask a question with the words "pickup" and "metal" within--the answer is ALWAYS humbucker, or active. But I have seen some great players do metal with single coils--you just really have to work at getting those ringing distorted harmonics
Nice guitar but the pick ups sound a little muddy! no clarity! I have the American Deluxe Tele, I need a strat now, or I may get a Suhr Classic Pro SSS.
Just always been the way fender has done it, originally it was for repair purposes. Much easier to get a new neck than repair a completely destroyed one.
Wow I was going to say Eric Clapton from the early 70s. Then read where this man has passed. It really sucks when exceptionally gifted people are taken away. Didn't know who he was but his really good spirit comes through in this video.
A great review by the always great M. Casswell :D The colour is really nice. Just one thing, the guitar sports a vibrato not a tremolo. Leo Fender mixed up the names (he was no musician mind you) and it caught on...
Same here. The string tree is almost frictionless polished nickel, and I haven't had any tuning issues, but then again I don't "dive bomb" my whammy, ever...
He is reviewing it critically, rather than trying to com across as a zealot, which you see way to much of on these types of reviews. There are aspects of the instrument he likes, and some he doesn't...
The 'new' pickups sound just a compressed and the previous versions, possibly worse. Save $1000 and buy the brand new July 2016 deluxe series that has all the same features except has the N3 pickups instead of the N4 and sounds better and the nut is slightly narrower, but with a 12" radius to the fingerboard is just as easy to to make open chords in the first position ring out clearly.
I have both N3s and N4s .. no comparison, N4s are at another level, closest thing to true single coil tone with no hum.. go to a music store and compare it will blow your mind.. I am selling my N3s if you want them lol
Rest in peace buddy.
So sad, to find that this gentleman has passed away. I've always really enjoyed his playing and commentary. I'm going to name my next Strat after him.
For those of you who did not hear Michael died tragically in an swimming accident in Spain last month. You will be missed RIP Michael.
Shit, shit, shit. Seriously? Watched half of this video before seeing this. Fuck.
It's true. :( Great player, did many a Lick Library lesson with him. www.guitarinteractivemagazine.com/issues/issue-45/features/michael-casswell-a-tribute/
MrCalifornia0 RIP
MrCalifornia0 in
Sad😔
A true gentleman and awesome guitar player .
Most informative review I've seen so far of these. Instead of just listing the brochure features and going into a playing wank session, you discussed the things I was interested in that no one else seems to talk about: the fret edges, how well the nut was cut, the tonal differences with the S1 (TH-cam audio doesn't translate well and most people just hit the switch, play and say "here, listen to the difference."), resonance, how well it actually stays in tune with tremolo use, etc. Thanks for producing an actual useful review.
So sad this man passed away. This is hands down the best demo of the Elite Strat on TH-cam to date.
I dont think the S1 switching is explained all that well in this and indeed in other reviews I've seen on youtube so I did a bit of digging and came up with this explanation of what the S1 switch does...
S1 switch OFF - the American Elite Strat functions as normal:
Position one: bridge pickup only
Position two: bridge and middle pickups wired in parallel
Position three: middle pickup only
Position four: middle and neck pickups wired in parallel
Position five: neck pickup only
S1 Switch ON - you get 5 more tonal options:
Position one: all three pickups wired in series
Position two: bridge and middle pickups wired in series
Position three: middle and neck pickups wired in series
Position four: bridge and neck pickups wired out of phase, with a special tone capacitor
Position five: bridge and middle pickups wired in series and out of phase, in parallel with neck pickup
Thanks for explaining the S1 switching. Much appreciated
Casswell is legit! My favourite demo guy by a long shot.
Excellent review!!! Went over all the features and added his honest opinion without trying to "sell" it.
Have you guys ever considered putting together a CD of all of Michael's playing on these demos (the backing track jams), maybe donate proceeds to his family? I'd buy it for sure.
Reviewed by one of my favorite players.
good reviews are hard to find these days. Thanks Michael, really like your playing style and your comments
Really like the colour but not as much as I love Michael's playing 🤘
I'm buying this in a month. Thank you for your great guitar playing.
Daniel Neamtu you will love it to death!!!!! I got one and I can not put the damn thing down!!! worth every penny in my opinion...
leftymadrid I just brought this very one home 😀 I hope you're right 😀
I'm getting a limited edition surf green matching head stock model : )
You sound like Jeff Beck Very well done and beautiful strat
He was obviously a Beck fan because of the way he used the whammy bar and his fingers was very Jeff Beck like.
Sad that he passed... impressive player. Great review.
I've the fender elite american strat. I love this guitar
Kerrie im gettin mine same model and colour with maple end of the month. is it really good and do you still get the warm fender tone ? cause i read lot of negative comments about noiseless pickups ,
Michael B well inplayed only twice sonce i bought as i didnt have much time and they sound good and no noise at all :)
Researched this guitarist only to find he has recently passed away :'(. Rest In Peace.
Yeah he apparently drowned while swimming :(
Nice, sensible review and great playing. Very sad to learn that this gentleman has departed this world so young. Say hello to Jimi, Duane and the rest of them for me, Michael.
2nd review in a row that doesn't even know the s1 switching before hand. I get it if you need a cheat sheet but here is what the switching does.
American Elite Stratocaster
As has been the case for decades, the five-way selector of the Stratocaster offers a slew of wiring configutations. But with the S-1 switch, there is a new world of options. Here is the configuration when the S-1 switch is off:
Position one: bridge pickup only
Position two: bridge and middle pickups wired in parallel
Position three: middle pickup only
Position four: middle and neck pickups wired in parallel
Position five: neck pickup only
When you engage the S-1 switch on the American Elite Strat, you have even more tone alternatives that you don't get to hear every day.
Position one: all three pickups wired in series
Position two: bridge and middle pickups wired in series
Position three: middle and neck pickups wired in series
Position four: bridge and neck pickups wired out of phase, with a special tone capacitor
Position five: bridge and middle pickups wired in series and out of phase, in parallel with neck pickup
is it because i am watching ton load of fender strat videos on youtube that i find the sound and tone so fking beautiful!!!
the first piece played by this dude was so melodic n nice ,i could listen for hours!!i wish i had a fender strat standard,dont even need an elite :)
yeah,it has all the improvements Musicman introduced more than 20 years ago,finally they woke up with a bit more sanity.
Exactly,hell even Rob Chapman's,Korean guitars have these features.
Seems like a good instrument!
RIP Michael Casswell
Here in Canada, a Fender Elite is over $2500 CDN. I can get a very good quality strat from warmoth (their modern built necks are even better), with a Floyd Rose, 3 single rail from Seymour Duncan (switches included if I want these pickups to be switch from single to humbuckers), in fact it's an authorized copy from Fender (!!!), for under $1500! They drill all the holes, paint it if I want to, put a coat of varnish if I want, and it's still going to be under $2000 for the same quality (maybe better). My next buy, for sure, is going to be from warmoth.
Rest in peace dear Michael.You will always be remembered as world class guitar player!
great guitar review R.I.P buddy
What is that song?
Damn this guy died not so old. Beautiful sound. it's sweet.
I've heard lots of stratocaster reviews and none of those reviews the strats sounds like its soundss in the hands of Casswell !!!
Nice review. I am between this and the Beck with the roller nut and soft c 9.5" neck.
Tough choice--get the one that makes you want to play the most... Can't go wrong with either really--that Jeff Beck Strat is very nicely made
So sad to hear that this exceptional guitarist has passed on. RIP
looks like you got a lemon in there 3:07 low E string is way to close to the edge of the fretboard (deal breaker in my opinion)
Good eye! I have this guitar with maple fretboard, and my 6th string is not so close to the edge as this one is...
Always try before buy, eh?
might just be the angle of the camera
He was a great player.
Great review. Fabulous whammy bar technique.
Fabulous guitar.
Stunning guitar. I'm very close to buying one almost identical to the one in the review, but I am going for the maple board as it suits the blue colour so much better.
Did you end up getting it Dan and what are your thoughts please. I'm looking at getting the same colour + maple neck as well.
Hello,
Congratulations on the tests.
I would have to choose between a new STATOCASTER VINTERA 50 MAPLE NECK and a STATOCASTER AMERICAN ELITE MAPLE NECK ex demo (with guarantees) at the same price.
Music genre: CLAPTON - GILMOUR - KNOFLER.
I'll proceed to the tests anyway.
Which would you choose?
Thanks.
I always follow you
hi. what foot pedal are you using? thanks!
I have a 2006 American Deluxe and have an Elite already on its UPS route to me can't wait to see the difference between Deluxe vs Elite, SCN vs 4th Gen Noiseless, 9.5" flat to the new compound board, etc.
Could do without the truss rod wheel but ehh
When you need it? And don't have it... You'll sing a different tune.
sweet guitar
Rest in peace my friend...
Can you use the bridge pickup or metal or hard rock? or should you get an hss one?
My opinion: If you ask a question with the words "pickup" and "metal" within--the answer is ALWAYS humbucker, or active. But I have seen some great players do metal with single coils--you just really have to work at getting those ringing distorted harmonics
Nice guitar but the pick ups sound a little muddy! no clarity! I have the American Deluxe Tele, I need a strat now, or I may get a Suhr Classic Pro SSS.
area859 Yeah the pickups remind me of lace sensors, kind of an unnecessary layer of processing.
Is there a reason Fender only does bolt on necks?
Just always been the way fender has done it, originally it was for repair purposes. Much easier to get a new neck than repair a completely destroyed one.
Fenders are built like 57 Chevy's--they just beg to be modified....
Wow I was going to say Eric Clapton from the early 70s. Then read where this man has passed. It really sucks when exceptionally gifted people are taken away. Didn't know who he was but his really good spirit comes through in this video.
Dude I hear that heavy Jeff Beck influence in your guitar playing
A great review by the always great M. Casswell :D
The colour is really nice.
Just one thing, the guitar sports a vibrato not a tremolo. Leo Fender mixed up the names (he was no musician mind you) and it caught on...
There are plenty of people who play guitar, but Michael is a Guitarist period...
Amen! RIP Michael Casswell, jamming up there with Jimi and Buddy....
RIP
Rest in peace...
Great player he is. I think he doesn't like string trees
RIP ma man.... :(
Every video ive seen of this guitar, the pickups sound weak and compressed. Really love the rest of the features though.
R.I.P. Michael
Wow is it Jeff Beck? Great playing man, you get a lot out of a Strat!
1:40 "string trees strike the fear of God into me"... I can soooo relate. LOL
Same here. The string tree is almost frictionless polished nickel, and I haven't had any tuning issues, but then again I don't "dive bomb" my whammy, ever...
thanks for thr review
love the blue
Great review! Great Player!
Excellent review, tasty playing
🙏🏾 respect
It's pretty funny to hear you praise it in one moment and throw it under the bus in the next.
He is reviewing it critically, rather than trying to com across as a zealot, which you see way to much of on these types of reviews. There are aspects of the instrument he likes, and some he doesn't...
Wow! You can bend on it? That must be new. I want one now.
Dude looks ripped
Damn thing is already Discontinued, A 2 year life span pretty much says it Sucks! So I think that's what Fender learned, it's an expensive Con Job!
I think ur right , I was going to buy one , not now.Thank you.
Éric , where are you ????
i still like my fender pro model 2017 better
Oh MY GOD!!!! It's Eric Clapton!!!!!
Looks like young Clapton but plays like ageless Beck!
Damn he makes that guitar sing!
This guy looks like eric clapton from the 70's
British S. Luke! hah
The 'new' pickups sound just a compressed and the previous versions, possibly worse. Save $1000 and buy the brand new July 2016 deluxe series that has all the same features except has the N3 pickups instead of the N4 and sounds better and the nut is slightly narrower, but with a 12" radius to the fingerboard is just as easy to to make open chords in the first position ring out clearly.
I have both N3s and N4s .. no comparison, N4s are at another level, closest thing to true single coil tone with no hum.. go to a music store and compare it will blow your mind.. I am selling my N3s if you want them lol
GUYS A GREAT BULLSHITTER.
This guy just cannot keep his disdain for Strats out of his voice, so he is biased.. Unfortunately... Probably a Gibson fiend.
He was a Strat guy. Its a review, not a commercial
he was a huge tyler guy I believe
Sorry, but noiseless pick up's
are shit. This is no stratocaster sound
Hi What OD pedal are you using?