A New American Vintage HotRod stat

Can anyone tell me about personal experience with this guitar? with American vintage pickups(reverse wound middle), 9.5 radius on the fretboard......how does it sound?....how does it feel?we`re talking older classic rock.....I like the Olymic white and rosewood fingerboard!......

They are nice guitars. I was thinking about purchasing a 57 VHRRI strat in Red when I bought my US Standard Ash strat.

If you can get past the but end truss rod adjustment, and the 21 fret neck, I think you will be happy. But for my money, there are better strats to be bought. I would recommend to keep shopping. Look at the American Deluxe and the American Standards.

You will have no issues with classic rock sounds on a single coil strat.

I had a 57 reissue, couldn't get past the small fingerboard radius. Had to set the action high for string bends, the guitar frets out fairly easy...BUT...the tone was really nice! Vintage tone all the way, 60 HZ hum included :lol: !

yep. think i`ll take another look at the AM deluxe. I noticed only the Am Deluxe HSS comes with LSR rollernut. Wonder why?

jeffp said:

yep. think i`ll take another look at the AM deluxe. I noticed only the Am Deluxe HSS comes with LSR rollernut. Wonder why?

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Tuning stability. Along with the locking tuners. The roller nut allows the strings to move trough the nut easily so they return back to pitch, without binding in the slots, after tremolo use.

i know ...but why just the HSS(ONLY) ? in the AM Deluxe series

jeffp said:

i know ...but why just the HSS(ONLY) ? in the AM Deluxe series

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That's a **** good question, and I am sorry, I don't have an answer for you. I never noticed that before until going back and looking again now.

I can tell you on my American Standard Ash Strat, it has a very well done standard nut. I use .10-.52 strings and I have 0 issues with tuning stability. Which I just switched to. Prior to that, I was using .11-.49 and had 0 binding issues with those also.

I think the AM standard is a very good guitar. I have had two...a 90 AMstrat plus that i gave to my son,and a 98AM standard that i play now. The stock pups in mine were very weak and i replaced those LaceSensor Hot Golds. It`much better. With another standard i would definitely upgrade pups. The feel of the guitar itself is pretty good and i could consider going that route instead of the AM VHotrod. I think the guitar has to feel good first and almost all the rest is pickups! I hava a thing about made in the USA too! Good talk. jeff

I own two Fender American Vintage Hot Rod strats and they do all my single coil work. I love the thick necks on them and the build quality is probably the best Fender does on their production guitars without paying the custom shop price, right up there with the Eric Johnson models and it reflects in the pricetag. Thought I would not like the pickups and planed on changing them out but after playing with them awhile got to really like them. I have no tuning problems but do not really use the tremolo bar. Plan on keeping them around.

wow! Two?.........I`m looking at theOlypic white with Mint green PG........The cheap route for me is the Am standard.....eventually change pickups and PG. I don`t like the cheap side of me!

I have a sherwood green (now discontinued) and three tone sunburst. Would pick up a white one if found for the right price. The neck size is quite a bit different the a standard and deluxe so you have to like thick necks.

yea.....I think i would.I really don`t know. Hows the tone?

I really like the tones and pickups. You can tell they are going to sound great since when you play them unpluged they even sound good. Like I said before, they are built better than most standards and deluxes maybe since they are built in the good ole USA

The AM standard is Made In USA.The price difference between AMVHRod and AM standard is $700. If i cut that diff in half i`ll buy one. How do you like the Gotoh tuners? Can you feel the body vibrate unlike the cheaper strats? I want quality for my money! I want to justify the extra bucks! Do you feel the quality speaks out loud? If i get a new am strat and dress it up i may have the same thing i have now. Only two of them. I guess what it really comes down to is can i make the same quality instrument by upgrading an AM standard or is it just two different animals?Thoughts? Thanks,Jeffp

I bought an SG........