[teamo]

I am buying a Fender Strat (I think) pretty soon. I am looking at the American Standard and also the American Deluxe. Can't decide what options for colors or woods that I like. I have heard that the maple neck as opposed to the rosewood neck has a brighter sound and is somewhat faster playing because of the feel of the wood. Also if I get something like aged cherryburst (deluxe model) or sienna sunburst then the wood is ash as opposed to alder. Some people have told me that the ash is not as desireable as far as tone. What do you think? Is there really that much difference between the neck and body woods? Thanks

 

[The Shredder89]

Find a dealer that carries the ones your looking for and try them out. How YOU feel about the guitar is alot more important than what some anonymous internet review or guitar magazine or your best friend said. Spend alot of time playing them on many different amps before you buy one, even if it pisses off the sales people lol :biggthump.

 

[kudochop]

I am buying a Fender Strat (I think) pretty soon. I am looking at the American Standard and also the American Deluxe. Can't decide what options for colors or woods that I like. I have heard that the maple neck as opposed to the rosewood neck has a brighter sound and is somewhat faster playing because of the feel of the wood. Also if I get something like aged cherryburst (deluxe model) or sienna sunburst then the wood is ash as opposed to alder. Some people have told me that the ash is not as desireable as far as tone. What do you think? Is there really that much difference between the neck and body woods? Thanks

Two very good choices! In regards to the neck, that's mainly a personal preference. Maple is brighter, and in my opinion, I like it better than rosewood, for tone and looks. When it gets down to it, there really isn't a huge tone difference. Yes, Rosewood is "warmer" sounding with possibly better sustain. With that said no wood is better, there have been some awesome tones with both woods. Halen has always used maple, so has Clapton (and lots of other blues guys for that matter)... tons of guys. Rosewood has been used by lots of guys too... Vai, Satriani, Page, etc. Just depends on what you like. Personally, I would decide on which I think looked best with the particular guitar. When it gets down to it, when you're amping something up, more emphasis is gonna be on your pickups and amp, then on the neck wood.

With that said, I think body wood is much more important in terms of tone than the neck wood...i.e. sustain. Again, go with what you like in terms of tone. A lot of people actually prefer Ash over Alder.... again it's the tone you want.

Another thing to look at is the Hardware/Electronics of the guitar. In my opinion, the Fender American Deluxe HSS is one of the most versatile guitars on the market. It has the LSR roller-nut and locking tuners, so you can use the tremolo much like a Floyd Rose, but without the hassle. Plus you get the S-1 Switching system, which is awesome.... Look over the Fender webpage, check out all the models on MusiciansFriend.com, and try to narrow down what kind of tone and look you're going for....