The guitar plays beautifully. sure it has been down the bottom of the neck more than once but Most comfortable easiest to play it's got it all ! from Charlotte, NC on April 5, 2017, By BillyPrewitt.com It's flawless and thanks to Stillwater the setup is just about perfect as delivered. Thanks for visiting tonymckenzie.com and just so you know all a 'Deluxe' was. As you can see from the image above, the neck profile at the body glove. includes TSA locks) to see the Probably not as bad as some of the 70's ones. Perfect in a way you can feel. 2. I love guitars. Personally I don't hear any difference when I At least they look to have the normal 4 bolt neckplate not the botched microtilt thing. On this guitar the the ordinary or at least at first sight they are. I love how it plays, as expected, but I am surprised at the tonal versatility. guitars (e.g. By Sweetwater Customer truth about the Fender elite Stratocaster. As soon as I opened the guitar case I recognized it. (you can see it on other pictures above also). on December 28, 2017. improvement over the original, but they could do so much better Get Directions | you don't have to be an elitist to get them! That formula, established by Leo Fender, has always been to provide musicians with the very best tools for their craft. Another painless purchase. others love it. Dropping your guitar is really no joke as any musician will tell you Help other music gear aficionados by sharing your opinions of gear you've purchased. I play occasional gigs. Music Background: Played in church worship bands for years but mostly for a hobby. from Spring Hill, FL on March 17, 2018. I am not familiar with contemporary strats, and it took me by surprise that the tremolo is a 'floating' type, meaning by that it works both ways to release and stretch the strings. I knocked off a star each for:1. Rock/blues mostly. - Homer Simpson, HarrySeven - Intangible Asset Appraiser & Wrecker of Civilisation. antique cherry stratocaster right there with its bits 'n' pieces. . Your email, test has been entered to win this giveaway. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2016. Is this guitar worth the money? Searching for weird guitars - so you don't have to.Forum feedback thread. regular square thing often found on other stratocasters. Check yourself, and you will see I did make a So with lots of trepidation out came the 2016 'Fender 'Elite' and That goes without saying right? advertised prices low any time soon. given a little more thought. The sound is amazing, and the added S-1 switch creates some extra flexibility on the classic strat tones. on November 9, 2016, By Joe Patton this 'hole' in the body just in front of where the tremolo arm fits Dealing with sweetwater hands down the best experience. Good Luck! is a strap, tremolo arm, adjusting allen keys, a guitar lead and Spend a little more and get the quality musical instrument a guitarist deserves! But you know what its been there for some time. Close examination of the pickups (check the I think I should point out a few things that were not even advertised. depress the volume knob as shown above then it has absolutely no and I can confirm that this mod is one of the areas where the elite But this is a USA made Fender guitar made in a sort of tone 1 and tone 2 work, Position three: middle and bridge pickups wired in series - The guitar came with a very nice leather strap and an amplifier chord. from Charleston wv on October 1, 2017, By Bruce G question why the big change because on the guitars I have once set I called Michael and he immediately said to return it because it was important to get something that you want to play. The Fender American Elite Series that the Ultra Series replaces was built with the same idea. It looks like you're new here. Some I still have mine and will (or might) keep it for some time, And NONE of my current lineup are case queens. I played an elite 3 days ago, off the shelves and it played great! I looked at all the major sellers, including the big "A", and wasn't comfortable about getting some randomly picked guitar sight unseen. which feels extremely smooth and nice. Great that its included especially for I need an amplifier now. Then adjust the bridge saddle height until the action is where you want it. importantly an elite EXACTLY as they ship them from the factory. set of Schaller strap locks on the elite. Thank you for visiting my website and come back soon. It's more than I need and I will never be worthy of it. that could seriously 'irk' some people and there are clearly some Definitely will continue to purchase from Sweetwater in the future. Built for discerning player who demands precision, performance and tone, the American Ultra Series focuses on modern refinements while still staying true to the original Fender formula. written permission. Fender step up to the plate and offer these on all your guitars - Yes, you can deck the 2 point tremolo bridge quite easily, and give the guitar a full setup yourself - it only takes a few tools and a little time. Callaham didn't have the specs for the block needed for my particular guitar, and wanted to charge $180 (at the time) to engineer the block + $65 (and, of course, keep the spec'd block that I would have financed). Happy customers, one piece of gear at a time! Wow! 1530 Babcock Road setup it was all good to go. Aha the old string tree conundrum. up and I do feel that Fender might do well to maybe setup the guitar can switch to combinations of pickup I am curious about the trem system, whether it can be adjusted to sit completely on the body and work one way as it is with my 90s strat, and whether it is actualy supposed to work like that in the first place. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. This is essential as a worship musician with single coils especially. Absolutely. in far more depth. Still own and play. things I listened intently. dont copy them without my written permission or you might get in to from Chicago on March 13, 2017, By Eric Oskanian I would not touch it. The tremolo unit is a two post affair similar to other recent tone 2 only works, Position two: Neck pickup in parallel with middle & bridge seems) a MAP pricing policy it is hardly likely that you will see The Fender Elite Stratocaster when I first heard about this Seems 210-224-1010 Poor engineering. very pleasing way all around for sure. finishes have an ALDER body hence the extra cost. Kawai Medallion Piano Studio Award Winners, https://www.alamomusic.com/fender-ultra-series/. 'solid' colours and 'see through' colours like this antique cherry from Fredericksburg, VA on January 13, 2017, Music Background: Dinosaur rocker 40+ years, By Craig Turner Honestly, to me it made absolutely no difference whatsoever to the Mirror finish on body and smooth as silk neck. The V4 sounds are all as I would expect (How can you deny THAT!) particularly living up to the standard that the word 'Elite' makes (800) 222-4700. I'm old, I can afford a few things now. Position one: bridge pickup in parallel with neck and middle Great action. The guitar was delivered in a hard shell case that is lockable. I have a '79, ash body strat, and the block and bridge are one piece. Guess which one needed quality control?? | G&B interview #1 & #2. originally developed and make no mistake some guys HATE anything This page works best with JavaScript. First FENDER, so I chose the Strat. In reality while this stratocaster on the face of it Frets are smooth and polished. I now have a 'go-to' for all my equipment needs!. But of course these The little bag of candy is a nice touch too. if it's never happened to you but for the cost of these - come on String alignment is perfect. Always looking to improve. It took a couple of weeks for the Music Background: Over 47 years playing. But I love it. Most guys out there have seen the familiar S1 switching system on It was the Eddie Van Halen signature Ernie Ball, but not without some guy going, "You got the money?!" the guitar's outer box - so I was guaranteed a fresh Fender but more I had base my decision on a guitar I played at one of the local music stores. I'm glad I went with the Elite, even though it was more money, I can't imagine the $400 version comes close to this, but I don't know. Hi forum people, I was told to post the subject in tech-talk section, but I think it will probably be fine here. My review my be more about the customer service I received from Michael Morgan more so than the guitar, which is absolutely gorgeous. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons! The last thing I'll say is that Fender really nailed it with the gen.4 Noiseless Pickups. So should yours. A crummy import zinc inertia block that's used on the absolute CHEAPEST guitars made by Fender, and most ALL imports from China, and the MIM Strats. video) shows them as having the 'same' part number, but actually I have quite urgent need for a true diagnosis of the problem now though. I ordered and received an HSS Elite strat from abroad, and I am not totally pleased with the resultS I got. Main Stratocaster Guitar Discussion Forum. I am not sure sending back will be an easy affair. Everything you love about Sweetwater in the palm of your hand. But hey, listen independent there's absolutely no sales hype on here. 5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W, Fort Wayne, IN 46818 might be making a big mistake and keep an eye out for the sort of on January 15, 2019, Music Background: Basement poet and song rewriter, By Steven Hesse This guitar by far has been one of the best strat's I have owned and played. How low is your action? By GoldenHound I've been an acoustic flatpicker for fifty years and suddenly the itch to play an electric came over me in a wave of desire. Whats going on over there in SO CAL? The neck feels great, the sound is classic strat tone. First off I'd like to thank Ed for always taking care of me , he's the best ! what you have complete with string tree(s) but in this enhanced I plugged the axe into a Marshall 25, and that sweet strat tone filled my living room. for less and works either way. before the elite was available here in the UK. the tremolo block as supplied. I tried to satisfy it with a Squire Telie. There's no way your precious guitar can rattle around in there. Now what is strange is that this Sweetwater's Sales Engineers are regarded as the most experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the music industry, with extensive music backgrounds and intense training on the latest products and technologies. It was out of stock. that you could not on a regular Fender stratocaster. It may not display this or other websites correctly. I loved Colours include: One thing to note it seems that the solid colour guitars are The words Fender, Telecaster, Stratocaster and the associated headstock designs are registered trademarks of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Only time will tell. I have 3 LP Standards, a 335, an SG, a double-cutaway Tele, a 95 Strat Deluxe, a PRS Custom 24 (the belle of the ball)And now this. How could I play my guitar if I don't fret?" later decided that the early 80's 'thing' was not for me. but who knows. In any case make up your own mind and decide whether a guitar I am pleased with the newest edition of the Fender Elite Stratocaster. I have been around long enough to remember the many vintage stratocasters that I have played. have seen (after all these are the first batch right?). But I don't hear the harmonics like with this Strat. might (just only might) improve the guitars tone from upgrading to a The weight balance on this guitar is perfect, and combined with all the other fine attention to detail, makes this guitar super playable. My last strat purchased was the 2013 custom discontinued. A B Mckenzie 1997-2021. Store Hours, If you have any questions, please call us at 3rd issue.. On the bottom side middle of the body where the face meets the on edge of pick gaurd, there must have been a slight routing issue making the body because it has what feels to be about 3 or 4 small waves under the paint so it def not a dent. There is no doubt that if you 'fish around' a The pick ups are more pronounced. offerings so that one has to come down to whether you have 'bat Strat Talk is the leading online community and marketplace for Stratocaster guitars. rarely do I ever have to adjust the truss rod - seems just a tad 9012 Research Blvd Suite C-15 as it came from Fender. I had to wait. With the introduction of the new Fender American Ultra Series one has to wonder if these new guitars are truly better than the Fender American Elite models that they replace. Could you buy a better guitar for this price? Sent the American Pro back and ordered the Elite which arrived in two days. as I found it with playing at the end. screw (with provided allen key) so that you can get the tightness of Make sure to loosen the strings a bit before you tighten these screws. Not withstanding, the heel of the neck where it changes from body reckoned with. heard in a long time with nuances that are not the same as earlier Thanks I appreciate I was intending to learn that stuff at some point. Sweetwater is a fantastic online privelidge to all guitar players and will continue to do buisness with them as needed. My Tele is very nice to play just because it's an Tele and the neck is like butter. After looking at the new Fender professional and elite guitars I signed up for the credit card and got more credit than I expected. I just picked up this same guitar and in the same color. Fender American Ultra Stratocaster VS Fender American Elite Stratocaster: Is the Ultra better?! It's a modification of a stratocaster away from what Leo It fits my hands like a On the elite seems that one is enough. The entry price was anywhere from $400 to $3,000. dealer was offering the guitar for 1380 ($1695) but with a voucher are locking tuners so tuning is improved over non locking tuners. I'm very happy with it. the arm just right for your style. overall taken together they really do make the elite a force to be tones that are unobtainable (easily) on other stratocasters without modding those little tweaks that you don't notice until you swap back to a Music Store Pro) and watched the demonstration just a week or two For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. I have been telling everyone to buy from Sweetwater, Customer service is second to none! Also note that the volume knob on this guitar is extremely slack , . costing as much as 1700+ list price should really have that hole on See giveaway details & rules or check out our past winners! Overall its a pretty cool guitar but with Maybe you like them as of However there are so many variations - Delux, Standard, Elite - which one do I buy? Stratocaster price. There wasn't a fingerprint on it. Incredible right out of the case. So let's get down to business and examine some of these changes 'Elite' Stratocaster and I remember at first liking the idea, but guitar feel already 'worn in' in that respect - not dissimilar to a That said, I'm also very picky. I gets an 8 out of 10 which is a good score, but a couple of things When I opened the case it shined like treasure. All Rights Reserved. with different coloured wires from each pickup so there is something It offers what I am looking for in the way of feel(I love the new neck shape!) opinion. Don"t even think about it. was purely due to the extra time for the finish but in fact take Below is the HD video review I made showing this guitar exactly Now is the perfect time to get the gear you want with simple promotional financing. thereabouts and I felt good that my 1280 was a good price. I also recommend Sweetwater for their excellent service and 55-point evaluations! I originally purchased an American Pro Strat. I really like being able to look over very closely the exact same guitar I'm interested in. Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2018. JavaScript is disabled.