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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

This is my first American Stratocaster and I’ve gotta say it’s definitely a tone master. I’ve heard complaints that the noiseless pickups just make the guitar sound weak but I definitely disagree. The features on this guitar allow for you to create some cool sounds. The neck of this guitar is extremely comfortable and just makes playing it super easy. This guitar is for mordern players who want to create more tones than just the traditional strat sound. I recommend this guitar for mordern musicians, not for people trying to chase vintage tone. My only complaint is the input on the guitar came unsoldered before ever seeing a gig. Possibly a factory error, who knows? But it was an easy fix. Also you can see where the neck shape changes because the color of the neck (on mine) changes dramatically towards the middle of the neck. Not sure if this was an error in making mine as well or not. Overall I really love this guitar. It is definitely my go to.

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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

At this price I expect a setup that is at least decent, zZounds needs to start inspecting and setting up guitars over a certain price point. I had to pay a local shop to give this guitar a work over because the action was high, tremolo was an 1/8 inch off the body, tuning machines were loose, neck was over bowed, and intonation was way off. I could have done some of it myself but I wanted to make sure nothing else was wrong.After a setup though it was pleasure to play and have no complaints so far. One thing to note, it doesnt seem as though Fender is including a strap and guitar lead with the 2018 model, not a big deal as most have enough leads and straps can be subject to personal tastes. The include hard case doesnt fit as well as a Gibson case, read as the guitar flops around inside if you move it side to side while carrying it closed.

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I've owned my share of American strats and teles over the years and I was excited for this guitar. I hadn't played one in person when I ordered it, but I has read/seen only glowing reviews. Mine (beautiful Olympic White/tortoise) came with a high inlay at the 15th fret, that the factory had apparently neglected to shave/sand down. I had my luthier do the job along with a great setup, but how does that get missed by QC?! More than that, except for the interesting switching on this guitar, I found it to be one of the more 'soul-less' Strats I've played. Pickups just sounded lifeless to me and even the Shawbucker was underwhelming. Also, all those tonal options for really only three useable tones? I immediately wished I had gone with an Eric Johnson Strat. After putting in my time with it, I traded this guitar for a USA Music Man Cutlass and I couldn't be happier. I recommend you play one of these locally before jumping in. zZounds would have happily done an exchange for me but I wanted to see if the Elite HSS would grow on me. It didn't.

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