Fender Standard Series Review

Fender's Standard series of Telecasters and Stratocasters are tearing up the field of low price instruments offering high quality sound and performance at a low price point. Fender has been manufacturing their Standard series for years but recent improvements in construction and manufacturing have made the Fender Standard series a force to be reckoned with.

Recently, I checked out a couple Standard series guitars. The Tele had a top notch finish that would be sure to catch the eyes of admiring fans. The neck, a one-piece maple affair, was rounded nicely and felt extremely comfortable for a number of styles from rock rhythm and lead playing to fast finger picking country-style licks. The frets were finished nicely and no unsightly file marks or scratches were apparent. The poplar body had a nice tone - not as much response as an alder or a mahogany body- but plenty never the less. Unplugged the axe had plenty of Tele spank. Plugged in, it proved to continue to provide classic Tele tone. Through a small Fender Pro Junior, I was able to crank out classic Keith Richard licks and notch up the volume for crunchy Pete Townshend style bar chords. After playing the Tele for a short period of time, I decided that Fender had really done wonders for the affordable guitar arena. I definitely putting one of these on my must have list.

The Standard Strat I checked out was also striking in appearance. I could probably use the black finish as a shaving mirror (don't try that at home though). The classic appearance and vintage styled hardware looks really cool and screams play me. Just gazing at this axe you conjure up images of all the famous Strat weilding guitar heroes - Jimi, Eric, Stevie. Like the Tele, it had a one piece Maple neck that was rounded off nicely with a Rosewood fingerboard. The frets were above par for any guitar in this price range and had no sharp edges or problematic seatings. The pickups on this guitar sounded much better than those of Fender's previous Standard series. The three single coils have ceramic magnets and can produce plenty of Stratocaster punch. (Also remember Fender now offers the Standard Fat Strat - so if you need Humbucker crunch you can get it.) The Strat proved a very worthy instrument and definitely has all the important refinements of the highend Strats.

And if you are in the market for a new amp, Fender is there to help from the smallest practice amp, the Frontman, to the midpriced tube series including the Hot Rod Deluxe and Deville, the Blues Junior and the Pro Junior. Or if you crave the best, the Prosonic or the Custom Shop amps like the Vibroking. Fender has always been known for great amps but only recently have they really taken over the market. If you want to strat rocking, oops I mean, start rocking buy a Fender Standard Tele or Strat and get a new Fender amp - you'll never want to put them down.

Reviewer: Jeremy Hall

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