American Special Tele

I'm 30 and go for more of the modern indie-sound so I really love this Telelcaster. It is hands down my favorite Telecaster along with the Telecaster Plus. The neck is lovely and fast and the pup are super buttery and meaty. I can understand how others won't like it though, especially if you go for the more traditional vintage sound.

I vastly prefer to the standard, am. deluxe, and even many custom shop models. Really great sounding guitar which keeps up with the Tele traditional of simplicity.

 

i can't get the action to where i like it on mine. It's higher than i like, but the saddles are already lowered as much as they an go, and i've tried adjusting the truss rod but i can't notice any difference after giving it a few 1/4 turns. I've brought it to a local guitar shop for a setup, and also to an authorized fender tech, but each time i've gotten it back i've just been unsatisfied. I really like everything else about this guitar though.

 

Tried a nice sunburst one a few weeks back.

It just didn't feel good to me.

 

Sounds like it might be shim time.

 

Bought one a few years ago and and it's still my main axe. The stock guitar is great (I especially liked the vintage bridge vs Am Standards), but it's also a good mod platform. Mine currently has a Duncan Seth Lover in the neck and a Jerry Donahue bridge. The stock Texas Specials are solid, versatile pickups though.

There's a vintage blonde finish option for 2013, which I wish had been available when I was in the market.

 

I came VERY close to buying one not too long ago. Love the neck, love the pickups, love the weight. It even has the 70's decal, which I prefer in telecasters. Why didn't I buy it, then? Not enough color options. If it came in candy apple red or black I would have bought it in a second.

 

Rolling Estonian- My Hwy 1 was a '07. I tried to like it for 5 years but it never performed the way I though it should. No matter I did to it, the neck never felt right or good. I tried the American Standard tele, nice but not worth the money they were asking especially after finding the American Special used for $700.00. I tried a '52 reissue- brought it home, played it, took it to a rehearsal, it didn't make the cut. I liked the American Special tele the moment I picked it up. It's the best tele I've had since my '92 tele plus. It's a keeper.

 

Chris has one in "as new"condition for $638.

http://www.chrisguitars.com/

 

I was this close to buying the American Special, though I have wanted a American Standard. My girlfriend convinced me to get the Standard; for $300 more it is but a pittance of lifetime enjoyment as once I buy a quality guitar, I never sell it.

 

This boils down to, some individual examples of guitars "have it" and some definitely don't.

Because the neck itself, is identical from late 2005 Highways all the way through to current American Specials. Identical, except that Highways could be had in either rosewood board or all maple and FMIC took away this choice on the Special. I would imagine the FMIC code never changed. But some necks, identical on paper, are different in real world conditions.

So, I'd say, features are extremely important. But so is finding the example of the FMIC Tele model you like that has the best playability and has that spark.

 

I read this post, and with kindest regards what I take away is.............

The American Standard Telecaster "makes sense" to guys who own and otherwise play Fender Stratocasters. In many ways, this model is the American Standard Hardtail Strat than FMIC no longer offers.

I'm serious. Making the decision to buy an American Standard instead of an American Special, is closing in on deciding not to buy a Gibson and buying a Hamer instead. I don't know how to capture just how different these two models strike me, when I pick each up and handle them, get acquainted with them, plug them in and play them. The decision to get one and not the other is, to me, not remotely about $ 200 in price difference and I could care less if one has a case not a bag or is a prettier color. The two models are about as non interchangeable IMO in a player's hands as you can get with two superficially similar looking guitars.

 

Ok...well, you are going at this with your mindset, not mine. A strat and Telecaster are as similar to me as chalk and cheese. Emphasis on "TO ME". The OP wanted an opinion, he got mine. I considered yours, and reject it. He can also do the same with my opinion.

I played both extensively before buying, and I concluded that the Standard fits what I am looking for.

 

I went to look at a CV50, wasn't keen but it was cheap, tried a MIM Standard, quite nice and decent price. The picked up the Am Spec. Lovely guitar and price was a bit of a squeeze, but money well spent.

At that point there seemed to be a big difference in quality and parts.

Whereas the Am Spec has stood still in terms of quality (so little to improve), the CV50 and MIM standard have got better and better, so much so that I have one of each.

I agree with Boris that sometimes, considering 2 Guitars that sit next to each other in a range isn't just about the price difference as they can be vastly different guitars.

For me it's the Am Spec over the Standard. I don't like contoured bodies on Fender/Squier Tele's so the Standard just wouldn't be on my list.

My selection process of the Am Spec wasn't really logical as all three Guitars were so different. It boiled down to the feel, the quality, the Texas Specials. I also think American Special sounds cool.

 

Good thing I already own plenty, or the choice between the Am Standard and the Am Special (at today's prices) would be very frustrating for me personally.

I've got 4 of the Americans (precedes the American Standard) and even with the dicey conversion to the vintage bridge (not recommended really) I've just come to understand it is a Strat Hardtail and I employ it accordingly and I especially like the black one, which has 3 pickups and a Nashville wiring scheme. Very Stratty.

And I've got 5 of the Highway Ones (precedes the Special) and they're delightful with all their different aftermarket necks on them and different, more vintage pickups.

FMIC couldn't come up with a USA guitar in this range I was happy with as is, and, turns out, it didn't actually hurt them one bit.

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I guess what I'm trying to say is, I expect more and more players, especially young players, to adopt the gigantic frets on the American Special and it could become the norm. I won't be happy, for myself at least, but I see the trend growing and growing and growing.

But the dead end bridge design on the American Standard (and Deluxe) confuses me. Seems like FMIC has boxed themselves in, stand and fight to defend the honor of a design that's a PITA, and which will IMO lose market share to the 4 screw configuration every year from now on.

 

Got mine for $750 at Sam Ash.