She arrived today. I've had about 15 minutes with it. First impressions are good, but action is a bit high for my liking. I'll fix that along with a full setup this weekend. Neck feels nice. No sharp fret ends, and nice satin finish. Very smooth playing. Jumbo fret will take a little getting used to. The Yosemite pickups are a little brighter than the fat 50's in my American Standard. Still sound good, just different which is a good thing. The color is definitely a rose gold and less of an orange/copper color. I'd prefer a more orange/copper but it is still very nice looking in person. The gigbag is nice, but for an MIA guitar, it should have came with a hardshell case.
[NGD] - Fender American Performer Stratocaster in Penny
That's gorgeous. Congrats and HNSD!
Aaron
---------------
"What is perfect pitch?"
"Perfect pitch is when you toss a banjo into the dumpster, it hits an accordion and they both break."
---------------
"What is perfect pitch?"
"Perfect pitch is when you toss a banjo into the dumpster, it hits an accordion and they both break."
The gig bag thing is so irritating. I would rather a guitar come in a cardboard box like an Agile than come with a useless bag. Still, an American Fender should come with a hard case. They can’t be that much more expensive than a bag when buying in Fender quantities!
- slowhand84
- Reactions:
- Posts: 981
- Joined: Thu May 28, 2020 2:12 pm
I wouldn't necessarily say the gig bag is useless, those are decent quality Fender bags...but still when you're talking about a USA built guitar that's normally around $1,000 a hard case really should be provided. This is something manufacturers have been moving away from in recent years, there are tons of guitars in the $700+ range that don't come with cases. I can't imagine it saves the companies THAT much money, but who knows.Chocol8 wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 5:39 pm The gig bag thing is so irritating. I would rather a guitar come in a cardboard box like an Agile than come with a useless bag. Still, an American Fender should come with a hard case. They can’t be that much more expensive than a bag when buying in Fender quantities!
Nice color and congrats! If you're ever in my neck of the woods I'll give you heck of a deal on a Fender HSC if you decide you need one. I'm fond of high quality gig bags like the nicer Mono ones, the one that came stock with a Gibson Studio I had, and the PRS one that comes with a Silver Sky. I don't know how the Fender compares to those, so I won't comment on that point.
- Longblacktie
- Reactions:
- Posts: 74
- Joined: Wed May 27, 2020 10:35 pm
Gorgeous color.
Are the pickups new to Fender?
Are the pickups new to Fender?
Hoo-hoo! It's here! That was quick! Looks great!
Relatively... I think they came out in 2018 when "American Special" became the "American Performer".
Finally escaping the People's Republic of Kalifornia!
BANNED BY MOMO
BANNED BY MOMO
- Partscaster
- Reactions:
- Posts: 1557
- Joined: Thu May 28, 2020 12:41 pm
- Location: Mars: Sector 6
Looks beautiful from here. Congrats. I like the rose-gold. I would get matching glasses. Zenni sells rose-gold mirror glasses in any prescription or probably without one.
Gibson padded cases are so nice, looks like more work and materials than a HSC. I dont know why they dont give a HSC at that price point. Except, broken guitars lead to replacement guitar purchases.
Gibson padded cases are so nice, looks like more work and materials than a HSC. I dont know why they dont give a HSC at that price point. Except, broken guitars lead to replacement guitar purchases.
"The man that hath no music in himself, nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. The motions of his spirit are dull as night, and his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted."
The gig bag is pretty decent. Nicer than others that I've gotten with guitars.
I've been playing for the last hour and a half. Very happy with it. Feels light so I weighed it. 7.65lbs. I need to weigh my American Standard... I'm guessing its heavier with the ash body.
I've been playing for the last hour and a half. Very happy with it. Feels light so I weighed it. 7.65lbs. I need to weigh my American Standard... I'm guessing its heavier with the ash body.
- uwmcscott
- Reactions:
- Posts: 1477
- Joined: Wed May 27, 2020 1:45 pm
- Location: Northern Wisco
- Gearlist: A few LP's, a Strat, a Tele and a few acoustics.
Excellent looking strat, I do like that color a lot too and glad it plays well. I have an American "special" tele and I believe that the peformer line may have replaced the special? Per the other fender thread here it's hard to know which end is up with the plethora of lines - but regardless, the american specials always came with a gig bag too. I think the logic was to offer an american made line and cut costs in other places ( like the gig bag ) to keep the overall price somewhat reasonable. When I bought mine I think they were $899 msrp and you could get a little off if you asked.
I have no qualms with the gig bag I got with mine, it is a well constructed and thickly padded bag with a nice pocket, looks similar to the one you got with that one. I did buy a hard case with mine for storage, but I use the fender bag pretty often if I'm going on a trip as it's a lot easier to transport in my vehicle than in a clunky hard case. If I were to need to go on a plane or let someone else handle it I'd go with the hard case for sure.
I have no qualms with the gig bag I got with mine, it is a well constructed and thickly padded bag with a nice pocket, looks similar to the one you got with that one. I did buy a hard case with mine for storage, but I use the fender bag pretty often if I'm going on a trip as it's a lot easier to transport in my vehicle than in a clunky hard case. If I were to need to go on a plane or let someone else handle it I'd go with the hard case for sure.
AGF Survivor Champ Emeritus (Ask TVVoodoo )
Next to my other strat:
Some thoughts comparing my American Standard to the new American Performer.
1. Very similar in feel (obviously they're both strats).
2. The finish on the Performer neck is satin. The finish on the Standard is satin on the back but gloss on the fretboard. The Performer neck is slicker in hand.
3. The neck on the Standard feels ever so slightly fuller in hand.
4. The Standard weighs in at 7.95lbs vs the 7.65lbs of the Performer.
5. My daughter says the Performer is prettier because it sparkles.
Some thoughts comparing my American Standard to the new American Performer.
1. Very similar in feel (obviously they're both strats).
2. The finish on the Performer neck is satin. The finish on the Standard is satin on the back but gloss on the fretboard. The Performer neck is slicker in hand.
3. The neck on the Standard feels ever so slightly fuller in hand.
4. The Standard weighs in at 7.95lbs vs the 7.65lbs of the Performer.
5. My daughter says the Performer is prettier because it sparkles.
The everyday "street price" of a Fender Classic Series wood case is $160 USD. Dealer price is pretty much half at $80. With the OP's Strat, Fender isn't going to add a case into the deal for the same price as the gig bag. If Fender's cost for the case is $60, they should consider the value to be at least $80 in the cost of what the OP purchased.Chocol8 wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 5:39 pm The gig bag thing is so irritating. I would rather a guitar come in a cardboard box like an Agile than come with a useless bag. Still, an American Fender should come with a hard case. They can’t be that much more expensive than a bag when buying in Fender quantities!
The American Performer Stratocaster sells at a street price of $1,200. It's typical for a manufacturer to put a lot of both work and guesswork into establishing price points for products. If the target purchaser will buy at $1,200, a percentage of those same target purchasers will not buy at $1,250. This issue comes up over and over on guitar forums and the complaints are consistent:
1. That price is too high.
2. I don't want a case. I only play at home.
3. Why do they force me to buy a case? I have a case.
Fender can't win on this point. IMO they just craft a package and price it.
Fender: James Burton Standard Tele, Baja 50s Tele, Classic Player 50s Strat, MIJ ST-62DEX2 Strat
Squier: Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Bullet Strat, Affinity Strat
Gibson: ES-335 TDC, Les Paul 50s Tribute goldtop
Squier: Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Bullet Strat, Affinity Strat
Gibson: ES-335 TDC, Les Paul 50s Tribute goldtop
The bag isn’t free, so why not exclude that as well and lower the price to $1180? I would rather be told to buy a case of my choice separately than to be forced to buy a useless bag that won’t protect your guitar from much.archetype wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:25 amThe everyday "street price" of a Fender Classic Series wood case is $160 USD. Dealer price is pretty much half at $80. With the OP's Strat, Fender isn't going to add a case into the deal for the same price as the gig bag. If Fender's cost for the case is $60, they should consider the value to be at least $80 in the cost of what the OP purchased.Chocol8 wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 5:39 pm The gig bag thing is so irritating. I would rather a guitar come in a cardboard box like an Agile than come with a useless bag. Still, an American Fender should come with a hard case. They can’t be that much more expensive than a bag when buying in Fender quantities!
The American Performer Stratocaster sells at a street price of $1,200. It's typical for a manufacturer to put a lot of both work and guesswork into establishing price points for products. If the target purchaser will buy at $1,200, a percentage of those same target purchasers will not buy at $1,250. This issue comes up over and over on guitar forums and the complaints are consistent:
1. That price is too high.
2. I don't want a case. I only play at home.
3. Why do they force me to buy a case? I have a case.
Fender can't win on this point. IMO they just craft a package and price it.
The Performer has lived on my guitar stand since they day I took it out of the box. I've never put it back in the included gigbag after I initially took it out. It has been my most played guitar over the last month. Later this week it'll get a new HSS loaded pickguard to replace the SSS config. I really like the satin finished neck. It is very nice feeling and easy playing.
Tell Fender. The guitar and bag is their choice of package.Chocol8 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 1:32 pmThe bag isn’t free, so why not exclude that as well and lower the price to $1180? I would rather be told to buy a case of my choice separately than to be forced to buy a useless bag that won’t protect your guitar from much.archetype wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:25 amThe everyday "street price" of a Fender Classic Series wood case is $160 USD. Dealer price is pretty much half at $80. With the OP's Strat, Fender isn't going to add a case into the deal for the same price as the gig bag. If Fender's cost for the case is $60, they should consider the value to be at least $80 in the cost of what the OP purchased.Chocol8 wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 5:39 pm The gig bag thing is so irritating. I would rather a guitar come in a cardboard box like an Agile than come with a useless bag. Still, an American Fender should come with a hard case. They can’t be that much more expensive than a bag when buying in Fender quantities!
The American Performer Stratocaster sells at a street price of $1,200. It's typical for a manufacturer to put a lot of both work and guesswork into establishing price points for products. If the target purchaser will buy at $1,200, a percentage of those same target purchasers will not buy at $1,250. This issue comes up over and over on guitar forums and the complaints are consistent:
1. That price is too high.
2. I don't want a case. I only play at home.
3. Why do they force me to buy a case? I have a case.
Fender can't win on this point. IMO they just craft a package and price it.
Fender: James Burton Standard Tele, Baja 50s Tele, Classic Player 50s Strat, MIJ ST-62DEX2 Strat
Squier: Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Bullet Strat, Affinity Strat
Gibson: ES-335 TDC, Les Paul 50s Tribute goldtop
Squier: Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Bullet Strat, Affinity Strat
Gibson: ES-335 TDC, Les Paul 50s Tribute goldtop
You know, back in the '50s and '60s, Fender guitars didn't come with a case. It was an optional purchase, and they were a lot more expensive back then (adjusting for inflation) than they are now.
Having said that, though, I would expect a Professional to come with a hard case, but I would be ok getting a quality gig-bag with a Performer. I used to get all worked up about cases, and had to have a hard case for every guitar I owned, but that became cumbersome. They took up a lot of space, and I usually ended up using a gig bag most of the time, anyway. If I were traveling, or on tour, then I'd definitely use hard cases, but if I'm just going to a local gig, or open mic, a case seems redundant and unwieldy. Now, I only have one hard case for every type of guitar/bass that I own, and two gig bags (one for guitar, one for bass).
Having said that, though, I would expect a Professional to come with a hard case, but I would be ok getting a quality gig-bag with a Performer. I used to get all worked up about cases, and had to have a hard case for every guitar I owned, but that became cumbersome. They took up a lot of space, and I usually ended up using a gig bag most of the time, anyway. If I were traveling, or on tour, then I'd definitely use hard cases, but if I'm just going to a local gig, or open mic, a case seems redundant and unwieldy. Now, I only have one hard case for every type of guitar/bass that I own, and two gig bags (one for guitar, one for bass).
Finally escaping the People's Republic of Kalifornia!
BANNED BY MOMO
BANNED BY MOMO
- uwmcscott
- Reactions:
- Posts: 1477
- Joined: Wed May 27, 2020 1:45 pm
- Location: Northern Wisco
- Gearlist: A few LP's, a Strat, a Tele and a few acoustics.
Glad you are enjoying it. I have an American Special tele that was the predecessor to the Performer line, and it also has the satin neck and really like that feature too.Flatline wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 2:01 pm The Performer has lived on my guitar stand since they day I took it out of the box. I've never put it back in the included gigbag after I initially took it out. It has been my most played guitar over the last month. Later this week it'll get a new HSS loaded pickguard to replace the SSS config. I really like the satin finished neck. It is very nice feeling and easy playing.
AGF Survivor Champ Emeritus (Ask TVVoodoo )
- nomadh
- Reactions:
- Posts: 1745
- Joined: Wed May 27, 2020 1:32 pm
- Gearlist: My Gear:Electric
Gibson '13 studio dlx hsb
Gibson '79 flying V
Gibson '06 sg faded
Gibson '15 LP CM w gforce
Epiphone Casino coupe
Epiphone dot studio
Fender USA strat w mjt body _w Original body 81
Fender lead II
Firefly spalted 338
Squier affinity tele bsb
Squier strat std relic
Squier subsonic baritone
Agile al2500 albino
Agile al3001 hsb
Sx ash Ltd strat
Sx ash strat short scale
Sx ash tele
Sx callisto jr
Dean vendetta
Washburn firebird. Ps10
Johnson trans red strat
Johnson jazz box Vegas
Seville explorer
Inlaid tele
flametop bigsby tele wood inlaid neck
23
Acoustics
new Eastman acoustic
Sigma dm3 dread x2 (his and hers)
Fender 12 str
Ibanez exotic wood
Silvercreek rosewood 00
Ovation steel str
martin backpacker acoustic
Johnson dobro
I think I said something so similar it's like you cut and pasted it. So. Ditto.Mossman wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 9:10 pm You know, back in the '50s and '60s, Fender guitars didn't come with a case. It was an optional purchase, and they were a lot more expensive back then (adjusting for inflation) than they are now.
Having said that, though, I would expect a Professional to come with a hard case, but I would be ok getting a quality gig-bag with a Performer. I used to get all worked up about cases, and had to have a hard case for every guitar I owned, but that became cumbersome. They took up a lot of space, and I usually ended up using a gig bag most of the time, anyway. If I were traveling, or on tour, then I'd definitely use hard cases, but if I'm just going to a local gig, or open mic, a case seems redundant and unwieldy. Now, I only have one hard case for every type of guitar/bass that I own, and two gig bags (one for guitar, one for bass).
Yeah, I got the feeling I've said this before as I was writing it... I think we've talked about this not too long ago.nomadh wrote: ↑Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:21 amI think I said something so similar it's like you cut and pasted it. So. Ditto.Mossman wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 9:10 pm You know, back in the '50s and '60s, Fender guitars didn't come with a case. It was an optional purchase, and they were a lot more expensive back then (adjusting for inflation) than they are now.
Having said that, though, I would expect a Professional to come with a hard case, but I would be ok getting a quality gig-bag with a Performer. I used to get all worked up about cases, and had to have a hard case for every guitar I owned, but that became cumbersome. They took up a lot of space, and I usually ended up using a gig bag most of the time, anyway. If I were traveling, or on tour, then I'd definitely use hard cases, but if I'm just going to a local gig, or open mic, a case seems redundant and unwieldy. Now, I only have one hard case for every type of guitar/bass that I own, and two gig bags (one for guitar, one for bass).
Finally escaping the People's Republic of Kalifornia!
BANNED BY MOMO
BANNED BY MOMO