General
There's something stunningly beautiful about a black Fender Stratocaster, especially when it sports a maple fretboard and a white pickguard. The American Standard black beauty also has plenty of specs and hardware for your enjoyment. In addition to two Custom Shop Fat '50s single-coils, the pickup configuration comprises a Tim Shaw-designed humbucker. The Shawbucker is among the absolute top of double-coil pickups. The ingenious tone controls do both the humbucker and single-coil sounds proper justice.
Construction
The American Standard Standard Stratocaster features an alder body and a maple neck with a 22-fret maple fretboard. As is the standard on American Standard series guitars, its neck features a dual-action truss rod that ensures optimal intonation and which allows for incredibly low action. Compared to instruments with a rosewood fretboard, this Strat produces a little more sparkly trebles. The fretboard has a pleasant, modern 9.5-inch radius. New friction-free steel bridge saddles and a solid steel block add more tone and sustain. The tremolo bridge is also upgraded and now features just two stable hinge points.
Pickups
The two Custom Shop Fat '50s single-coil pickups sound deliciously fat and vintage. Furthermore, they produce a higher output than classic alnico 5 single-coils, along with slightly more bass and a milder mid range. The Shawbucker gives you the ultimate humbucker sound and the best of both worlds thanks to its ingenious volume-control system. The potentiometers automatically switch from 250K (for the single-coils) to 500K (for the humbucker), optimally utilising both types of pickups for maximum humbucker output and single-coil sparkle.
