5 REASONS TO BUY AN AMERICAN STANDARD

From the Fender website with permission. Thanks guys!

Written by Hilary Brown on July 6, 2015

For a first-time buyer, a guitar purchase can be an all-around intimidating experience. As a return buyer, however, that confusion manifests itself in different ways. “Do I want to expand my collection?” “Am I just looking for another ‘knock-around’ axe?” “Am I looking to upgrade?” And as much as you stare at 100 feet of in-store slat-wall and pour over player forums, ultimately your decision will boil down to one thing: Is that instrument going to be personal to you? The American Standard series of guitars and basses is often where that conversation starts. With all the classic Fender styling you love, ample romping ground for mods and a bevy of player-friendly upgrades, they’re premier personality guitars and basses for any player, allowing you to express your own style and voice with ease.

Still not convinced? There’s plenty of reasons that American Standard instruments persevere as sound solutions for any demanding player in search of stage- and studio-worthy instruments, but here are five to make that decision that much easier.

1. IT’S PERSONAL TO US, TOO.

Since we introduced the original American Standard in 1986, it’s been just as reflective of our personality as it has been for its legions of followers. Were we reinventing ourselves? Saluting our humble origins? At the time, we were simply building a better mousetrap. Ever the advocate of consistency, Leo Fender never believed in changing a good thing, and American Standard embodies those beliefs to this day. Our philosophy is simple: Hone the best Fender features but evolve and refine as the musical landscape requires. The desire to keep innovating is inherently a special part of the Fender legacy. To us, American Standard not only embodied what a Fender guitar is, but continues to set example for what an electric guitar should be as we continue to stay true to its core yet enhance its feature set for the modern player.

2. BUDDY HOLLY PLAYED ONE. SO DID JIMI HENDRIX.

Naysayers might object that the American Standard series was introduced decades after Holly’s Stratocaster debut on the The Ed Sullivan Show or Hendrix’ fiery display at the Monterey Pop Festival. However, the idea of a “quintessential” Fender guitar is an idea that existed long before the introduction of the American Standard series at the 1986 NAMM Show. Even with its modern-day armaments, the American Standard instrument is in form and function directly inspired by the production models Holly and Hendrix played in their day. Were they to have walked into a music store in the early ’50s or mid ’60s, the production model Fender guitars on the wall were, in essence, the “standards” of that time. The American Standard is instilled with 60 years of artist feedback, but also epitomizes the longstanding ideal of “the one”—the go-to professional-grade guitar that has clearly stood the test of time throughout multiple genres and eras.

3. THE COLLECTION IS EXPANDING.

Fortunately, in recent years, the American Standard collection has taken on several new incarnations, expanding the breadth of the line and offering plenty of new options for players. Take for example, the American Standard HSS Shawbucker Stratocaster, which offers a newly designed humbucking bridge pickup created by esteemed designer Tim Shaw alongside a duo of model-standard Custom Shop single-coil pickups at the neck and bridge. A pair of models flanked with seismic-sounding humbucking pickups offers tons of throaty tone in the form of the American Standard Stratocaster HH, and American Standard Telecaster HH. Longtime Fender bassists in search of something new can revel in the sleek shape and flexible controls of the American Standard Dimension Bass V.

4. THAT NECK. 

While Fender’s intent was to keep the American Standard relatively unchanged, it’s safe to say there were ample refinements made to cater to the changing playing styles that emerged as music evolved. Among some of the most evident are those made to the neck of the instrument—now constructed from two pieces of wood to enhance stability during any performance. Capping that rock-solid maple is a 9.5” radius fingerboard—a flatter design created to accommodate more demanding playing techniques such as bending and searing leads. In true artisan fashion, the edges of the fingerboard are hand-rolled for optimal playing comfort, adorned with hand-seated frets for optimal fretting-hand feel. Plus, the headstock on recent American Standard Strat® models sport enhancements as well—a set of staggered Fender tuning machines for a greater string angle that improves performance and helps eliminate buzz.

5. THERE’S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HANDMADE.

More than 100: That’s how many steps are invested in every American Standard instrument, all of which are made fresh daily at our Corona, Calif., factory. Features and tone aside, there’s simply no denying the love, attentiveness and passion invested in every single aspect of an American Standard instrument. The expressive flexibility of that two-point American Standard Stratocaster tremolo bridge? It’s a direct result of meticulous hand shaping and polishing. The resonance of a smooth alder or ash body, set off by a glistening polyurethane finish? Each one was dutifully applied with care so as to ensure each one embodies pure Fender feel and tone. Your American Standard instrument is an investment for life because we’re invested in its creation every step of the way—and that’s what truly matters.

Smart Phones for Music

Smart phones are certainly getting smarter! You can now keep all your favourite music on your phone along with videos, games and other great apps.  But did you know that the iPhone and iPad can also handle music creation and recording? If you play music, the iPhone can be your tuner, sheet music, recording studio, effects pedal and synthesiser. Some of the apps can do things that no other gadget could do before - even in the top recording studios! Garage Band for the iPad is an eight-track recorder with built-in instruments and the ability to connect a microphone so you can add vocals to your track. The Animoog synthesiser is a clever analogue synth which lets you layer sounds and morph between them in ways you wouldn't have dreamed possible before. And the  iRig interfacecan be used to plug in a microphone, guitar or keyboard to capture your performances or use as an effects processor with the Amplitube app. If you use your iPhone or iPad for live performance, you can get specially designed clips or mountings to allow you to clamp them on your mic stand (or anywhere, really). There’s even a motion-sensing gadget that lets you play instruments by waving your arms in the air. Now that’s progress! Watch out for the new iPhone 5 advert on the telly for a taste of what you can do.

Buying your first guitar

Walking into a music shop for the first time can be quite an intimidating experience! You think that you won’t know what to ask for, that the staff will not help you and that you don’t know the (inevitable) jargon that will be bandied around to make you feel inadequate!

It needn’t be like that. Shop around and if you don’t like the shop or the attitude of its staff, go somewhere else. You would do the same if you were buying a TV!

But you can go in ready to do business if you read up on few of the big questions.

Don't buy on-line! You'll almost certainly be disappointed by getting the wrong instrument...

What kind of guitar should I get for my style of music?

What do you like to listen to? Do you want to play in this style? Are particular makes or models associated with that style?

If you want to play folk music, for instance, you will need an Acoustic Guitar. Some of these instruments have a built in pickup so that you can plug it in to an amplifier and be heard by the whole street! These are referred to as ‘Electro-Acoustic Guitars’.

If you want to play classic rock, you will want an Electric Guitar. You will need an amplifier to plug in to or you won’t be heard. Electric guitars are usually made from a solid block of wood – solid body guitars – but some models are known as ‘Semi-Acoustic’ because they have hollow or partly hollow bodies. Don’t confuse these with the ‘Electro-Acoustic’ guitars mentioned above. One is an electric guitar with a hollow body, the other is an acoustic guitar with a built-in pickup. They sound completely different.

What brand should I look at?

There are a lot of brands out there. Most cheaper guitars are made in the far east, mostly in China (at the moment). The quality of these guitars varies greatly, but origin is not a clear indicator of quality. Anyone can make a good guitar, and anyone can make a bad one! Some brands are very well known and have very good reputations to preserve, even with their lower cost ranges. So if you buy a guitar from a top brand, even if it’s less than £100, you can be confident that it will be worth the money and see you through the early stages of learning the instrument. For starter guitars, look for Epiphone, Squier, Yamaha, Fender and Gibson.

How much should I spend?

Prices for a decent quality first guitar range from £80 to a few hundred. You shouldn’t need to spend more than £300 (though you can if you want to!) but you shouldn’t expect to spend less than £80 if you want something playable. If the guitar is for a child from six to ten years old, you will probably want to get a classical guitar with nylon strings, this could cost as little as £50 for a ¾ size guitar. Remember that you get what you pay for, so you should expect a £300 guitar to be much better than an £80 model.

What else should I consider?

The most important thing is to buy an instrument with which you feel comfortable. Even though you may never have played before, you can tell if you are going to get on with the guitar. Try to hold the strings down against the fingerboard with the fingertips of your left hand. Can you press the strings down easily, or is it very difficult? Is there a gap of more than one millimetre between the strings and the finger board? If there is, this might be why it feels difficult to play.

If it’s an acoustic guitar, sit down with it on your lap and put your right arm over the top so you can strum the strings. Does it feel comfortable? Or do you think it might get a bit tiring because of the size of the body? Acoustic guitars come in many shapes and sizes, so try a few and find the one that feels most comfortable.

Your aim should be to buy a guitar that helps you to learn, not one that makes it harder than it should be, leaving you thinking it must be your fault you can’t play it!

Finally, don’t be afraid to make your final choice based on the look and colour of the guitar. So long as it’s within your budget, has the right sound for your style of music and is comfortable to hold and play, you can choose the one you like the look of the most.

Talk to the staff and ask as many questions as you want. The staff should be ready to give you good advice without being patronising, so you can make the right choice. After all, if you get on well with the instrument and become a good player, you’ll be back for an upgrade soon!

Gibson Announces Self-tuning Piano!

Gibson Announces Self-tuning Piano!

Following the huge global success of the Min-ETune and G-Force electronic tuning systems, Gibson are to release a range of Baldwin self-tuning pianos with servo-driven tuning pegs for every string. A built-in computer scans the outputs of piezo sensors under each string and controls servo motors to adjust the string tension. "This is the future for the pianoforte", said Henry Jusgetonwiddit as he nudged a baby grand off the top of Nashville's tallest multi-storey carpark in front of an invited audience of reporters and musicians. "Now pianists can keep their instrument in perfect tune without the need to call in a costly piano tuner every time it goes out of tune. They can even switch to their favourite tuning within minutes at the push of a button!", he continued, " And the additional cost of these models will repay owners in savings within ten years." We asked Mike Hunt of the American Society of Piano Tuners for comment. "Ah fuck!", he said, "That's me out of a job." Sorry Mike, but that's progress - a sentiment affirmed by famous composer and pianist Claude Debussy. "C'est une bonne idée," he said, "il va rendre la vie beaucoup plus facile. C'est l'avenir!" Thanks Claude!

Building your guitar sound

Whatever style you play, whatever sound you want, there are a few things you're going to need to get a great sound.
Remember that the sounds on your favourite bands' recordings were created in a studio with tens of thousands of pounds worth of outboard effects, dynamics processors and EQ. So don't be too disheartened if you can't quite match it!
But there are a few things you can use to get close.

Firstly, we need to talk about the amp. Valve amps have different qualities and are often associated with particular sounds. However, it's got as much to do with your guitar and its pickups, the way you play, the effects you use and how you set the amp up. A lot of players opt for a clean, rich tone from their amp and achieve the crunch/fuzz/overdrive/distortion from their pedals. One example of an amp that does this well is the Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb. Others choose an amp that gets them in right ball-park for tone and overdrive characteristics and then tweak and modify the sound with pedals. Try the Orange Thunder 30 for an amp with a good clean sound but a great range of sounds on the distortion channel.  Modelling amps will give you a wide range of overdrive characteristics from one box, but sometimes they offer too much variety and some don't quite sound natural. The Vox Valvetronix series are worth considering as they have a valve after the digital bits that smoothes the waveforms and adds a more natural feel to the processed sound. The Fender Mustang has a vast library of models (though no valve) and great a speaker that results in very good overall tone. Both of these amps are available from bedroom practice size to gigging power.
Now, on to the issue of the pedals. Whatever sound you're after, and whichever amp you've got, there are a couple of things you're going to need.
1. Compressor.  This is probably the most important pedal on your board. Listen to any recorded guitar and hear how the level seems so consistent. Of course, the playing style and phrasing will create a dynamic range (soft and loud bits) that make it sound interesting, but there will be some compression holding it together. If you're playing choppy chords it can be difficult to make each chop sound the same level, the compressor will do this for you. For solos without distortion, the compressor will give you much more sustain. If you're using a big valve overdrive sound with the amp gain up high, the valves are doing the compressing for you but you can gain even more sustain with a compressor. The Boss CS-3 and the MXR Super Comp are good examples.
	2. Chorus.  You don't need to have this on an extreme setting, but a subtle chorus will thicken your tone nicely without it sounding unnatural. Try the MXR Micro Chorus for simplicity or the Boss CE-3 if you want to have a lot more control of the effect.
3. Delay.  Not something you'll have on all the time, but used carefully, it can make the guitar sound big and fill some of the silences! For solos, a few more repeats and a delay time that fits the tempo can turn a simple solo into something with harmony and great depth. I prefer the analogue pedals like the MXR Carbon Copy, but if you want long delay times, a digital delay can be essential. Some of these, like the Boss DD7, have an analogue emulation setting which is useful for a more natural sounding decay.
	4. Overdrive.  There are so many to choose from, it's hard to say which will suit you best. One reason for having an overdrive (or distortion or whatever) is to give you a volume boost for solos or changes of sound within a number - verse/chorus/middle eight etc. If you're using a clean root sound, then you'll need overdrive pedals to introduce any distortion tones you're going to use. Try a few out to find the one(s) that suit your sound. Here are a couple to look at - one extreme to the other. The Blues Driver gives you a crunchy, valve-like overdrive while the Fullbore is a screaming, fizzing distortion pedal like no other!
5. EQ.  If you're not quite happy with the tone you get having fiddled with the amp tone controls, a simple graphic EQ pedal can help you get the sound you want.
	6. Reverb Your amp may well have a spring or digital reverb built-in but, if not, you can get a reverb pedal to add some ambience to your sound.
All the other effects you can buy are great for creating something distinctive but not something you should use on all songs unless your band has a trademark sound that depends on the phaser, flanger or weird effect - it can get a bit tedious.
There are no right answers to some of the questions about guitar sound, it's very much down to personal taste and what style of music you want to play, but there are some things that will improve your sound whatever style you like. I hope this article has helped you work out where to start! If you found it useful, share it with friends!