New American Special Fenders

[Musicman20]

[url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/search.php?section=basses&series=American+Special"]http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/searc...merican+Special[/url]

Poly with Greasebucket Tone.

[thodrik]

Looks like it. I prefer the new name anyway. I wonder if they would ever make them as a five string? Doubt it though.

[sk8]

i just found them too. Highway 1 under another name

[Shire]

[quote name='sk8' post='1079481' date='Jan 6 2011, 08:38 AM']i just found them too. Highway 1 under another name[/quote]

But with no BA bridge and the option of a maple neck

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Shire' post='1079496' date='Jan 6 2011, 08:59 AM']But with no BA bridge and the option of a maple neck[/quote]

yeah, i was just going to point that out.

Hmm, black and maple. Damn, i wish i hadn't seen this.

Price is quite a bit higher than the HW's

Edited January 6, 2011 by dave_bass5

[Musicman20]

All Fender prices have rocketed!

[sk8]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1079669' date='Jan 6 2011, 11:47 AM']All Fender prices have rocketed![/quote]
Yeah i was a bit shocked at that. Over 1k for an AMerican Standard - Get real

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1079669' date='Jan 6 2011, 11:47 AM']All Fender prices have rocketed![/quote]

Bloody hell they have havent they. Ive not looked at bass prices recently.

I paid £560 for my HW-one Jazz 3 months ago, some shop are now doing them for £711.

Strangly enough the MIAs have gone up a bit less, only £75 (£975 now).

Edited January 6, 2011 by dave_bass5

[Lozz196]

Buy used - my most expensive MIA Precision was £550.

Which was nice.

[danhkr]

[quote name='Shire' post='1079496' date='Jan 6 2011, 08:59 AM']But with no BA bridge and the option of a maple neck[/quote]

and obviously gloss finished rather than the thin matt finish the HW1's have.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='danhkr' post='1079959' date='Jan 6 2011, 03:11 PM']and obviously gloss finished rather than the thin matt finish the HW1's have.[/quote]

And no graphite reinforced neck either.

[Cat Burrito]

I think I'm the only bassist I know who didn't like the HWY1's but they did have a better choice of colours too

[Hutton]

Was the finish on HW1 instruments not nitrocellulose? The finish on these new basses is urethane.

[dave_bass5]

To me it looks like fender have shipped some MIM parts back to the USA to assemble, and added American hardware.

[Sean]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1080246' date='Jan 6 2011, 06:40 PM']To me it looks like fender have shipped some MIM parts back to the USA to assemble, and added American hardware.[/quote]

They did that before with the California Series Specials

[warwickhunt]

So it's like a Highway bass except...

[quote name='Shire' post='1079496' date='Jan 6 2011, 08:59 AM']no BA bridge and the option of a maple neck[/quote]

[quote name='danhkr' post='1079959' date='Jan 6 2011, 03:11 PM']and obviously gloss finished rather than the thin matt finish the HW1's have[/quote]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1079961' date='Jan 6 2011, 03:15 PM']and no graphite reinforced neck either,[/quote]

[quote name='Hutton' post='1080234' date='Jan 6 2011, 06:32 PM']was the finish on HW1 instruments not nitrocellulose? The finish on these new basses is urethane.[/quote]

...so apart from those differences what have Fender ever done for us?

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1080263' date='Jan 6 2011, 06:55 PM']...so apart from those differences what have Fender ever done for us? [/quote]

Left off the 70's style headstock........Splitters.

The "new slim profile, fast action neck" sounds interesting though.

Edited January 6, 2011 by dave_bass5

[LawrenceH]

Based purely on spec, this seems like you get a lot less than with the HW1 basses for a fair bit more cash. May as well buy a Mexi and upgrade the pups.
Not impressed.

[dan2112]

Does anyone else think that is one horrid headstock decal?

[hamfist]

Just a quick rising from the dead for this thread. I have just ordered both a J and a P from the American Special series. Couldn't help myself. Won't keep them both but it will be very interesting to play both the P and the J. From Thomann so they will take them as a return at no charge to me. These basses seem pretty universally admired over on TB.
The real changes on these compared to the Am std series are the std vintage bridge on the Special series, not a high mass one and cheaper tuners on the Special. Other differences are a slimmer (front to back) neck on the specials, and the greasebucket tone circuit.
So for a lot less money than a std you get a slimmer neck (STILL graphite re-inforced) and lower end bridge and tuners, which can easily be upgraded should one see the need. It's a good deal as far as I can see.

[Schnozzalee]

If you want to put Fender's current prices into perspective, go into somewhere like Guitar Guitar and see what else you can get for the same price. The £2k+ custom stuff (Rory Gallagher Strat etc) is just a flat out rip, no two ways about it.

[Dingus]

Unless you think you will get a lot of milage out of the Greasbucket tone circuit ( I wouldn't ) and think the Am St basses have got too chunky a neck ( it's bigger than some Jazz necks but that isn't neccesarily a bad thing to a lot of folks probably ) I would still pay the extra to get an Am St , unless these were a [i]lot [/i]cheaper .

[Musicman20]

It's worth bearing in mind that I've played around 12 or more of the 08+ American Standards. I've got an 09' P and a 11' J. Both of them are great, no doubt about that.

What it also really shows is that some of them are STILL dogs, as at one point I want 2 Js, and 2 Ps, (with different boards). I gave up because I couldn't find decent ones.

I'm still trying to find a good 12' P bass, no matter what colour etc it is.

I haven't played the American Special series yet.

[Dingus]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1357485648' post='1923242']
It's worth bearing in mind that I've played around 12 or more of the 08+ American Standards. I've got an 09' P and a 11' J. Both of them are great, no doubt about that.

What it also really shows is that some of them are STILL dogs, as at one point I want 2 Js, and 2 Ps, (with different boards). I gave up because I couldn't find decent ones.

I'm still trying to find a good 12' P bass, no matter what colour etc it is.

I haven't played the American Special series yet.
[/quote]

Finding a good one of anything Fender is the other part of the equation . Imagine what the World would be like if you could order a Fender and have a reasonable expectation that it would fit together and work properly . It seems hard to envisage but who knows , one day it might become a reality . You may say I'm a dreamer , but I'm not the only one .

[gjones]

When you're buying secondhand, how do you know whether the MIA bass you're buying is an American Special or an American Standard? Looking at the specs the only visible difference would be the bridge and the tuners. At least the HW 1 had a specific selling point with the nitro finish and the posiflex. Other than they are 'assembled in the good old USA' this model doesn't have much going for it really.