NGD

[ch willie]

Tomorrow UPS is bringing this. I’m excited about it because of the features: treble bleed, push pull for all pickup combinations, steel trem block, contoured heel. And I love the color. Review to follow.

[blackonblack]

OK 2nd nice new Strat shown today. Why do you guys do this to me?

[ch willie]

😆

[OldStrummer]

Is that a Dark Knight Strat? Whatever, it looks cool. Dark and cool!

[ch willie]

Is that a Dark Knight Strat? Whatever, it looks cool. Dark and cool!

It is indeed. They spell it night, but I think you’re right, that it’s an allusion to Batman.

[phantomman]

What pickups reside beneath that pickguard?

[ch willie]

What pickups reside beneath that pickguard?

They’re V-Mods. I don’t know much about them. They’ll be a surprise, and I’ll a/b them with my Duncans in my parts Strat.

[phantomman]

Nothing I'm really familiar with -- let us know how they sound (preferably through a "real" amp).

[ch willie]

Yessir. I’m going to give it the trio of tube amps and see which one is its best friend.

[phantomman]

If you've got a Princeton Reverb or a Deluxe Reverb that would be ideal.

Plug it in and punch it.

[Offshore Angler]

They’re V-Mods. I don’t know much about them. They’ll be a surprise, and I’ll a/b them with my Duncans in my parts Strat.

Those are the noiseless pups, correct? Great looking axe but the pictures appear to be backwards.

Chuck

[ch willie]

It's okay, my hands are backwards too.

Here's an Amazon review about the pickups:


The Fender V-Mod pickup set's composition of Alnico II, III and V magnets lends to a particular balance of tone not found in other pickups. The neck pickup produces a mellow yet full sound with defined highs from its' Alnico III and II magnets. The RWRP middle pickup is ideal for rhythm with less bottom and tamer highs, as compared to the neck, coming from its' Alnico II and V magnet set. The bridge pickup is all Alnico V and perfect for soloing. I have Fender Customer Shop Fat 60's pickups in one of my Strats - they produce my favorite sound. However, I didn't want to re-invent the wheel. I tried Texas Specials and Custom 69's with little satisfaction. The V-Mods provide the right balance of output and tone I wanted for this Stratocaster! I did change the pickup covers, as pictured. The V-Mods are a bridge between the sounds of the past and the present. Recommended.

[ch willie]

If you've got a Princeton Reverb or a Deluxe Reverb that would be ideal.

Plug it in and punch it.

It'll go through my Deluxe Reverb 1st, then the Vox AC30, then the Ampeg V4-B, and finally, my little Ibanez class A. All tube amps, all so very different. I'm always open to surprises, but I'd wager the sound I'll like best is that of the Deluxe. It takes Fenders perfectly, as one would expect.

[phantomman]

It should sound pretty tasty through the AC30 as well.

[ch willie]

Here's a pic to mess with your minds--bass ackwards as I am.

Bit of a review:

I've said before that there is no way to say this or that is "THE" Strat sound. As I a/b'd my Black Strat with the Gilmour-ish Duncans with the AmPro II and its impressive array of sounds, my belief was confirmed. You can have two Strats, each of them distinctly Stratty, and have two completely different animals. My Blekky is loud and boisterous. It's got plenty of quack, but those Duncan Gilmours approach slightly hot humbucker territory. The AmPro II is glassier. Imagine the Vintage Noiseless pickups without the tang of what some players think of as a synthetic sound. Very vintage-sounding, but they take dirt well too. For power, I'd go for my Blekky, though it can be sweet too. For absolutely clean sounds, the AmPro II would be my pick. In my personal music world, they each have a separate but equal place. I got lost tonight in the beauty of how the Dark Night sounds. It's been one of those playing sessions when I lost total awareness of the clock and enjoyed the sound of the guitar and playing it. The AmPro II is one to use for writing sweet melodies.

And as for amps, it was immediately clear that the Deluxe Reverb brings out the best in this guitar. The Vox is great too, but the Deluxe is the tits. In fact, tonight, I had a bit of fun by playing the Dark Night, my SG, my Les Paul, and my Ric 330 through the Deluxe. It sounded fantastic with every one of them. I'm considering selling the Vox.

In summation, I am impressed with the comfortable playability and the variety of tones I get from the Dark Night Strat. You hear so much criticism of Fender these days, and we know that QC is often a substantiated issue. But they got it right with Blue-Me (I'm immature and not really into superhero names). It's a well made guitar with significant variations from earlier AmSt and AmSe axes. Maybe not better, but different in pleasing ways.

[phantomman]

If you're happy then we're happy.

[ch willie]

Thanks, PM.

[Offshore Angler]

Sadly, no longer made in the USA. Notice the "USA" is missing from the decals now. The era of "American" Fender guitars has sadly closed. Now it's a series instead of a place of manufacture.

Very nice guitar though!

[ch willie]

Whatever its place of manufacture, it's a great sounding and feeling guitar. But yeah, Fender ought to be ashamed of itself, and as you've pointed out, the CEO couldn't give a farg, so this is what happens. Still, it's really one of the glassiest, sweet Strats I've ever heard. I hope I can get an accurate recording of it to post.

[phantomman]

Fender's no less guilty than GM. The auto conglomerate just announced a substantial buy-out/lay-off of its domestic hourly workforce. Expect to see "Chinolet" emblems on their cars very soon.

[OldStrummer]

I stopped caring about GM (used to be a big Chevy fan) after accepting Obama's bail-out money, they screwed their dealership network, shareholders and customers. GM became Government Motors overnight.

[S. Cane]

Sadly, no longer made in the USA. Notice the "USA" is missing from the decals now. The era of "American" Fender guitars has sadly closed. Now it's a series instead of a place of manufacture.

Very nice guitar though!

They’re no longer made in Corona as the Am STDs used to be?

[Offshore Angler]

They’re no longer made in Corona as the Am STDs used to be?

They're assembled there from imported parts as I understand. That's why they had to take the USA off them and replaced it with "Corona California".

I mean, there's nothing wrong with import stuff, Cor-tek and WMI build beautiful instruments for most of the major brands, but calling them the "American Series" is a seemingly disingenuous practice if they are building with outsourced parts which is my current understanding.

Chuck

[S. Cane]

They're assembled there from imported parts as I understand. That's why they had to take the USA off them and replaced it with "Corona California".

I mean, there's nothing wrong with import stuff, Cor-tek and WMI build beautiful instruments for most of the major brands, but calling them the "American Series" is a seemingly disingenuous practice if they are building with outsourced parts which is my current understanding.

Chuck

So mine has just raised a bit in its sentimental value to me.

[ch willie]

MIA means a lot less to me since I bought a few Mexican-and Asian-made guitars and basses that sound and play amazingly wonderful. Before I got these, I had become totally uninterested in anything non-American. I don’t see myself buying any more for a while, but when I do, I’ll continue to consider foreign instruments as much as American ones.


Epiphones: Casino, a Jack Casady bass, and an Explorer bass.
Eastman: hand carved in China Jazz box
Martin: MIM 12 string
Fender: the blue Strat (a mutt of parts from various countries) and an el cheapo CD70s acoustic
Ibanez: 1983 CIJ Artist