2010 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster
My Deluxe Strat, (now Fender calls them “Ultra” series), is a Stratocaster that I can say with certainty is a very unique guitar.
I’ve owned a few USA Stats in my time and all of them have been great guitars, but this Deluxe Strat is different!
The Deluxe series is one that I would have to describe as a highly credible, professional level instrument. Not saying that other USA Strats aren’t, but there’s something different about this Deluxe series. If you’ve never played a Deluxe, then I’d highly recommend giving one a try.
The only way I could describe a Deluxe Strat is imagine taking an American Professional Series Strat and then overhauling it with notable build enhancements made to the quality of the wood, the assembly specs and the overall playability.
Then, imagine making other improvements to the electronics that help the guitar enter a whole new realm. That is the way I would describe the world of the American Deluxe Strat. The series is just a cut above the rest!
My Deluxe is coated in a breathtaking high-gloss “Arctic White” urethane metallic finish over an alder body. The deep belly contour and beautifully radiused edges have a look and feel that is noticeably smoother and sleeker than any of the other Strats I’ve owned.
The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard & stainless steel frets with a conical radius design. If you’ve never experienced a conical radius ‘board, do try it, (assuming you’re not too vintage-minded).
This style of neck design means that chording feels more comfortable down the bottom, there’s no choking when you bend up the top, and there’s a lower action overall.
Fender has also redesigned its noiseless pickups on the Deluxe and mine came with the new N3 variants.
It’s still a stacked-coil design, with the samarium cobalt magnets of the previous SCN versions replaced with Alnico – V for a slightly hotter bridge pickup, Alnico II in the middle and an Alnico III at the neck. The pick-ups sound great and are indeed as quiet as one would expect!
Currently, the main use that I have for this instrument is on recording projects and YouTube video lessons. Since the instrument is a relatively new one in my guitar line up, I’m still deciding what I think are it’s best suited music styles.