Fender American Professional Classic Stratocaster Faded Dakota Red

After five (!) decades of playing the guitar, it's no exaggeration to say that I'm well versed in the subject. I was particularly fascinated by Fender's Stratocaster models in the electric guitar genre. This is a brilliant creation that Leo Fender gave us guitarists in 1954 (one year before I was born). In my opinion, it's probably the most beautiful timeless design for an electric guitar that you can think of.

Over the years, the Strat has often been modified in details or equipped differently, often not necessarily for the better. Just think of the "cucumbers" that came out of production in America in the early 80s. It was better to get a Squire from Japan, which today are highly coveted objects of desire under the term "JV".

The days when entire series and vintages were really bad are long gone. And so I come to the actual evaluation of my new American Professional Classic in Faded Lake Placid Blue, which comes as an addition to an Eric Johnson (Candy Apple Red), an Eric Clapton (black) and a Vintera 50 II Strat (TSB). Lake Placid Blue was already available as a custom color from Fender in the 60s. In this faded version, I particularly like the color in combination with the vintage tinted maple fretboard, the mint pickguard and the aged-white plastic parts. The finish and the rest of the workmanship are beyond reproach. There is not the slightest thing to criticize.

At just under 3.3 kg, the guitar is very light, which benefits the handling and the sound. In my experience, light Erlestrats are more dynamic and resonant. The fingerboard with a 9.5'' radius is slightly flatter than the vintage Strats from the 50s and 60s (7.25''), which makes bending a little easier and also allows the string action to be set a little lower. Together with the matte finish of the neck, the rounded fingerboard edges and the medium jumbo frets, this results in excellent playability over the 22 frets.

The 6-point vintage style tremolo works perfectly with the staggered vintage tuners and the synthetic bone nut. You should allow for a little break-in time, whereby a little graphite (pencil) in the nut notches helps. Before inserting the tremolo arm, you should make sure to put a tremolo spring underneath so that the tremolo arm does not wobble. That makes it more comfortable. All in all, I have the impression that Fender has also reworked this area and made the mounting of the arm more stable (tighter). The tuners are really good. For me, they are better than locking tuners, because you can put the strings into the slot and thus improve string retention and sustain. The gear ratio of 1:18 is also really good and the tuners are shorter for the thin strings. It would have been easy to do without the string hold-down device, as was done with the Eric Johnson Strat 20 years ago. But the tailpiece was also raised by a spacer ring, which has a similar effect.

The "Coastline '57" pickups leave nothing to be desired. They have a moderate output and deliver vintage Strat sounds in all 5 control positions, just as we Strat players love and want them. Bell-like sounds, which in my case are a treat for the spoiled guitarist's ears when played through Fender tube amps (Princeton Reverb, Deluxe Reverb). It should also be mentioned that the bridge PU can also be moderated with the lower tone pot by continuously reducing the treble without losing the bass and mids. That's a great thing.

I couldn't find anything negative about the guitar. However, I cannot understand why such a guitar, which in my opinion is on a custom shop level, is delivered in such a cheap bag. You can sell it for EUR 5.00 at a flea market for a "small" ice cream. I'm going to buy a nice matching case for it. I'm sure Kirstein will have something for me. And while we're at it: A great dealer with friendly and competent staff. If you buy here, you won't regret it. Things are going really well here. Many thanks to the girls and boys at Musikhaus Kirstein

Conclusion: A professional guitar with many vintage touches, excellently finished and presented in an extremely appealing way both visually and haptically.