So, I've been bitten by the Fender American Vintage series Stratocaster bug (NF3)

Dudes, I'm telling you the DC3 was a Strat killer. It nailed that sound for me, but I'm in no way a purist. That said, I guess a lot of folks agree that only a Strat can truly do the Strat thing since the DC3 and NF3 are gone from the lineup. :(
 
Good call on 513...love mine. Closer to Strat than my older SASi...(whoa, see what I did there??) actually got first 513 maple to get closer to Strat and ended up loving the Fuller HB tones more. Of course, swampy 513 would be perfect.
 
The NFs really DO NAIL the in between sounds.
I was a Strat player all my life. Never found their bridge SCs useable. To me the strat sounds ARE the in between sounds.
I love me some neck pickup sounds. I like neck buckers, P90s, SCs and NFs in the neck position. It doesn't HAVE to be a SC or a strat or Tele SC in the neck for me.
To me the Studio is a Fender on roids but isn't as thick or heavy as a SC. Of course.

I was playing with my old CE today for a while. What a FUN guitar and now THERE is a guitar that's doing it's own thing. LOVE that thing.
When it was my #1 I thought it's "in betweens" were acceptably Fenderesque. They were kinda sorta nearly there but nothing like the Studio's NF in betweens.

It's to the point now that I don't own a single Fender.
Not even as a beater anymore. My new travel/beater guitar is a Tremonti SE Custom. Trouble is, it's also my #1 stage axe. The Studio is the spare and gets used for the clean spanky stuff and the odd country twang.
If I could only have one it would have to be the Studio. SO versatile.
I think it would be the Studio.
Man I'm lucky.
 
Hmmm, this is something I've been thinking about. I love the Strat sound, but after playing my PRS, I don't care for the feel of my old Am. Special anymore. Perhaps it's the jumbo frets, maybe it's this particular guitar. I seem to recall the Am. Std I had 20 years ago being better.
If PRS had something that sounded like a Strat, but played like a PRS, I would go for it.
 
Radioactive Man said:
Hmmm, this is something I've been thinking about. I love the Strat sound, but after playing my PRS, I don't care for the feel of my old Am. Special anymore. Perhaps it's the jumbo frets, maybe it's this particular guitar. I seem to recall the Am. Std I had 20 years ago being better.
If PRS had something that sounded like a Strat, but played like a PRS, I would go for it.
Click to expand...

http://www.prsguitars.com/dc3/
 
Love to find a store that has a DC3, 305, and 513 to road test! YouTube just ain't doing it!
 
I'm just going to go ahead and say it. Nothing except a Strat sounds like a Strat. Same with a Tele. And please don't ban me, but a Les Paul too. I wish PRS made a guitar that REALLY sounds like a Strat, because I love the sound, and I love the PRS feel. But please just be honest...it ain't happening.

I can't tell you how many Stratocasters I've owned. With the recent sale of my Clapton Blackie Strat, I'm down to just one Fender...a 1992 SRV Strat with a Brazilian rosewood fretboard. That bastard is hard to play. But MAN it sounds good.
 
I own a fender avri 65 strat, I also own an prs se custom 24. I think that the 65 strat is the nicest strat I've owned or played. I think my se custom 24 is a nice guitar for the money. Although I don't know much about PRS guitars in general feel and sound different from strats and that's not necessarily a bad thing. However, if you want a strat buy a strat. The 65 strat is a bit expensive. I think you can't go wrong with the 65 or 59 American vintage strat but prs are great guitars in their own right. It comes down to which guitar you really want.
 
The American Vintage Series bug was bitten by a Custom Shop "Pine" Tele bug! :) It should arrive in 10 days after my CU24 Artist arrives at the store. It's made with a 100 year old Pine!
 
Whitecat said:
Discontinued, but only just... there may still be a few kicking around.
Click to expand...

Albany NY Guitar Center has a DC3that I just returned. Killer price and a great guitar, but I found I liked theNF3 sound better and am now closing in on one.
 
Never tried an NF equiped guitar, but I have a 513. I also had a Levinson Blade strat and an '86 Japan Strat and have played noumerous US Strat models.
I believe there is so much variety in the Fender Stratocaster models, that each one of us has a different Strat sound in our heads.
There are Alder/swamp ash/alder with flamed maple bodied Strats, maple or maple rosewood necks, so many different pickups from vintage output to actives, to noiseless systems etc...
Which one of these are you going to compare to an NF3 or a DC3 or 305???
So for me, having a 513 can give me all the strat sounds I want without having to switch guitars for the next song and with the PRS playability...
I clearly understand that there are a milion different strat sounds that are not similar to the 513, but then again there are a milion different strat sounds between Strat models.
 
If you want an NF3 you'd better hurry.
They have been discontinued for 2014.

Picked one up yesterday with McCarty Burst and Maple/Birds combo for $1650 shipped from Moore Music in Indiana.
Can't wait to get it!
 
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