player opinions
Fender Fat Strat Texas Special
Name: Nick Castrellon
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Model Year: 2002
Price Paid: $975
Performance
My Texas Special, which I call “Smokey” is my Holy Grail of guitars. When it was originally the Lone Star Strat, I fell in love with its appearance and the sound just floored me. When the Lone Star Strat was redefined and released as the Texas Special, it sounded even better. The action was high and comfortable, a smooth maple neck and smooth rosewood fretboard, just the way I like it. I especially loved the Tobacco Sunburst finish on this thing. It’s absolutely beautiful.
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Performance Rating: 10
Sound Quality
Excellent for blues and hard rock music. The neck pickup delivers a beautiful, rich and warm tone with that SRV-ish sound. Only one minor flaw, the neck pickup picks up a lot of noise if you’re near anything electrical like a tv or a computer. But that can easily be corrected by just playing without that other stuff on. It’s quiet when not in use. The middle pickup cranks out a delicious twang and its perfect for funk, country and jazz tunes. Those Texas Specials are nice pickups, I really like them a lot. The Seymour-Duncan Pearly Gates Plus humbucker at the bridge makes this thing sound like you’re playing from the pits of Hell, incredibly loud and heavy, just the way I like it. It’s almost completely noiseless when not in use.
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Sound Quality Rating: 9
Construction
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The only problem I’ve had with this guitar is the tremolo system. I’ve never been a fan of Fender tremolos because you hit the bar once, just a smidgen, and you’re out of tune! I rarely use tremolos anyway so it’s not that big a deal, perhaps getting a Floyd trem will fix the problem. Other than that, the construction of this guitar is incredible.
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Construction Rating: 9
Name: Kyle
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Model Year: 2000
Price Paid: $1399
Performance
I bought this guitar a year ago and I have had no problems with it at all. The price was high because I live in Canada and the exchange rate makes prices go sky high here, but anyway. This guitar sounds great and I have had no problems with it in the year I have owned it. The humbucker pickups are great.
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Performance Rating: 10
Sound Quality
The humbuckers sound good clean and distorted, I found I could get any sound I wanted out of them if you mess with you amp settings too. The pickups can do anything from country to heavy metal.
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Sound Quality Rating: 9
Construction
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I have had no problems with the guitar, it stays in tune for a long time. I usually tune it and leave it for a month before I tune it again and it’s usually only a bit off anyway. I found alternate tunings go out quick but I usually stay with standard anyway. The neck has no problems (straight), the frets and string height is perfect.
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Construction Rating: 9
links
Average Ratings
- Performance: 10
- Sound Quality: 9
- Construction: 9
Ratings Key
- 10: Excellent
- 0: Useless
Company
- Fender




