Fender VG Stratocaster

Bolt-on neck, sunburst, maple, three stock USA pickups, Roland p/up, volume, tone, tunings and modelling controls. Comes with case and case candy.

Played as a vanilla Strat without the Roland gubbins, this is standard US Stratocaster fare with the usual variety of sounds from the three pickups. Using the modelling gives you a second Strat, a tele, a 2 humbucker guitar and 5 different acoustic sounds. There are also various tunings and a 12 string emulator - 37 different combinations in all.

This is ideal for a player in a covers band (like me) that has to have at least three guitars to cover the repertoire. As I also play keyboards and harmonica, this is a lot less gear to carry. I am a minimalist when it comes to amps, so I can't comment on how this copes with effects, but using an overdriven amp with a very small amount of reverb, I can get every sound I need, from clean acoustic to real ballsy overdrive. I control my sound using fingers, pick and the guitar's volume and tone control.

Ignore the idiots who say it isn't a 100% accurate reproduction of their favourite guitars, this is all very subjective, the kit does exactly what it says on the tin, the rest is down to something called musicianship.

Mine was imported from the USA from a reputable dealer who set it up and sent it via a quality carrier. Everything was perfect straight out of the box. The action was nice and low, pickups were properly adjusted and intonation spot on. It was nearly in tune as well! No complaints there! No flaws in the finish and the neck is one of the nicest I've had. Whoever put this together at the factory was looking for promotion, it's as good as a Custom Shop.

All electrics work properly. The only thing I needed was some rechargable batteries, as battery life is only expected to be 6-10 hours, although I've played far more than that and there's still plenty of life in 'em.

Whatever quality control issues Fender have had seem to be resolved, I've had three guitars from them in the last few years, a Deluxe 50th Anniversary, a Standard Strat that I've used as a testbed for a lot of modifications, and this one. No problems with any of them!

Good guitar live. Straplocks are a good investment, as well as adjusting the strap to keep it away from belt buckles. Finish will last years! I'm tempted to use it without backup.

Warranty provided, don't expect to have to use it.

Played on and off now for 30 years in covers, jazz and blues bands - and switched from a Gibson Marauder to a Strat in the early 90s. I also have an Ovation electric acoustic and a Yamaha AEX1500. I'm a strong believer in getting quality gear, keeping and looking after it. Unfortunately taking the Yamaha to some gigs can be risky, so I've tended to use Strats as the main guitar.

Amp-wise, after trying all sorts, I now use a Vox DA5 for practice and live work (you can plug it in the PA) The VG Strat works very well with this, and I hope to get a lot of use from it. Gear-wise, I'd say I'm sorted!

If lost or stolen would definately get another one!

I ordered (and have since returned) the VG Strat following some well-aimed publicity both sides of the Atlantic. The guitar sells for around $2500 in UK which is considerably more than the average in US.
Run out of Rosewood fingerboard models very quickly. Not many maple editions available either. Managed to get a Sunburst rosewood fingerboard model. Guitar came complete with scratches and damaged case.

Standard Strat sound OK, the rest very mediocre. Telecaster,Humbucking and acoustic very unrealistic. Would not try to fool anyone I was playing anything other that a Strat with a few gizmos attached.

Standard body, lightweight. Action not as good as I hoped

Not sure yet. Have to wait and see

Not had the opportunity to find out

I am disappointed that for $2500 this should come on to the market. This does not represent my idea of value for money. Should retail at around $1000. Do not think that this will be of any value other than to the back-room amateur who likes to experiment with a few different sounds. Cannot see any serious gigging done with this.

I have the tobacco burst version of the VG Strat. As a Stratocaster I agree most other people on this review. It is a good American Stratocaster. You can quite easily forget that the VG system is part of this axe. This is a typical American Stratocaster with all of the trimings. The pickups are nothing special but I believe they were chosen by Fender to blend in with the VG components. More on this below.

Sound ~ a very subjective topic. I have a Japanese Telecaster, a Faded V, and a Reverend Warhawk. All very nice sounding instruments.
When I first plugged this guitar in by bandmates eyes bugged out of thier heads. They couldn't believe how good this axe sounded. The axe is very balanced. It isn't agressive it is exacly as I excpected it would be. Is that bad? The regular stock pickups are good in a word.
I was really amazed that where a single coil would pick up RF, the VG Swamp Ash mode had NO noise at all and the VG circuit gave me sustain like I have NEVER had before in any instrument. None of the VG sounds are EXACTLY what I hoped they would be but after months of contemplation, they are what they are, very good approximations of the real thing. They are an average of all of that type of guitar. I think Fender has no worries about selling a second or third guitar. Telecaster mode sounds like a Telecaster but it doesn't have the specific charactoristics of my other Telecaster. Keep in mind this is a Swiss Army Axe, a very capable and flexible axe that your audience will not be able to discerne from the original. This guitar doesn't come with a wood emulator, it is a sound emulator. I love the humbucker mode and I can't live without the acoustic guitar mode. The 12 String is nice but if the real deal is around I much prefer it.

The guitar is very well built. It is a work of pride. The action was very good. There are no flaws at all. I don't really like the tuning pegs but they work. I have always purchased better tuners for my guitars. I am going to purchase the Fender Sperzels with the string locking mechanism. The tremolo works fine but I don't depend on it because it throws the tuning out a bit.

This guitars existence owes itself to the needs of the live player so it better darned well be a good gig axe and it is. I gig overseas and bought this so that I could ship all of my other guitars home and now that it has proven itself, I will. I am not getting the warm fuzzy feeling with the finish it is thinner than I had hoped for and there is no way I would gig with out strap locks. They should be standard fixtures on all guitars.

I hope I never have to find this out.

I have been playing for thirty years. I have a Roland GR 700/707, BC Rich Deceiver, Reverend Warhawk, Chapman Stick Grand, Chapman Stick Polycarbonate, Yamaha Fat Strat, Jap Telecaster with p90, Xaviere Hollowbody, Godin Semi 12 String, Simon Patrick Acoustic, Variax 700 Bass and a Faded V. If it were lost or stolen there would be an empty hole in my life. I have strayed clear of Fenders until I tried the Japanese Telecaster which was excellent, and then I thought I might want to try the Strat because of its versatility and I honestly think if you buy one guitar, you will save yourself a lot of money. Of course guitarists suffer from G.A.S. (Guitar Aquisition Syndrome).

Black USA standard Strat w/ maple neck. VG Pickup, 1 Volume, 1 Tone control, 3 Alnico Pickups, Tuning knob and a Model knob.

Good fit and finish but I am not sure it's as good as my 18 year old American standard......which I will be retiring! (More on that later).

Ok this guitar is good actually really good. I got it yesterday and I haven't put it down yet. My band mates were stunned by it's abilities. Sounds good on the VG settings.

Strat sound: nothing wrong with that @ all... sounds like my 18 yr old American standard.

Modeled strat: V good, slightly different sound which I like.

Modeled Tele: Again v. good not as good as my tele with bareknuckle piledrivers fitted but still mustn't grumble. I instantly got the tele sound on Take It Easy by The Eagles. Good Keef sound in open G tuning, nice and honking.

Modeled Humbucker: Corking, nice and full, great for playing Heavy Rock N Roll like ACDC. I like the in between pickup setting as I managed to get a nice BBKing tone.

Modeled Acoustic. Not fantastic but not bad either. Good for gigging but not recording although I have yet to try. What I like though is the sound with 12 string setting enabled. Ideally played this setting thru my mixer and studio monitors as my Fender super 60 valve amp muddies the sound a little

I played as mentioned the guitar thru my super 60 amp. I use my Fender Hotrod Deville 2x12 for gigging.

No problems at all although I'll be changing the factory 9s for a set of 10s with heavy bottoms.

My 18 yr old USA strat is still going strong so I doubt I'll have any probs with this one.

Never needed it so don't know.

I play in a covers band that does virtually every style of popular music from the 50's onwards. I've been playing guitar for 20yrs plus and have four guitars at every gig to give the necessary sounds and tunings. I now only need the VG Strat and my only problem is what to do with the other guitars as the VG strat has made them redundant.

If it were lost or stolen. I would buy another. It's a great tool for gigging and it'll get its debut next Saturday.

What I really like is that it's very easy to get great sounds quickly.

I have wondered what the VG stands for. I think Very Good.

VG American Strat, 3 tone color sunburst with rosewood fingerboard, american standard tremelo. This is an american made strat with Roland VG circuitry which models various different Fenders: Swamp Ash Strat, Tele, Humbucking Strat, various Fender acoustics which are not described. With the VG modeling, there is also a tuning function which will put you standard, drop D, DADGAD, baritone, and twelve string. The VG runs off of 4 AA batteries which will yield 6-10 hours of playing time. However, it is also an american strat, so you can play it straight as such and bypass the VG circuitry.

If played normally without the VG enabled, it sounds exactly like an American Strat with stock pickups (which are noisy). With the VG enabled, it's digital so there is no noise. The VG has a slightly lower volume than the stock pickups, but that shouldn't matter much as you'll most likely be playing through the VG most of the time. This guitar can make almost any sound out there, so it's a great value. Having a GK-3 pickup, I was wary of the tracking issues, but I shouldn't have been. There are absolutely NO TRACKING ISSUES, and the sounds coming out of the VG circuitry are simply amazing. I have a Variax 600 and the VG strat blows it away. With the tuner function, you can have a strat 12 string, a tele 12 string, or an acoustic twelve string. Put the guitar in the humbucking mode and then select baritone, and you'll be in down tuned bliss. The only bad thing is there is a slight hiccup in the sound when switching VG sounds and tunings.

The guitar, like any guitar, has to be set up once you get it. This is just a fact of life, especially when you take shipping into account. I bought this guitar factory fresh from Musicians Friend online. To my eyes, I couldn't find any flaws, as everything was produced nicely. This is a wonderful playing guitar, and it looks wonderful as well. The tremelo is floating, and while I'm not so sure I like that on a strat, it will stay in tune if you tune string it properly. It came with .009s, which were promptly replaced with .010 fender super bullets. I set the guitar up myself. The neck feels great, especially if you have large hands like myself. the frets are medium jumbo and they feel great. You can play fast on this neck.

I've had the guitar for a few months, with no problems. It seems as if it will last a lifetime, if cared for properly. If I gigged, I would probably just take this guitar with me as it can pretty much make any sound you want, unless you want some molten metal in which case you'll need a backup (I have a custom Carvin I use for this purpose with their M22 bridge pickup). I have banged the guitar quite a bit, and there are no nicks plus the circuitry seems solid.

I haven't had to deal with the company, but I did buy an extra 2 year warrenty on the electronics from Musician's Friend. At this price, it is a solid investment. I have about 7 electrics, and over time I've learned how to set up guitars pretty well, so I haven't had to contact the company for anything.

I've been playing guitar for well over 20 years, and I own a bundle of studio stuff. I don't play through "live amps," so I use modeled amps from Line 6 (Pod LIVE and Gearbox plugin) as well as NI's guitar rig 2. I learned on Fenders, and have been trying to get an american made one for many years. I decided on this guitar because of the versitality of it. You can really play anything on this guitar, however I don't think I would want to play really heavy stuff on it. I also don't really like the fact that on the modeled humbucker sounds, you only get 3 sounds (normal 3 way switching sounds, with 2 sounds doubled for the 5 way switch). I would have loved to have seen position 2 and 4 modeling out of phase sounds. I also don't care for the slight hiccup in the sound when you switch sounds on the VG side. Otherwise, with this guitar you will have in your arsenal just about any sound ever made on any record. I would like to add that the previous review from a "gold" record player must be bogus. This guitar is a solid value, and there ARE NO TRACKING ISSUES.

Black with Maple fretboard VG (U.S. built American Series)Stratocaster with all the classic Fender features, accessories and case.

It's basically an upgrade from a standard American Series Strat to a kick-*** strat with modeling capabilities - it offers an amazing simple set of controls for a wealth of tones!

Easy to operate modeling - produces 16 different sounds from four models - add the five magnetic pick-up tones and you've got 37 sound options!

The tuning feature is fantastic, i.e. you're able to instantaneously switch to dropped-D without multiple adjustments to your tuners. The digital and magnetic-pickup sounds are also surprisingly well balanced and rich - classic, classic Strat sound - the models sound amazingly natural.

Another really nice feature is if at any time you want to get out of the digital realm on the VG (or for some chance your batteries run-out) with a quick turn of the knob your playing Fender's flagship American Series Stratocaster.

What can I say, this VG Strat came with that Classic superb Fender finish - Beautifully finished and smooth neck.

My VG Strat also came perfectly setup straight from the factory; I mean... action, intonation, saddle-height, the whole works!

Fender's reliability/durability has been time tested and is second to none in my book - I'm hoping the same is true with the VG Roland component.

Never had to deal with support with any of my Fenders - There's your testimony to reliability and durability.

I haven't played on GOLD albums, but I can say I haven't had this much fun in years - I just couldn't put this Strat down! With its stellar modeling capabilities, I think it's worth the upgrade price over a Standard American Series Strat - that's just my shared opinion for what its worth.

I also agree with the last reviewer ..."I guess if you're on Gold albums you can afford to be picky but it is a great guitar if you love Strats and want a little versatility??? I think it???s a great guitar but it???s not for everyone. "

With all due respect, I've got but one word for the (presumably) "Gold Album pro player" - DECAF! :)

Black body, maple fretboard, comes with case, strap, cable and the VG system.

If you can't get your sound out of this, give it up.

Everything was in top shape.

Strap buttons got immediately replaced with locking ones. Bring batteries, but be aware that thenormal strat part still functions without them.

This is a Fender/Roland product. I expect very little customer support from either company.

I'm getting rid of my other guitars -- this one covers both of them -- Taylor T5 and Eric Johnson Strat.

American series Strat features; satin finish neck, black gloss alder body, rosewood finger board, Fender tuners, standard strap buttons (what happened to the Schaller strap locks?) 3 single coil pickups, Roland VG active pickup, standard Fender molded case.

In standard mode, it sounds great; just like my American Standard strat, and suprisingly quiet, very little hum when plugged into the '65 Deluxe Reverb amp I demo'ed it with. The virtual Strat, Tele, and humbucking sounds were very good, but slightly lower in volume than the real pickups. The 12 string tracked pretty well, but had a slight digital warble if you strum too fast. The accoustic sound would be ok for gigging, but not for recording. I didn't mess much with the alternate tunings.

The one I tried was set up very well, great, low action with no buzz, and I love a Strat neck! This one was great too. Everything else seemed top notch, like it should.

I am pretty sure this guitar would withstand live playing. Again, you might have to adjust the volume levels a little when you switch settings. I don't know how long the batteries would last, but you supposedly still have a normal strat if all else fails. The strap buttons were tight, but cheap, not the Schaller strap locks the American Series normally came with.
I think you could use this without a backup, but I always have a backup in case of broken strings, etc.

I have never dealt with Fender customer support

I think overall Fender and Roland have come up with a pretty impressive , but over-priced guitar. I think it should be more in the $1,100.00 range than $1,700.00. It should also come with an upgraded case; the standard molded isn't big enough to even leave a strap attached, and others have complained that they don't line up well when closing. I doubt if I will buy a new one, I have seen them used already at $1,300, and I think when the novelty wears off, they will be even less. In the meantime, I will gig with my normal Strat, Tele, and Rick 12 string and save the $$

Sunburst with rosewood fingetboard
All the standard hardware on a VG

Had to be ajusted but they all do.

Never had called Fender but I might if the electronics wig out.

Started playing in 1980. I have 10 Strats, all different from an 82, 91, 96, (2) solid walnut, 12 string, 40th, 50th, Malsteen blah, blah, blah.
I have a few Ovations and a Washburn rosewood eagle plus whatever.

I like this guitar a lot but I wish they had used a higher end model especially for the price. The biggest thing for me is now I can sell my 12 string Strat since I rarely play it. Mint condition Japanese 12 string, sunburst just like the VG that is replacing it.

I guess if you're on Gold albums you can afford to be picky but it is a great guitar if you love Strats and want a little versatility. Honestly the best sounding and playing Strat I have is a solid walnut Strat I had put together for me from parts I acquired. The only Fender part on it is the tuners.

I think it???s a great guitar but it???s not for everyone.

Read the Quote from one of the reviews here:

"I am a Pro player, studio musician, have played on gold albums before you were born. I grew up in a violin shop and know more about building instruments than anyone I have ever met, except my father. Fender guitar have the most versatile design which allows for customization. But it is obvious from the huge after-market for replacement parts, bodies, necks etc. that Fender's quality control is shite. Smart guys won't invest in the VG strat until a few hundred stupid rich guys buy some and complain. Maybe then, only maybe, will Fender get its act somewhat together. By the way, this overpriced garbage comes with stock strat pickups! What a rip! To sell two hunks of CNC shaped lumber with noisy stock pickups is typical for a profiteering leviathon like Fender. Tell your friends!"

Pro player? Not a chance. Just some snot nosed kid who doesn't like Fender. Most people already know this, but always throw out the the reviews that go on nad on about how the product is the second coming. Also, throw out the reviews like the one written by Mr. Gold Record. There are plenty of intelligent reviews that are worth paying attention to.