Fender VG Stratocaster

For what it is, it is a fine piece of machinery. Others tell about the features. But they are there, and they do work. There is no lag or other issues.

Comments; Some people who have played on Gold albums don't realize it is the responsibility of the retailer to set up the instrument. Any instrument arriving from the factory is going to need work, especially if it is shipped. It took me 10 minutes with a screwdriver and an allen wrench to set mine up into fine shape. A skill people who play on gold albums must not have.

One complaint is the humbucking mode is really lud compared to the others - I assume like the real thing, however.

No unusual issue snoted. required some tweaks, like all do. No fit or finish issues noted. Typical high american made Fender quality.

Strats last, we'll see about the Roland side!

Hey! I have actually spokend to Fender on the phone! For real! I don't even play on gold albums, and they talk to me! Little old me!

This strat is basicallly a base model american strat with the Roland pickup and computer stuff inside. For $1700 in most stores, I would expect the guitar to be based on one of the $1200 deluxe models + the computer stuff, not just the standard american. When I first saw the advertisement for this guitar I was shocked at the price.

The alternate tunings are really nice and work well. However, I can't believe that they didn't include tuning down a half step. Next to drop D, I would use this one the most. I would almost rather scraping the drop D since it only requires changing one string. So many songs require guitarists to tune down a half step. For tuning up, all you need is a good capo. Yes, there are ones that don't make your guitar go out of tune and sharp.

As far as the guitar models go, why didn't they model a les paul for the humbucker model, instead of a humbucker strat? Because they are fender and god forbid they pay homage to another company. If you had a Les setting, you would be able to cover the most common guitar sounds. They did the same thing with the cyber-twin, paying homage to mostly their amps. However, when vox created their modeling line of amps and tonelab, they modeled other's amps as much as they did their own, and said positive things about them in their manual. It can be done. Fender always feels that they have to pretend they are in a class by themselves or else people won't buy their products.

While I appreciate its simplicity, it would be nice if you had a special plug that you could plug into a computer and download different tunings or guitar models. (The sort of thing you can do with line 6. The guitar could still function as a simple plug and play with the standard jack, but give those with the desire to customize a bit the ability to. For the price, I would expect this sort of flexibility.

Basically, while this guitar is extremely flexible compared to a normal guitar, I rated it low based on what it is trying to be: Coming years after line 6's guitars who wasn't even a guitar maker prior to variax, I would have expected more from a company with over 50 years of guitar building experience as one of the largest guitar makers of all time.

Also, it would be nice if you could power the guitar with an ac adaptor or so. At home, I would like to be able to practice without thinking about battery life and then save the batteries, even recharable ones for when I am on stage. They might have even considered having a plug where you could charge the batteries while they are inside the guitar, like a cell phone. You could be charging your guitar up while it sits on its stand before a show.

The regular pickups sound like an American strat. No compromise their if you like the sound of the American standard Strat. the sound of the models was convincing and they sound good. I don't have time to A/B the real vs. the modeled, but I will say I liked the sounds that I heard. I'm not nuts about the acousitic sounds. However, I have never played an acoustic model that I have loved. A listener might not be able to tell the difference listening to it recorded. But if you plug in an acoustic model into an electric guitar amp what do you expect to get? The same crappy sound you'd get plugging a real acoustic into an electric guitar amp. Like most acoustic modeling via footpedal or modeling guitar, the sounds are more realistic when appegiating with a pick or fingers than strumming chords.

It's action, fit and finish were fine and what I would expect.

Seems like this guitar would hold up well. With all electronic things, I worry that this guitar's electronics would hold up long-term

Never tried to get it repaired. What's a warranty? I throw those things in the trash. God forbid it actually broke, I probably counldn't find the warranty, assuming that it is still covered. Not to mention the hoops you need to jump through to use a warranty.

I've owned a lot of guitars, amps, and gear. I like this guitar a lot. I do think it is overpriced and lacks many useable features like I mentioned above. My above suggestions could be done for not too much more building costs. If cost was an issue, may I daresay they could make this model in Mexico? The mexi strats are a pretty good bang for the buck. I would also mention that they would be a lot better if they were made with the same parts as the American models. A mexi strat is crapier mostly because it is made with lower quality wood, pickups, and its parts all around. You could build a guitar in Mexico with the same materials as the american and it would be very close to the American.

Basically it's a brand new American Standard Strat in glossy black with a parchment scratchplate holding 3 single coils plus a built in Roland GK pickup (a la Roland Ready Strat), 1 vol, 1 master tone and 2 new controls. T stands for tuning and M stands for mode/model.
Modelled guitars are "real" Strat (ie the magnetic single coils), modelled Strat (huh?), Tele, Humbucker and Acoustic.
Tunings are normal, drop D, open G, D modal (DADGAD), baritone (B to B) and 12 string.
It has a rosewood board, medium jumbo frets, 2 point US tremolo etc etc blah blah blah. All electrics are on board. No need for special cables or pedals.

I play in a covers band and I'd fancied a Variax for a while but was put off by the poor build quality, clubby necks and the piezos' inability to adequately handle palm muting. So instead I bought one of these.
The standard single coils are the usual Strat types and sound OK. The first guitar model is er a Strat. Slightly different sound to the "real" thing, less dynamic but passable. The Tele model is next and sounds like a Tele but again isn't quite dynamic enough. The Humbucker mode is much darker and thicker and I had difficulty getting it to cut through on stage. The Acoustic mode is typical modelled sound, it's OK for those sensitive live moments but ain't gonna fool anyone into thinking there's a big empty box of wood anywhere.
The tunings are huge fun and arguably much more successful. No changing guitars, messing with machine heads etc. Just turn the dial and you're there. Drop D only affects the sixth string as you would expect. Open G puts you into Keef mode. I love DADGAD and use it all the time when I play acoustic but I know it isn't to everyone's liking. The baritone setting drops everything down into the basement and really shakes the walls. Modelled 12 strings always have problems and it still ain't right here. You can hear a slight pitch shift gargle from the G string. Ah well.
Score wise it only gets 9 because it isn't quite there. I usually use a Lone Star Strat and I was expecting something similar and not to have to change too many settings on my amp but the modelled settings are somewhat short on dynamic sparkle. Maybe it's my jaded ears.

Everything is as it should be - I'm pretty sure Fender haven't sent a duff guitar out of the door of the USA plant in the past 25 years or so (except for strap buttons - see below).
Nice slim C shape neck and flattish radius makes for easy string bends with my preferred medium low action.
A little time needs to be spent to ensure the magnetic pickups are the same volume as the modelled sounds, although the humbucker is way louder that the acoustic. Not unexpected but Fender do say that everything has been designed so you should never need to touch your amp settings from one model to the next. Yeah right.

Strats are mostly rock solid guitars and can cope with a load of abuse without complaint.
I can't see this being any different although the T control doesn't have the same positive "click" that the M control has. Why?
Usual complaint regarding strap buttons. Every Strat these days seems to want to spit them out if you move even slightly on stage. Also this one came without the "locking compatible" strap buttons. When did that happen?
I swapped the standard tuners for locking ones as I always do. Another ??50 spent. It's high time Fender shipped out all Strats with them or at least any guitar that retails in the UK for nearly ??1500.
The battery cover is a clip and hinge then remove type and I reckon it'll be easily lost if you have to change batteries on a dimly lit stage. Make sure they're fully charged!
I would also point out that it's not easy to see the little T & M controls on stage. If you have a look at Greg Koch demoing this guitar on YouTube you'll see him angling the guitar and squinting down. So it ain't just me. Shame my fingers don't work like his though.
On a positive note, if the batteries fail the guitar still works in "normal" mode using the single coils. Ha! Take that Variax!

Never ever had to deal with Fender which I suppose is a tribute to their construction standards.

I really really love Strats. I've been playing for nearly 35 years and have chopped and changed guitars (Les Pauls, SGs, Teles) but always come back to the Strat. It just feels the most comfortable. However I sometimes miss the Les Paul humbucker type roar. The Lone Stars I use through my Vox get part the way there but when I saw this I thought the answer to my dreams had arrived and just had to have one.
The conclusion? It's nearly there. It'll take me a while to sort out my amp and pedal settings so my sound doesn't get lost (my band contains another guitarist as well as a keyboard player so it's not always easy to find room, both sonically and er physically). But once that's sorted I reckon I'll have a keeper.

Nice 3 color sunburst finish, satin finish on neck. This is an American Series Strat, with the standard features of that model, plus a Roland system that gives a number of modeled sounds and tunings. I like the fact that Fender didn't try to pack too many features into it. In addition to the regular Strat pickups, the Roland features modeled Strat, Tele, Humbucking, and acoustic sounds. Are they perfect? No, but for the working musician who's looking for a multitude of sounds without carrying several guitars, it's pretty damn good. You also get several open tunings, plus baritone amd 12 string guitar. It's almost worth it for the 12 string setting alone. This one tracks well, I have noticed no glitches. My only complaint is that Fender should have included an open E tuning, along with the drop D, Open G, and DADGAD.
There is little difference in appearance from a regular Strat. It has 4 knobs instead of 3, but the 3rd and 4th are smaller than the others. There is a blue LED to indicate the battery strength is good, it's a bit annoying. It's getting a 9 for the lack of E tuning.

Through my Hot Rod Deluxe, it sounds good in all modes. I compared the magnetic pickups against my Eric Johnson Strat, and while it doesn't sound as good, it doesn't get blown away, either.
Here's an example of how it works; say you pick the Tele mode, put the 5 way switch in bridge position, you get Tele bridge. Same goes for the middle and neck positions. And all alternate tunings work in all positions of each modeled sound. You can play with a 12 string sound in 16 sounds, including 5 acoustics. See, in addition to the 5 selections using the magnetic pups, you have 5 Strat, 3 Tele, 3 Humbucking, and 5 acoustic sounds. And if the battery dies, well, you still have a fully functionong Strat!

The set up was not great, the action was extremely low. If it's too low for me, it's really low! Intonation was pretty good. No flaaaws found. The sunburst is nicely done, and the grain in the slder is nice.

No way of telling if the Roland system will hold up, I'll just have to wait and see. Other than that, it's a Fender, they are normally pretty durable. I'd gig without a backup.

Been playing since Fred Flintstone was in high school. I currently own 3 Strats and 2 Reverends. If it were stolen, would I replace it? I don't know, honestly. Right now I am enjoying it, but I am not convinced I'll want it forever. Mainly it's a gigging guitar, to allow me to get alternate sounds without lugging a bunch of guitars. It may lose it fun factor after a while, we'll see.

Black painted body
White pickguard
Maple neck
Stock strat pickups? Why?
Cheap lumber with fancy digital dingus.
Typical Fender hardware, junk in need of adjustment.

We tried this 2X4 out through different amps in the store. (marshal, Twin, and mackie PA) Several accomplished players including myself came to the same conclusions.
The VG cosm sounds and automatic transposing worked quite well, but not as well as they should have. The GK-2A pickup MUST be adjusted in order to track well! That's not Roland's fault. The sales reps or their minions should be able to do that easily. But a modeled sound is still just that, modeled, not real, fake, digital.

The guitar was not set up properly which is a testimony to Fender's lack of concern or ability in that area. The GK-2A pickup must be adjusted for it to track optimally. This one wasn't even close. If I worked for Fender, that would be a huge embarrasment. The Trem arm was a mile high, the intonation was off and overall playablility was severely compromised. Even a newbie tech could have set the guitar up in his car on the way to the store better than this one was adjusted.

It's a Fender... Sure it will last with a little TLC. But who knows about the Roland pickup and little knobs, gizmos and electronic dingus that makes this gimmicky guitar twang?

Getting information or repair from Roland is like trying to find an honest politician. They flat-out don't answer E-mails, or have incompetent slow-talking So-Cal surfer dudes answer the phones. Fender is just too damn big. They pretend like they're responsive, but really don't give a S**t. Good luck pal!

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!