A superior guitar that rivals the customs and boutiques for half the money

I was on the fence between a boutique guitar but opted for the new 2011 American Deluxe Ash Strat Tobacco finish Rosewood fretboard with the new three single coil ( SSS ) N3 pickups - I will defer tech specs to the Sweetwater and Fender websites. Quality, fit, finish, and fret work is outstanding. This guitar retains the Strat vibe while advancing its playability and tonal palette with a compound radius fretboard and the newly reconfigured S-1 switching system accomplished through a push button in the center of the volume knob. Love those Fender Shaller locking tuners for easy string changes. Traditional Strat sounds are retained with that signature clarity, chime, and sparkle with zero hum. But new and very usable tones are on tap when the S-1 button is depressed. Most impressive is one "button-in" tone setting ( throw switch in the middle I think ) that is fat and rich ... great for jazz. After 50 years of playing and buying more guitars than I can recall this evolved Deluxe Ash Strat is the most versatile guitar I have played .... capable of handling jazz, blues, rockabilly, country, pop, and classic rock although I am not a metal guy and use pedals to dial up distortion. ( if you are into metal you might check out the HSS variation that comes with the LSR roller nut ) I love a low action and this guitar really delivers with no dead spots or string buzz. I have bought six or more new guitars in the past few years including two guitars that were plek'd and two Custom shop axes ( Fender Strat and Gibson arch-top ) ... the Ash Strat action was just as good! Also, had the opportunity recently to play a collector friend's boutiques ( Suhr, Grosh, Anderson, Baker ). All fine guitars. While I did not do a real time a/b comparison I felt no buyers remorse in opting for the Fender Deluxe Ash Strat .... The boutiques may have more exotic woods, custom options, and "top 10" figuring wood grain patterns but they did not play or sound better to me. Worthy of mention and a testimony to Fender's attention to detail was the tint on the Rosewood fretboard that complimented the tobacco finish. Very pretty! As a fellow who is fortunate enough to buy a custom or boutique I am very pleased with this guitar and feel it is a great value for the money.. not inexpensive as it is Fenders top of the American Production line , but a great value Pro level instrument at half the cost of a custom or boutique . Currently my three go-to guitars are the Fender Strat Deluxe Ash, a pristine 1991 Fender Strat Ultra, and a new Gibson Custom shop CS-356 carved arch-top with a Bigsby whammy bar. Before you spend a bundle on a boutique I recommend you check this guitar out. If you don't have a sales engineer give my guy a call, Mark Magdich at ext.1265, he is a pro player and really knows his stuff. And a nice guy who can wow you with creative ideas and options to fit your needs and preferences