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In my 20+ years of playing, I’ve played and owned many Strats. I currently own an American Special, an American Pro, and most recently this American Elite HSS. I also owned a Deluxe a feed years back, and now it looks like Fender has replaced the Deluxe series with the Elite series. This is an all around fantastic guitar. I absolutely love it! You have so many different tonal possibilities thanks to the push switch located on the volume knob which gives you 5 extra pickup configurations with the 5-way switch. You also have a push switch located between the two tone knobs which bypasses the volume and tone knobs and goes straight to the Shawbucker. It’s basically like a built in boost in my opinion. It’s nice to have. You also get the wonderful locking tuners (a must have for all my Strats), and a new dual action truss rod located at the heel of the neck which makes neck adjustments a bit simpler and more efficient. For me, the ALL STAR feature of this model the new neck! All I can say is WOW! It’s the most comfortable neck I’ve ever played. Not just on a Strat, but on any guitar. Period. Most modern Strats come with a C shaped neck. This new Elite model comes equipped with a C shaped neck which morphs into a D shape towards the heel of the neck. I know everyone is different and everyone has different preferences, but for me, it’s amazing! To be honest, I didn’t notice too much of a difference when I initially started playing the guitar. Don’t get me wrong, I immediately thought to myself that it was extremely comfortable to play, but I didn’t really think too much as to why that was. I suppose I was more enamored with all of the other feature at first. It wasn’t until a few weeks later, when I picked up my American Pro for the first time since getting the Elite, that I truly noticed a huge difference in the neck feel. My American Pro almost felt foreign to me. It kind of sucks in a way because now I want ALL of my Strats to have the same neck as my Elite. That’s probably the only downside to this guitar. It’s just so wonderful, that it takes a bit of the magic away from my other great guitars. I have to say that my Elite arrived with a fairly decent set up. Which is somewhat rare. Normally when I purchase a new Strat, I have to make several adjustments to make it play comfortably for my preference. However, I didn’t have to make many adjustments with the Elite. It was almost perfect right out of the box. Perhaps I got lucky, I dunno. Anyways, if you’re looking for a higher end guitar, it would behoove you to give this Elite Stratocaster a whirl. I love it and I can honestly say that’s it’s the best Strat that I’ve ever played or owned. For me, it’s absolutely perfect and amazing in every way. I’m extremely happy that I decided to go with this model. Also, a big shout out to zZounds. I’ve been doing business with them for several years, and they never cease to amaze me. These guys are awesome! I mean, where else can you get top quality gear and make payments with ZERO interest? I love them for offering the option to pay for your purchase in installments! They also don’t seem extremely picky about the people they approve. Back when my credit was shot, I had been turned down by every credit card company and every music store that offered credit. Then I discovered zZounds and they approved me instantly for a $1500 purchase with 12-month installments. I was shocked! Ever since then, it’s been a match made in heaven and I only deal with them exclusively. I recommend them to everyone! I can’t thank you enough zZounds.