Fender AM Perf Strat RW HB

I have a Gibson Les Paul for about 4 years. In these four years i realised that i can't get what i want from that Les Paul. So i decided to dive in world of stratocasters. I just want good strat that sounds like a classic strat. And WOW! This is it! As a first stratocaster this is definately more than i expected. Sound of this strat is brilliant - I hear those bells ringing.

Pros:
1. Build quality is very good.
2. Modern "C" neck profile is very comfy to play.
3. I like the tone variety. This guitar has 5-position switch + tone control knob that is also a push-pull switch. It gives you more options to get the sound you want.
4. It looks amazing! My wife is already jealous.

Cons:
1. As a classic strat is have humming (buzzing) background noise on 1st, 3rd and 5th position (single coils). Yes, i know that single coils does that but when playing alone it gets annoying after some time. Will think about shielding, maybe some modifications or just use noise gate.
2. Gigbag is ridiculous. Come on - this guitar ir a piece of art so it needs to be protected. I already ordered SKB hardcase.

In overall - this is very recommended. If you want a very good sounding strat that don't cost 2K and more, this is it!

It is visualy stunning. It is, by far, the best looking finish I have ever seen on a strat. I can watch it all day.
The sound is exactly what you expect out of a strat ; super versatile, it does it all.
Very confortable neck, big jumbo frets, standard knobs, not to heavy... A pleasure to play.
I have compared it to several upper-level strats (American Pros), and didn't notice any significant difference in quality of finish or sound. Mind you, they don't sound exactly the same; but it is a matter of tastes more than a objective difference in quality.
Overall this is a great guitar, beautiful and versatile as a strat can be.

After playing a few different types of guitar over the years I found that the one I wrote music on and connected with was the Stratocaster. I had an American standard which I adored but sold to purchase a jazzmaster. An interesting experiment but I wanted the strat back within a few months. I like jumbo frets and the more assertive alnico pickups on the performer so I made the purchase on Thomann and I could not be happier. What a gem! If you are after a strat and are looking at the American professional, I recommend you look into this first. It's a really really nice guitar and I'm keeping this one. I got the burst colour with rosewood fretboard and it's gorgeous. I did have a little issue with the 5 way switch cutting out on position 1 but it went away with the most basic removal of some dust. Not deducting a star because I love it.