Dig it! Fender American Performer Series

GilmourD said:
Good enough for Hendrix and Gilmour, good enough for me. :) The early CBS stuff wasn't bad. It was after '73-'74 that things went downhill. '75 gave us the 5-way switch, though.
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The only issue I ever complained about on CBS era Fenders were the weight. Some of them weighed a ton. Usually the clear finished ones later in the 70s. CBS also gave us the Lead series, which is by far my favorite Fender model.
 
Chad said:
The only issue I ever complained about on CBS era Fenders were the weight. Some of them weighed a ton. Usually the clear finished ones later in the 70s. CBS also gave us the Lead series, which is by far my favorite Fender model.
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I don’t remember the Lead Series.
 
reverend1 said:
I don’t remember the Lead Series.
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There were 3 different models. The Lead I had a single humbucker, the Lead II, 2 singles and the Lead III dual humbuckers. I wish they'd bring these back.
 
I thought the Lead series were pretty much universally considered a botched, cost-cutting abortion, but to each his own!
 
Chad said:
Ever play one?
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Nope - I don't know if I've ever even seen one in person. However, there is no denying that they were produced as a cost-cutting measure (i.e. cheaper to build than a strat). Whether they were great or terrible, it is also undeniable that they were only produced for three years, during the nadir of CBS "stewardship" of the Fender name.
 
bsman said:
Nope - I don't know if I've ever even seen one in person. However, there is no denying that they were produced as a cost-cutting measure (i.e. cheaper to build than a strat). Whether they were great or terrible, it is also undeniable that they were only produced for three years, during the nadir of CBS "stewardship" of the Fender name.
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They were designed to be a cheaper Strat. They were supposed to replace the Duo Sonics and Musicmasters, and as someone who has owned many of all 3 of those, the Leads were way better than the Duo Sonics or Musicmasters. The original bridges were the only thing on them that were bad which are easily replaced. Had Fender not already been on the decline at that time, because of CBS, I'm sure they would have done better. I'll take a nice Lead II over any strat from that period any day.
 
reverend1 said:
I love how they act like a switch to activate the neck to get the outside tones is some sort of major revolution. Reverend has done that for 10 years, and I have it on my McFeely. All of my three pickup guitars actually.
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All they did was reverse the middle and neck pickups. They just market the hell out of it.
 
Chad said:
At $1100, you might as well build a Warmoth and just get what you want the first time so you don't have to mod.
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I have zero mechanical skills, zero tools ( well, maybe a Philips screwdriver ). Don't you have to do some of the work yourself? Or can I get Warmoth to put it together for me, then just send it to me?
That'd be the preferable method- There's a very high chance that I'd totally screw it up. It would make a good "Fumbles fumbles" thread though.
 
Fumbles said:
I have zero mechanical skills, zero tools ( well, maybe a Philips screwdriver ). Don't you have to do some of the work yourself? Or can I get Warmoth to put it together for me, then just send it to me?
That'd be the preferable method- There's a very high chance that I'd totally screw it up. It would make a good "Fumbles fumbles" thread though.
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Actually, if you get the nut done by Warmoth, all you'll need are a Phillips screwdriver and maybe the Allen keys supplied with the bridge. I just put together a Tele and had I used predrilled Warmoth parts all I would've needed were a Phillips and a flathead.
 
Fumbles said:
I have zero mechanical skills, zero tools ( well, maybe a Philips screwdriver ). Don't you have to do some of the work yourself? Or can I get Warmoth to put it together for me, then just send it to me?
That'd be the preferable method- There's a very high chance that I'd totally screw it up. It would make a good "Fumbles fumbles" thread though.
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Like @GilmourD said, if you use all Warmoth parts, anyone can put it together. You could even buy a prewired pickguard (from Reverb) if you can't solder. I've put together probably 7 Warmoth guitars at this point and it has been an awesome experience. Even though I didn't cut the wood, it still was great to put a guitar together myself. The first couple, I didn't get the necks finished, so I took it to a tech after I put it together to do some fretwork. If you get the neck finished, or get a roasted maple neck, you don't have to worry about it.
 
Chad said:
Like @GilmourD said, if you use all Warmoth parts, anyone can put it together. You could even buy a prewired pickguard (from Reverb) if you can't solder. I've put together probably 7 Warmoth guitars at this point and it has been an awesome experience. Even though I didn't cut the wood, it still was great to put a guitar together myself. The first couple, I didn't get the necks finished, so I took it to a tech after I put it together to do some fretwork. If you get the neck finished, or get a roasted maple neck, you don't have to worry about it.
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That's good news.

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Roasted maple sounds interesting-it doesn't need finishing at all?

I used to be good at soldering when I was in high school, but that was 25 years ago. I could probably get the hang of that after some practice, & YouTube tutorials or something.
 
Fumbles said:
That's good news.

good-news-everyone-gif-9.gif


Roasted maple sounds interesting-it doesn't need finishing at all?

I used to be good at soldering when I was in high school, but that was 25 years ago. I could probably get the hang of that after some practice, & YouTube tutorials or something.
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No finish required on roasted maple. It feels like a rosewood neck if you've tried one of those. I don't think I can go back.

You can see how the finish ends at the headstock.

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