Yes, that’s all. Some people will of course find that these changes are too few for these American Standards to be called "New", while others will just be satisfied to find the essential slightly upgraded. Because, other than the aforementioned details, the shape, the body, and the electronics are exactly the same as the old American Standards who have been proving themselves for decades. Personally, I’m perfectly satisfied with this, and Fender has already shown, with their Strat VG, that they know how to innovate when they want to. It’s all about finding your marks with these classic instruments that have influenced generations of musicians, and accessing those sounds that have made us dream while listening to legendary rock , blues, or even jazz recordings.

In the end , you get totally immersed in the American Standard spirit, so who's going to complain? The Strat always gets great clean sounds for funk, clapton-like lead guitar , or crystal-clear Gilmour sounds while the Telecaster gets, in addition to its legendary clean sound, that slightly crunchy-dirty sound that makes you dream of playing "Start Me Up" in front of a stadium of screaming people. Here are some audio examples that were recorded on a Spider Valve using a SM 57, an M-Audio Audiophile 24/96, a Yamaha MG10/2 and Cubase SX3…