subversion
Moderator
Fender VG Strat
List: $5,250
In this highly digital day & age, the refusal to embrace technology is a missed opportunity, especially so in the music industry. Unlike other instrument manufacturers, Fender attempts to bridge the embrace of both the traditional & digital tone because musicians are a queer lot; they tend to champion one philosophy & discard the other, a concerted interest is quite frowned upon. The VG Strat on review here is one of the company’s conjunctive efforts (the other being the BOSS – Fender effects pedals) to bring forth a symbiosis of tradition & technology without the sacrifice of good tones.
Construction/ build/ features
The VG Strat is fundamentally an American Series Stratocaster which features the most contemporary hardware, electronics & build refinements (for a more detailed specs, do refer to Fender’s homepage). As with other American Series model, the QC displayed is immaculate, including the default action of the audition model. The digital offering here is the addition of a Roland VG pickup next to the bridge & a pair of smaller knobs to offer emulated voicings & tunings.
On the flipside, the VG has extra burrowing to contain the digital electronics & AA batteries; you need 4 to keep the virtual realm alive. Thankfully, the battery access is the flip cover type so a minimum tweaking time would be spent on this should you require to re-juice your VG. However, the plastic contraptions here could have been better designed to sit flush against the guitar’s body.
Rating: 88%
Tone/ playability
Once a cable is plugged into the VG, a bright blue indicator light comes on; if it blinks, be ready with some new batteries. On the conventional front, the VG is every bit Fender in its voicing. The strong American Strat single coils here give much body to the notes churned out. This guitar’s playability could not have been better but players who are more accustomed to a 2-tone affair need to get used to the solitary TONE knob here. Due to the extra routings this guitar has to accommodate, one can subconsciously feel the less hefty body which gives off a brighter midrange response to some of us; the rest would deem this tonal difference negligible.
Moving on to the digital domain, the Roland pickup is only activated at the turn of the M (Mode) knob. The VG gives you 4 added emulations; Strat/ Tele/ Humbucking/ Acoustic. The other enlightening feature here is the varied tuning patches; Dropped D/ Open G/ D modal/ Baritone/ 12-string. The Strat & Tele emulations here are, by far, the best sounding. However, those of us in search of instrument dynamics, especially with an inter-play of volume (from the amp), would be brought back down to earth. The humbucking option offers a discernible output thickening but it’s not one from that famous set-neck singlecut. The acoustic settings are also above-average but do not look forward to something Taylor/ Martin-esque. The tuning alternatives are useful & functional. Unlike the tonal palette, there are no issues of authenticity but the unfamiliar players need to get accustomed to the non-standard accommodation; it is likely that one would employ a certain detune option more than others on offer.
There are certainly no displeasure with the analogue tones of the VG; Fender’s choice of the American Series is spot on as this is the contemporary Strat tone benchmark, it would be a different account if a Mexican model is opted instead as compromise comes into play. To fully appreciate the modeled tones/ tunings, it is more practical to have a dynamic amplifier as company because the drive-free voicings give better manifestation through a more accommodating output source. In this light, do not expect stellar performances if you plug the VG into a tedious practice amplifier. The primary discontent in this realm is really the lag time in switching; the hiccup is annoying to say the least.
Tone test equipment:
• Amp: Peavey JSX
Rating:
• Analogue: 89%
• Digital: 79%
Conclusion
The VG in its entirety is one dynamic guitar; be prepared to get inspired at the turn of a knob. Nevertheless, it is legitimately a glimpse as to what Fender might offer on the digital front in time to come. The VG is by no means an end-all modeling guitar as LINE6’s Variax technology proves the former’s lag in this race. Do not approach the VG’s emulation capacity in order to discover some treasured Fender tones; this guitar was not conceived to contain a specific relic voicing but a tool to trigger conventional variety. Unlike other manufacturers’ wares, should one get morosed by the digital discharge here, the traditional Fender tone will take over without compromise.
Overall rating: 82%
Likes:
• American Series model at the helm
• Fantastic build & QC
• Ease of use
Dislikes:
• Price
• Switching lag time
• Modeled tones offer bland dynamics
• Plastic contraptions not flush mount at the body’s rear
