[Chickee]

I had the chance to visit my local GC yesterday and got to play the three series of American made stratocasters I have been reading about.
I was very interested in the Am. Performer series(previously the Am. Specials)-not expensive, entry level into the domestic line of strats. For me the real draw is that great big CBS style headstock. I feel that's the right size for a strat body and just so, so cool. Beautiful guitar with nice sounding Yosemite pick ups and that treble roll off Greasebucket design on the tone knob that takes out the shrill and leaves the volume. It works really well. I was running thru a VoxAC15(all three guitars were tried with this amp clean and gritty). Where it lost me was the new neck(modern C they call it) is much to fat front to back for me. I just couldn't get a good grip around the neck. Shame for me but someone with bigger hands and longer fingers will like this.
The Am. Professional line has upgraded pick ups with Greasebucket tone knob, a very comfortable to me slimmer neck profile(which is confusing because it's called a DEEP C shape but is nowhere as fat as the Performer's neck) with a nice color line but still no hard case. I'm not knocking the built quality of this series at all because it is truly a well built and executed design of a modern strat, but no hard case was a deal breaker for me at that price point.***
Which leaves the Elite series of stratocasters. I know, you get what you pay for and I have to say this guitar was just wonderful all the way around.
Slim compound radius neck from 10" to 14" that felt heavenly all over. Great sounding noiseless pick ups with clarity and chime like a real single coil should sound. S1 pick up switching and this "Passing Lane" button that just throws the electronics into clean overdrive nirvana. How cool. My only reservation is the small headstock. I'm so stuck in my ways. But honestly the Elite felt as good if not better than any stratocaster I have ever played and the electronic advancements just push it over the top. If you like strats you must try this one.

***CORRECTION-I have been informed that the Professional series strats do in fact come with a hard shell case. Please excuse my shoddy fact finding. Thank you nkatsonis for the true and factual information!
frankie