Fender American Cyclone Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI can't bought one yet, because it's very priceful and I've too much big fingers to play a medium or short scale student guitar.
Compared to the original Mexican-made Cyclones, the American version features an American Series 2-pivot point tremolo and two special-design dual-coil ceramic Noiseless pickups (same as the pickups found now to Jeff Beck's signature Strat).
I'm not sure that Jeff himself received an US Cyclone to test the new pickups before updating his Strat with them, but the fact that the American version of the Cyclone had apparently the same look and feel of the earlier Duo-Sonic guitars of the late '50s and early '60s, given a powerful impact and an almost big influence to the most "student" and "grunge" guitarists (like Liz Phair and Kurt Cobain!).
A little weakness found on the American Cyclones was the absence of a powerful humbucker near the bridge to complement the Noiseless single-coil neck pickup. The Mexican Cyclone had a Atomic humbucking pickup at the bridge and a spicy Tex-Mex single-coil in the neck position, while the American model featured the two classic Noiseless single-coils. But the single/single config isn't enough sufficient to stirring up the dust. It's almost interesting to fit a DH-1 bridge humbucker instead of the classic Noiseless single-coil bridge pickup to compete with the Mexican-made Cyclones. The late Kurt Cobain will be certainly very happy to play Cyclones and Tornados along with his famous Jag-Stang, Mustang, Duo-Sonic, Music-Master, Swinger (Musiclander), Custom Maverick, Bronco, Electric XII, Bass V and VI, Jaguar and Jazzmaster guitars!
The American-made Cyclone has a more "modern" style unlike her Mexican sisters. Both guitars are well-made, but sonically, the Mexican Cyclones were more versatile than the American Cyclone, due evidently to the pickup configuration.
Needless to say, an American version of the Cyclone wasn't featured actually on Fender's official website (it was probably a Custom Shop limited-edition prototype, intended to be launched at the first half of 2003 as a regular production model and subsequently added to the American Special Series range), but however, the new American-made Tornados gained an extreme popularity since their first launch in the Winter NAMM show last January. Whereas you can see both Mexican and American Cyclones and Tornados one of these days, try them and compare their unique and distinctive features! You can now stir up the dust with the original Mexican Cyclones and grungelize your crunchy riffs with the brand-new American model and the new Fender dual-coil Ceramic Vintage-Noiseless pickups, specially designed for this almost true American-made beauty. Both Cyclones and Tornados will be manufactured at the Ensenada and Corona factories and combined the old with the new: traditional vintage look and feel, a stylishly contoured body with the finest woods, such as poplar, alder and ash, a chunky maple neck with slab rosewood fingerboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets and hand-rolled edges, detailed nut and fret treatment, and highly sophisticated electronics and hardware.
John D. Constantinides rated this unit
on
2002-12-15.
