All user reviews for the Fender American Stratocaster Hardtail [2000-2006]

This unit was aquired from Musicians Friend on special for $700. That is almost half of what I would pay for it here in Alaska. So I purchased 2.

The first thing was the hardtail. I have been waiting years to get my hands on something like this. This set-up stays in tune, and stays in tune, did I say that it stays in tune. This model is with the maple neck and a red finish (both).

It didn't come with a woman, but it is an excellent lure for one.

The finish is excellent and the neck/action/intonations did not need any adjusting (that was a first for me). Quality was a premium.

It was worth waiting for and saving for. The case that it came with was also nice. I am surprised that none of the stores in this area stock at least one of these. Everyone that has played it is searching for one. An excellent value and an even better performer.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

For anybody who has ever wanted to have a hard tail Fender, this is one of the guitars that they made for you. No longer is there the classic six point or even the two point modern non-locking tremolo on this. Instead, you have your basic hard tail bridge, and to be honest, I think it changes the tone of the strat in a significant way...and not for the better. The guitar features an alder body, a one piece maple neck, 22 frets, dot inlays, a hard tail bridge, three single coils, one volume, two tones and a five way switch.

UTILIZATION

The fretwork on this model was decent, but it could have been better. The frets themselves were slightly flat, and I wish Fender would have taken a bit more time to crown these properly. The ends weren't sharp, so that was a welcome addition. The nut on this could have used some more work, but it wasn't binding, so there's no huge deal there. The bridge on this is actually what I have the biggest beef about. I'm honestly not a huge fan of the way this actual bridge feels compared to other hard tails out there. I also think something is taken away from the standard strat sound when you use a hard tail bridge instead of just using 5 springs and keeping a normal tremolo route.

SOUNDS

The guitar had some standard American singles in them, and they were average. They weren't the best sounding singles in the world, but they also weren't the worst. The bridge was fairly bright, medium output and had some good bite. It could do blues decently, hard rock without too much of a problem and metal was pretty much impossible thanks to the loose low end and ratty high end. The middle pickup I never use, but it split quite nicely with either the bridge or neck pickup. I was able to get great funk and clean tones in these positions. The neck was medium output, and it got a pretty cool lead tone. The one thing that I really dislike is how the overall guitar sounded. I shouldn't say dislike because it still sounded good, but it didn't exactly sound like the normal strat I'm used to hearing.

OVERALL OPINION

The guitar itself is decent, but be sure to pay attention to things like fretwork, how well the nut is cut and overall construction. These guitars can sometimes have big neck gaps. I'm not a fan of the way these guitars sound, but if you're into the hard tail sound, this'll be worth looking into.

I absolutely love the Fender Stratocaster guitar. It's an iconic guitar in just a brilliantly built guitar. Is one of the most versatile guitars and the world as well. It has a great feeling in overall perfect balance for me. I played a lot of guitars and a lot of guitars have great balances to them but nothing as close as the Fender Stratocaster. It may just be my body shape or how the guitar hangs I'm off my shoulders but if Fender Stratocaster just fits perfectly across my chest. Also the red color is just exciting as well.


UTILIZATION


This guitar comes with three single coil pickups, a volume control knobs, and two tone control knobs. It also has a five way pick up selector switch between each of the three pick ups as well as in between each of the three pickups. These guitars are truly versatile and very exciting play and write music with.

SOUNDS


I love the tone of these guitars with a good high gain amplifier such as a Marshall amplifier or a Bogner amplifier. They sound fantastic with a clean amplifier as well. Of course these guitars were voiced originally to Fender amps so the chemistry between a fender clean and this guitar is going to be very magical. Get a perfect balance to them especially with the voice and have a fender twin reverb or another Fender amp with a solid reverb unit inside.

I preferred these guitars in the neck pickup position because the neck pick up really highlights the feeling and character of this guitar. It gives it a bluesy warmth tone. It's a very fun time as well and to me no other guitar can replicate the sound of the fender Stratocaster in the neck position. It's going to be a little bit less distortion because of the neck pickup but you're going to have a great tone that is easily identifiable as a Fender Stratocaster guitar.

These guitars work with any effects pedal that you have or use. They take can use effects pedal such as overdrive, distortions, Flanders, phasers, chorus, delays, and any type of reverb that you might have as well.

OVERALL OPINION


I highly recommend every guitarists to own a Fender Stratocaster at some point in their playing career. They are an iconic guitar and a very fun guitar as well. You can find them in the use market extremely easily because they're very popular. At new you can find these guitars for about $1100 which is pretty good price for this guitar. It's an American make classic and the tone is just an awesome. This is probably the most recommended guitar that I can ever tell someone else to buy.

In my opinion the Fender Stratocaster remains to be the very top guitar that is ever been produced. It's been over half a century since its original inception in bill and remains to be one of the most influential guitars in our modern time . This is a guitar that has seen very little to almost no modifications . Sure you have added things such as Floyd roses and humbuckers as pick ups but the overall body shape steel in the neck hasn't changed too awfully much in 60+ years. Sometimes the scale length has lengthened and the frets of gotten different sizes but overall the general feel and look of this guitar hasn't really changed at all. That is due to being pretty much been almost perfect instrument. Sure there are classic people in classic guitar players do like the vintage looking one remain true to the originality's of the instrument. So there are those types of people and of course there are those you take this instrument and modified to a whole new level. I also really like red guitars so this is right up my alley.

UTILIZATION

Body Alder
Neck Maple, Modern “C” Shape,
(Satin Polyurethane Finish)
Fingerboard Rosewood (p/n 011-7430) or Maple (p/n 011-7432), 9.5” Radius (241 mm)
No. of Frets 22 Medium Jumbo Frets
Pickups 3 American Strat® Single-Coil Pickups
Controls Master Volume,
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),
Tone 2. New Delta Tone™
(“Delta Tone” system includes high output bridge pickup and special No-Load tone control for Middle and Bridge Pickups)
Pickup Switching 5-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup
Position 3. Middle Pickup
Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup
Position 5. Neck Pickup
Bridge American Strat Strings-Through-Body Hard Tail Bridge with Stainless Steel Saddles

SOUNDS


I love the tone of this guitar with a good fender amplifier as well as a nice high gain amplifier. When you play cleaning up you can hear all those notes ringing out and sustaining and very clear on their own. But when you put it in front of a hiking amplifier fire you get a great sounding intoxicating sound like you would hear from Jimi Hendrix. If you want to put a nice size distortion pedal and between this guitar and a high gain amplifier like a Marshall plexi and you can get a room really good classic rock and very Jimi Hendrix sound. This is a great guitar used for blues music all way up to hard rock 'n roll. You seen many shredding guitar players use this instrument and many will in the future.

OVERALL OPINION


I highly recommend every guitar player in the world to own a Fender Stratocaster hardtail at some point in their career. It's a classic instrument a great instrument to add to anyone's collection. At new you can find the guitars right around $1100 is a great price for this guitar. You can a use for this guitar and pretty much any it application or any genre of music. It's a solid instrument and will treat its user very well with its total array of voicings and applications.

When Fender first built the Stratocaster 60+ someone years ago a pretty much broke the mold. This is such an iconic in classic looking guitar that is being the influence of many modern boutique builders and other guitar manufactures throughout the years. It is been a platform and a framework to boutique builder such as Anderson Charvel or Suhr guitars Lewis compounded up on this design to build their superstrat guitars. You can see the influences from many of these boutique guitar builders all over their designs that stem from this Fender Stratocaster guitar.

The tone of this guitar is an exceptional town and what I like about is when you put it in the neck position pick up you get some great bluesy tones and really highlight the characteristics of the body shape and natural tone of this guitar. This guitar has a great voicing and a great tone for clean and blues to medium rock playing. Even some metal players and hard rock players and use this guitar for their Maine. Ask because it has just a great feeling great tone even know it has single coil pickup's.

UTILIZATION

Body Alder
Neck Maple, Modern “C” Shape,
(Satin Polyurethane Finish)
Fingerboard Rosewood (p/n 011-7430) or Maple (p/n 011-7432), 9.5” Radius (241 mm)
No. of Frets 22 Medium Jumbo Frets
Pickups 3 American Strat® Single-Coil Pickups
Controls Master Volume,
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),
Tone 2. New Delta Tone™
(“Delta Tone” system includes high output bridge pickup and special No-Load tone control for Middle and Bridge Pickups)
Pickup Switching 5-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup
Position 3. Middle Pickup
Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup
Position 5. Neck Pickup

SOUNDS


I love the way this guitar sounds with a good sender hot rod deluxe amplifier. There's something that naturally happens when you put this guitar with a fender hot Rod guitar amp with its natural dark tones and smooth and warm harmonics I just think this guitar very well. Uses guitar with the good overdrive pedal and delay pedal if you can get some solid rock tones and some great Lee Jones. I turf for this guitar with an analog delay because it doesn't really give the delays a stark distinction between the the notes but the analog delay gives it a good voicing and flavor change that is great for lead playing and just really fills in those gaps very well.

Since you have single coil pickup you can hear the notes separate very clearly and distinctly to the analog delay pedal will fill in those gaps very nicely and help add to your overall tone and feel of your guitar rig. It was a good high gain amplifier fire such as a marshal or a Mesa boogie or Bogner amplifier you can get some great big juicy distorted tones that fit really well with the hard rock band or style of music.

OVERALL OPINION


I highly recommend this guitar do any guitar player out there because it is such a great guitar and a classic iconic guitar. It has a great tone and a great field and the overall balance of it is very exceptional. You can find these on the use market for very inexpensive prices and I've seen them as lowest $6-$700 used. They're all are the classified section you can find them pretty easy on eBay with just a click of the mouse. This is a great guitar to add to any collection if you are a collector this probably isn't the guitar for you but if you're at regular gigging musician or you need a good guitar for recording and this is a great guitar to have.

The Fender Stratocaster is a classic American rock 'n roll guitar. It has one of the most easily recognize body shapes as well as headstocks. This guitar is a guitar player's dream guitar. As a soulful useful tone as well as taking a good chunk from the classic rock tone. This guitar features three single coil pickups as well as a volume control into tone control knobs. This is a tremolo bridge in the back and it features a great looking paint job and pick guard.

UTILIZATION

This guitar is made of ash wood with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard. This is the classic would combination for most of the fender Stratocaster guitars and is easily wanted the best sound full and tone for wood combinations that you can pass. The tone of this guitar is an exceptional one and blends very well with most musical styles.

SOUNDS

I like this guitar with just about any amplifier that you half. It takes whatever amp you're plugging it into two whole new level. Whether that be a Fender amplifier, Mesa boogie, in Marshall it doesn't really matter everything just sounds better and warmer with this guitar. I prefer this guitar mostly in the neck position. The tone in the neck is probably my favorite because it really establishes the overall voicing of this guitar. The bridge in middle positions are nice as well but there's just something with that bluesy stratocaster tone in the neck position.

Hooking this guitar up to any amplifier and couple it with a delay pedal will give you some great effect tones. This guitar takes the fax very well such as phasers flanders, reverbs, and choruses. Since the single coils are able to really give a good clean character to this guitar effects when used come out very well. This guitar has a useful town and it's just a rock solid rock 'n roll guitar.

OVERALL OPINION

At new you can find these guitars for right around $1100 which is not a bad price for an American built an American made guitar. I highly recommend this guitar to anyone looking into getting a Fender Stratocaster and wants to get one of the best tones you can find out of any guitar. This is the kind guitar that gives a lot of inspirations to new boutique guitar builders and hobbyists around the world.

The Fender Stratocaster continues to be the single most recognizable and iconic guitars in the world. It has such a useful and classic tone even though it was built 60 some years ago. The tone invoicing of the Fender Strat has such a unique character and integrity that continues to last for our decades.

This guitar features a great looking snow white paint job that is just exquisite. There is a volume control knob and two tone control knobs. Dial in the tone control to get a good blend of tone with you amp. You have a 5 way pickup selector to play each pickup or a blend in between each one.

UTILIZATION

This particular Fender Strat it's just so full and useful with a hint of classic rock. It features three' pick ups with a one control knob for the volume into control knobs for the tone. This is a an easy guitar to figure out and be ready to play in two seconds.

SOUNDS

The tone of this guitar is flat out exceptional. Like most Fender Stratocaster is it has a classic single coil tone that is suitable for most styles of music. This particular guitar features in ash body with a maple neck in rosewood fretboard. This would combination is a comments would combination for most fender Stratocaster guitars. It works well and just about every style of music and my particular favorite style is throwing the pickup selector to the neck pickup . It is a particular tone that is very popular with blues players and country players.

OVERALL OPINION

These guitars at new come in right around $1100 and you can find them on the used market for right around $700 or so. This is a good price for use American guitar is also a great price for a new one as well. This is a great guitar to own is a great guitar to play night after night and clubs and in theaters. This is also a great guitar to pass down to generation to generation because it'll continue to escalate in value and will hold it's value throughout the years.

What can I say about the Fender Stratocaster that hasn't already been said or displayed on countless albums and pretty much every musics club theater stage in the world. This is one of the most if not the most iconic guitars that is ever been created. This guitar celebrates that that first and almost perfect original creation. This guitar is such a beautiful guitar even know I has a simple paint job it's got a simple alder wood and a simple rosewood fretboard. Either simple woods that it been featured on many many many guitars over the time but still remain true to its authenticity and overall general stature.

UTILIZATION

This guitar features three single coil pickups, a volume control knob, as well as two separate control tone knobs. With a five way pick up selector allows you did pick each single coil pickup individually as well as blend in between the neck and middle as well as the middle and the neck. This is a simple design that has been used as inspiration for many boutique guitar builders and other major manufacturers down the road.

SOUNDS

This guitar sounds exceptionally well in my opinion on the neck position pick up. There's something that just sounds so musical when you have this guitar with the combination of the neck pick up. It has a great bluesy tone that just exemplifies the overall tonal ability.

This guitar has a great warm sonic tone that fits well with most musical styles. This is not to be a guitar for a metal player to grab even though some have used this to play metal with but today's new metal and drop to the metal. This is not to be the guitar to do that with. This is good to be the guitar to do every other musical style underneath that. See you can play this just as clean as possible and I'll just seeing and sound phenomenal. This guitar goes through the clean type music all the way up to the hard rock style of guitar tones.

I like this guitar with pretty much any amplifier I've ever played. This is the guitar that I grab when I'm trying to determine whether or not I actually like an amplifier. This is going to be able to gauge whether or not this thing can cause amplifier can clean up or be it would be a high gain modern amp. So what I mean by that is that this is the guitar that's good to tell me whether or not I'm actually digging the voicing of whatever amp I'm plugging it into you. I feel like this guitar is a good gauge in standard to tell me how well and amplifier sound put together.

OVERALL OPINION

At new you can find these guitars for right around $1100 online and in many many guitar shops. I highly recommend this guitar to any guitar player who is interested in getting a classic Fender Stratocaster town. It sounds amazing and for this price it is almost a no-brainer. As a great look a great feel and the weight and balance of this guitar is just superb.

This is the kind guitar that every electric guitar player only wishes they could play. I absolutely love the tone of the Fender Stratocaster. It is one of those iconic guitars that is essential with rock 'n roll music. Fender Stratocaster has been celebrated so much that now that they are doing festivals in it's honor. When Fender originally manufactured this guitar I can only imagine that they would have no idea what this instrument would eventually become. You Can't even think about rock 'n roll without thinking about the Fender Stratocaster.

UTILIZATION


Fender American Series - Stratocaster Hardtail Features:


Body: Non veneered alder or ash
Neck: One-piece maple
Fingerboard: Rosewood or maple (9.5" Radius/241 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
Frets: 22 medium-jumbo
Width at Nut: 1.6875" (43 mm)
Tuning Machines: Deluxe staggered cast/sealed
Pickups: 3 custom staggered alnico 5 single-coil
Pickup Switching: 5-way
Controls: Volume, tone (N), no-load tone (M/B)
Pickguard: 3-ply parchment
Bridge: Non-tremolo string-through-body with stainless saddles
Unique Features Hand rolled fingerboard edges; highly detailed fret and nut treatment; Bi-Flex truss rod; "DeltaTone" system (including high output bridge pickup and special "no-load" tone control for middle and bridge pickups); Micro-Tilt neck adjustment; straplock buttons
Strings: Fender® 250L's (.009 to .042)

SOUNDS

I absolutely love the tone of Fender Stratocaster. It has a very warm and bluesy tone and yet it stays extremely clean and can get a good singing sustain when you get your amplifier to overdrive. I primarily play a Fender Stratocaster with the marshall style amplifier. Couple that guitar and amp with an analog delay pedal or even an analog chorus pedal and you can get some solid 80s and modern new music tones. I primarily keep the Fender Stratocaster pickup selector in the neck pick up position. I really like the tone of the Fender Strat in the neck position because it gets a good chimy bluesy tone.

Some like this version with the hardtail simply because they don't like tremolo guitars. Since the bridge is connected to the body people will swear up and down that it resonates better but I think it is basically the same. I prefer the tremolo bridge in my strats.

OVERALL OPINION

This is one of the most established guitars in the instrument industry. You can find them in just about every single guitar shop and music shop around the world. They are priced new at right around $1000 but you can find them very easily in the used classified section. I highly recommend this guitar to any guitar player out there because of its warm tone and its solid feel.

Nothing says rock 'n roll like the iconic Fender Stratocaster. This is easily the most recognized guitar in the world. So many builders and boutique guitar makers have taken influence and inspiration from the Fender Stratocaster. So many spinoffs and high-quality exotic guitars would take influence from this guitar. Even the great Eddie Van Halen took inspiration from the Fender Stratocaster and probably made one of the first or if not the most recognized super strap in the world.

When Eddie Van Halen came on the scene he had a extremely loud aggressive rock 'n roll tone and part of that tone came from the body shape of the Fender Stratocaster. Players from all around the world use this guitar on their touring stages and in recording sessions. Since the Fender Stratocaster's inception they have been many spinoffs and elaborations that Fender has since created.

UTILIZATION

Body: Non veneered alder or ash
Neck: One-piece maple
Fingerboard: Rosewood or maple (9.5" Radius/241 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
Frets: 22 medium-jumbo
Width at Nut: 1.6875" (43 mm)
Tuning Machines: Deluxe staggered cast/sealed
Pickups: 3 custom staggered alnico 5 single-coil
Pickup Switching: 5-way
Controls: Volume, tone (N), no-load tone (M/B)
Pickguard: 3-ply parchment
Bridge: Non-tremolo string-through-body with stainless saddles
Unique Features Hand rolled fingerboard edges; highly detailed fret and nut treatment; Bi-Flex truss rod; "DeltaTone" system (including high output bridge pickup and special "no-load" tone control for middle and bridge pickups); Micro-Tilt neck adjustment; straplock buttons
Strings: Fender® 250L's (.009 to .042)

SOUNDS

The tone from the Fender Strat is easily recognizable. It stands against the tone from the Fender telecaster and the Gibson Les Paul, which each of those guitars are almost equally as iconic.

The tone from the Fender Stratocaster is an exceptional one. I love this guitar with a Marshall pLexi amp or a marshal 800 amp. Using a good overdrive pedal and a solid delay pedal of some sort, you can get a great rock 'n roll tone. But just about basically any guitar amp that you use the Fender Stratocaster with will sound exceptional. The American made Fender strat is a classic guitar that has absolutely stood the test of time.

OVERALL OPINION

You can pick up these guitars just about at any guitar shop in the world. You can find them online and any use classified sections as well as on many forums. These guitars come in just about at about $1000 a piece. That is a great deal for such a classic guitar and an American built hot Rod guitar. I highly recommend this guitar to any guitar player in the world. This is the kind of guitar that you can pass down to your kids and go from generation to generation.

Some thing can be as simple and unique to one person by just adding or subtracting some of the little subtleties in guitars. Like this guitar is called a hard tail simply because it has a non-tremelo bridge. Some epople brefer the sound of a consistent no-adjusting bridge. I don't care for it but not every guitar that I like will everyone else like either.

UTILIZATION

Model Name American Stratocaster® Hard Tail
Model Number 011-7430-(Color#) and 011-7432-(Color#)
Series American Series
Colors (700)* 3-Color Sunburst, add $50.00,
(705) Olympic White,
(706) Black,
(725) Chrome Red,
(Polyurethane Finish)
Body Alder
Neck Maple, Modern “C” Shape,
(Satin Polyurethane Finish)
Fingerboard Rosewood (p/n 011-7430) or Maple (p/n 011-7432), 9.5” Radius (241 mm)
No. of Frets 22 Medium Jumbo Frets
Pickups 3 American Strat® Single-Coil Pickups
Controls Master Volume,
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),
Tone 2. New Delta Tone™
(“Delta Tone” system includes high output bridge pickup and special No-Load tone control for Middle and Bridge Pickups)
Pickup Switching 5-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup
Position 3. Middle Pickup
Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup
Position 5. Neck Pickup
Bridge American Strat Strings-Through-Body Hard Tail Bridge with Stainless Steel Saddles
Machine Heads Fender®/Schaller® Deluxe Staggered Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
Hardware Chrome
Pickguard 3-Ply Parchment
Scale Length 25.5” (648 mm)
Width at Nut 1.6875” (43 mm)
Unique Features “Parchment” Knobs and Pickup Covers,
Original Headstock Shape,
Original Body Shape with “Original Contour Body” Decal on Headstock,
Rolled Fingerboard Edges,
H/S/H Pickup Routing

SOUNDS

This guitar has the same tone as the tremolo version, but some people wold disagree. I prefer the tremolo for versatility sake and don't find there to be any real need for the change but some people just disagree. I like the look of the hard tail as it is more consistent with the feel of the guitar. What I mean by that is that the guitar get get a good smooth look from top to bottom with the look of this bridge. Some wold say the bridge adds sustain to the guitar which is think it may has some added sustain but nothing to remove the tremolo for or anything.

This guitar was just a pure enjoyment to play with and even record with. The tone is a slap in the face of anyone who think that a Stratocaster is a country guitar. I have always liked the tone of a Fender Stratocaster with a good Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp. I would use an overdrive pedal of some sort with a nice delay pedal of some kind and the combination from all of that gear will give any one with an ear shot a head spin. The tone and sustain was phenomenal and pleasing to the ears. I would change the pickups though as Fender pickups are about the worst in the business.

OVERALL OPINION

These guitars gave been discontinued and for good reason because nobody who likes a classic Fender would care for this feature. It just doesn't jive with STrat enthusiasts. Sure there are some who would like this and that is why Fender made them for the short while but eventually went back to their roots and what they do right.

Made in the USA, hardtail bridge.
1 piece maple neck.
The rest you know.

UTILIZATION

Handle very good:
Start too have problems with frets (bzzz) in my experience (15 years of guitar)
but this model provides a handle which the frets are properly aligned and therefore gives a much better quality at this level. I could also significantly reduce the height of the strings, for a game more easily.

Besides that, I want to say that Fender is very expensive for the overall quality of their guitars, because ... is all that rust in no time! I have friends who also have an American series, and they criticize the same on the same criteria.

SOUNDS

For sound or light crunch is the top, just play a pti "sultans of swing" and we understand right away. For the blues, do not even mention: it is the need to scratch!
And I think guys like David Gilmour know very well why they use it.
But personal, I find it inappropriate for the distortion: This is horrible parasites that happens when you go up a little gain! And yet I do not use it on an amp with a gain of wicked crazy! That said, the problem can be quickly resolved by switching pickups.
Most from this stratum is undoubtedly the fixed bridge (hardtail) that adds a great sustain! ... knowing that most people do not use vibrato.
I put 8 / 10 because of its dégeu in distortion (which makes me want to 5), otherwise it would be almost 10/10.

OVERALL OPINION

I possess 3 years. I like it but hey, since I am "musically completely schizo" and disappointed by the natural degradation of Fender, Ibanez I bought a good if I had known!
But hey, if you really like Fender, so I highly recommend it, it really is the best strat know that!

The Fender American Stratocaster hard tail version is a guitar for those who never use the standard Fender tremolo. It has an alder body with a maple neck, a maple fretboard with 22 frets, black dot inlays, a hard tail bridge, SSS configuration, standard neck joint, one volume, two tones and a five way switch.

UTILIZATION

The fretwork on this model wasn't average. The frets were crowned, but they were a touch flat. The fred ends were sticking out slightly and could potentially cut your hands up while moving up and down the neck. The neck joint on this had a slight gap, but that is somewhat standard affair for these Fenders lately. I have to say that I'm really not a fan of the hard tail bridge. Strats don't sound like Strats without the tremolo system, and you're losing a big portion of what a Strat originally was by converting it to hard tail like this. Another thing I'm not a huge fan of is the radius on the guitar, but nearly every Fender out there has the same radius, so I could write that about any of them.

SOUNDS

This guitar had some aftermarket pickups swapped into it. However had this before was probably a fan of Yngwie as it had HS3 and YJM pickups installed in it. I was never a huge fan of these pickups because they're super low output and almost reduce any gain naturally found in any amp. The cleans on these are awful, and even those who love these pickups generally agree on that. They just sound super bland. The gain tones can get some cool tones going, but they don't sound like normal singles, and I always find myself fighting the guitar when I play something with these pickups installed.

OVERALL OPINION

I never could get into the whole hard tail Strat thing. They sound different, and they usually feel different. Some people really like them, but I'm a big believer in not changing a formula that made a company successful. That said, there are some people out there who like them, so I can't rate it down too much.