View other reviews for this product:
tjon901 « Super hot Stratocaster »
Published on 12/15/11 at 13:19That double fat strat is a classic design. It came from the 70s when Strat players wanted a fatter sound that could compete with the Les pauls. This is just the modern take on the same design. This guitar comes with a locking tremolo system to make it appeal more to modern guitar players. The guitar has an alder body and is finished in the cool Titanium color. The neck is a bolt on maple unit with a rosewood fretboard. There are 22 medium jumbo frets on the fretboard. The neck has a soft C shape with a 9.5 inch radius. The tuners are standard but there is a locking nut to go with the Floyd Rose. The pickups are a set of Fenders Hot Alnico pickups. They are both humbuckers. The controls are not very complicated with a master volume and 2 tone controls. There is a 5 way switch to get extra pickup combinations. One thing I do not like on this guitar are the knobs. They used ugly amp knobs instead of speed knobs on the guitar and I think they look out of place.
UTILIZATION
The playability is all there Stratocaster wise. The bolt on neck has the familiar C shape that strats have. The radius on top is not super flat but its not a vintage Telecaster either. The locking Tremolo is a huge improvement over the non locking vintage style Tremolos that Strats usually come with. The tuning stability is much much better than on a normal Stratocaster. This is mostly due to the locking nut. On a non locking tremolo system when you go up and down on the strings the strings move on the nut and they dont return to their proper position meaning the guitar comes goes out of tune. With the locking nut the strings are clamped down into position so they cannot move and go out of tune.
SOUNDS
With humbuckers all around overall this guitar has a thicker more snarling sound than a traditional Stratocaster. This guitar sounds very punk rock to me. The natural brightness from the Strat design with the overdrive from the hot humbuckers combines well for a bright but not harsh tone from the guitar. The neck humbucker clean sup well and you can get a great jazzy or bluesy tone. With some tone knob rolled off you can get a super smooth tone from it. Both pickups with some tone rolled off give you a funky 70s tone when played through a clean amp/ With the 5 way switch you can get single coils as well. You can do the outside single coils on both pickups for a more telecaster like tone. With the locking tremolo you will find yourself using it more than you would on a traditional style Stratocaster because using it wont instantly put your guitar out of tune.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a good guitar for the modern player who is look for a bit of an old school feel. This guitar has the feel of an old strat but the more refined tone and utility of a modern super strat. Fender should have adopted a locking Tremolo for all their guitars 30 years ago. To continue using a design that you know is bad just shows their complacency. Stuff like this is why I like companies like PRS who always strive to improve their models even if it is super successful. The Double Fat stratocaster enters the modern era with this Blacktop Floyd Rose model.
UTILIZATION
The playability is all there Stratocaster wise. The bolt on neck has the familiar C shape that strats have. The radius on top is not super flat but its not a vintage Telecaster either. The locking Tremolo is a huge improvement over the non locking vintage style Tremolos that Strats usually come with. The tuning stability is much much better than on a normal Stratocaster. This is mostly due to the locking nut. On a non locking tremolo system when you go up and down on the strings the strings move on the nut and they dont return to their proper position meaning the guitar comes goes out of tune. With the locking nut the strings are clamped down into position so they cannot move and go out of tune.
SOUNDS
With humbuckers all around overall this guitar has a thicker more snarling sound than a traditional Stratocaster. This guitar sounds very punk rock to me. The natural brightness from the Strat design with the overdrive from the hot humbuckers combines well for a bright but not harsh tone from the guitar. The neck humbucker clean sup well and you can get a great jazzy or bluesy tone. With some tone knob rolled off you can get a super smooth tone from it. Both pickups with some tone rolled off give you a funky 70s tone when played through a clean amp/ With the 5 way switch you can get single coils as well. You can do the outside single coils on both pickups for a more telecaster like tone. With the locking tremolo you will find yourself using it more than you would on a traditional style Stratocaster because using it wont instantly put your guitar out of tune.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a good guitar for the modern player who is look for a bit of an old school feel. This guitar has the feel of an old strat but the more refined tone and utility of a modern super strat. Fender should have adopted a locking Tremolo for all their guitars 30 years ago. To continue using a design that you know is bad just shows their complacency. Stuff like this is why I like companies like PRS who always strive to improve their models even if it is super successful. The Double Fat stratocaster enters the modern era with this Blacktop Floyd Rose model.