Fender Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster Guitar Review

For many, the thought of the Fender Stratocaster immediately brings with it a mental image of a dirty crowded bar or honky tonk down south. Many now legendary musicians, including Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy, got their start playing old Strats in the land of the Delta blues. Today, it has become a bit of a glorified scene. But, nonetheless, it is just plain cool. In an effort to recapture that magic, Fender offers the Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster. Let's take a closer look to see how they did with it.

Features: The Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster, like many other Fender brand Strats, is made in Mexico to lower production costs. For many, this brings with it a negative connotation that some just can't get over. But despite the initial bad rap, the Roadhouse Strat is not one to look over. Its body is made of alder wood, providing the classic sound and sustain that American Fenders are known for. The only finish available is three tone tobacco sunburst with a brown tortoiseshell pickguard. Honestly, it really looks like an almost exact copy of SRV's signature guitar. It is nonetheless very attractive. The neck is made of maple and is bolted on. The fretboard itself is made of maple as well, and has twenty one medium jumbo frets with black dot inlays. All of the hardware on the Roadhouse Stratocaster is chrome. This includes the tuning heads, Fender style string-thru-body bridge, and the input jack. Electronically, the Roadhouse Stratocaster has three Texas Special single coil pickups, a five way selector switch, and two volume and one tone control knobs.

Playability: All right, so the Roadhouse Stratocaster has some really nice features. But since it's foreign made, it is probably a good idea to know how to make minor adjustments to get the beautiful playability factor Stratocasters are known for. Depending on your luck or pick, you may have to adjust string action and a little intonation. But with a little basic knowledge about guitars (which you should probably have if you're looking to spend this much) it will be in excellent playing shape in no time.

Sound: The Texas Special pickups on the Roadhouse Stratocaster have a pretty solid reputation in the guitar playing community. They do have the classic bell like tone Strats are known for, but they really shine with a little more distortion. The Roadhouse Strat's downright sexy growl is a testament to the Texas Special pickups.

Overall: If you're looking to find a guitar that can fit any sonic need, the Fender Roadhouse Stratocaster is definitely one of the many quality ways you could go. Big fans of blues and rock artists will undoubtedly love it. You can find the Roadhouse Stratocaster in music stores for about $600.