Fender Standard Stratocaster Guitar Review

The Fender Stratocaster is probably the most recognizable instrument of all time. It's been copied, rendered, and remembered in just about any way imaginable. And, not so coincidentally, it's coveted by musicians everywhere. The only problem that persisted for a long time was that there were only two price range options. For beginning musicians, they offered the low quality Squier Stratocaster for cheap. And for the pro's, they offered the American Standard Strat, which is very expensive. There really wasn't anything for serious guitarists who didn't have a ton of money. To fix this, Fender now offers the Fender Standard Stratocaster, made in Mexico. Let's take a closer look to see how it stacks up against the real deal.

Features: The body of the Standard Strat is made of what the company calls "select" alder wood. Honestly, this just means they didn't use scraps to form the body. It is, however, a good quality material known for its solid build. There are quite literally a ton of finishes available with the Standard Strat. They range from electric blue to red, sunburst, and ebony. All of them are high, and, in my opinion, very good looking. The neck of the guitar is made of maple on all versions. And, you have the option of either a rosewood or maple fretboard. There are twenty one standard frets, and depending on the fretboard make the inlays are either pearloid or black dots. The bridge is made in vintage style, with six saddles and a tremolo system. The hardware, including tuning heads, input jack, and tremolo bridge is all chrome. Electronically, the Standard Strat has three Fender brand single coil pickups with one volume and two tone control knobs and a five way selector switch. All of which have been standard on Stratocasters for decades now.

Playability: Considering the guitar is made in Mexico, I kind of expected the playability to suffer a bit at the hands of what some may think is inferior craftsmanship. But, contrary to this belief, many users know that the Strat has a very sturdy build. The only real problem noticed is that the guitar falls out of tune a little too much, especially with excessive use of the tremolo system. Otherwise, it plays just as a Stratocaster should. The neck fits nicely in the hands and is easy to move up and down quickly, and the body shape allows for excellent high fret access.

Sound: Since the electronics are made in Mexico as well, don't expect it to sound exactly like a thousand dollar American made Stratocaster. There, however, a wide range of good tones that can hold their own against just about every other guitar out there. They range from the thin bluesy treble to rich and smooth rhythm. All things considered, the Standard Strat sounds great, just like any Fender should.

Overall: The Fender Standard Stratocaster certainly accomplishes what it was designed for. It's a godd quality mid range guitar that has the versatility to handle many genres and all the abuse you can muster. For the musician looking for a step up from entry level guitars without having to take out a gigantic loan, this is a great choice. You can find the Standard Strat in music stores for about $400.