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Fender Deluxe Stratocaster
50th Anniversary Edition.
A Bit of History
1954 was a magical
year for guitar players. The Fender Stratocaster arguably
the world’s most famous electric guitar was born.
Following in the
footsteps of its groundbreaking older brother the Telecaster,
the Stratocaster, otherwise known as the “Strat”
went on to ignite a revolution in the way the electric guitar
was placed in contemporary music.
To commemorate
this event in 2004, Fender launched 3 different Stratocaster
variants. All closely resembling a 1954
Stratocaster but each with a different flavour and price range.
The model we are
reviewing is the deluxe version, which is a modern take on
the 1954 Stratocaster.
Specifications
The instrument
sports a traditional 2-Colour Sunburst, which goes over a
select alder body. The pickguard is parchment
with the 50th Anniversary logo embossed into the top rear
corner in gold.
The C shaped maple
neck has a satin polyurethane finish, and in our case has
a maple fingerboard with rolled neck edges. Frets are 22 in
number and medium jumbo in size. The fingerboard is adorned
with elegant abalone dot inlays.
Deluxe locking
tuners are which are also staggered, cast and sealed. These
give tuning stability and easy string changes.
Electronics are
comprised of 3 Single coil Samarium Cobalt pickups and 5-way
switching in additional to the new 2-way S1 switching, which
allows for ten different sound combinations.
Hardware is all
gold plated and the neck plate also has the 50th logo engraved.
Included is also a vintage tweed case with
the 50th anniversary logo embroidered into the inside of the
case. A very elegant touch. As part
of the case candy we also find a leather strap, Fender cord
and a sample Meguiars cleaning kit.
Playability
This is very comfortable
guitar to play, any guitarist and especially Fender players
will feel right at home on the smooth satin neck and contoured
body. The tuners are also excellent with minimum fuss to restring
as the excess is cut right at the tuners edge.
Sounds are your
typical Strat, with twang on position 1, the famous quack on 2 and
4 (think Mark Knophler), a normal
rhythm sound on 3 and a more mellow tone on 5. Additionally
each position has an alternative sound with the new S1 switch,
which is neatly embedded into the volume control to avoid
any extra switches.
The instrument
also lacks any 60-cycle hum, a positive feature for a single-coil
guitar thanks to its specially designed pickups.
This Stratocaster
though really shines when cranked up and given some volume,
and then one can appreciate its tone better.
Fit and Finish
Build quality
is excellent and not one flaw can be spotted, this is especially
true as the instrument was purchased in a sealed box so was
not at all soiled in any way from the music store.
The neck gap is
tight as are the strings perfectly aligned with the pickup’s
pole pieces, sometimes a common problem with guitars with
3 pickups. The nitro cellulose finish is also impeccable and
feels light and breathable.
Summary
A truly excellent instrument
which captures the vibe of the original 1954 Stratocaster
with the features of a modern day guitar.
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