And the endless parade of slightly tweaked guitars continues…
Fender recently announced one of the latest instruments to come out of its venerable Custom Shop, the new Stratocaster Pro––a guitar apparently aimed at the pro-level market, and sporting a number of features that according to Fender can be found “on the instruments of famous Fender artists.” (Sweetwater claims the guitar represents “20 years of the Custom Shop’s most requested modifications.”)
Unique features of the Strat Pro are to include a body of select alder, Fender’s popular (and incredibly comfortable) modern “C” shaped neck, a contoured heel for better access to frets in the upper register, 22 MJ frets, and a slightly aged “Closet Classic” nitro finish.
The guitar is also expected to come full loaded with top-shelf parts, including a trio of Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups, Fender’s “Greasebucket” tone circuit (on bridge & neck pups,) Fender/Schaller deluxe staggered locking tuners, a 2-point synchronized tremolo (w/stainless steel saddles and block,) LSR roller nut, and strap locks.
The Stratocaster Pro will ship with a deluxe hard case, and is expected to carry a street price of around $2200.
- Fender Debuts New Custom Shop Website
- Fender Giving Away An Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Stratocaster
- Sneak Preview Of Fender’s Upcoming Yngwie Malmsteen Tribute Series Stratocaster
- Fender Unveils Limited Release ‘57 Heavy Relic Stratocaster
- $24,000 For A ‘Blackie’ Replica, Cigarette Burns Included
- Or… Win A Ford Shelby GT Mustang With Matching Stratocaster
- New For 2007: Fender ‘62 Heavy Relic Stratocaster
- Holy Crud! Fender Introduces Digital Stratocaster!
- Must-Have: Fender’s New 2007 Custom Shop Guitar Calendars
- Fender Unveils George Fullerton 50th Anniversary Stratocaster & Pro Jr Combo
- The Countdown’s On: 7 Days To The Release Of “Lenny”
- See & Hear The Fender VG Stratocaster In Action
April 3rd, 2007 at 9:01 pm
This seems like a merging of the American 60’s Strat with American Deluxe hardware…. and a bit of a vintage paint job….. it’s probably worth checking out. I’m pretty convinced that the “feel” of a vintage instrument is much harder to find than a souped up production model. I think the EJ model comes close to that vintage quality in a production guitar (pretty consistently).
April 4th, 2007 at 12:51 am
It’s amazing how many combinations and model configurations continue to be created on the Strat platform. It’s remarkable. No end in sight.
April 14th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
2006 jb strat- really nice factory strat “tune up” job. only problem i find is frets at edge of fingerboard don’t seem flush and smooth- catching and tearing at hand and fingers a bit. is this nomal or due to shrinkage of wood?.