You've seen more new Strats in the last 20 years than Simon Cowell has auditioned hopeful starlets. When it comes to the guitars, however, there are no embarrassed downward glances, much less any mouth-grasping gasps at the sheer awfulness on display: Fender's 'bad' days are over.
Yet just as He Of High Trousers can spot the spark that elevates the exceptional from the mediocre, so it's obvious to any serious Strat fan that the new range of American Vintage models elevates things yet again.
Fender American Vintage '56 Stratocaster review
Fender American Vintage '59 Stratocaster review
Fender American Vintage '65 Stratocaster review
Get Guitarist on Apple Newsstand
Subscribe to Guitarist magazine
“Crafted for the true metal enthusiast, this axe embodies the soul of legendary guitarist Zakk Wylde”: Paging all “shred warriors,” Wylde Audio’s Berzerker takes the shape of metal guitars to new extremes
“A high-spec instrument at a competitive price”: Sustainiac pickups, onboard Z.Vex Fuzz Factory circuits, a Night Sky Holosparkle finish? Manson lavishes Matt Bellamy-approved specs on updated M-Series electrics
