From Our Research Team:

Cool, Classic, Straightforward Stratocaster!

When Leo FENDER^® introduced the world to his newest creation, the Stratocaster^®, nobody could possibly have known it would change the face of contemporary music forever. In the beginning, there was just one Strat^® configuration with three single coil pickups. Today there's a Strat to match everyone's budget or their playing style. The Fat Strat is a modern take on a classic design with the addition of a humbucking pickup in the bridge position and special switching for a nearly infinite range of tones. So whether you play country, blues, heavy metal or R&B, the Fat Strat can deliver the sound you want.



Like most contemporary Strats, the Fat Strat features a lightweight, "comfort contoured" alder body which has actually changed very little since the first Strats rolled off the production lines in 1954. However, this new version has shielded body cavities for quieter operation and reduced hum, which is particularly important with single-coil pickups - they sound great but could get a bit noisy at times.

While there's no denying the fact that Leo Fender's guitar designs were an amazing blend of art and engineering, it was the erroneously named synchronized tremolo (it's actually a vibrato) that may well have been his most inspired bit of engineering. With it you could bend notes or even entire chords up or down without throwing the guitar out of tune. Even though Fender has continued to improve upon the tremolo, many players simply prefer the look and feel of the original. In the Fat Strat^®, there's also a high mass bridge block for improved sustain and overall tone.

The Stratocaster^® was the first production line guitar with three pickups, and that basic configuration is just as popular today as it was in 1954. While the Fat Strat has three pickups, only two are the original single-coil design. By adding a humbucking pickup with coil tapping in the bridge position, Fender has added some slightly more aggressive sounds to the Strat's sonic arsenal.

Leo Fender wasn't a guitar player. In fact, he got his start repairing radios. So he had no idea that guitars weren't supposed to have maple necks. In time, those blond maple necks became a Fender trademark. While the company eventually offered rosewood fingerboards, this Fat Strat has a maple neck and fingerboard, which can deliver a little extra bite. In keeping with contemporary tastes, this Strat has the modern "C" shape maple neck with a satin polyester finish on the back and a gloss finish on the fretboard and headstock

Fender Standard Stratocaster HSS Features:

• Color: Arctic White.
  
• Body: Alder
  
• Neck: Maple, Modern "C" Shape, (Satin Polyurethane Finish).
  
• Machine Heads: Fender/Ping standard cast/sealed tuning machines.
  
• Fingerboard: Maple 9.5" Radius (241 mm).
  
• No of Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo Frets
  
• Pickups: 1 Humbucker™ (Bridge), 2 Standard Single-Coil Strat Pickups (Neck and Middle).
  
• Controls: Master volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup and Middle/Bridge combination).
  
• Bridge: Vintage style synchronized tremolo.
  
• Pickup switching: 5-Position Blade, Special Switching:
  
• Position 1. Full bridge humbucker (no tone control).
  
• Position 2. Front coil of bridge pickup and middle pickup (lead tone control).
  
• Position 3. Middle pickup (lead tone control).
  
• Position 4. Middle and neck pickups (lead and rhythm tone controls).
  
• Position 5. Neck pickup (rhythm tone control).
  
• Hardware: Chrome.
  
• Strings: Fender Super Bullet^® 3250L, nickel plated steel, (.009 to .042).
  
• Pickguard: 3-Ply White.
  
• Scale Length: 25.5" (648mm).
  
• Width At Nut: 1-11/16" (43mm).
  
• Introduced: 1/1999.

When you buy a Fender Standard HSS Stratocaster from Sweetwater, it's like having one made just for you - aside from our 40-point quality control evaluation and basic set-up, the only person who puts their hands on it is you!

Specification Detail Body Material Alder Body Finish Polyester Color White Neck Material Maple, bolt-on Neck Shape Modern C Scale Length 25.5" Fingerboard Material Maple, 9.5" radius Fingerboard Inlay Black dots Number of Frets 21 Nut Width 1.650" Bridge/Tailpiece Synchronized tremolo Tuners Cast sealed tuners Number of Pickups 3 Neck Pickup Standard Strat single-coil Middle Pickup Standard Strat single-coil Bridge Pickup Standard humbucker Controls Master Volume, 2 x Tone, 5-way pickup selector Case Included No Case Included Notes Neck has satin finish back with gloss fingerboard and headstock Manufacturer Part Number 014-4702-580

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