Alternate Reality Powercaster
Throughout their history, Fender has occasionally had fun mixing and matching different components to create "parts-casters" that never were, but should have been: this is the Alternate Reality Series' raison d'être. The specimen under examination here is the Alternate Reality Powercaster. The Powercaster was designed from the ground up for high-octane musical hijinks and immense tonal dexterity. Mixing the massive sound of an Atomic humbucker with the girthy articulation of a single-coil MP-90 soapbar pickup, this instrument’s tone has a bit of an edge to it — ideal for slashing your way to the front of a packed mix. A roasted maple neck and swoopy pickguard add stability and visual flair to this unique axe. Sweetwater's take: Combining vintage-inspired appointments with modern, player-centric features, the Powercaster delivers an arsenal of unique tones you'll find useful for any music genre.
Unique tone and enhanced playability
The Alternate Reality Powercaster’s secret sauce is its pickup configuration. Unusual for a Fender, the Powercaster combines the fat, snarling tone of a humbucking bridge pickup with the punchy bite of a single-coil MP-90 neck pup. The Modern C-profile neck is crafted from roasted maple, which makes it resonant and warp-resistant, as well as giving it fetching visuals. The 9.5"-radius pau ferro fingerboard and 22 medium-jumbo frets offer a fast, familiar playing feel while extending the instrument’s range. The 24.75" scale length gives the Powercaster a unique feel and voice for a Fender, and the strings are easier to bend, courtesy of the shorter scale's reduced string tension. An Adjusto-matic bridge and sealed tuning machines provide rock-solid tuning stability.
Fender Alternate Reality Powercaster Features:
- Alder body, gloss polyester finish
- Roasted maple neck, Modern "C" profile, hand-rubbed oil finish
- Pau ferro fingerboard, 9.5" radius, 22 medium-jumbo frets, dot inlays
- 1.650" synthetic bone nut; 24.75" scale length
- Standard cast/sealed tuning machines
- Bridge pickup: Atomic humbucker
- Neck pickup: single-coil MP-90 soapbar
- 3-position toggle pickup selector
- Master volume and tone controls
- Vintage-style 6-saddle Adjusto-matic bridge with anchored tailpiece
- Vintage-style black plastic Jazz Bass knobs
- Nickel/chrome hardware
- Factory strings: Fender 250L NPS 9–42
