Squier Contemporary Stratocaster Special HT - Sunset Metallic Reviews
The Squier Contemporary Stratocaster Special HT puts a new twist on a Sweetwater favorite with several novel, unique upgrades. Starting with eye-catching black hardware and a painted headstock with sharp chrome logos, the Contemporary Stratocaster Special HT makes it known that this isn’t your ordinary Strat. But where things get really interesting is in the unique pickup configuration that puts all three single-coil pickups on a slant and shifts the middle pickup closer to the bridge, resulting in a totally new Strat sound. On top of that, the Contemporary Stratocaster Special HT boasts an eminently playable roasted maple neck with a speed-promoting 12-inch radius fingerboard. Surely made for adventurous guitar players, the Contemporary Stratocaster Special HT is a bold addition to the Strat lineage!
While this isn't an item we normally stock, we can still get it to you as fast as possible due to our great relationship with Squier. Go ahead and place your order and we'’ll follow up shortly to let you know when to expect it.
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Highest Rated Reviews
Big Surprise!
I will preface this by saying that I did not buy this guitar from Sweetwater, though I have bought MANY guitars here in the past and have never once had a negative experience. Sweetwater service is top notch. I found this guitar used for a ridiculously low price, so low I really couldn't not get it. It came to me in near mint condition. The pickup layout here intrigued me. Couple that with the cool metallic burst finish, roasted maple neck, and painted headstock and buying this was a no-brainer. What surprised me right off the bat was the build quality and the wonderful thick neck! I like a bigger neck, and the neck on these is thicker than on any Squire guitar I've ever had. I've owned several Classic Vibe Strats, Teles, and a Jaguar and Jazzmaster and this guitar has a much thicker neck and honestly nicer fretwork than any of them! I own a Fender American Pro II Telecaster with the claimed "modern Deep C" neck profile. This Squier is noticeably chunkier than even that one! It came with perfect neck relief and great action straight out of the box. I've had the guitar for a month and played it FAR more than I thought I would because the stock pickups and switching options sound great. I had a set of Player Series Strat pickups sitting around and I planned to put them in this guy but I've changed my mind. I don't want to risk it not sounding as good as these stock pickups do. Position 2 on the 5-way switch is all 3 pickups on, and it sounds full and gorgeous, a surprisingly usable tone. I finally got around to setting the guitar up yesterday and put on a set of EB Slinky 10-46. Fresh strings made this even more of a joy to play. I also swapped in a set of matching black Hipshot locking tuners (no reaming of holes required!). The stock black tuners are adequate but the lockers are a big improvement. I tend to put them on everything. Another thing is this guitar is super LIGHT weight. It's close to 2lbs lighter than my alder bodied Strats, which is immediately noticeable and welcome! The output jack is on the side on this, and it's a nice change! I am liking this oddball guitar so much that I think I'm going to copy its wiring scheme into another of my more expensive Strats. I'm so glad I took a chance on this. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another new if I lost this one. SO worth the money.
My Favorite Electric Ever
Had never seriously considered nor understood the Squier Contemporary Strat until I played one out of curiosity one day at a local Indie Music store. They only had the white/black one in stock, but I was blown away by the tone of the SQR pickups and the overall playability! Later learned that the voicing and angled, alternative spacing of these single coils allow this guitar to deliver familiar Strat sounds with a little added coloration. The roasted neck and split shaft tuners are other features that appeal to me, personally. Anyway, when I saw this model in metallic sunburst, I was smitten and knew I just had to have one. My Sales Engineer, Daniel Rivera-Tre, as always, was there to help me place my order and get it shipped quite quickly. BAM......Couldn't be happier with it. Arrived in perfect condition. Maybe I was just lucky, but it played perfectly right out-of-the-box. Feels like a guitar that has actually been set-up or plek'ed. Sweetwater team did a great job inspecting and packaging this guitar for shipment. This not only has become my Favorite Strat ever, but it's the electric that I always grab first and play more than any other. Records really well, too. Thank You, Daniel and Sweetwater!
Pleasantly Surprised
I was looking for a unique and cheap Strat to use as a format to upgrade for gigs. I traditionally buy US made guitars by Fender, Gibson, PRS and will. When I ordered it, I had Sweetwater upgrade the pups to Fender hot vintage noiseless and Fender locking tuners, as well as slotting the nut for GHS 10-46 Boomers. I contemplated upgrading the Chinese bridge and neck.
When I received the guitar, the upgrades had been done first rate. The OEM 12" neck was a surprise. It was straight and the frets were smooth-well dressed. Better than the fret jobs coming out of Mexico. Bridge is nice, too. This is now a relatively low cost great Strat.
WARNING: I added strap locks. The button screws used on this guitar are much smaller diameter. So, I had to enlarge the screw holes.
