It’s often said that Leo Fender got it right the first time with the Stratocaster design. Whether or not you agree with that sentiment, one thing us TG staffers will argue until our faces turn a delicate shade of Daphne Blue is that the Strat’s modular nature makes it tremendously appealing to vast numbers of guitarists – and with so many models there’s almost certain to be a Strat to suit your requirements. But which one is right for you? With so many options it’s not an easy choice.
Here, we break down key Strat specs. We’ll consider choices of bodies, necks, tone controls, hardware and more to help you choose your next Strat, though, for the sake of brevity, rarity, and all of our wallets, we’ll rule out the Custom Shop here. For now, we’ll kick off with one of the biggest deciding factors with any electric guitar: the pickups…
Pickups
Things get complicated quickly with Strat pickups as many are custom voiced for each range of guitars. Happily, that means you’ll have a good idea of each pickup’s
