Fender Classic '70s Stratocaster Electric Guitar - Natural

The Strat Evolves into the '70s!

This Strat is unmistakable with features like an ash body, a U-shaped neck, a big headstock, a bullet truss rod, a distinctive '70s Fender logo, Fender/Schaller vintage F-tuning machines, and three vintage single-coil pickups. Choose a maple or rosewood fingerboard. Platform shoes and lava lamps sold separately!

While the Telecaster (and the single-pickup version, the Esquire) was a success, Leo Fender listened to players who were looking for an instrument that was a step up from the plain vanilla Tele. The company had moved into a new factory and now had the ability to build an upscale solidbody electric guitar. In 1954, the Fender Stratocaster made its debut and a true American icon was born. But by the 1970s, the Strat had evolved to the point where the design changes were no longer considered minor. Most notable of all was that big '70s headstock, complete with a new Fender logo and the guitar model in big black letters. Other '70s features included a bullet truss rod and 3-point Micro-Tilt neck adjustment. Players had a choice of rosewood or maple fingerboards.

• Straight from a time machine
• That trademark Strat sound
• Historically accurate maple neck and fingerboard

The '70s Strat looks like it came straight from a time machine. Its sleek, stylish lines didn't change much from the original 1954 design, but other features make this unmistakably a '70s Strat! This re-creation features a sweet natural polyester finish over an ash body, along with a 3-ply white pickguard and a vintage-style synchronized tremolo.

The distinctive look is just part of the story. The '70s Strat also sounds faithful to the original, thanks to three vintage-style single-coil Strat pickups with Alnico magnet pole pieces. This delivers all the spank and sparkle you'd expect, but unlike early Strats (which came with a simple 3-position pickup selector switch), the '70s Strat comes with the more versatile 5-position blade selector switch. This allows you to quickly access the popular, glossy, out-of-phase sound produced by combining the bridge and middle or middle and neck pickups. In the '50s and '60s, players had to carefully place their switches in the in between positions to achieve that sound.

Leo Fender wasn't afraid to think outside the box when it came to guitar designs. In the 1950s and well into the 1960s, the blonde, natural maple neck turned more than a few heads and became almost synonymous with Fender guitars. The '70s Strat comes with a 1-piece maple neck and fingerboard with the fast-playing, '70s U-shape and a natural polyester finish.

• Natural color with polyester finish
• Maple U-shaped neck with 7.25" radius
• Ash body
• Fender/Shaller vintage F-style tuning machines
• Maple fingerboard
• 21 frets
• Black dot inlays
• 3 vintage-style single-coil Strat pickups
• Master volume and 2 tone controls (neck and middle pickups)
• Vintage-style synchronized tremolo
• 5-position blade switch
• Chrome hardware
• 25.5" scale length
• Deluxe gig bag included