Icon. Not a word to be used lightly. But the Stratocaster is just that. The new American Standard Stratocaster guitars are beauties to behold in sound, look and feel. Fender kept the hand-rolled fingerboard edges, alnico V pickups and staggered tuning machines for playability, tone and stability, and added several new features, including:
- A new bridge with improved bent-steel saddles and a copper-infused high-mass block for increased resonance and sustain.
- A new neck treatment - tinted for a richer presentation, with the maple or rosewood fingerboard buffed to a high gloss. The back of the neck still has that silky satin finish.
- A thinner finish undercoat that lets the body breathe and improves resonance.
- A new Fender-exclusive SKB molded case.