• Just get this guitar!

  

  As reviewed by Rob on 4/23/2011

  I have an '86 reissue and it still kicks a$$. Wonderful workmanship and setup. This does a wonderful job of maintaining that classic Strat sound. If you like maple, get the '57. Great paint and showmanship. Great working axe! Pricing is extremely reasonable for what guitars are going for these days. This will hold value better than the standard.

  2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

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• Best Guitar I've Owned...Period!

  

  As reviewed by JV1976 on 4/20/2007

  Let me just start off by saying that I've been lucky enough to have had lots of different Fender guitars over my 15 years of experience. In this particular review however, I will start off by comparing my white 62 hot rod strat to my Eric Johnson strat, my 57 hot rod strat, and my SRV strat. The first point I will address will be looks and quality. The 62 Hot rod wins this point over all other ones (yes even over my Eric Johnson's) because the body, the knobs, the bridge, and most of all the neck are simply Flawless and serve a purpose....and that is to contribute to its tone. The rosewood neck is a thick-C profile which feels the most comfortable and its nitrocellulose treatment makes it absolutely gorgeous and rich sounding (compared to my SRV). Having won the looks/quality argument, the next thing I'll discuss is the sound/tone of this amazing instrument. The aforementioned features are in my humble opinion, the reason why you hear pure bliss when you plug this guitar into a good amp, in my case a Crate V30. The pickups are actually better sounding to my ears than even the ones on my Eric Johnson's. Perhaps the different necks on these two guitars also contribute to this. But whatever the reason, the 62 has a sweeter, more pleasant tone with quiet performance. I will say that the pickups on the 62 are not as quiet as the SCN pickups on my 57 hot rod strat, but the difference in their tone always have me preferring the 62 over the quieter 57. The bridge pickup on the 62 is by far, my favorite clean sound. I'm reminded of SRV, or Hendrix, or Clapton....but sweeter, full of bell tone, and rich in harmonics. The middle pickup, which is reverse wound and has reverse polarity, is my favorite distortion pickup. Again, not as quiet as the SCN on my 57, but the sound is simply heaven. Think of Smashing Pumpkins' Today from Siamese Dream, or Nirvana's In Bloom from Never Mind. The bridge pickup is also amazing. You'll be able to achieve 70s tones such as the ones from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, or The Wall. In case this sonic palate is not enough, you have absolute noiseless tones in positions 2 and 4. As stated earlier, this is due to the way the middle pickup is reversely wound. You can really have me go on and on about why I like this great guitar. However, the most important reason why this is my favorite out of the bunch, is that this guitar inspires me to play. I play this particular guitar so much, that I?m actually considering selling some of my other ones and upgrade my amp and pedals. The quest for the perfect tone hardly comes to an end for most people. Yet, I would not be one bit unhappy if this were to be the only guitar I would play from now on. IT is simply that good!

  73 of 77 people found this review helpful.

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• One of Fender's best Strats...ever!!!

  

  As reviewed by sonny wolf on 8/26/2009

  I own many great Strats and bought this model the other day.It is one of the best I've ever played/owned.I bought the sherwood green model with mint green pickguard and rosewood fretboard. I find it really looks beautiful and is a nice change from the other typical colors usually associated with Strats.I love the features of this guitar.The thin skin nitro finish really helps the acoustic tone/resonance of the wood shine through and I personnally will enjoy how it will relic easily(compared to a thick poly finish).The large 'c' neck is the largest I've ever played and it feels very comfortable.Playabilty is enhanced by the 9.5 radius fretboard with jumbo frets so bends are very easy.The 57/62 pickups are probably my favourite Strat pickup that Fender makes.They sound very vintage with a nice full high mid clarity that really cuts through but yet with a lot of balance and body.These are not scooped sounding at all.To my ear,this guitar really is at home when playing S.R.V. style Texas blues.I really believe this model is as good or maybe even better than the more expensive custom shop models I've tried...you are getting the same basic specs for much less money.The tuners really hold their tuning well and tonight after playing my first gig with her,she passed my test with flying colors....a definite keeper for life!!!

  21 of 22 people found this review helpful.

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