60s Stratocaster
Hank’s buddy…
This version of Fender’s biggest-selling electric guitar takes its inspiration from the 1962 Stratocaster. By that year, the Strat was already eight years old and came with a slim neck and rosewood fingerboard. Like the other guitars in this round-up, however, the Vintera 60s Stratocaster comes with a Pau Ferro ’board to give the increasingly beleaguered rosewood stocks some much-needed breathing space.
This Vintera is the non-modified vintage spec model. Its typically timeless looks are accentuated by a beautiful Ice Blue Metallic polyester finish (choose also from Surf Green and 3-Colour Sunburst) and chrome/ nickel hardware. The Strat always looks like it was invented just last week but this version has the throwback feel of an original spec guitar thanks to its 184mm (7.25") fingerboard radius and thin vintage profile frets.
Some punters get a bit sniffy about the use of Pau Ferro on Fender guitars. They’d prefer to see rosewood on the spec sheet. Here’s an interesting fact. You know Stevie Ray Vaughan, the late Texas blues icon, and one of the greatest Stratocaster players of all time? His signature Strat features a Pau Ferro ’board. Good enough for SRV, good enough for the rest of us.
Pau Ferro is generally lighter in colour than rosewood. It’s also a bit tougher. It has a similar response to maple, making it a tad brighter sounding than ye olde rosewood. Add that robustness to the spanky Fender 648mm (25.5") scale length and glassy sounding single-coil pickups and you’ve got yourself one killer Strat.
All the Classic Strat hits are accessible from that five-way pickup selector switch. Buddy Holly. Hank Marvin & The Shadows. Surf legend Dick Dale. Jimi Hendrix. Yngwie Malmsteen. Mark Knopfler. The aforementioned Stevie Ray. Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil. They’re all in there. Yes, this Strat sounds fantastic clean but what makes it even better is its ability to retain clarity and note separation as you dial up the gain. That’s what draws a lot of players to the Strat. That, and the fact that it looks so bloody cool, and this Vintera 60s Stratocaster is one of the prettiest
All the classic Strat hits are accessible from that five-way pickup selector