STRAT-ALIKES ROUND-UP
Sub £1,000
VINTAGE V6 REISSUED FROM £319
There are numerous Strat-alike flavours offered by Vintage – SSS, HSS, three P90s, hardtail, with flame maple veneer top, maple or rosewood fingerboards, left-handers, ash or alder bodies and a selection of colour choices. There’s considerable value for money too with Wilkinson parts and pickups and a Chinese-build quality that will surprise many as our Audition section review on page 116 illustrates. Perfect for the modding community too. www.jhs.co.uk
BLADE TEXAS PRO £699
Gary Levinson’s Blade guitars burst onto the scene back in 1987 with the RH-4, which featured numerous upgrades including the Variable Spectrum Control (VSC) – an active mid-boost or combined treble and bass boost, and finishes that were very evocative of the period. Back then it provided a hugely viable option to Fender. Today, Blade has a lower visibility but with nicely vintage-y features, the Texas Pro, in five colours, that still includes that VSC, remains very valid and pretty unique at this price. www.bladeguitars.com
SQUIER CLASSIC VIBE STRATOCASTER 60S £455
Fender’s long-running affordable sister brand has long been the place to find Far Eastern versions of Fender’s finest. Prices start at an unbelievably trim £125 for the classic-spec Bullet Strat (also available in HSS) rising to the Classic Vibe 50s and 60s with left-handed options. Colour choice is narrow – Sherwood Metallic Green and Black (50s) or Three-Colour Sunburst (60s) but necks are tinted gloss with a C profile and Alnico V loaded single-coils. www.fender.com
FENDER CLASSIC 50S STRATOCASTER £709
For years the Mexican-made Classic Series has been the go-to if you want the classic recipe at a pub-gigging price. Along with the 50s model, available in four colours, the 60s version (£729) sports a pau ferro fingerboard in three colours, while the large headstock, ash-bodied 70s model (£799), in natural ash or Olympic White, is maple only with bullet truss-rod adjustment and threebolt/micro-tilt neck joint. All have the controversial 7.25-inch fingerboard radius and small frets. www.fender.com
YAMAHA PACIFICA 612V MK II £740
Here’s another bolt-on that has a place in Strat-alike history by introducing an affordable solid-wood body (rather than plywood), in 1990. The current version, the 112V, now costs £276 – the 012 is just £197 – while the range rises to the 612V, which boasts Seymour Duncan HSS pickups, Wilkinson vibrato and Grover locking tuners an alder body, maple neck and 13.75-inch radius rosewood ’board. There are flame maple veneer top versions, left-handers, but no SSS models. www.yamahamusiclondon.com
CHAPMAN ML1 PRO TRADITIONAL £869
This brand was conceived by internet wiz Rob Chapman and is going from strength to strength. The ML1 Pro Traditional provides a modern take on Fender’s finest. The ultra-thin satin-finished body has a carved top, for example, rear-lock tuners, two-post brass-block vibrato, Alnico V Venus Witch single coils, stainless steel frets and side-mounted output jack. Its originality and ‘boutique’ spec, at this price, is hugely commendable and highly recommended. Read the review in issue 424. www.chapmanguitars.co.uk