Final verdict
Choosing the mid-price S-type for you
At the age of 64, the Fender Stratocaster is almost as old as The Rolling Stones, and in much better shape. Each one of the guitars in this group test owes a huge debt to Leo Fender’s second oldest solidbody, yet they also have attributes of their own. Even if it didn’t show its vibrato off to the best effect on this occasion, the G&L Legacy scores big points for its vintage-voiced pickups. The tonal tweaks available are also pretty impressive. Likewise, the Sterling Cutlass. The pickups have that crystal-clear delivery we expect from classic single coils. We also loved this guitar’s V-profile neck. It might sound weird to the uninitiated but this old-school 50s shape is something you have to try. The Chapman ML-1 defines that old saying ‘bang for the buck’. Again, we like the vintage warmth on offer. The sharp frets ends are annoying but we’ll wager not all ML-1 Traditional’s are like this.
That leaves the Fender Player Stratocaster. Ironically, this guitar has less of a vintage voice than the other contenders. The pickups offer hi-fi versions of classic Fender tones. Yes, you can get all the trademark Strat tones. There’s just more presence and that extra touch of grunt works well for dirty settings. They add up to this guitar’s status as the best all-rounder here. No matter what music you like, the Player can handle stuff its 64-yearold grandad couldn’t have dreamed of...