Fender Nile Rodgers Hitmaker Stratocaster Electric Guitar in Olympic White

Nile Rodgers just might be the most "listened-to" guitarist of all time! He's written, produced and performed on recordings that have sold more than 500 million albums globally, and across all of the hits he's been involved with there's been one constant and essential ingredient — the used 1960 Fender hardtail Stratocaster which Nile bought from a Miami music shop in 1973. We can't think of a guitar more synonymous with its owner than the 'The Hitmaker'!

As part of Fender's Stories Collection, which celebrates iconic artist instruments, the US-crafted Nile Rodgers Hitmaker Stratocaster faithfully pays tribute to the original. It features a 1960 Alder body that's uniquely smaller and more contoured than a typical vintage Strat, a custom ’59-profile Maple neck, an eye-catching mirrored chrome-plated brass pickguard, a hardtail bridge, locking Sperzel tuners, and a set of white speed knobs. The guitar also comes with a vintage-style case with a Hitmaker-embroidered interior and certificate of authenticity.

Key Features

• Alder Body — Popular tonewood synonymous with bolt-on electric guitars. Serves as a balanced sonic foundation for the pickups, with tight lows, bold mids and singing highs. Dimensions and contours have been measured and spec'd from Rodgers' original guitar.
• Olympic White Finish — Lacquer matches the finish Nile sprayed on 'The Hitmaker', just after he acquired it in the early days of Chic.
• '59 One-Piece Maple Neck — Based on the original's extremely-comfortable neck shape; featuring a smooth satin finish for a fast and played-in feel.
• 21 Medium Jumbo Frets — Large size offers a controllable feel for wide vibrato and pitch-perfect string bends.
• Hitmaker Single-Coil Strat Pickups — Voiced to accurately replicate the quack, chime and bell-like clarity of the original Hitmaker. The coil on middle pickup in the Hitmaker is RWRP, or 'Reverse Wound Reverse Polarity'. When engaged, the magnetic field in this middle pickup runs the opposite direction of the neck and bridge pickup, which eliminates the traditional 60-cycle single-coil hum.
• Hardtail String-Through Bridge — Yields greater sustain than a traditional Strat tremolo, equipped with period-correct bent steel saddles.
• Sperzel Locking Tuners — Ergonomic locking mechanism makes restringing easier and requires less string winds around the tuning posts; resulting in better tuning stability.
• Unique Nile Rodgers Graphics — A "Nile Rodgers & Chic" logo adorns the back of the headstock, and a custom Hitmaker logo is stamped into the neck plate.
• Included Vintage-Style Case — Protects the instrument from harm; boasting a Hitmaker-embroidered interior and a custom certificate of authenticity.

Specifications

Body

• Body Material: Alder
• Body Shape: Stratocaster
• Body Finish: Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Neck

• Neck Material: Maple
• Neck Shape: 1959 "C"
• Neck Finish: Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish with Gloss Headstock Face
• Neck Construction: 4-Bolt Standard
• Neck Plate: 4-Bolt Serialised with Custom Hitmaker Logo
• Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
• Fingerboard Material: Maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (241 mm)
• Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
• Number of Frets: 21
• Position Inlays: Black Dot
• Side Dots: Black
• Nut Material: Bone
• Nut Width: 1.625" (41.3 mm)

Electronics

• Bridge Pickup: Hitmaker Nile Rogers Strat
• Middle Pickup: Hitmaker Nile Rogers RWRP Strat
• Neck Pickup: Hitmaker Nile Rogers Strat
• Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge/Middle Pickup)
• Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
• Potentiometers: CTS 250K

Hardware

• Bridge: 6-Saddle String-Through-Body Strat Hardtail with Bent Steel Saddles
• Tuning Machines: Sperzel Locking
• Pickguard: 11-Hole Chrome Plated Brass
• Control Knobs: White Speed
• Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome

Miscellaneous

• Strings: Fender USA 250L Nickel Plated Steel (.009-.042 Gauges)
• Case/Gig Bag: Deluxe Limited Edition Hardshell Case with Embroidered Hitmaker Logo