Fender Player Stratocaster FR HSS w/ Maple Fretboard in Tidepool

The Fender Stratocaster is the most popular and recognised guitar ever made! In production for over 60 years, the Strat has remained largely unchanged both aesthetically and feature-wise. However, small refinements have been made over the years to improve the instrument in terms of its tones, quality, and playability.

The Fender Player Stratocaster FR HSS encompasses all of Fender's guitar-building experience, available at a price that is more accessible to a wider audience. Made in Mexico, these affordable instruments boast a number of updates to give players an instrument with more versatility and elegance than ever before.

Construction

Fender has long-established its preferred tonewoods, and the Player Series Stratocaster retains their iconic Alder and Maple combination. The Alder body emits a balanced sound with a tight low-end, plenty of mid-range punch and a crisp presence, serving as a great foundation for the trio of pickups.

Paired with a bolt-on Maple neck, a true Fender staple, this wood is what gives Fender instruments their signature snap. With a bright top-end, this material allows notes and chords to effortlessly cut through in a mix, ensuring that your playing is heard amongst a full band. Adorned with a Maple fretboard too, the tonal clarity of this guitar is practically unmatched.

Modern Neck

Featuring a "Modern C" neck shape, this profile provides both traditionalists and contemporary players with a comfortable feel. Thin enough for aspiring shredders, this neck shape is still solid and substantial, offering great support for your thumb. With a satin finish, a noteworthy Player Series update, the neck has a super-smooth feel that allows you to easily glide up and down, without getting sticky at sweaty gigs!

Apart from its cosy neck contours and practical finish, the Players Series Stratocaster also sports medium jumbo frets, giving players great control and intonation across the fretboard. Meeting the growing demands of fans, Fender has also added a 22nd fret to its Player Series Strats, expanding the range of the instrument for further musical expression.    

Electronics & Hardware

The Fender Stratocaster is notorious for its three pickups, and the Player Series Strat FR HSS features a revised set. Projecting that legendary, vibrant Fender tone, these particular pickups emit a more modern voice, with a bolder mid-range that can handle overdrive far better than its predecessors, especially with the beefy-sounding humbucker in the bridge. Keep your amp settings clean, and you'll still be able to attain those classic chimey Strat tones with the 5-way blade pickup switch in positions 2 and 4.

Dedicated tone controls for the neck/middle and bridge pickups let you tame any aggressive highs, particularly if plugged into a bright-sounding amplifier. Nearest the bridge pickup you have an ergonomically-placed master volume knob, which can be used to roll off gain for a milder, "cleaned-up" sound, or for achieving dramatic volume swells.

One of the coolest aspects of this guitar is its Floyd Rose tremolo. Keeping your tuning in check by locking the strings at the both the bridge and the nut, with this innovative unit you can perform dramatic vibrato effects as well as divebombs. And with a recessed design, you can create crazy flutters and over-the-top raised squealies, perfect for chaotic-sounding effects.

Specifications

• Series: Player
• Body Material: Alder
• Body Finish: Gloss Polyester
• Neck: Maple, Modern “C”
• Neck Finish: Satin Urethane Finish on Back, Gloss Urethane Finish on Front
• Fingerboard: Maple, 12” Radius (305 mm)
• Frets: 22, Medium Jumbo
• Position Inlays: Black Dots
• Nut (Material/Width): Floyd Rose® Locking, 1.6875” (42.86 mm)
• Tuning Machines: Standard Cast/Sealed
• Scale Length: 25.5” (648 mm)
• Bridge: Floyd Rose® Double Locking Tremolo
• Pickguard: 3-Ply Black/White/Black
• Pickups: Player Series Alnico 2 Humbucking (Bridge), Player Series Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil (Middle/Neck)
• Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade: Postion 1. Bridge Humbucking Pickup; Position 2. Middle Pickup and Inner Coil of Humbucker; Position 3. Middle Pickup; Position 4. Neck and Middle Pickup; Position 5. Neck Pickup
• Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck/Middle Pickups), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
• Control Knobs: Parchment Plastic
• Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
• Strings: Fender® USA, NPS, (.009-.042 Gauges)