If my Schecter was a Stratocaster, it would be this

This actually doesn't look half bad.

For context, this is my Schecter that I own:

...so of course, when I saw the Fender Player Stratocaster HSS Plus Top in Blue Burst seen at top, yeah I had to read up on this guitar to see what I was all about.

At the time I write this, the Strat is on sale and priced lower than the regular Player HSS model, which is good. This means you not only get a discount off a special edition but also save over the standard model as well.

The finish is a flame top (the Schecter is a quilt) with a a very pronounced center line where the two pieces of the body meet. You can see this behind the bridge. That's normal.

Neck is satin finished on the back, which is always better than gloss.

Pickups in the HSS is an interesting selection but it actually does make sense. The humbucker is an alnico II while single-coil pickups are alnico V. This was smart because it means the humbucker has lower magnetic pull, which should result in it not overpowering the single-coils.

No split coil on this one, which I 100% agree with. I owned a Fender Strat HSS in the past that had the split humbucker feature. It didn't sound that good. It's better just to have a humbucker with a lower powered magnet that has decreased output and increased treble to match better to the single-coil pickups, which is exactly what Fender did here. Good call.

Worth the price tag?

At the sale price it currently has at the time I write this in June 2019, yes.

At full price, well... you'd feel the sting of that. Or at least I would.

In 2018, Fender tried a blue Strat and it was fugly. They tried a color called Sapphire Blue Transparent with no burst and no flame, and it just didn't work.

This Strat HSS however with its flame top and black pick guard treatment does work. And does it look upscale? Yes.

Is it the best looking HSS with flame top? To me it would be a tough call between this one and the Aged Cherry Burst with pau ferro fingerboard. But given the blue one is 90 bucks less, yeah I'd take the blue.

Published 2019 Jun 21