Guitar of the week #64 - Fender Special Edition Black Stratocaster

I made mention of this on Twitter, and now it gets a feature here.

This is best deal I've seen on an FSR (Fender Special Run) guitar from Fender, and I'll explain why.

The black FSR Strat seen above is a Fender Standard Stratocaster, Mexico version, but has a slight change that I'll tell you about in a moment. What makes this one special is that it looks very similar to the Fender Custom Shop David Gilmour Strat.

If you're sitting down, go check out the price of a Gilmour Strat and prepare for major sticker shock.

The FSR black Strat above is very similar in look to a Gilmour Strat, and happens to be the same price as a Standard Strat.

There's also something else that's really easy to miss. The headstock does not have the typical "transition" Fender logo seen on Mexico models, but rather the Fender vintage "spaghetti" logo usually only seen on American Standard Strats and other "Classic" or vintage-inspired models. So not only are you getting the cool look of a Gilmour Strat, you're getting the American spaghetti logo as well.

You're getting extra with this guitar for no extra cost above the price of a regular Standard Strat. Great look and the spaghetti logo. This guitar could be very easily mistaken for something much more expensive.

If you have the cash, get this guitar. Remember, the plastics can be swapped out to make a classic "Blackie" Strat like this one, so even if you don't like the black guard/white pickups treatment, buy it anyway because you get the American-style vintage logo and can create a Blackie easily.

Usually, you don't see FSRs from Fender that are truly good deals. This is one of them where you are in fact getting more for less. If you know the Standard Stratocaster, you already know this guitar.

Published 2016 Jul 1