GEAR REVIEW
FENDER 70TH ANNIVERSARY PLAYER STRATOCASTER | Eric Dahl
It is hard to believe that Leo Fender first released the Stratocaster guitar on the world in 1954 , making 2024 the 70th Anniversary of this iconic instrument . To celebrate this Fender has released several different models of the Stratocaster in tribute . Worship Musician acquired the Fender 70 th Anniversary Player Stratocaster for this review .
The most striking features of this guitar are the Nebula Noir Sparkle polyester finish and the 4-play Pearloid pickguard . It is a bit heavy due to an all Alder wood body , but that also adds to the sustain . The finish reminds me of custom shop finishes that Fender offered back in the 90 ’ s on their Strats .
This guitar is meant as a tribute to the 70 years of the Stratocaster , therefore it embraces some of the best and favorite features of the model while avoiding others . The modern C shaped neck is a bit wider than normal with a 1.650 ” nut width but it is also flatter which appeals to most modern musicians now . The satin finish on the back of the neck plays fast and smooth , while the headstock is still in gloss . Rosewood fretboard with medium jumbo frets makes bending strings fun . Instead of going with an old school Fender tremolo the team chose the dependable , and tuning friendly , 2-point Fender tremolo . The pickups installed on the 70 th Anniversary Strat are three Pure Vintage ’ 59 Single-Coil pickups with staggered magnetic poles . Paired with your standard 5 position blade pickup selector and single volume with two tone controls . The Fender ClassicGear Tuners are a nod to the vintage Strats of the 60 ’ s . The bone nut is a nice upgrade also .
Visually the Fender 70 th Anniversary Player Stratocaster looks more like a custom shop instrument than a standard model . The Pearloid pickguard looks classy , and the Nebula Noir sparkle finish looks subtle in low light but comes alive under stage lighting .
To verify that this is a 70 th Anniversary model , Fender did a nice job on the etched neck plater signifying 1954-2024 .
Plugged this Player Strat sounded amazing with the ’ 59 Single -Coil pickups . Played clean there was no noise and once overdrive was added the guitar dirtied up nicely but was still controllable in all pickup positions . I didn ’ t think I would care for the Modern C shaped neck but once you adapt to the wider and flatter surface , compared to vintage Strats , it played fast with no fret buzz . The rolled edges of the fretboard really helped the comfort factor .
The 70 th Anniversary Player Stratocaster doesn ’ t look , sound , or play like a guitar that
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