Best Strat-style guitars: 10 Strat-inspired models for all budgets and players

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Strat-style guitars – that is, guitars that take their style and tone cues from Fender's iconic double-cut Stratocaster – is an area of the market which is growing at an exceptional rate, with loads of new S-types coming out every year. As such, the choice can be pretty overwhelming. With this guide, we’ll be helping you cut through the noise and give you all the answers on how to choose the best Strat-style guitar for you.

Of course, ‘best’ is a subjective term – and for this reason we’ve found 10 options at different price points, all with different specs, finishes and electronics and from some of the industry’s biggest brands. These guitars will cover just about every genre and playing style, and while they all very obviously take inspiration from one iconic electric guitar, they’ve all got their own unique personalities and sounds.

You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

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James Farmer

James is a freelance writer and former Junior Deals Writer at Guitar World. Before writing, James worked as a guitar salesman at a local music store, so he knows a thing or two about matching people with their perfect instruments. James also has experience working in other areas of the music trade, having briefly worked for online music distributor, RouteNote. James is a guitarist, bassist and drummer and has also toured the UK and Europe with his old band Hypophora.