Fender Stratocaster

Latest Updates

Randy Bachman of Bachman & Turner performs on stage at High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park on July 25, 2010 in London, UK. He plays a Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar.

“My ’57 Gretsch was stolen in 1978. Getting that guitar back and playing it so much got me thinking about the other guitars in my possession”: Over 200 of Randy Bachman's iconic guitars are up for auction

By Janelle Borg published 18 April 24

Over 200 of Randy Bachman's iconic guitars are up for auction

Amy Winehouse playing her red Fender Strat on stage

“When I go onstage and have a guitar, I feel like no-one can touch me”: Why Amy Winehouse's passion for guitar was key to her distinctive songwriting style

By Janelle Borg published 12 April 24

A little-known 2004 interview saw Amy Winehouse wax lyrical about all things guitar

“I heard Eruption by Van Halen and I was like, ‘What is that?!’ I love to push the boundaries, and I love when it sounds crazy”: Meet Emi Grace, the Trashy Tone Thursday pioneer tearing up the shred rulebook and taking on the haters

By Cheri Amour published 10 April 24

The 21-year-old LA native had over 10-million views on her Fender TikTok showcase last year. She tells us how she came up with her jaw-dropping brand of electro-shred, the joys of upgrading Stratocasters and why she fell in love with trashy guitar tones

“Monster lineup here”: Eric Johnson and Michael Landau honor Jeff Beck with a fretboard-burning Freeway Jam cover

By Phil Weller published 8 April 24

The two Stratocaster masters recently shared the stage for a Beck-honoring jam

“It was found in the trunk of a car. They had sanded it to make it look like it wasn’t mine”: Tyler Bryant's stolen Pinky One Strat was played by Jeff Beck, inscribed by Steven Tyler – and, miraculously, returned to him five years after it was taken

By Matt Parker published 8 April 24

The blues-rock guitarist recalls the loss – and remarkable recovery – of his most significant six-string

Mark Knopfler's Money for Nothing Gibson Les Paul and Sultans of Swing Fender Stratocaster

“Some guitars are just that little bit special that they work their way in, you know?” Mark Knopfler on why he had to keep his Sultans of Swing Strat – despite selling his Money for Nothing Les Paul and the rest of his collection

By Matt Parker published 3 April 24

The Dire Straits icon recently sold off his most famous and valuable instruments – but there were a few notable exceptions...

“People think ’70s Fenders are bad, but that’s not correct”: Guitarists often knock CBS-era Strats – but Yngwie Malmsteen knows how to find a good one

By Phil Weller published 30 March 24

The Stratocaster’s CBS era may be remembered as one of the instrument's lowest points, but the Swedish virtuoso has pinpointed a key fact regarding the first decade of CBS's ownership of Fender

A Gibson Les Paul and Fender Stratocaster on a pair of guitar stands

Gibson Les Paul vs Fender Stratocaster: Which is right for you?

By Matt McCracken published 27 March 24

We put these two titans of tone head to head, deep-diving into their similarities and differences so you can be sure you’re purchasing the right guitar

Tom Morello playing his Fender Soul Power Stratocaster

“The sound of other guitars is leading the player. With the Stratocaster, the player leads the sound”: Tom Morello explains why the Fender Strat is unlike any other electric guitar

By Matt Owen published 14 March 24

The Strat served as Morello's “North Star” and helped him break out of his “sonic safety zone” – and that's because it grants a level of agency that other models simply don't provide

“A versatile, state-of-the-art instrument designed to push your playing to new heights”: Fender’s 70th Anniversary Ultra Strat HSS offers us a glimpse at the future of the world’s most popular electric guitar

By Matt Parker published 7 March 24

The firm has unveiled the plush Ultra Strat alongside a new 1954 American Vintage II reissue – and a celebration of the once-maligned Antigua finish

(left to right) Mateus Asato, Nile Rodgers, Ari O'Neal and Rei

“Forever ahead of its time”: Fender kicks off the Strat’s 70th anniversary party with star-studded Voodoo Child (Slight Return) mega-jam – featuring Tom Morello, Nile Rodgers, Mateus Asato, Ari O'Neal and Rei

By Matt Parker published 5 March 24

The fiery, tag-teamed take on the Hendrix classic is designed to showcase the Strat’s enduring legacy – and tonal flexibility

“No-one was looking at the Strat when Yngwie picked one up in ’86 – everybody had left it behind after Hendrix. It just continues to reinvent itself and get rediscovered”: Justin Norvell has to guard Fender’s glittering past, while securing its future

By Matt Parker published 5 March 24

Fender remains the world’s number one guitar firm, but as the firm’s EVP of Product tells us, it’s thinking about musicians first – not gear – that keeps it top of the pile

“Playability is where this guitar shines. This Strat is a player”: Fender Mike McCready Stratocaster review

By Daryl Robertson published 24 January 24

With its Road Worn finish and easy neck, the Pearl Jam guitarist's new signature Strat feels like it's had a few decades under its belt, and is just warming up

“When that first one came off the line, I grabbed it… and it was terrible”: The first Fender Stratocaster builds had to be junked due to their horrendous tremolos

By Matt Parker published 5 January 24

Guitar historian Tony Bacon has told Reverb the story of the ill-fated first Strats to come off Fender’s production line

A group of 70th Anniversary Fender Stratocasters

“Blending the timeless essence of history with the spirit of the modern musician”: Fender is starting the Stratocaster’s 70th anniversary celebrations early, with souped-up Player and American Professional II models and the return of a beloved finish

By Matt Owen published 5 December 23

2024 will see a major milestone for the iconic model, and the Big F has previewed a year of special celebrations and releases with six appropriately styled six-strings

“I had to drive several hours through snow to get to him. He told me this was one of the first Stratocasters, and there were some things I noticed immediately”: This 1954 Fender Stratocaster is one of the most unusual Fender builds in history

By David Davidson published 4 December 23

David Davidson of Well Strung Guitars explains what makes this uniquely preserved vintage Strat so unique – starting with control pots from a TV set

Christies Mark Knopfler guitar auction sees the Dire Straits legend selling off the gear used on Brother in Arms

“I never thought that my signature would be on anything – never mind Fenders, Gibsons, and Martins, they're the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost of guitars”: Mark Knopfler is selling off 120 guitars, including his Money For Nothing Les Paul

By Matt Parker published 21 November 23

See the Scottish guitar great talk through highlights of his immense collection of signature models, custom builds and guitars used on Dire Straits’ most iconic tracks

1963 Fender Stratocaster Royal Blue Metallic

“Playing a guitar like this back in 1963 must have been truly mind-blowing”: Meet the 1963 Stratocaster with one of Fender’s rarest-ever finishes, Blue Metallic Flake

By Huw Price published 17 November 23

With a super-rare custom color finish that serves as a reminder of the influence Fender took from the motor industry, and in pristine condition, this is a collector’s item for the ages

“We’re in the same band with the two black Strats. It’s insane that would happen”: How Little Feat acquired not one, but two of Jimi Hendrix’s Fender Stratocasters

By Matt Owen published 30 October 23

Fender made two black Strats for Hendrix – and they both ended up in the Little Feat family

“Once I had the Strat, I only used the Strat and I left the Gibson at home”: Robin Trower has spent his entire career almost exclusively playing Fender Stratocasters – here’s why

By Matt Owen published 15 September 23

The Procol Harum hero recalls the first time he discovered the Strat, and explains why it’s been by his side ever since