Best Fender Stratocasters (our 6 top picks)

When looking for the best Fender Stratocaster you need to narrow your choices down by lineups within the Fender brand. For example, you have the "Player" series Strat and the "American" series Strat. Going a step further you have the American Professional and the Deluxe series, which is just to name a few of the variations. 

For those wondering, Squier Stratocasters are their own category.

But even sticking with just Fender, there's a lot to sort through. Where do we start?

In this article, we're looking at the best Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, focusing on finding a good convergence of quality and cost to get the highest-value option. Ideally, you'll have solid Alder tonewood, easy playability, great tone, pickups that don't need upgraded and a few other perks we'll help you find.

For those in a hurry, here's what we'll recommend:

Best Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitars (our top picks)

1. Fender American Professional Strat

The Fender American Professional Strat is our top choice because of the high standard of quality it meets, along with a price tag that is high but still manages to keep you under $1500.

Many of the Stratocasters from the American series and Fender Custom shop aren't so lucky.

This one is all high-grade solid Alder with a beautiful Maple fretboard and a contoured body design. 

Pickups are a custom-designed V Mod by Tim Shaw and are extremely versatile, able to handle a wide range of gain and clean EQ arrangements. For those wanting the best Stratocaster based purely on quality and pricing meet up, this is the one.

2. Fender American Performer Stratocaster

The Performer Strat is a little grittier and brighter than the American Pro, though similar in response and a good deal cheaper.

You can pull a lot of that treble out with the Greasebucket tone circuit in this particular Stratocaster and warm up your sound. While the Fender Yosemite pickups sound great, we didn't like them quite as much as the V Mod in the Professional, though it's splitting hairs to complain.

If you like the Professional but want to be closer to $1000 instead of $1500, the Performer is a fantastic alternative that will give you the same feel and nearly the same quality.

3. Fender Player Stratocaster

The Player series is what replaced the Fender Standard series, which was essentially their mid-range electric guitar line.

If you look at the Standard Strat product page, it's no longer available.

There are four variations of the new Player Strat, though the differences are quite subtle. We'll focus on the SSS version (three single coil pickups), since it's the the base model of the series and what you'll most likely see in retail. We like the modern two-pivot tremolo system and the return of the Alder body and the C-shaped neck that we get in the American series.

While the pickups don't sound as nice as the V Mod or the Yosemite single coils, they still have that bright, almost chime-like clean tone and we didn't feel like a pickup upgrade was necessary.

If it's your goal is to get a real-deal Fender Strat for a good price, this is one of your best options.

4. Fender American Ultra Stratocaster (HSS)

Without getting in the deeper regions of the Custom Shop, the American Ultra Stratocaster is one of the nicest guitars on Fender's roster.

It ships with the Fender Fourth Gen Noiseless pickups, something we'd like to see in the other American series models.

The Ultra was previously called the American "Elite" Strat, and I'm not really sure why Fender regularly changes the names of these guitars. It just makes them harder to find. The additional contour and sculpting of the Alder body looks fantastic and the D shape of the neck plays like a dream.

Is it enough to justify the added expense? For the pickups alone, maybe.

5. Fender Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster

The Deluxe Stratocasters are easy to recognize by their larger headstock design, which I always thought looked really cool.

This model includes what Fender is calling "Noiseless" pickups, though I don't believe they're the Gen 4 models we get in the American Ultra. Still, it's a great-sounding Stratocaster that plays with a lot of bluesy "snaps" and fits well into a rig with some slight gain and amp breakup.

The Deluxe is an upgrade over the Player's series and a bit more ideal for aggressive, perhaps heavy funk, playing styles.

6. Fender Player Strat with Floyd Rose

All of the same features of the Player Stratocaster are intact in this model.

The only difference is the Floyd Rose tremolo system which I'm a pretty big fan of. When we tinkered with this one at the Midlothian Guitar Center, it played well and stayed in tune, even with heavy whammy bar usage.

If that feature is something that matters to you, the price to upgrade is pretty reasonable.

Why Trust Guitar Chalk

I do not write recommendation articles blind. I, and a few people that work with me at Guitar Chalk, play guitar and have played these guitars. When we don't have access to one, we go down to Midlothian Virginia, pay my wife's parents a visit, and stop at the local Guitar Center there. 

In so doing, we're able to try these guitars and play them in our hands. This is part of the reason we don't include more products in our roundup.

There are certainly others worthy of inclusion in our best Fender Stratocasters list, but we just haven't played them.

We think that's better than recommending something we know nothing about.

As such, you can trust that our recommendations are being made by actual guitar players and musicians who have experienced and used these instruments.

Ratings Explained

To rate electric guitars we use four simplified criteria on an un-weighted scale of 0 to 100.

For individual electric guitar reviews, we typically use a more complex rating system where each grade is weighted.

However, in this roundup we've focused on value, tone, features, and construction quality to help contextualize the best Fender Stratocasters based on their strengths and weaknesses. I'll explain each rating in further detail.

Value (cost vs quality)

To measure value we look at the cost of an electric guitar and see how it compares to the quality. As quality goes up and cost goes down, value increases.

Tone

While tone preference can be somewhat subjective, it's still pretty straightforward to rate tone quality, especially for a guitar like the Stratocaster which is typically strong in a variety of musical genres because of its versatility. To grade this category we use a combination of in-person testing, videos, and sound samples, all of which help give us an overall score for the guitar's tone.

Features

Features include things like pickups, hardware, and tone flexibility features. For example, if the pickups are made by DiMarzio and aren't just cheap stock fill-ins, the guitar will get a better rating in this category. The same goes for bridge hardware and tuning machines.

Construction

Grading electric guitar construction can be a little more nuanced, especially when it comes to Stratocasters. Almost all of them use Alder tonewood for the body and Maple or Rosewood for the neck, so the distinctions are found elsewhere. Body contour, neck attachment mechanism, tonewood grade (AA, AAA, etc.), and just how it feels in your hand, are all considered when giving this rating.

Other Factors to Consider

While we've based our selection thus far on what Fender puts into their Stratocasters, there are factors unrelated to the guitar itself that every potential buyer should consider. For example, what is your skill level? Are you comfortable spending up to a certain amount of money? If so, what is that amount? Here are a few things you should consider as you shop for your new Stratocaster.

Your Own Skill Level

The best Fender Stratocasters are definitely not going to be cheap. Thus, it's prudent to consider your own skill level and commitment to the electric guitar. If you're closer to the beginner side, perhaps the Player Stratocaster or even dropping down to a Squier Stratocaster would be a better investment. It'll also help you assess the next factor in our list: Your budget.

Your Own Budget

How much do you want to spend on your electric guitar? Perhaps you've already been considering this, but it's helpful to establish ahead of time, even if you've narrowed down your guitar choice to one category within a brand. Let a price range help guide you and filter out the impractical options.

Your Preferred Musical Style

Musical interest is somewhat less relevant for Stratocaster buyers because Strats are extremely versatile guitars that can handle a lot of different musical genres. However, we rarely recommend them for heavy rock or metal, since the single coil pickup arrangement typically isn't aggressive enough to capture those tones.

Lead or Rhythm Guitar

Again, Stratocasters are versatile, so whether you're a lead or rhythm player (or a mixture of both) isn't going to matter as much as it might with other guitars. However, it's fair to say that Stratocasters are generally sought after by lead guitar players or those who keep a more melodic, single-note focused playing style.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where can I find the best deals on a Fender Stratocaster?

A: You can almost always find discounted Fender Stratocasters on Reverb and eBay. However, we usually recommend shopping for new instruments on Amazon or Sweetwater. In most cases they'll have the lowest retail price and will sometimes have their own used or refurbished options as well.

Q: What type of Music Are Fender Stratocasters best for?

A: Fender Stratocasters are best-suited to funk, blues, jazz, rock, classic rock, pop, and a litany of other sub genres. As I mentioned, they're versatile from a tone perspective and are seen everywhere outside of the heavier playing styles. Even then, there are metal players who like to mod Stratocasters for low tunings and heavy distortion, like Jim Root.

Q: Are Fender Stratocasters better for lead or rhythm guitar?

A: As I alluded to previously, Stratocasters are better suited for fast, single-note playing styles, making them a frequent choice of popular lead guitar players. 

Q: Are Squier Stratocasters a viable, cheaper alternative?

A: There are people who will tell you that Squier Stratocasters are "as good" or "impossible to tell from" Fender Stratocasters. I absolutely do not agree with this. However, they are far more affordable and a decent alternative if you just don't like the price points you're seeing with the Fender models. Just don't be fooled into believing they're one and the same. Price matters and it shows in the two brands.

Conclusion

That concludes our best Fender Stratocaster roundup. We've found that the Player, Deluxe, Professional, and Ultra series are all fantastic electric guitars and are - in our estimation - at the top of the Fender food chain. Use this guide to get a feel for what's available to you and which series are your best options, but keep in mind there are others out there that we haven't had a chance to look at. 

Your Questions

Have you used these Fender Stratocasters or want to mention another model not on the list? Maybe you just have questions about our rating system or something mentioned in this article. If so, feel free to drop us a line in the comments section below and we'll be happy to help out.

Sources

• Jeff Owens, History of the Stratocaster, Fender 
• Fender Team, Yosemite Strat Pickups, Fender
• Musicians Friend Team, Stratocaster Buying Guide, The Hub
• Dirk Wacker, Mod Garage: Fender Greasebucket Tone Circuit, Premier Guitar

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