2024 marks the platinum anniversary of the Stratocaster. To mark this auspicious milestone, the Fender Custom Shop introduces the Limited Edition 70th Anniversary Stratocaster.

In the spring of 1954, Fender introduced the Stratocaster, an instrument that would forever transform the music landscape. With its sleek, contoured double-cutaway body, three single-coil pickups, and groundbreaking synchronized tremolo, the Strat quickly cemented its place as a true icon over the next seven decades.

To honor the Stratocaster’s 70th anniversary, the Fender Custom Shop is unveiling a limited-edition collection that celebrates the remarkable heritage and lasting legacy of this legendary guitar.

This LTD '54 Strat expertly captures the essence of a first-year model, though its utilizing a color that you typically expect to see on a Telecaster - a detail we absolutely love. Like the other Strats in this collection, it features a substantial yet comfortable neck—known as the 70th Anniversary carve—which, to our hands, feels like a soft V transitioning smoothly to a C shape. Vintage-inspired touches such as skirted knobs, a ‘football’ 5-way switch tip, an offset-seam two-piece Ash body, and a set of hand-wound '54 pickups complete the package.

Through a Hiwatt combo, it delivers the unmistakable open, twangy sound early '50s Strats are known for, with a hint of Tele-like bite. While the tone-less bridge pickup may not be for everyone, we find it offers a touch of extra clarity, openness, and touch sensitivity (adjusting the guitar’s volume slightly can easily tame the highs if needed).

Overall, these LTD 70th Anniversary guitars continue to impress us, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the finest instruments in our collection.