Guitar World Verdict
Guitar World verdict: Slight QC issues with the review model aside, there are still many things to love about the Standard Stratocaster - it's affordable, plays nicely and offers a great starting point for Fender fans or expanding guitar collections.
Pros
- +
Fender-branded guitar for under $600
- +
Affordable platform for mods and upgrades
- +
Good, versatile sound quality
Cons
- -
Finish and setup issues on the review model
- -
Lacking a bit of character
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What is it?
Fancy a brand new Fender Stratocaster for less than $600? Not all that long ago, that question would have been fairly unremarkable, but global inflation and therefore rising production, shipping and retail prices determine that the entry point to a Fender Stratocaster at the beginning of 2025 was $799.
For that you get Fender’s Mexican-made Player II Strat, which has - along with the rest of the Player II series - impressed those of us who want in on the Fender legacy, but also view that sum of money as a firm outlay.
All that’s just changed, though, because as of NAMM 2025, Fender revived its Standard line of guitars. Affordable guitar history buffs will recognize the Standard name as the predecessor to the Player/Player II ranges, cementing the confidence in Mexican-built Fenders for thousands of players worldwide before being redesigned, revamped and renamed in 2018.
As of now, the Fender Standard series has been reborn, made in Indonesia under the experienced eyes of Cor-Tek, the manufacturing giant who has previously put its chisel to some seriously impressive affordable electric guitars from the likes of PRS, Ibanez, Epiphone, and indeed, its own line of Cort guitars as well as Fender’s Squier guitars.
Naturally, this move has set the discussions alight - to some the origin is moot: we’re getting a Fender-branded guitar for less money. To others, the thought of a Fender coming from anywhere other than the US is sacrilege.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Fender has looked outside of its traditional manufacturing facilities for production - I myself own a Modern Player Jaguar, a series made in China that saw the reintroduction of the Starcaster in 2011 and now fetches well above its end-of-days street prices on the used market.
Talking of Starcasters, Fender’s Tom DeLonge Starcaster is also made in Indonesia, as is the much-loved Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster. So, let’s find out, what really is in a name?
Specs
- Launch price: $599/£499/€599
- Made: Indonesia
- Type: Six-string electric guitar
- Body: Poplar
- Neck: Maple, Modern C
- Fingerboard: Maple
- Scale length: 25.5 inches/648mm
- Nut/width: Micarta / 42.86 in mm
- Frets: 21, medium jumbo
- Hardware: Fender die-cast, sealed tuners, two-point Standard vibrato
- String spacing at bridge: 52 mm
- Electrics: 3x Fender Standard single coils, five-way selector, volume, 2x tone
- Weight: 7.49lb/3.4kg
- Options: Standard HSS Stratocaster ($649)
- Left-handed options: No
- Finishes: Olympic White, Candy Cola, 3-Color Sunburst, Aqua Marine Metallic
- Cases: N/A
- Contact: Fender
Build quality
Build quality rating: ★★★½
Fender sent me an Olympic White Stratocaster for this review, and at the point of unboxing, the Standard series certainly looks the part. The maple neck is finished in satin, and the Olympic White example comes with a maple fingerboard (as does the Candy Cola version).
The tuners are Fender-branded, die-cast and sealed with everything turning smoothly, however upon tuning-up for the first time I encountered the first reminder that this guitar is the most affordable Strat to bear the Fender name.
At the other end of the guitar, the two-point tremolo is set to float. This gives a raise and drop in pitch when using the tremolo arm, but in this case, as I tuned, the angle of the bridge lifted, sending me back around for multiple passes until the tuning settled across all six strings
Once up to standard pitch, the bridge was sitting at a rather sloped angle - enough that the trem block ferrules had disappeared from sight. Fender includes an extra spring in the box, and it’s a choice between adding this or applying more tension to the screws - a simple and basic adjustment, but one that purchasers of this level of guitar may not have experienced before.
Tweaking the bridge gave me an opportunity to get a closer look at the guitar’s finish, and unfortunately there were two hairline cracks (presumably seams in the finish) in the front of the body, running from each side of the bridge back to the bottom edge of the guitar.
Playability
Playability rating: ★★★★
It’s a punchy, but perhaps flatter response when played clean, exhibiting less of the scooped chime, especially from the neck pickup.
I own a Mexican Standard series HSS Stratocaster, and one of my least favourite design points on the guitar is a fairly thick, glossy neck finish. The 2025 Standard, on the other hand, is a smooth, comparatively friction-free finish.
Interestingly, Fender also sent a Standard Telecaster which featured rolled fingerboard edges, but here, the Stratocaster is undeniably un-rolled, with some noticeable angles to the edges.
But, neither does Fender claim to offer a rolled ’board in the Standard line. The medium jumbo frets are nicely polished, and, in combination with the fingerboard make string bends easy, and the middle-ground 9.5-inch radius paired with a Modern C neck carve puts the Standard bang in the middle of a comfort zone that, while unlikely to deliver any surprises, offers a comfortable playing experience that isn’t likely to put anyone off either.
Once I’d overcome the initial vibrato issue, everything played smoothly and tuning stability held up well - if I were to buy this guitar, I’d most likely set the vibrato to only drop the pitch, or block it entirely, but that’s more a comment on my heavy-handed playing than the quality of the Player vibrato.
Sounds
Sounds rating: ★★★★
Fender has developed new pickup designs for the Standard series - this time going for higher-output ceramic models over the more vintage-toned Alnico Vs found in the Player series.
Now, with three single coil pickups, a five-way switch, a volume and two tone controls plus 70 years of building Stratocasters, it’s fair to assume that Strat sounds are pretty consistent. But thanks largely to those ceramic magnets, there’s a slight difference when compared to more vintage, alnico-fuelled pickups.
Using a Line 6 HX Stomp as the playground, I tried it on Marshall, Fender, Vox and Mesa Boogie models to great effect. Scooping out a bit of the neck pickup’s mid range with a bit of grit gets that Jimi-style semi-clean rhythm sound nailed, and loading-in an SRV preset takes a turn towards Texas. The in-between positions work nicely, delivering a funky quack in position 4 and a more vintage honk in the second position.
It has all of the classic Strat sounds at its disposal. You’ll just have to work a bit more with your pedal and amp settings to uncover them.
Overall, it’s a punchy, but perhaps flatter response when played clean, exhibiting less of the scooped chime, especially from the neck pickup. The same can be said in the bridge position, where the more even tonality lends itself well to playing with overdrive without some of the nasal tonality that you can get when you over-season a single coil.
I’m talking about a fairly subtle tonal shift here, of course, and there’s no doubting that the Standard Stratocaster has all of the classic Strat sounds at its disposal. You’ll just have to work a bit more with your pedal and amp settings to uncover them.
Verdict
It’s a strange time for guitar makers across the globe, particularly in the sub-£500 end of the market. Fierce competition in the lower end means that our choice as consumers has never been greater, Fender’s own Squier range is perhaps the biggest competitor to the Standard Series.
But where the Squier line tops-out with the Classic Vibe series, it’s very much aimed at those looking for vintage-style Fender tropes on a budget. The Standard line is not that.
If anything, the more anodyne nature of the Standard series puts it at the other end of the scale as a near blank, contemporary canvas for those who are looking for a second guitar, modding platform (it’s worth noting that the cavities under the pickguard leave plenty of space for humbuckers), or, a ‘first Fender’.
On the whole, the Standard offers a solid entry into the Fender world, albeit sandwiched between two of Fender/Squier’s most popular and impressive ranges.
It’s that last point that serves as the Ace in the Standard’s sleeve. Many players want to take a Fender on stage, and the Standard represents the most affordable way to do that. Is there more ‘mojo’ present in some top-end Squiers? Yes, but they still say Squier on the headstock.
It’s a shame that the review model featured some setup and finishing issues, an indicator that while the country of origin might not matter, the selection of the guitar you purchase does. On the whole, the Standard offers a solid entry into the Fender world, albeit sandwiched between two of Fender/Squier’s most popular and impressive ranges.
Guitar World verdict: Slight QC issues with the review model aside, there are still many things to love about the Standard Stratocaster - it's affordable, plays nicely and offers a great starting point for Fender fans or expanding guitar collections.
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build quality | For the most part, the review guitar was neat and tidy, but some unsightly blemishes in the finish would be a case for returning it to a retailer. | ★★★½ |
Playability | The neck feels great and the string height comfortable. However the vibrato needed adjusting to get it to sit correctly | ★★★★ |
Sounds | Fender's Standard series pickups are comparatively neutral examples of the Strat sound | ★★★★ |
Overall | It's a solid entry point into the Fender brand for first-timers, second-guitar purchasers and modders | ★★★★ |
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