Superstrat

A 1990 US Fender HM Strat
Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat, red painted version

Superstrat is a name for an electric guitar design that resembles a Fender Stratocaster but with differences that clearly distinguish it from a standard Stratocaster, usually to cater to a different playing style. Differences typically include more pointed, aggressive-looking body and neck shapes with increased cutaways to facilitate access to the higher frets, an increased number of frets on the fingerboard, a contoured heel at the neck joint facilitating easier higher fret access, the usage of humbucking pickups, and locking vibrato systems, most commonly the Floyd Rose.[1][2][3]

There is no formal definition of a superstrat;[3] the categorization is still largely left to popular opinion and depends greatly on the artist(s) associated with a particular model and how it is marketed.

  1. ^ Marshall, Gary (2004). The Cut the Crap! Guide to the Guitar. Artemis Music Ltd. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-904411-23-9.
  2. ^ Bacon, Tony (2000). 50 Years of Fender. Backbeat Books. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-87930-621-2.
  3. ^ a b Wright, Michael (March–July 2002). "Stratospheric Variations: A History of offset double-cut guitars". Vintage Guitar Magazine. Retrieved 2020-10-15.