REVIEWS| ELECTRIC GUITAR
FENDER
70th Anniversary Ultra Stratocaster HSS
TESTED BY ART THOMPSON
Guitar Player Editors’ Pick
Sealed locking tuners and a 70th anniversary Quadra Tap humbucker are part of the Ultra Strat HSS package.
IN CELEBRATION OF the Stratocaster’s debut in the spring of 1954, Fender has launched a series of 70th Anniversary models for 2024 that range from the American Vintage II 1954 Stratocaster in two-color sunburst to the latest Ultra Stratocaster HSS, in an Amethyst finish that pushes the boundaries of automotive technologies.
Fender’s EVP of product design, Justin Norvell, tells us, “We reached out to paint suppliers to see what’s happening in the automotive space, because part of Fender’s history is car colors. We’ve been playing with flip-flop-type colors, like Chrome Glow on the H.E.R model — one of the first of the 3-D, chameleon-like colors we’ve done — and Amethyst, which we’ve been holding for the right guitar. The Ultra turned out to be perfect for it. Amethyst looks like a sportscar color and goes with the contemporary vibe this guitar symbolizes. We offer it only in Amethyst because it’s very involved to do and the paint is expensive, but it’s cool to do it in a limited capacity.”