Standard Stratocaster HSS
Black, laurel fingerboard
The Standard Strat with a humbucker, which is the version that covers more ground
Amazon rating
4.9 (16)Price band
$500 - $1,000
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The short version
Mechanically this is the same instrument as the three-single-coil Standard Stratocaster — poplar body, Modern C maple neck in satin urethane, 9.5-inch radius, and the two-point tremolo that is the series' best feature — with a ceramic humbucker in the bridge instead of a single-coil. That swap is the whole argument. Positions four and five still give you the neck and neck-plus-middle sounds a Strat is bought for, while position one stops thinning out when the gain goes up. The laurel board is a touch darker and slightly less bright-sounding than the maple option, and on a black body with a black pickguard it reads as a much less traditional guitar than the same model in Olympic White.
Score profile
Six axes, scored 1-10. These are editorial judgements about what this instrument delivers for the money — not measurements, and not anyone else’s ratings.
- Build
- 8.0
- Tone
- 8.0
- Versatility
- 9.0
- Comfort
- 9.0
- Hardware
- 8.0
- Value
- 8.0
Scores are Fretline editorial ratings on a 1-10 scale. They are our own assessment and are not supplied or endorsed by Amazon or by any manufacturer.
Full specifications
| Brand | Fender |
|---|---|
| Model | Standard Stratocaster HSSBlack, laurel fingerboard |
| Body | |
| Body | Stratocaster solidbody |
| Body wood | Poplar |
| Body finish | Gloss polyurethane |
| Pickguard | Three-ply black |
| Neck & fingerboard | |
| Neck joint | Bolt-on, four-bolt neck plate |
| Neck wood | Maple |
| Neck profile | Modern "C" |
| Neck finish | Satin urethane with gloss urethane headstock face |
| Scale length | 25.5" (648 mm) |
| Fingerboard | Indian laurel |
| Radius | 9.5" (241 mm) |
| Frets | 21 |
| Fret size | Medium jumbo |
| Nut | Micarta |
| Nut width | 1.6875" (42.86 mm) |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Standard two-point tremolo with satin chrome steel block saddles |
| Tuners | Fender Standard cast/sealed with hex buttons |
| Hardware finish | Chrome |
| Electronics | |
| Neck pickup | Standard single-coil Strat |
| Middle pickup | Standard single-coil Strat |
| Bridge pickup | Standard humbucking |
| Configuration | HSS |
| Electronics | Passive, ceramic magnets |
| Controls | Master volume, tone 1 (neck/middle), tone 2 (bridge) |
| Switching | Five-position blade |
| General | |
| Type | Electric guitar |
| Strings | Nickel-plated steel (.009-.042) |
| Finish | Black |
| Orientation | Right-handed |
31 verified fields. Specifications come from the manufacturer first, then the Amazon listing, then authorised dealers — sources are listed at the foot of this page. Fields the manufacturer does not publish are omitted rather than estimated.
The good and the bad
What we like
- Bridge humbucker covers high-gain playing that a stock single-coil Strat struggles with
- Two-point tremolo returns to pitch far more reliably than a vintage six-screw bridge
- Modern C neck and 9.5-inch radius suit bending and fast playing
- Still gives you the classic neck and in-between Stratocaster positions
What we do not
- Ceramic pickups throughout, hotter and harder than the alnico sets used further up the range
- Poplar body and Micarta nut are the cost savings
- Very few owner reviews so far, so long-term consistency is unknown
Who it is for
Skill level
Styles it suits
What owners and reviewers report
This listing has 16 Amazon ratings — not enough written feedback for us to identify reliable patterns. We will fill this section in when there is something real to summarise.
The verdict
If you are choosing between the two Standard Stratocasters, this is the one that handles heavier music without giving up the clean positions, and the two-point tremolo returns to pitch far better than the six-screw bridge on cheaper Strats. The reservations are the same as for the whole series: ceramic pickups rather than alnico, a poplar body, and a Micarta nut. The bridge humbucker is voiced hot rather than refined, so it does rock and metal convincingly and jazz not at all. Review volume is still very low, so nothing useful can yet be said about unit-to-unit consistency.
Sources
Amazon rating captured 2026-08-28. ASIN B0DQ1ZQGPX.
Strings for this guitar
All stringsIt ships with Nickel-plated steel (.009-.042). Staying at that gauge keeps the setup and the neck relief as the factory left them; going a step lighter makes bending easier, a step heavier gives more volume and tension. Anything more than one step either way usually needs the truss rod and the intonation adjusted.
- 8.3/10
Elixir · Strings
NANOWEB Nickel Plated Steel Electric
Standard .010s that survive a summer of gigs instead of a fortnight
- 7.8/10
D'Addario · Strings
NYXL1046 Nickel Wound Electric
The same gauge as an EXL110, with the tuning problem actually solved
- 7.7/10
D'Addario · Strings
EXL110 XL Nickel Wound Electric
The electric string most guitars leave the factory wearing
What else you need
All accessoriesThe highest-scoring option in each category that suits this instrument. If you have never owned a guitar before, the starter guide explains what each of these is for and what you can safely skip.
- 6.6/10
New Bee · Cables
The cable an electric guitar needs on day one, at the price of a coffee
- 7.8/10
Fender · Tuners
FCT-2 Professional Clip-On Tuner
The tuner to buy first, before strings, before a strap, before anything
- 8.2/10
Dunlop · Picks
The Delrin pick that replaced tortoiseshell, in the gauge most people settle on
- 7.4/10
GLEAM · Stands
The accessory that decides whether the guitar gets played at all
Compared with
Squier
Standard Stratocaster HSS vs Affinity Series Stratocaster
Yamaha
Standard Stratocaster HSS vs Pacifica PAC611HFM
Yamaha
Standard Stratocaster HSS vs Revstar Element RSE20
Cort
Standard Stratocaster HSS vs G290 FAT II
Cort
Standard Stratocaster HSS vs G280 Select
Fender
Standard Stratocaster HSS vs Standard Stratocaster
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