Fender introduces American Standard Stratocaster in oiled ash finish

As part of its ongoing 2015 Limited Edition collection Fender has introduced the American Standard Stratocaster in oiled ash finish. While this Strat has nothing really new to recommend it, it might be just what you are looking for if you like Ash bodied Fender Stratocasters in a natural finish.

Personally I have long lusted after such a Fender. While I have owned a couple of Strats I’ve always wanted but never got around to buying a natural ash Fender so it looks like this would be a good choice. Previously Fender released a similar looking Korean made ‘Lite Ash’ Stratocaster and a 70’s Stratocaster in a naural (but poly) finish. So it’s good to see “our flagship instrument beautifully appointed with natural ash,” with this oiled finish.

Here’s what Fender writes about this gorgeous guitar:

“It’s well known that the less finish there is encasing a guitar, the more the body can breathe, resonate and reverberate better and more freely. That’s why we gave the Limited Edition American Standard Stratocaster Oiled Ash a ’70s-style look with a thin oil finish on the body, allowing maximum tonal transference and organic projection. Its three single-coil Custom Shop Fat ’50s deliver warm and crystalline classic Stratocaster tone.”

As with all modern Stratocasters the ‘Modern C’ neck has a satin finish on the back and gloss on the front. The fingerboard radius is 9.5-inches and fitted with medium jumbo frets and synthetic bone nut.

The SSS pickup configuration employs Custom Shop Fat ’50s Single-Coil Strat pickups with a special shielded unit at the bridge. There are no other configurations or colours available – I’d definitely bite if there was an HSS version but that’s a pretty easy mod most people can do for themselves anyway.

As mentioned in the intro this is one of the Fender Limited Editions hitting retail during 2015 – called 10 for 15. There will be 10 such introductions this year and this is the fourth so far.