X-Ray Spex wrote: ↑Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:22 pm
What kind of Strat is that? Love the control layout and moved middle pickup position to the bridge.
It's the new Squier. The influence is clear - Ron Thorn had a design called the California Special that he was building on his own. When he joined the Fender Custom Shop, he brought his design with him and it's been released as a Fender-branded Custom Shop California Special (CSCS?).
This is the first time that "second bridge pickup" approach from the CS made its way onto another Fender model. Some other brands have done it but the particular spacing and angle is clearly the one that Ron has been using for years.
It's a pretty cool layout, which offers three bridge pickup tones - the "middle" bridge alone, the two bridge pickups in parallel, and the two bridge pickups in series.
Here is one in action with the pickup switch positions explained, though the audio and tones from
this one are much better.
Of course, I'd be much happier to see an
actual California Special, since it's offset and interesting-looking with a fun miniaturized Jazzmaster/Mustang hybrid vibrato and floating bridge, but I'm sure it was in Ron's contract that he would be the only one allowed to build it at Fender. All the ones I've seen are "master-built Ron Thorn" instruments, which makes sense, since it was his design and this was a way to allow him to build them at Fender without breaking his contract and making a competing instrument independently.
I wonder if Ron had to approve the pickup and knob placement on this strat, or if Fender acquired the rights to his design. The fact that he still works there tells me they probably did this above-board and/or with his involvement. It just can't possibly be a coincidence, and they'd have to be pretty huge assholes to cannibalize the ideas of one of their biggest catches in terms of independent luthiers hired to work in the Custom Shop.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.
