So here we have the Squier Deluxe Hot Rails Stratocaster – which is a bit of a mouth full by anybody’s standards. So essentially where does the fancy title come from … ? Well the best way to describe this instrument is as a “Hot Rodd-ed” guitar – a bit like the MTV programme “Pimp my Ride” except this one should be called “Pimp my Strat” …
Basically the body and neck on this instrument is standard fayre Stratocaster specifications with a large 1960’s style headstock thrown in for good measure. The body is crafted from Basswood with a Maple C-style neck and Rosewood finger board, the bridge utilises the newer style Fender-type saddles combined with a synchronous twin-pivot tremolo system.
The bridge, tremolo arm, jack input socket and die-cast machine heads are all finished in chrome and are well suited to the Olympic White body and scratch plate. The neck has 22 medium jumbo frets all the way down to the aforementioned 60’s style oversized headstock …
However the secret weapon on this guitar is undoubtedly the pick-ups, these are three Seymour Duncan designed HR-101 Hot Rails single coil sized hum-buckers – which is partly where the guitar gets its title from.
The pick-ups are managed via a 5 way blade type selector switch and 1 master volume knob and two tone controls all supplied in black plastic to match the black plastic covers on the hum-buckers. Other notable features are the engraved neck plate, the gold and black Squier logo and the dot position inlays on the Rosewood fret board.