Review: Fender Standard Stratocaster SSS

For over 75 years, Fender has set the standard in the guitar manufacturing industry, quite literally shaping the sound of music as we know it today. In 2025 the brand is launching their Standard series of guitars, a core range that has been through various iterations over Fender’s history. It’s about to become a lot easier to own a Fender without veering into Squier territory. As luck would have it, I’m in the process of saving up for a new guitar, like any self-respecting buyer, Fender’s products are obviously at the top of my list. Because I am literally the target market, I jumped at the chance to acquaint myself with one of the newest most accessible instruments Fender has on offer, the 2025 Fender Standard Stratocaster.

Catch up on all the latest music gear reviews here.

I’m a big believer in purpose. My relationship with an instrument becomes more meaningful when I’m familiar with its origin story. I feel empowered to play with more intent when I understand the reason behind its form and function. As I unboxed the Fender Standard Stratocaster, the question floating around in my head were “why didn’t I know the Standard series existed?” 

I’d wager that most casual Fender admirers understand the purpose behind the Vintera, Player and American Professional and Ultra series’, but I personally was a little less familiar with the Standard series. Consulting with the omniscient interweb machine revealed a chunk of Fender history that was previously under the scope of my radar, probably because the previous equivalent—the Made in Mexico (MIM) Standard series—was taken off the shelves in 2018. At its core, the purpose of the Standard series was putting good quality guitars within reach of aspiring players by manufacturing parts outside of the U.S. of A. This new generation of Fender Standard instruments, however, is made in Indonesia

So what else has Fender decided to update in the Standard series? Most notably: the body is made with poplar wood; the Alnico pickups have been swapped out for hotter ceramic Fender Standard pickups; the bridge saddles are satin chrome and the finish is Gloss Polyurethane. In the neck department you’re still getting a 25.5” scale length; 9.5” radius “Modern C” shape with medium jumbo frets, although Fender has opted for a Micarta nut in the Standard over synthetic bone. This guitar also comes with 21 frets. The nut is just a fraction of a millimetre wider (42.86mm compared to 42.0mm on the Player series) and the truss rod adjustment is, helpfully, above the nut.

I was surprised to find the Fender Standard Cast tuning machine heads wrapped in plastic when I took the guitar out of its box; a nice little packaging detail that boosted my confidence in the brand’s values when it comes to shipping and customer care. The string action was set nice and low out of the box, which when combined with the higher output ceramic pick-ups was well suited for players like me who dabble around the heavier end of the spectrum of musical genres. The “Modern C” neck is optimised for performance and the satin finish makes frictionless speed a breeze. 

The Standard Stratocaster is fitted with three single-coil pickups. The neck and middle pickups are fixed perpendicular to the neck and the bridge is slightly angled to capture more of the high end twang and sparkle from the treble strings (you know, that thing Stratocasters do). The classic Fender aesthetic is present and accounted for in the little details: the 3-ply white pickguard; the classic white control knobs with gold numbering; the white pickup toggle switch; and the angled chrome jack input in the front of the top of the body. A detail I really liked was the decision to pop a little tension spring inside the tremolo arm screw-hole. It’s the spring that’s holding the tension rather than the threads in the screw hole, so you’re not going to put any undue stress on those threads if you prefer your whammy bar to sit a little more snug. I also dig the floating bridge, and—perhaps controversially—the satin chrome saddles. To me, the satin saddles make the strings feel a little softer on the hand, which when combined with a buttery satin maple fretboard, gives the playing experience a really nice cushiony feeling, like playing a cloud.

So, how’s it sound? There’s a good amount of resonance in the body, and the 5-way toggle gives you plenty of tonal options when you plug in. The bridge pick-up effortlessly achieves the aforementioned Fender Stratocaster ‘je ne sais quoi’ that players and listeners all over the world recognise: it shimmers and glistens like sunshine on pond water in the high-end, and when you dig in with your pick, it bites like a hound thanks to those ceramic pickups. The middle pickup adds some chunk and heft to those in-between toggle positions. The three knobs on the body control the master volume, neck pickup tone and bridge pickup tone respectively. Rolling back the tone pots has a noticeable hi-pass/mid boost effect, which plays into some pretty cool lo-fi tonal options that start to feel almost synthy.

The most fun I had with this guitar was running it through a Bluesbreaker overdrive with some spring reverb, tone switch in bridge position and volume rolled back to 8. I also had a lot of fun just looking at it. The deep bronze-red Candy Cola colourway is a little flirty, a little luxurious and all nostalgia.

At this price point and above, the Fender Standard Stratocaster is an impeccable guitar. There’s enough history and enough quality craftsmanship here that you don’t need to own the biggest, baddest top-shelf instruments to scratch that Fender itch.

Go on. Drop into your local guitar shop and give it a crack. You know you want to.

For local Fender enquiries, keep reading at Fender Music Australia.