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Candle Apple red is available alongside the two-tone sunburst here

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Fender's own take on the new American Special instruments is that they are "value-conscious guitars for the times… designed specifically to bring the full Fender Stratocaster experience of a terrific-sounding, smooth-playing, rock-solid-built US-made guitar to the working man, without emptying his bank account." Well, if anyone can fulfil that promise, it's Fender.

The American Specials' colour range is very limited albeit tasteful, with the Strat coming in two-tone burst and Candy Apple red. Our guitar is sunburst and features the thin polyurethane finish that, unlike the matt look of the Highway One models, emanates a classy and upmarket vibe.

In fact at first it's not easy to see where – and indeed if – any corners may have been cut. Billing guitars as 'cost conscious' isn't always the best way to engender excitement in a player's mind. Yet opening the padded gigbag and dragging the spoils from their slumbers, you're hit with a far more auspicious prospect; something potentially matter-of-fact becomes something altogether more enjoyable.

The American Special Strat is light in weight; the finish looks flawless and rich, while the body contours are vintage correct and lusciously curvy. A quick scan over the whole guitar reveals the type of build quality, fit and finish that has put Fender back in front of late.

Everything says 'precision' – from the unfeasibly close neck-to-body joint and perfectly adjusted action, right down to the way each pickguard screw sits identically flush in its hole (as it should, of course).

Urethane finishes are easier to apply and a lot less labour intensive to complete than the nitro-cellulose of higher end instruments, which requires more coats, more sanding between applications and is generally trickier overall. But this medium gives just the right level of lustre and can be sprayed thinly enough so as not to stifle the wood, as gloopy coatings of seventies-style polyester were said to do. This and the Strat's inherent sensuality make playing or even just holding the guitar a most tactile experience.

Our Strat's body is a three-piece affair, but Fender's done a good job of matching these 'sets' so that the join doesn't scream at you from several feet away. And remember, most original sixties Fenders were made this way – and few complained about it then.

The Special Strat comes with a satin-finished, all-maple neck and late sixties-style large headstock. Adjustment for the two-way Bi-Flex truss rod is from the headstock end, which is much easier than the vintage-style body end location.

"It plays like a dream and literally stunned us with its musicality."