I'm sure this has been said before, but I continue to be surprised/amazed that with all the seeming interest in blocking and adding extra springs to Strats that Fender doesn't produce more off-the-shelf hardtails....

Trem equipped Strats sell better than hardtails.

A blocked/locked down trem Strat sounds different from a hardtail.

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Bill

With 89 models of Stratocasters on their website, of which two are hardtails, wouldn't you expect trem models to outsell hardtails???? Of the two hardtails, one is the fairly extreme Wayne Kramer model...

You clearly don't know how marketing works.

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Bill

And you clearly find it simpler to demean someone than disagree with their ideas. Fender, or any company, will promote those models that sell well or new models that have the potential to sell well. This obviously trickles down to retail outlets who will also order and promote those models that they are more likely to sell. Models with hardtails will be less likely to be ordered by retail establishments and promoted because they are produced in much, much smaller quantities and therefore less well known. I stand by my opinion that Fender should produce a non-artist model of MIM and American-made hardtail....

Having owned a hardtail and blocking my trems I can truly say they sound different.

There is something the way springs vibrate that changes the sound in my ear.

So do the other few people that want a hardtail.

Why do you think Gibson only has a couple of Les Paul models with a vibrato and the vast majority don't? Hint: Because that's what people want and that's what sells. Same thing with Fender whether you like it or not. Do some research on the subject. You might actually learn something.

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Bill

I used to have a mim Robert Cray Strat. It is a hardtail with great pickups. The neck is unique, though. Very chunky.

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Eric Clapton "Blackie" Stratocaster, 50th Anniversary Gold Stratocaster, Epiphone Riviera Custom P93 Royale. Epiphone Les Paul Ultra II, Epiphone 1966 G-400 Reissue, Squier Telecaster Custom II, Takamine EF341SC, Fender Hot Rod DeVille

I saw a picture somewhere today of a hardtail Strat with humbuckers, it looked kinda cool actually. Maybe I'll build one like it!

When I was shopping for my American Strat in 2004, I also wanted a hardtail. I was told by the shop owner that they were not available. I would buy one; saw lots of them in '78 when I started playing.

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Fender American Series Stratocaster
Marshall JTM612
Marshall JTMC12
Gibson Vintage Reissue strings
DiMarzio pickups
Souldier guitar strap
Spectraflex cables

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Bill

Are you generally this surly or is it post-election grumpiness????

I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that you were the only person allowed to express an opinion and everyone else had to agree with you. I've got better things to do, so I'll leave you to your surprise and amazement.

Oh. My candidate won.

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Bill

The one I saw has the same layout but it was maple neck, candy apple red, chrome hardware. It was beauitful to say the least. I'm not a fan of the black hardware so this one doesn't grab my attention as much.

Hello jrporter: it does sometimes seem surprising, yes, especially given that so many Strat players don't even bother to install the trem arm, since they don't use it.

However, Fender are in business to sell product; they've done hardtails many times before and if they sold in worthwhile numbers they'd have several in the catalog today. The fact they don't tells us what the sales figures are like.

There are lots of threads on this Forum asking for hardtails, HH Strats, Floyd Roses and other such things. But I guess out there in the market place those people don't add up to enough to justify these things commercially, at least, not often.

Cheers - C

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