Double-Cut Reimagined
Big brands continue to take a modern spin on this classic platform – here are six you should check out
FRet-King Corona FluenCe £749 Trev Wilkinson’s Korean-made take on Fender’s finest is up-spec’d here to include a trio of Fishman ‘single width’ active pickups with dual ‘Vintage’ and ‘Hot Texas’ voices. The platform is standard: alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and excellent Wilkinson hardware. A lot of guitar with cutting-edge electronics. www.fret-king.com FenDeR ameriCan ProFessional stratoCaster £1,429 This year’s makeover of the long-running American Standard range makes great guitars even better. Numerous upgrades include the magnet-blended ‘V Mod’ single coils, modern ‘deep C’ profile, bone nut, two-point vibrato and staggered height tuners. The benchmark for the modern production Strat. www.fender.com
John Page ClassiC ashburn sPeCial £1,629
Typically detailed design and Japanese boutique construction make John Page’s small but perfectly formed Ashburn a must-try. In this 2017 version with blonde ash body and tinted maple neck, its modernism is tempered for a more vintage vibe. It has great Gotoh hardware, plus a trio of Bloodline by John Page JP1 single coils. A no-frills workhorse. www.johnpageclassic.com
MusiC Man modern ClassiC Cutlass £1,779
Along with the StingRay, these ‘Modern Classic’ models are aggressively priced below Music Man’s standard USA range. With its four-and-two tuner layout, five-screw neck joint, stainless steel frets, ‘Modern’ vibrato and ‘wide spectrum Silent Circuit’, there’s plenty of modernism at play. Typically Music Man, it’s superbly made and quiet in use. www.music-man.com
suhR ClassiC Pro FRoM £2,099
Like Tom Anderson, John Suhr’s takes on Fender classics define the modern maker’s vision. Both makers have ‘Classic’ models and our pictured Pro heaps on the tweaks: a compound radius ’board, Gotoh 510 vibrato and locking tuners, Suhr V70 single coils and SSV humbucker at the bridge, plus the SSCII noise-cancelling system. Lots of guitar. www.suhr.com
Knaggs severn X t3 £2,695
Joe Knaggs might have honed his chops at PRS, but he’s always been a Strat player at heart and the set-neck Severn is his take on the venerable design. The ‘X’ version moves more into the rock player’s hands with a slightly thinner depth neck and bridge-placed Seymour Duncan JB augmenting custom-wound dual ATX-K single coils, plus ‘hingestyle’ vibrato and Gotoh rear-lock tuners. http://knaggsguitars.com