HM

Fender's commercial strategy for 2020, it seems, is a return to its glorified past. This HM Strat was a significant part of shred history once but it couldn't keep up with the Ibanez/ Jackson pace of things. While there's still no firm representation from the Fender range in terms of fast & furious playing, why not bring the HM back to stir it up a little, leverage on nostalgia while everyone else is distracted by 'new'. 

The reality here is, when it comes to 'Strat', players would be affected if the design moves away from the traditional outlines. Fender would argue that there are design refinements here to facilitate modern/ shred applications. If that's the case, then Fender is trying too hard to fight itself because they endorse players like Malmsteen, Blackmoore & the Iron Maiden guys whose guitars are all the traditional Strat design through & through. 

It's good to see Fender offering both rosewood & maple fretboards for die hard fans. For me, this is the deal-breaker right here - FR Special bridge. I've had very bad moments with the bridge & it won't sway me back into believing that it's an OK bridge to begin with.