Robert Cray plays a hardtail, and his Stratocaster is built the same way: a string-through-body bridge with no tremolo, which keeps tuning steady and gives the strings a firm anchor. An alder body, a mint green three-ply pickguard and three vintage-style single-coils on five-way switching.
The neck is an early '60s "C" with a 9.5" rosewood board and 21 medium jumbo frets, a flatter radius than vintage and comfortable for bending. The truss rod adjusts at the heel in the vintage manner. The two tone controls run the neck and middle pickups, which leaves the bridge pickup at full brightness.
For a tremolo Stratocaster with a vintage spirit, the Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster or the American Vintage II 1961 Stratocaster are the closer alternatives. The Robert Cray comes in Inca Silver or 3-Color Sunburst, both with a rosewood fingerboard and a deluxe gig bag.
SPECIFICATIONS
BODY
Country of Origin: Mexico
Body Material: Alder
Body Finish: Gloss Polyester
Body Shape: Stratocaster
Pickguard: 3-Ply Mint Green
NECK
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Gloss Urethane
Neck Shape: '60s "C"
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (241 mm)
Fingerboard Material: Rosewood
Position Inlays: White Dot
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Truss Rod: Vintage-Style Butt Adjust
Nut Material: Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
ELECTRONICS
Bridge Pickup: Vintage-Style Single-Coil Strat
Middle Pickup: Vintage-Style Single-Coil Strat
Neck Pickup: Vintage-Style Single-Coil Strat
Pickup Configuration: SSS
Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
HARDWARE
Bridge: 6-Saddle American Vintage Strings-Through-Body Strat Hardtail
Hardware Finish: Chrome
Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style
Control Knobs: White Plastic
Strap Buttons: Vintage-Style
Strings: Fender USA 250R Nickel Plated Steel (.010-.046 Gauges), PN 0730250406
CASE
Case: Deluxe Gig Bag