Fender Releasing Limited Edition HM Strat 2020!!

[heem6]

Pretty faithful reissue with 25.1" scale length. Read all about it HERE:

A Reverb seller based in Texas, USA has accidentally leaked the new Fender Limited Edition HM Strat 2020, an eye-popping reissue of the ’80s shredder model from California.

Fender Limited Edition HM Strat 2020
Reverb seller mundt music of Longview has just listed a Flash Pink Fender Limited Edition HM Strat 2020! According to the listing there are only 300 pieces available worldwide. So if the information there is true, that’s a very limited edition indeed!

’80s Shredder
We know it has a recessed Floyd Rose Special locking trem system, a 25.1″ scale length and a super flat 17” radius fretboard in either maple or rosewood.

The Reverb listings text includes the following information:

The limited-edition HM Strat sports the same unique look and specs that helped the ’88-92 models compete with the hot-rodded Strat impersonators of the day. Built in the same factory as the original, the HM (for Heavy Metal) Strat features a narrow “C” neck, with unique 25.1” scale, 17” radius maple or rosewood fingerboard with 24 Jumbo frets for nearly effortless bends and technical fretwork. A Floyd Rose Special recessed bridge keeps everything perfectly in-tune even after the deepest dive-bombs and the high-gain HSS pickup configuration delivers hot humbucker tones in the bridge that can be split for more traditional Strat sounds when combined with the single coil neck and middle pickups. Other features include Gotoh tuners, moulded ‘F’ logo knobs and black head cap with highly stylised ‘80s-era “STRAT” silk logo.

[The Guitar]

WOW! Pretty cool indeed!

[stratznhatz]

Great to see these reissued finally!! Seeing these reminded me of the forum which I haven't visited in a long time sadly, hope to get back on board and catch up with you guys!

[jozjonlin]

I'm loving my new White HM.

[heem6]

Hey Stratsnhatz! Good to see you back here! I took an long break too, when my cable provider discontinued the free space this was hosted on. Luckily, a great guy from the other side of the pond (Stefan) offered to help me get it back up and running.

Jozjonlin - hey, that new white HM looks great next to your vintage HM! How does it compare?

[stratznhatz]

Hi Jim, thanks! Sorry to hear of your troubles, glad you managed to get back up and running. Good man Stefan!
Yeah I drifted away from the whole scene, quit playing in bands and don't pick up a guitar as often these days sadly. But yeah, had some fun times on here, cool to see it still up and running and with some newer members!

[Dan Bobke]

I have a black 2020 reissue...it is my favorite guitar.  Lots of people complain about the Floyd Rose Special, but I don't have too many problems with it staying in tune or restringing.

One problem that I see quite often is that the paint comes off the numbers on the knobs.  My volume knob (since I rarely move the tone knobs) has no paint left on the numbers.  I have found the knobs EXTREMELY hard to find online...any ideas on how to repaint the white numbering?  These are raised numbers - not the stamped indentation type numbers.  I would love to make them better than new with better paint, but not sure how to go about it.

[The Guitar]

Maybe putting some painters/masking tape over a number and kind of pushing down around the number to get it to pop through the tape, then painting it?

[3bolt79]

I had bought one in 2020 from AMS or Zounds, put it on payments. That was the only way I was ever going to get one. Got it paid off early and went to order another. But Fender changed their agreement with them and you had to put 25% down and pay it off in 3 payments. So I didn’t do it again. But as luck woul have it, a 1989 blue/maple HM strat came along in a trade deal. I really like them both. And I have quite a few spare parts for the Kahler Spyder bridge.

My Floyd Special on th reissue is starting to rust around the fine tuners. I may wind up dropping in a higher model Floyd. But it doesn’t get played very much. While I like it, the 89 original gets played far more. I may offer the reissue to my son when he comes home for the holidays.

[heem6]

Thanks for the review, 3bolt! It's a shame Fender charged 'top dollar' for those reissues but then put on lower quality bridges and no-name pickups. I'm glad to hear that your '89 still gets a lot of play!

[tony1852]

New guy here, and new to HM strats. My 2nd guitar was a superstrat style guitar I bought new and still have, an '89 Ibanez EX350. Pointier, 22 frets, rosewood, 17" radius, HSH with a floyd on a basswood body, and I threw in EMGs in it in about 1990-91 (81-single coil-85). It's been through a lot with me, and I'm looking to upgrade. Super interested in either an HM strat (original or reissue), or maybe a Fender/Heartfield Talon. I could also go with another Ibanez.

What's the consensus on the reissues here? Are they just as good as the originals, or are the older pickup/kahler tremolos too important to leave out of the mix? Thoughts from anyone that has played both? Thanks!

[The Guitar]

The original HM sorted the Kahler and a Floyd. I have yet to try a reissue myself. You can also hunt for the Squier HM3 too.