The bridge is a top-loaded hardtail plate secured by 5 screws, with 6 cast metal saddles on a 2 1/16" E-to-e spacing.
The 4-wire bridge pickup allows for coil splitting by pulling up on the volume control knob to limit the humbucker to single-coil output.
The guitar body is basswood 1-9/16" thick (~1/4" thinner than standard Strats), with edge reliefs for forearm & belly, with 2 separate pickup cavities, connected by a drilled passage started from the neck pocket.
The production neck and fret board is one piece maple, with peg-head and square heel profile identical to Telecasters, routed from backside for a peghead-accessible truss rod, the slot capped with "skunk-stripe" of darker wood.
[citation needed] Its low price, unique style and exceptional playability & tone makes it very popular with players who like to modify and upgrade their guitar components.
[5] Hardware and electronic component differences aside, the configuration of the Fender variant was almost identical to that of the Squier, with the only notable differences being the use of a full thickness Stratocaster alder body instead of a thinner (by approximately one quarter of an inch) basswood body, and a string-through-body hardtail Stratocaster bridge instead of a top-load bridge.
The specifications remain unchanged from the original '51 run, with the exception of a string through body and bridge on the reissues.
Specifications: Vintage-Style Single-Coil Tele pickup (Bridge), Vintage-Style Single-Coil Tele pickup (Neck), Basswood body, Gloss Polyester Finish on body, Gloss Urethane Finish on neck, Maple “U” Shape neck, Maple 9.5” (241 mm) fingerboard, 25.5" (648 mm) scale length, 3-Saddle Vintage-Style Strings-Through-Body Tele® Bridge with Brass Barrel Saddles, 1-Ply Black pickguard, Master Volume and 3-Position Rotary controls, and comes with a Fender gig bag.