Mike McCready’s beat up sunburst ’60s Strat looms large in the history of grunge; heard on Pearl Jam’s illustrious body of recorded work and seen in the band’s millions-viewed videos, it was also a key player on countless tours. So it made sense when McCready teamed with the Fender Custom Shop to offer a ding-for-ding re-creation of the guitar in 2021 – 30 years after Ten. And while it was cool as hell, the guitar was also ungettable for most, being limited production and carrying a price tag of $15,000. Fortunately, they’ve recently joined heads again to offer a made-in-Mexico version priced within reach of the masses.

Sporting an alder body with massively Road Worn nitro sunburst finish, the new McCready Strat is gorgeous. Its slim C-shaped maple neck also gets the treatment, making it smooth, comfortable, and feeling like it’s been played for 60 years (minus the grime). The slab-rosewood fretboard has slightly flat 9.5″ radius and sports 21 Jescar medium vintage frets along with dot inlays. While period correct and slim, the circumference and feel will easily translate to most styles of music.

Further beautifully replicated wear includes headstock damage from an onstage accident. Other details include a vintage-style Strat vibrato, bent-steel saddles, a cold-rolled steel block, aged Tone knob, and McCready’s autograph on the back of the head.

Voiced to replicate the sound of McCready’s original, the custom pickups get his thumbs-up by producing warm, articulate tone that – as ’60s Strats were so often called on to do – create sounds flexible enough for a variety of genres.

Plugged into a Bassman and an assortment of pedals, the McCready proved itself to be a true performer’s axe with no fight and all the period-correct sounds, including 60-cycle hum. Welcoming whammy abuse while holding tune, it happily went full-blown Hendrix, SRV, or Ernie Isley, and the clean tones were mellifluous, clear, and bell-like; the neck pickup like butter. A light guitar, it radiates old-school ’60s flavor and resonates with an open-sounding woodiness not found in many current Strats.

The Mike McCready Stratocaster is a faithful re-creation of a grunge-rock icon. Pearl Jam’s discography aside, it can go from rude to sexy with the kind of craftsmanship and attention to detail that makes performing the pleasurable experience it ought to be.

This article originally appeared in VG’s December 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.