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Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster
Sterling St. Vincent
VS
Playability
67
Sound
74
Build
74
Value
57
Score
72
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Playability
70
Sound
70
Build
62
Value
72
Score
67
FIND IT ON:
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Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster vs Sterling St. Vincent

Reasons to Get
Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster over Sterling St. Vincent

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Indonesia
Built with higher quality standards
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo vs Narrow Tall
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Pickups Brand
Fender Custom vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
SSS vs HHH
Beautiful cleans and good tone versatility
Paint Finish
Heavy Relic vs Poly
Looks like an old and heavily beaten up instrument

Reasons to Get
Sterling St. Vincent over Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster

Release Year
2018 vs 2014
From a more recent year
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Type of Frets
Narrow Tall vs Medium Jumbo
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Pickups
HHH vs SSS
High output without hum and tons of tone versatility
Number of Frets
22 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Paint Finish
Poly vs Heavy Relic
Resistant paint that ages well
Value Score
72 vs 57
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster vs Sterling St. Vincent

Bridge Pickup
Fender Custom '60s Single-Coil Strat vs Sterling Humbucker
Different Bridge Pickup
Middle Pickup
Fender Custom '60s Single-Coil Strat vs Sterling Humbucker
Different Middle Pickup
Neck Pickup
Fender Custom '60s Single-Coil Strat vs Sterling Humbucker
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Alder vs Mahogany
Different Body Wood
Headstock
6 vs 4-2
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone vs Compensated
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster vs Sterling St. Vincent

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood
Same Fretboard Wood
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Nut Width
1.65'' (41.9mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Bridge
Tremolo
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Weight Relief
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster Prices

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Sterling St. Vincent Prices

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster is probably the better product overall with its final score of 72 compared to the Sterling St. Vincent's 67 score, although not by a lot.

The Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Sterling St. Vincent has the upper hand when it comes to playability, value for the money.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

Both meet 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Sterling St. Vincent
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Short scale

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster Overview

  • From Fender Custom's 2014 Custom Artist series
  • Rory Gallagher Signature
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 9.5" Fretboard Radius
  • Select Alder body
  • Maple neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fender Custom '60s Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Middle pickup: Fender Custom '60s Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Fender Custom '60s Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • 6-Saddle American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo bridge
  • Early '60s C Bolt-On neck
  • 21 Medium Jumbo frets
  • 5 Sperzel Die-Cast Machine Heads with 1 Mis-Matched Gotoh tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sterling St. Vincent Overview

  • From Sterling's 2018 Artist series
  • St. Vincent Signature
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 9.5" Fretboard Radius
  • Mahogany body
  • Hard Maple neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Sterling Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Middle pickup: Sterling Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Sterling Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • Vintage Tremolo bridge
  • St. Vincent Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Narrow Tall frets
  • Locking tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Woods Used in the Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster

Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.

Woods Used in the Sterling St. Vincent

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Winner: Sterling St. Vincent.

Pickup Configuration

The Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster has an SSS configuration while the Sterling St. Vincent has HHH pickups.

SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.

On the other hand, A triple Humbucker (HHH) can be intimidating at first, but it's one of the combinations that offer the most tone versatility. You'll be able to have from a lot of output for Hard Rock genres, to warm and clean sounds that are more common in Jazz.

Pickups Quality

The Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster has pickups from a more specialized brand than the Sterling St. Vincent. Its pickups should simply give you a better, fuller sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Funk and similar genres.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

The Sterling St. Vincent gives you 5 switch options while the Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster gives you 3. This means that the Sterling St. Vincent gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster's switch options
Sterling St. Vincent pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Sterling St. Vincent's switch options

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Sterling St. Vincent.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 60
Versatility 69
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 74
Sterling St. Vincent
Pickups 60
Sustain 75
Versatility 70
Tuning Stability 75
Sound 70

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster compares to the Sterling St. Vincent.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster is built in United States while the Sterling St. Vincent is made in Indonesia.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.

Winner: Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster has a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.

On the other hand, the Sterling St. Vincent comes with a Compensated nut. Each hole where the string sits at the nut is cut at a different distance from the bridge, which compensates for the different amount of tension that each string is subject to. This fixes most intonation issues across the fretboard, so it gives great tuning stability.

Winner: Tie.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

Both come with a similar bridge: Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

The Sterling St. Vincent has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.

Winner: Sterling St. Vincent.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Sterling St. Vincent
  • Locking Tuners
  • Expensive Wood
  • Compensated Nut
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster
Quality of materials 66
Features 55
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 74
Sterling St. Vincent
Quality of materials 51
Features 65
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 62

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster Nut Width
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 41.9mm (1.65'').

This is considered a narrow width for a 6-string guitar. This means that this guitar will have a narrower string separation at the nut, which will affect your fretting hand.

If you are a player with big hands, you might find it difficult to play chords without muting strings. However, this is good for players who have smaller hands, as it will allow them to reach each string more easily at the nut.

Scale Length

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster and Sterling St. Vincent's Scale Length
Both have the same scale length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".

This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.

However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster Neck Profile
Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster's neck profile
Sterling St. Vincent Neck Profile
Sterling St. Vincent's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster and the Sterling St. Vincent have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster and the Sterling St. Vincent have the same fretboard radius of 9.5". This is the most common radius for Stratocaster guitars. It's considered curved when compared to most other models. This allows you to play chords very easily without muting strings accidentally and gives you more space between strings for fingerpicking. However, this curve also gives the guitar less allowance for lower action. If you bend too hard at the high frets, some of your notes might get muted because the curve will make the string fret out.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Sterling St. Vincent:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster Frets Size
Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster's Frets Size
Sterling St. Vincent Frets Size
Sterling St. Vincent's Frets Size

The Sterling St. Vincent has Narrow Tall frets, which should be taller than the Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster's Medium Jumbo frets.

Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 60
Playability 67
Sterling St. Vincent
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 70
Playability 70

Specs Side-by-Side

Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster vs Sterling St. Vincent
General Fender Custom Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster Sterling St. Vincent
Brand: Fender Custom Sterling
Year: 2014 2018
Configuration: SSS HHH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States Indonesia
Series: Custom Artist Artist
Colors: Sunburst Black, Blue
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Select Alder Mahogany
Bridge: 6-Saddle American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo Vintage Tremolo
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: 5 Sperzel Die-Cast Machine Heads with 1 Mis-Matched Gotoh Locking
Fretboard: Rosewood Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple Hard Maple
Decoration: Clay Dots with One Mis-matched White Plastic Dot at the 12th Fret Custom St. Vincent Inlays
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: Early '60s C St. Vincent
Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 22 Narrow Tall Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 9.5"
Nut: Synthetic Bone Compensated
Nut Width: 41.9mm (1.65'') 41.9mm (1.65'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Fender Custom '60s Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive) Sterling Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Fender Custom '60s Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive) Sterling Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Fender Custom '60s Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive) Sterling Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 5 Way
Knobs: Bell Dome
Pickup Mods: None None
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 2 1