Strings Attached
BEHOLD THE LATEST incarnation of rock's most iconic electric ax. Ten years in the making, Fender's new VG Stratocaster ($2,430, fender.com) has a built-in chip that allows you to choose tunings at the turn of a knob, with no aftermarket gear necessary. You can play Stones songs in open G and Korn covers in drop D, and your audience won't have to wait while you tune from one to the other. The computer does everything for you. You can also make this picker sound like an acoustic or even a 12-string. Or ignore the sophisticated electronics and strum this baby à la Buddy Holly, as if it were an original 1954 Strat. "That'll be the day...."