Fender '54 40th Anniversary Stratocaster

An initial comment to make it clear I am talking about the 1954 replica, and not variants of the 'standard' strat that to my mind have little attraction.

The '54 replica has the 'U' shaped neck and the circular string-tree. Puzzlingly the headstock shape is not an exact replica of the Pre-CBS guitars. The tuners look authentic and work well. I agree with other commentators that the finish on the neck and fingerboard appears thicker than need be. Personally I dislike lacquered fingerboards as I find them 'sticky', but this is probably not a big problem until fretwear necessitates stoning the frets lower.

Body shape is pretty much authentic. My impression is that the '54 re-issue is heavy (compared to my '62 and '57 strats), so I wonder if the body is indeed ash, and if so of what density. The finish is two-tone sunburst, but again there is a slight lack of authenticity, as the 'clear' laquer is in fact honey-coloured (or is it nicotine?), and perhaps this is to make up for less than spectacular wood. The two-part body looks OK, but is not bookmatched (I doubt that the originals were).

Routing looks to be authentic 50s style. Pots look like the old stackpoles, and the pickups look authentic, with staggered poles and the 'high' G and D string polepieces. Wiring looks to be cloth covered, and the switch is reasonable replica. All in all the interior looks pretty authentic, including the tremolo-claw wire running to the ouput jack and not to the volume pot.

Body hardware looks OK. The tremolo is authentic in appearance, save for the string-saddles, which say 'FENDER FENDER'. If the fakers can get hold of 'FENDER PAT PEND' why didn't Fender? The white pickguard looks good, but I assume its ABS, as I guess are the pickup covers and the pot and switch control knobs. I understand that a later 54' re-issue series had the correct plastics, but I think at twice the price(!).

Tremolo rout cover is in white ABS(?) with '1954' embossed in place of the original serial number, and it has the round string-thread holes. With normal set-up the string-balls will not line up with the string-thread holes, which means the plate has to come off at every string change. Irritating to say the least. In the trem-cavity the finish looks good, with the correct springs and spring-claw, and a pretty good replica trem-block

Neck plate tells you it's a 40th anniversary guitar. The neck, trem-claw and pickguard screws are threaded all the way, which would not have been correct for 1954, but hey us anoracks have to have something to grumble about!

Mine only has the 'period correct' case. Four issues here (1) the case is the size of a Jazzmaster case (a good 3 inches longer) (2) the lining is orange rather than red, and doesn't have the crushed velvet appearance of the 54-58 tweed cases, (3) it is sidepocket rather than centre-pocket, (4) the tweed is not lacquered so I guess it will discolour and tear sooner. Otherwise hardware and exterior looks good.

I play bluesy-boogie stuff, and tend to go for a cleaner sound. The clarity and 'chiminess' of the strat suits me. You can always take brightness off, but trying to add it without hiss and hum is a problem.

I use it with Mesa Boogie Mark III and Mesa Boogie Subway Blues amps. The sound is clean and balanced, and you can then dirty it up as desired.

The big issue, I think. Having seen some recent Fender guitars they do not appear to be set up at all. If the salesman says to you "some people like a high action", tell him "Segovia died 30 years ago".

The neck should come factory adjusted for the lowest possible action, so that all you have to do is tweak the string saddles.

After a couple of goes I still think the action can come down lower. The problme is that to adjust the neck you have to loosen the strings, and then undo two neck-bolts completely, and well-loosen the other two. The neck-adjuste screw is pretty hard to turn, but I am guessing that this has to do with the density of the maple neck, and the thick 'U' profile. I'm sure I'll get there.

The frets are reasonably well finished, and the action is fast enough.

Pickup adjustment is a matter of taste. Adjust them too high and you get 'wolf-note' problems when the magnetic 'pull' interferes with string vibration. I think that's true. The pickups are powerful enough to be adjusted down low and still be very effective. That's the way I set them. I think Hendrix did that as well.

One slight digression.because the 'U' neck is pretty thick, the fingerboard sits further up above the body than either my '62 (rosewood slab board) and my '57 (soft-vee maple), so on the '54 replica you can set the pickups much lower.

Tremolo (why did Leo call it that?) works well enough, although the Jeff Becks of this world will want a locking system, so won't buy this guitar. There's plenty of adjustment so that you can set it so as to be able to bend up in pitch as well as down.

Overall I would say the finish is very good. Is the body nitrocellulose? Who knows. It looks pretty 'thick-skin' to me. There is some rippling in the finish on the neck, which tells me the finish is thicker than it should be. Someone in one of the posts mentioned polyurethane or polyester on the neck, which may be the case. Not a big deal either way, but it would be nice if the whole thing had that 50s nitro look, smell and feel.

Solid as a rock. If anything a bit too solid (heavy), and my experience is that this takes away some of the 'twang' and character of the instrument.

Nitro/polyester debate aside, cosmetically the finish is good.

Gigging rule number one: take only one guitar to a gig. If you're not actually hanging onto it someone will nick it!

I have found Fender UK very responsive to e-mails and helpful, info wise. I have not had occasion to send a guitar to them.

I've been playing for nearly 40 years. I have '57 and '62 strats, and a '54 re-issue Les Paul Custom. I prefer the versatility of single-coil pickups, and the 'out of phase' mid setting on strats is one of the main attractions for me.

The styling of the strat is number one for me. Number two is playability. Leo got it right, CBS got it wrong, and the 'new' Fender people seem to have taken the lessons on board by making available the simplicity, grace and style of what I think is the very best in 50s industrial design.

made in 1994, 22 frets, 5 way selector (has probably been installed by the previous owner) maple neck, came with a fender molded case.single coils pickups (i think it's vintage pickups) I bought it used in a vintage second hand music store, i instantly fell in love with it.

As far as i'm concerned i think that sound is something that has to do with who you are as a a human being and the way you use your senses...some people like the sound of a paul gilbert ibanez, wich i think is a fine guitar, but i certainly don't think it sounds really good. But this stratocaster sounds amazing to me. I had been looking for a stratocaster for a couple of months. Been trying the new 2008 american standard, it was ok to me but definitely not in the same category as my 40th anniversary. My brother has a classic player 70's, i used to like it, since i've been playing on my 40 th anniversary, i simply hate it. This guitar has the sound that i had in mind for a while but just couldn't find in a guitar. Of course it hums a little bit because it's a strat. I love the sound of the bridge and neck pickups. I think the bridge pickup sounds amazing for blues.

It came with quiet a low action, wich can cause fret buzz, but well so far it didn't bug but maybe i'll set it differently later as it is just a question of tuning. Mine has been well played, u can tell by looking at the fretboard, it definitely has that relic look that people crave. It has minor dents on the body. It is a two tone tobbaco sunburst and man it looks awesome, serioulsy i can't think of any guitar that looks better.

built like a tank ! it will last a long long time and will look better and better

never have to dealt with them

This is THE guitar for me, i feel it every time i pick it, i'd really recommend you to try one if you ever happen to find one for sale. And the cool thing is i paid less than the value of an new american standard for it ( as an american standard in belgium is retailed at something like 1100 euros/1200 us dollars)

USA made 94 50 anniversary edition stratocaster "40 years and still rocking" on the neck plate. 5 way switch. All single coil I think Fender's "vintage" come stock but whatever they are, they're great! The neck responds well to truss rod adjustment every now and then. Other than that you don't have to do anything to this guitar and it sounds amazing right out of the box every time. Great quality.

I love the sound. I run it through a Boss ME-20 which essentially is all those Boss pedals in a combo unit. And use a tube screamer for over drive. It's way more effects than I use, but I figure I'll grow into it. Truth be told, I like to plug directly into the amp and use the channel footswitch as overdrive/distortion by tweaking the levels on the channels, and it sounds amazing! Better than effects can reproduce!

all quality. They were adjusted a bit oddly as I got this used, but easy to tweak the bridge and saddles to get the sound and action you're looking for. One overall observation about strats: you can't get the sustain and low action that you can on a Gibson, you just can't. But with proper cables, and limited effects, the meatier solo tones and ping and punch to the strum is irreplaceable. I prefer it to the ballsy humbucker sound at this point.

solid guitar. Always stays in tune. Built like a tank.

Overall: worth buying or trading to get. Will last a lifetime and very versatile instrument. The lumber is beautiful, the electronics are solid, the ornaments are great looking (40th banner on headstock). Great stuff. Oh and this thing has a locking tone nob on the hot (bridge) pickup that sticks at 5 to make it easy just so you know. It through me off a bit at first.

40th Anniversary Fender Stratocaster, in rare tobacco two tone sunburst. Aged scratchplate, 3 way pickup selector (which I replaced), 3 vintage pickups. Special Edition Neck plate and badge on headstock, Fender hardcase

Sounds Great; You can get the clean tone Shadows sounds and the dirty Blues Rock sounds from this guitar. I own 13 Fenders and this is one of my favourites, its almost up to Custom Shop level without the price tag, for the moment although I except these guitars to elevate in price. Pickups are great and sound a lot different to standard USA, I am not sure what pickups they are though, only vintage. Rosewood fretboard is nice and gives it that dark thicker sound than a maple neck would.

Great low action and feel, it has an ultra thin lacquer on the neck which is wearing away, but that has made it play better, and it feels like my Custom Shop Relic which I paid a lot more for. Tobacco sunburst is really nice and the ash grain is good too, nothing too fancy but a really nice looking guitar that will age really well. My guitar is almost 18 years old and has aged better than some of my other Fenders

Replaced 3 way selector with a 5 way pickup selector, I like position 2 on a Stratocaster. Almost 18 years old and is still in great condition and sounds wonderful. Neck has aged nice, and feels and plays like a genuine vintage neck now.

Never had to use for this guitar. However Fender are very helpful and provide manuals and advice for free

This guitar is a great guitar, much better that a standard USA by some considerable margin, colour is great and neck has aged nicely. There are fewer and fewer of this guitars about so, I intend on holding on to this one, however I never bought this guitar to be an investment, although it will most certainly go up in value, this is a working guitar for me which I use weekly. If this guitar was stolen I would be very upset, and would sell one or two of my guitars to raise the ???800+ and buy another one.

this is one of the 1954 strats fender built (limited edition).
an exact copy of the 1954 strat, even just a three-way-switch(maybe i'm gonna change it...).
hand wound custom-shop-pickups.
i give it a 9 because of the three-way-switch.

its got a rich, full sound, the sparkle in the highs. glassy, fender style. good for my funk/pop/rnb/jazz music.
i'm into clean sounds.

fender single coils generally are not "noiseless", even when its declared on the pickup, but as an old man said "if it doesn't hum, it's broken".

if you play some stevie ray riffs or hendrix stuff, you'll love it.

nice, not a thing to change.

it's a fender, but i seldom gig without backup generally.

i been playing 14 years, "professionally" for 4 years.
i would buy another one but they're hard to find and will increase in value soon, so it'll be hard to replace.
have fun and find "your" guitar! it has to feel right

Walked into Ziggy's, a blues bar in Denver one night and left with a big itch to learn the blues. The guy on lead guitar, Recommended Fender's so at 1 a.m. I went on ebay and bought this guitar 30 minutes later. The guy whom had it prior to me had replaced the neck pickups with a Duncan Hines... but I had never picked an electric before so didn't mind. I had no idea what I was getting into, but it turned out to be a fantastic specimen of a 40th `54 reissue and I've not regretted it one sec, (though I wouldn't recommend ebay to anyone.) I don't notice the hum as much as I thought I would, and the action is clean and fast. The finish is awesome, much better than the three tone I think personally, and I especially like the solid feel... this thing is a tank.

I initially paired it with a g-dec... and its fine for late nights on the headphones I guess but I soon grew weary spinning through all the menu's and the sound quality was good I reckon, but it seemed to lack heart... maybe I mean sound character. It was just disinfected noise. So I went and just got a fender reissue blues deluxe. While I'm sure that this guitar would sound good on any amp... to really bring out all its dimensions... get yourself a tube amp. The quality of the sound was unbelievable. Perhaps its my relative inexperience... but this amp pairs perfectly with the '54 reissue. It was almost like going from a black and white t.v. to color. The sound is full with bright high's and rich lows, it truly is remarkable.

Action is fast... alot faster than me... but I'm catching up. The finish is awesome. I think the two tone is where its at, but thats a personal preference.

I can't imagine anything this guitar couldn't stand up to. It truly is a workhorse. Very seldom to I even have to tune it. I'm wondering now why I spend $100 bucks on that tuner. I'm a independant contractor and so travel quite a bit, and I've never had problems. It feels solid in ones hands almost like a weapon, and I've never heard of anyone having any sort of problems with them... including me.

Never dealt with them. Been dealing with Sprint, my cell phone company's very dissapointing C.S. so I'm pretty stilted when it comes to this.

Overall, this is truly a peice of americana...like Harley Davidson or the 1911 Colt .45, this a masterpiece, a fine example of what well crafted means. If your going for true 'sound' then this is definately one place you should look. I agree with what was said earlier, don't disrespect this guitar with electronic wizardry and hoofra... it doesn't need the help, especially with a tube amp.

I've had my limited edition, midnight blue, 1994 40th Anniversary American Stratocaster for 10 years now; purchased used (in 1994) for $469 USD (in 1994) at a local music store in the Washington D.C. area. Some kid had received it as a gift and exchanged it because it wasn't "metal" enough for him. This guitar has the fender floating bridge, three single coil pickups, a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, and an alder body. It features an engraved neck plate with the words "Fender 1994 ...40 years and still rockin'" and a 40th anniversary flag pin on the headstock. When I purchased this guitar, I had been specifically looking for this color (midnight blue). It has a 5-way pickup select switch. I especially like the look of the "powdered steel" bridge. Looks good (classic fender), but it is hard to put down with its smooth comfortable feel.

This guitar has always sounded very good, but it was not until I switched from using solid state amps, guitar cabinet simulators, pedals, and other effects, to a fender tube amplifier that the sound of this guitar reached its full potential. Turning off the distortion (except for the natural tube overdrive) and plugging straight into the tube amp with spring reverb, this guitar has the tones of the guitar legends. It has fat lows and full-bodied highs, with a tone that won't quit. Other guitars played through the same amp, including "high quality" japanese stratocasters, telecasters, and an assortment of other popular guitars don't demand to be played like this one. Also, with full-on tube drive, this guitar screams. This guitar with a fender tube amp has brought out rich sounds and fat harmonics that I never thought possible in over 20 years of playing.

This guitar is suitable for any style in my opinion. It is the "swiss-army" knife of electric guitars.

Bottom line: For guitar purists, it is fantastic. It you're into electronics and processed sounds, then please respect this instrument and play something else.

I purchased this used (even though only a few months old) and am unsure of how it came direct from the factory. It originally only came with 3 springs, and after nine years, I experienced what I thought was a very slight bow in the neck; instead it turned out to be stressed out springs behind my floating bridge. A guitar technician recommended replacing my springs with four new ones, which brought the action back down to the factory recommened height.

The feel of this guitar is "bouncy" and the action is smooth. The guitar feels very stable when you play it.

I gigged with this guitar weekly for five years and have been recently performing monthly for the past four years. It has been played nearly three days a week for ten years, survived being in the center of a blazing house fire (in a soft case), and still plays like the day I bought it.

This guitar is irreplaceable. I have been playing for over 20 years and have played several (expensive) guitars, but none play like this one. My only wish is that I could find another one (specifically, a 1994 40th anniversary American Standard) with a maple neck.

After being so satisfied with this guitar for so many years, I decided to write this review; especially after reading the review of some moron who doesn't seem to know enough about fender guitars to write a review... who changed their pickup configuration and made at least one untrue claim about fender guitars and their guitar woods. I can attest to fender guitar bodies as being solid (alder wood) because of an incident involving one very damaged fender guitar in a bizarre mishap.

I have the Fender 40th Aniversery 1954 limited edition model Strat. It was held by a collector since new and has hardly been played. It came with two cases, a hard shell with a "40th Anniversary Stratocaster" plaque on the front and a vintage case covered in brown material. The vintage case I store with the vintage marketing stuff. The hardshell case is excellent protection for travelling. The guitar is a tobacco two tone sunburst with ash body and excellent grain. It is the most exceptional top I've ever seen on a Strat...and very comparable to the Class 5 Gibson Flame Top. It is standard, 3 stock vintage PU's, 5 position swtich, maple neck and vintage bridge and frets. Nice finish on the neck although a touch too much clear laquer.

I play in a worship band and we play all different styles of music. The tonal range is exceptional on this guitar! I also own an 88 American Standard strat in the same configuration and it is an excellent guitar, but does not hold a candle to the 94/54. The bridge pickup is hotter than a Tele and will cut through anything. Using the bridge/Middle combo and backing off the volume gets that Fender twang with better-than average mids and lows. Using the neck pickup, with the tone and volume backed off, gets a very jazzy tone that is perfect for the more moody kinds of music. I play through a Mesa Boogie Mark 1 with a rack of Boss effects and it sounds great with any combonation. I found that, with the Mesa jacked up a bit, and the volume at 10 on the Strat, there was no more need for an overdrive!!! It rocks, killer natural sustain too....

I also have a Gibson Custom Shop R9 flametop Les Paul. It is without a doubt the easiest guitar to play that I own(other Strats, a Tele, 335 and a Black Beauty)....the 94/54 is within a hair. I have the action down as low as practical to play fast and it is very comparable to the LP with no buzz(well, on the low E, a little....). Because the action is so low, I lowered the pickups to give a little more mid. Excellent playablity. The finish is excellent, everything aligned, great neck and frets. Literally no adjustment was needed...

I play about 7-10 hours a week and use a varitey of guitars to meet the musical need of the worship team, so I don't put alot of time on any one guitar. The 94/54 is very versitile, which means I may not need another guitar for the 6 or seven kinds of songs we do each week. I still like a Gibson for the harder rock/Bluesy stuff but the 94/54 is great for everything. Strats are practically unbreakable(my 88 has been through the mill and has only needed minor adjustments in 16 years) and this one actually feels more durable than the 88. The pickguard is the only area that may not stay the course. When the time comes, I'll swap to a 3 ply version.

Haven't had to think about it. I have a great dealer and a coupel of good guitar techs so I don't worry about that...it's ten years old...

I played this guitar in the showroom several times before I bought it. It was one of those that you know from the first minute that is right. I have been playing for 30 years and own many outstanding guitars and this one is really excellent. I like the natural sustain and playability and the typical Strat versitility allows you to use it for all kinds of music....a few stomp boxes and a Mesa is all you need to play pretty much anything...

Mine is a midnight wine 40th anniversary model with rosewood fretboard. Three pickups, 5 position switch, 1V, 2T Am. Std. Strat

I really love the sound of this guitar. I've played it through a variety of amps over the years, everything from tube to modeling, and it has always sounded good. There's nothing I've ever played that rivals the neck pickup into a pumped clean channel on a quality tube amp. It's really a wonderful experience. All 5 pickup positions are musical, but I find that I spend most of my time in the neck position for that fat, bluesy, sustaining tone. If you're a metalhead, you'll want to replace the bridge pickup with a single-coil shape humbucker like the hot rails because the single coil doesn't really cut it for the palm-muting crunch stuff.

The action from the factory is good and playable, but, like any guitar, you'll want to have it tuned by a pro in your area. The guitar feels just right and is among the most playable guitars I've ever played. The finish is still excellent, even after 9-10 years of playing it.

I initially had to have the neck replaces under warranty, because the guitar came from the factory with the truss rod maxed and the neck couldn't be set right. After that, I've never had a problem. Holds it's tune and tone very well.

Never had occasion to call them.

I love this guitar and it has been the only constant in my rig for the last 9-10 years. I doubt that I will ever sell it. It is completely stock and performs wonderfully every day. I sometimes ponder changing the pickups to the noiseless, texas special, or some other custom rig, but I haven't yet. You can't go wrong with this guitar. If you could only own one, I would make it a USA strat and rig the pickups for your style of play.

Just want to say David Clark's take is right on as far as TRUE 40th Anny,s are concerned. I don't recognize any other models that claim the 40th Anny. title. Interesting that you changed the selector switch David. The main reason I traded mine off was the quackiness of the pups that did'nt suit me cause of my rythm orientated playing...perhaps if I had done that mod.....

Quacky

Nitro...say no more.

Ash-maple...Hey!

Usual Fender ambivilence

Probally appreciate in value down the line, but I felt lucky doing a straight up trade for a Nikon camera outfit worth4000.00 at the time.

I have t give strats high marks for versatility even in their stock mode. Teh five way switch really is a cool feature. This particular Strat is Olympic white and it came without any TBX circuitry which is fine by me. I've recently put it back together in a somewhat stock configuration with the main modification being the really excellent Fender Noiseless PU's. I'm not sure about body construction. I bought this used in '95 and it was my main guitar for a while but I ended up using it's killer neck on something else for a while so the body just sat. It now has a neck from an American Standard that is about the same as the original. The neck has had the Feiten tuning system installe as well as a graphite nut and Sperzel locking tuners.

I would hardly ever give a rating of 10 but the sound of this thing kills! It sounds like a sledgehammer hitting a giant anvil. the bottom is absolutely enormous which is way more than I can say for the several other strats I have owned. The noiseless pickups are perfect and perfectly noiseless which is very cool because there is a lot of hash in the AC lines at my regular gig with dimmer pots and freezers and who knows what else plugged in. Every time I pick it up it just blows me away. The sound with my Kendrick repro of a high powered twin tweed is perfect. Soul mates if you will. It's quite an experience and I can't seem to put this guitar down! Strats all seem to sound so different and I've owned a few that were pretty uninspiring so I feel pretty lucky about this one. If I bought another it would probably suck like another reviwers apparently did. Sorry for him, happy for me.

I remember looking for a Gibson something or other and while I was waiting for the music store owner I just picked the Strat up and started goofing off. He didn't have what I wanted so I left. On the hour and a half drive home it slowly dawned on me that I had been holding the finest uitar I had ever held in my life! I got home and phoned and told him to hold it for me. I'm sorry I didn't ressurect this sooner. the setup was good but I always maintain my own instruments so this is good. The ilntonation on this guitar is way above average and it holds it's tuning like a great white on a bay seal. I like the classic look of the white finish and besides being possibly the best sounding guitar I own, I feel very cool playing and holding it.

It's a Strat. They bounce very well.

Nothing to hate, everything to love. The body resonates like nothing else. It may be magic. I'll be holding on to this one.

Essentially, this is just an early 90s American Standard Strat with a cheap looking badge/flag on the headstock. This is a sunburst, maple neck model, it has the usual Fender control and pickup configuration with the exeption of a TBX tone circuit which has passive cut and boost for the middle and bridge pickups. The TBX was quite useful for rolling back some treble on the bridge pickup.
It has the newer style Fender 2 point fulcrum tremolo with a very short arm and it came with a moulded Fender badged hard case.

This guitar just never cut it for me sound wise, I tried completely changing the pickups twice (Seymour Duncan and then Rio Grande) but although it helped a little, it still sounded like a cheap copy.
I have other American and Japanese Strats and whatever I did, I just couldn't get this one to sound as good as them.
I did some research and I'm convinced it is all to do with the construction of the bodies on newer American Strats.
For a start, they are not solid Alder or Ash, despite what Fender try and tell you. You can tell this on sunburst models by looking at the back. All the contours are completely blacked out. This is done to camouflage the fact that the body has a paper thin veneer of Alder or Ash. This veneer is harmful to the overall tonality of the guitar.
The Glue that sits 1/64th of an inch below the surface of the veneer acts as a tone dampener. Glue doesn't resonate well.
The other tone killing factor is the way Fender route out the pickup cavity on newer Strats. Instead of the traditional method of cutting 3 seperate oval pickup cavities, they just tear out a massive square swimming pool. This is pure cost cutting on Fender's part and has a bad effect on the sound, less wood = less tone.
Also with the old method, each pickup was magnetically shielded from its neighbor thus maintaining its integrity.
All of the above is not true of the Japanese Strats and pre 90s American Strats. Jap Strats are far superior in every respect and although they are no longer made, you can still get them for a song on ebay. Do yourself a favour and buy a Jap Strat before everybody wises up and the prices go crazy.

Ironically, the neck on this is perfect. The finish on the body is OK but the body is actually the wrong shape, the top horn curves in too much making the whole guitar look kind of squashed up.I've checked this against a couple of older American Strats I have and it's not just my imagination. God only knows what that's all about, maybe it's more cost cutting.

It works fine

If you look around, you could buy 3 used Jap Strats for the price of this...........NO CONTEST!

This is a 1994 40th. Anniversary Strat. Cobalt Blue with great finish - real pretty. Nice rosewood neck with the 'skunk stripe' - 5 way switch and standard staggered pole piece pick ups. Typical Fender noisy but clean and solid sound and feel. Came with a Tweed case. Also has the cut/gain (I can't remember the right word!) bottom tone control.

I play Praise and Worship music and was raised playing rock/blues. This styling still pours through! I am currently using a Peavey Classic 410 and a custom pedal board with analog effects (chorus, delay thru the effects loop - Cry Baby, Vox ValveTone, Dano Grilled Cheese distortion and Dano octavizer in line. The Strat gives me plenty of versatility and quality with this kind of set up. I recently bought a Rocktron R50C amp that I want to work in.

This thing was set up OK - but I always tweak all my guitars, as I did this one. I like the microtilt neck adjustment! The pickups were set well and everything fit well - with the exception of the volume control knob which has loosened up recently - but I play the guitar a lot and use the control frequently.

I play this guitar live in churches and outside venues in all kinds of weather and humidity variances. It actually takes less maintenance than other Strats, Teles and even Pauls that I have had. I always replace the strap buttons with strap locks - and with this one I had to do a little 'shimming and stuffing' but they are now solid. This is a very reliable guitar and out of habit I bring a back-up, but I very seldom unpack it! I have great faith in this guitar.

Never had to use them with this one. I have in the past and they were always helpful, but I usually repair and update my own.

I have been playing over 25 years and have owned many guitars (some of which I had back!!) this is by far the best Strat I've had including my Plus with Lace Sensors. I really like the feel and tone I get, especially the semi-clean. It leaves a little to be desired for crunchy distortion, but I use a Dean Icon for that kind of stuff.

This guitar is one of the 1954 made in 1994 as a 40th anniversary model. Made in Fender's Corona USA factory, it has a very nice ash body finished in two colour sunburst nitro-cellulose lacquer. You can see the open grain of the ash and it looks like they have attempted to match the two halves. This one is very attractive looking, some of these did not have as nice wood as this one. Neck is maple with the thick 1954 profile but a 9.25" radius with "skunk stripe" on the back.. No fancy birdseye, but a clean piece of wood. Frets are vintage standard and well finished. The neck is polyurethane finished, and quite thickly applied to the playing surface. This has meant that after two years of fairly good use I have not worn the finish off, and this is OK by me. Tuners are copies of the original Klusons, not locking, and reliable so far. The pick-guard is a thin one layer white, and I now know why Fender put an extra screw in and went to the three ply pick guard, because this one seems flimsy and wants to buckle. I'd change it if I could be bothered. The pick-ups are bevelled edge staggered pole magnets, again copies of the original. Bridge is standard vintage, as are the controls. I changed the three position switch for a 5 position as fiddling to get the "in-between" sounds is a pain. The guitar came with a standard plastic case (except for a plate on the top which states 40th ann etc), and another case which is a copy of the original. Needless to say, the copy is stored away, along with the guff that came with the guitar. The copy of the original strap is a joke, and poorly made.

The guitar suits me just fine. I play mainly music from the sixties, some 50's and 70's, so the sound is right. I can get that Hank Marvin of the Shadows sound or even Clapton-ish and Knopfler sounds (shame I cant play as well as they do). The ash body gives a very clear crisp sound and it sustains very nicely. Previous to this I has a '62 re-issue, and that guitar was just not in the same class. Pick-ups are of course noisy, especially under fluorescent lighting, but, hey, that's normal with single coil pick-ups. They sound just like they are supposed to - very Fender and very clear, but rich and full. Love the sound! I dont use the tone controls, and keep volume on full. I do find that the tone suffers if the volume is cranked back on the guitar. I use a new Fender Vibrolux Reverb amplifier, split so direct in to the "Bright" channel, and echo delay added in the other. Tone controls about middle. So the sound is pure guitar, very clean, very nice, very, well I have to say it, very Fender.

The guitar was not that well set up when I bought it, seems to be quite common for some Fenders. Construction is excellent, as it should be for the price, but the heavy coating on the fret board put me off at first. Two of the bridge screws already had a bit of rust, and the plastic shipping cover was still over the pick-guard. After a clean up (It had been in the shop a while) it all came together very nicely. I take care not to let rust get a hold as I don't like rusty hardware! The neck has not shifted and has needed to be adjusted only once, and that was due to a long hot summer. Stability is great, which was more than I could say for my old '62 re-issue that changed when the weather did.

This is my main guitar, and I do not bother to take a back-up on gigs. It is built solid in the Fender tradition and should last me out. I could hide it at home and keep it for future "collectabilty" but (tho my wife may disagree) I don't suffer from GAS. (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome). So, being a working guitar means the odd bump and scrape no matter how careful you try to be, so I can tell you the paint finish is thick! But it will chip, and I have a couple of little nicks to prove it.

Have not had any warranty claims, my local dealer is great, but that does not tell me anything about Fender. Warranty was pathetic and I am glad I didn't need to claim against it.

I have been playing on and off for many years, and still have my own band. We work about four times a month which is fine by me. I argued with myself for ages before I bought this guitar, as I had just had my '62 re-issue re-fretted and set-up. But I kept going back to try it, which was fatal in the finish. I saw a couple of others which were not as nice, and I worried about the thick neck and the shiny thick finish on the surface of the neck. I finally took the plunge and I was very glad I did. This is a great sounding guitar. It even sounds strong without amplification, it really resonates an an open A string, and it shows in the sustain that this guitar has. I compared all the Fenders I could, and nearly bought a Strat Plus, but the sound of this one convinced me in the end. Now I am used to it, the thick neck is an advantage. It holds it's tuning, and gives you a good grip, even for fast playing once you adjust. I think most of the older style stratocasters require you to work at them, they all buzz a bit on the thick "E" string, but this one is as good as any. There are easier to play instruments out there, but if you want a Fender then you get used to their idiosyncrasies. The thin pick-guard spoils the guitar, but I ignore it for the sake of the authentic "look".
I guess I made a right choice, because second-hand ones seem to have increased in value, if the market here is any indication. I plan to keep mine!