Fender American Series 50th Anniversary Stratocaster

It has everything you could want in a Strat, and nothhing more. 22 frets, USA, 5 position switch, tremolo bar, you know all this by now.

I play lots of different styles of music: classic rock, 80s pop/glam rock, 90s alternative and grunge, blues, country, folk, and jazz. This guitar can handle them all perfectly...except maybe folk music, which is all acoustic! But basically this guitar has all the awesome bright, toppy Strat sound you could want, while still having incredible warmth and clear low end. I play it mostly through a Fender Evil Twin and the sound is incredible.

Basically everyone knows what a Strat sounds like, but I want to point out that they really took a lot of care with this particular model and you can really tell by the incredible sound. Honestly, I must have played 50 different American strats over the years and this is probably the second best sounding guitar ever (the first being a custom Eric Johnson Strat).

I got it used, so I don't know how it was setup from the factory. I take my guitars to get set up by a luthier anyway. After my luthier set it up, this is one of the best playing strats I've ever held. No flaws anywhere as far as I can tell.

It definately withstands live playing. The finish keeps a beautiful shine and everything seems made from quality hardware. Well, I always feel that Fender's volume and tone pots feel a little "cheap," but I've never had any problems with them.

You could certainly use it at a gig, but I probably won't because it's kind of a collector's item.

Never had to deal with it.

I'm 44 this year, been playing since I was 14. Wow, 30 years. I own a few other electrics at the moment, a Mexican Strat that I've modded, a 90s Les Paul Standard, and a 90s blonde Telecaster. This is by far the best sounding and playing guitar in that collection.

I usually buy guitars used and sell them after a few years when I want something new. Something tells me that I'll never sell this baby. This is a top of the line Stratocaster that you can get without paying $3,000 for the new custom shop stuff. If you have the opportunity to buy one of these, don't hesitate, just get it! You won't regret it.

Same as others: ash body with CS54 pickups, moder c shape neck

This is the real ting. Played fenders since the 60s and the LE 50th anniv strat with CS54 pickups comes close to vintage. Beautiful full range of vintage strat tones and harmonics. Has glassy bell like tone with a delta tone boost. Best sound from fender I have heard in years. Pickups are awesome - better than my Hendrix Tribute 69s. The combination of the 54 pickups, ash body and maple neck work well together and produce that classic fender strat sound. Notes ring out - no muddiness - runs, double and triple stops sound fantastic. You can make the wind cry Mary....Chords, flat picking etc all sound great.

I am impressed with all wood and hardware components except the neck. Its ok, straight and plays nice - frets are polished but average neck quality and maple selection - just vanilla - no flame. My Peavey Falcon has a more impressive flame maple neck.

The ash body is custom shop grade - 2 tone finish is beautiful. Neck joint is nice and the edges are smooth. Hardware all fits perfectly nothing out of whack. Action is great.

Solid and the ash weights more that my other strats.

On the money - mine was used but close to mint. Had a deluxe that I sold not interested in SCN pickups - too artificial. Was sorry I passed up on the American series 50th Anniv model in 2004 - one came up and I went for it and glad I did. Becoming hard to find now.

Have not played a custom shop which is most likely best quality from fender. For an American manufactured guitar LE50th Fender model is hard to beat.

This is where THIS American Serie's is VERY different than any other American Series Strat. First off its a Two-Tone ASH body Stratocaster. It has a TWO-PIECE body which is harder and harder to find on Production line Strats. It has the Fender 54 pick-ups which very well may be the best pups Fender builds along with the CS-60's which only go in Custom Shop Strats. The rest aside from the Case is American Series Strat. But those FEW features I mentioned make a BIG difference.

One of the nicest Strats I ever played and I been playing these since the 60's. This is the REAL-DEAL. If you were smart you would buy one while the used price's are around $800. There is NOT a nicer Strat for that money! I added a 500K Tone pot and wired it as a Blender with the neck/bridge pup wired together. Turn to Ten and the Bridge alone is on turn to 1 and the neck alone is on. In the middle 5 it blends the two. The other Tone knob and volume knob are stock. I also added a Multi Pli Black PG to replace the single-ply PG that came stock. Also a matching Trem Plate. This Strat is right there with any other Strat I ever played. Its also the least expensive Strat I own. It has a few modern features with the Tuners, bridge, routes etc etc. So its a cross between Vintage and Modern but a nice Strat. Its Tones are very similiar to a 50's Strat. It definatly cops the Vinatge vibe.As far as Noise? I have heard a few players complain about excessive noise? As far as I can see its no different than any other single-coil with 60cycle hum? Thats what Strats do? It doesn't bother me. And with the Tone you are recieveing its worth a little hum.

Nice Strat, as good as or slightly better than another American series Strat. Fender do's a very good job on the finish and craftmanship of the AS Strats. I just never cared for the pick-ups. Thats where I love this one along with the two-tone, two-piece ash body? NICE!

Its a Strat?

N/A

One of the BEST Strats I've ever seen built by Fender. This Strat is that good. Check around from other players who been at this awhile. I been playing since the 60's! My advice? Check E-Bay and BUY ONE before the price go's through the roof. Because its gonna! Simply put its a keeper. My Strat is also 7-1/4LBs? Hard to find Production Line Strats with that kind of weight nowadays. To Date I play 2-Vintage Strats. A Eric Clapton and a SRV Strat. This one holds its own with the otheres and is by far the least expensive! A very very good buy!

Well I play rock....indie rock inspired by sigur ros, radio head, and Death cab. I don't really know what old strats sound like, but I do know what my ears tell me sounds good. I've played primarily through les pauls and other guitars, most of which I've loved. I play through a Collins 5e3 tweed deluxe clone. I was looking for a new guitar and was actually looking for a tele until I played this thing. I went up to Wildwood Guitars in Louisville with amp in tow and played a thin skin tele which really sounded great. I asked for something else that would be comprable in price and steve gave me this. I walked out that day with my guitar. The reviews are for real. This thing is amazing. The middle position is the sound I was searching for. I don't use the in between positions at all, but the bridge and neck position also sound great and have found a spot our(band) set. The 54's are awesome. I've gotten multiple compliments on how this guitar and my amp sound together. When the amp is warmed up with a little grit, those 54's are in their element. And it just gets better with more drive. I love it, and literally just sit in my basement playing chords cas they sound so good. Its noisy, but only when I turn on my clean drive to push the tubes hard. Its really not that big of a deal.

Wildwood Guitars.......No comment.

Like I said, I havent owned a strat, but I have seen the SRV video. Its not going to break.

Been playing for 8yrs. My band just got signed, and will be going on the road extensively this spring. I will buy another soon, since there are still a few left from wildwood, and I will also buy another deluxe from collins as back up. Which also happens to be a name you should check out for amps if your looking

2004-only Limited Run 50th anniversary Fender American Series Stratocaster in 2 color sunburst, ash body, maple neck, 9.5" radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, three custom shop '54 single coil pickups, modern bridge with trem, parchment pickguard and knobs, poly finish, ect.

I believe this guitar and the Eric Johnson Stratocaster are the only 2 non-Custom Shop Fender guitars to have Custom Shop pickups.

This strat is a 10 all the way. The combo of a ash body with the custom shop '54 pickups make Fender magic happen - - sweet chime, cut, clarity yet warm sounding. The Custom Shop '54s are not hum-free but when your are playing this beautiful strat all you hear is "holy-grail" quality tone.

I would rather have "holy-grail" quality tone with some hum than "hum-free" tone that is a compromise!

Please note that IMHO, the 2004 Fender 50th Anniversary Deluxe with the Noiseless pickups and gold harware is also a great guitar but sounds less like a vintage Fender Stratocaster than the American Series version!

Spot on action, fit and finish.

This appears to ba solid guitar and has performed flawlessly for me.

I have been playing for over 30 years and this Stratocaster is capable of "jaw-dropping" tone - - it is that good. Just play one and be prepared to be blown-away. This is also one the most beautiful strats I have ever seen with the 2 color sunburst covering its beautiful ash body. I would expect this guitar to become a collector's item and to appreciate in value in the years to come. I believe this Stratocaster to be a great value!!!

2004 50th Anniversary Stratocaster made in the USA. Two tone finish on ash body, parch. pick gaurd and pup covers/nobs, C shaped maple neck with satin finish. Custom shop 1954 pick ups, medium jumbo frets, fulcrum tremelo and non-locking tuners. 50th Anniversary G&G vintage tweed case with all of the extras included (wrenchs, fender strap and cable, polishing cloth etc.).

I feel this is exactly what a strat should sound like. Great for blues, rock, country and clean notes. Currently using a Marshall AVT 50, and I have tried this guitar on Vox and Peavey also. I am able to achieve the sound I want using all three. The custom shop 1954 pups are a bit noisy, although the sound they produce when playing is great.

The guitar needed the into. set on one string, although I am changing them from 9s to 10s and have the guitar undergo a full set-up and adjustment. Action, neck and pups were nicely set-up. The body and neck looks and feels great. There are no flaws that I can find.

This is a guitar to be played. It will not be stored as a collectable. I feel I can depend on it to gig with, there should not be any issues. As for gigging without a back-up, that would be bad idea with any guitar! The finish is very nice, although I wish it had nitro instead of poly.

Never had to deal with them. There was a few issues with the case and the place of purchase gave me a new one immediately.

I have been playing for approx. 20 years and currently own the following: 1980s Ibanez Roadstar II, 1980s Charvel, 1990 Jackson Soloist, 1994 Epiphone Emperor II Joe Pass Model, Takamine Acuostic EG-330C, and Wechter Maple Lake 1607 Travel guitar.I truely love how the 50th Anniv. American series guitar sounds and plays. If I had to change anything, I would change the strings from 9s to 10s, a slight tint added to the neck finish and the boby finish changed for poly to nitro. The strings are easy to fix and I can live without the tinted neck and nitro finish.
I highly recommend this model over the deluxe version. The sound between the two are very different. The case is great, I catch myself handling it just as careful as the guitar.
There was one other guitar I played and liked very much. This was a G&L George Fullerton signature model and was a very close 2nd. I do not like buying guitars over the internet and insist on playing them first. If the 50th american was not available to play, I would have bought the G&L.

Its a Strat, typical tonal options. Delta tone pot, see other reviews for the rest

Well, it definitely sounds like a vintage strat. It does sound good, however I could just cannot get over the noise. Understanding that this is a guitar modeled after the vintage strat That must included the prerequisite noise. Don't get me wrong this is a very nice sounding stratocaster, but in today?s world, come on,,,,, there is no reason to put up with the noise.

I tried both the standard and the deluxe and went with the deluxe. IMHO, the deluxe just offers more tonal variety. Doesn?t had quite the quack that the standard has, but what it does offer is more, a lot more! Well at least to me. I love strats but needed something that could work in any environment. The standard just didn?t cut it for me.

BTW I love gold hardware,

The Deluxe sounds amazing, very sweet. With the S1 switching it makes a strat sound huge! So many more options and dead quite.

Very good, no issues here. Fender has improved the quality control. The guitar was set up very well to my style of playing.

Well its a strat, I owned a few and never had a problem with any of them that weren?t operator induced.

Well its a Fender!

Now I'mnot some young wipper snapper, I'm 47, played tones of guitars, this is a nice guitar. But not one for a quiet stage, or recording.

Everything is exceptional on this quitar, well everything except for the hum. Couldn't live with it. Sorry guys, to each their own.

Went with the deluxe, more option, very very quiet. And again I love gold hardware!

This is the 2004, 50th Anniversary commemorative Stratocaster. It is made of a 2 piece ash body, one piece maple neck and fretboard and Fender CS 54 pickups. The CS54 pickups are a vintage style pickup and the middle pickup is not reverse wound, reverse polarity and so there is no hum cancelling in the in-between (2 & 4) positions. Trust me, you won't miss it at all -- you'll be too busy enjoying the in-between tone. It also employs the no-load tone control wired to the middle and bridge pickups. The fretboard has a modern "C" shape and a 9.5 inch radius. The tremolo (whammy bar, wang bar, whatever you call it) is the modern two point, stainless steel variety. The body is of the original contour style. This guitar is perfect for anyone who likes the way a modern Strat feels in their hands, but likes a vintage, chimey bell like Strat tone as oppossed to ear the splitting over-rectified tone that passes for much of today's music. I also own a 2004, 50th Anniversary Deluxe model and in many ways, this guitar is far superior.

As I said above, this guitar is a great modern edition of the classic, time-tested Stratocaster. It is the finest sounding guitar I have ever played personally. Better than my Deluxe anniversary model by a long shot, and better than any custom shop guitar I ever played. If classic, chimey, bell-like, vintage Strat tone is what you're after, then you owe it to yourself to at least try one of the out before you buy anything else. It is especially great sounding when played through a blackface amp. I personally played it through both a Super Reverb and a Deluxe Reverb and I was literally blown away by the tone. I can't imagine a Twin Reverb would be bad either. And of the Hot Rod series amps would likely sound very good too, and I am thinking a Marshall stack would be sweet too. Actually, I can't imagine getting bad tone out of this guitar unless you played it through a 1" speaker or something.

The sound itself is bright with the "snappiness" you would expect from an ash bodied guitar. This compliments the vintage style CS54 PUPs perfectly and gives this guitar a voice for the ages -- sweet, ultra sensitive, clear and articualte. When I tried this guitar out at the store, I dimed the DRRI I tested it through and the gain structure was rich and full and bright, but not tinny.

Actually, this guitar was purchased at Guitar Center and had only been in the store 2 days. I was skeptical until I looked it over and wiped down the few visible fingerprints with a microfiber cloth. I was very pleasantly surprised at the condition of it and I felt good about buying it -- and I was in to look at a Super Reverb to start with! It is in perfect condition with the only exception being that the middle pickup cover as some excess plastic that I only noticed upon the final "about to pay" inspection. The action is great and as I like using Super Bullet 9-42s (which were also new and not grimy), I will need to do nothing to this guitar. The trem works flawlessly -- something I could not say about my 50th Deluxe anniversary model which I needed to burnish the nut slots on the G and B strings on. Now don't get me wrong, my anniversary Deluxe is a great guitar, but I needed to set it up to my liking and fiddle with the nut to get there. This guitar needs absolutely no setup work by contrast and is beautiful to look at and flawless of finish.

I own 4 American Series Strats and an American Series Ash Telecaster, plus two Fender tube amps and I've never had any reason to contact fender for support. Enough said.

Never had to call them -- ever.

I have been playing since 1969, and I have a lot of pretty nice gear -- probably more than I ought to -- but this guitar went to number one with a bullet. Before this, my #1 was a 2002 American Series 3TSB Strat loaded with CS Fat50s pickups. That guitar is still mighty fine, but the combination of ash body and CS54 PUPs is just so much better than even that to me. The only knock I ever had on the Fat50s PUPs is that bridge pickup is a tad too thin for my tastes at times. It is, I believe, correct in its vintage (modelled after a set of 1958 Strat PUPs), but I just wasn't 100% on that bridge PUP. That (albiet small) problem has been solved quite nicely now as these PUPs are full and rich in any position and the in-between tone (of which I am a huge fan) is to die for. I went in the store to look at an amp, and I came out with this -- it was that good.

This is the 2004 American Series 50th Anniversary Stratocaster. It's features are listed below by others and, of course, on the Fender website.
The pickups are 1954 Custom Shop single coils.
The body is ash.

If you want a vintage strat sound then try this guitar, if you can find one. The combination of the '54 Custom Shop pickups and the ash body is simply terrific. For a clean, evocative tone this is it!
I play Shadows, Hank Marvin, Mark Knopfler; the quality of the tone is more than important to me.

I was simply staggered when I opened the tweed case. It's a gorgeous guitar and the quality of the workmanship is of the highest order. It was impeccable.

This guitar is both a work horse and a work of art. It is very well made, but it won't be abused by me. I like it too much.

No dealings to report on.

I've been playing on and off for 35 years. This is the best guitar I have ever owned. My previous 'best' was a Yamaha 812W - a great guitar, but it did not have 'that' tone that I wanted. I did try the 2004 50th Anniv. Deluxe strat: I like the S1 variety, but it's pickups are not '54's and the tone is not quite what I wanted. Also the gold finish would be a long term concern.

made in jan 2004 i believe. 22 medium jumbo frets. 3-piece ash although from either the front or the back, you'd only spot 1 seam. v. no-load tone control. came with a 50th anniversary embossed tweed case (which is so much cooler than the molded case i got with the american series tele) and the 50th anniversary book written by tom wheeler. but...those custom 54 pickups are the best thing yet (more of that later). this is a through and through strat.

before owning one, i'd tried the deluxe version as well. while it looked and sounded impressive, it was really ott for me. i figured the gold plating will wear off some day and the s-1 switch was just a tad too modern from what i was looking for. after trying the deluxe, i picked up the standard at the sales rep's recommendation and the first thing that came out from the twin amp was the sweetest sounding strat tone i've ever heard. the custom 54 pickups are just awesome. never overbearing but with just enough bite to move the soul. switching to the in between setting positions brought about the claptonian chimey bell-bottom blues tone. if you do not already realise by now, i love the sound.
the pickups are not noiseless and the combined pickups positions are not hum cancelling; so there will be some noise when you are playing with more gain. but as a previous reviewer mentioned, i'd gladly take the noise that comes with the tone of this guitar.

the guitar came with a medium action, with a bit more upbow on the neck than i would have liked. the middle areas of the strings were thus very springy. a quater turn to tighten the truss rod was all it took to straighten the neck and to provide the reduced relief that i like. it also gave the strings a bit more tension. the straightening of the neck brought the action down to a low-medium. measured with a capo on the first fret, the bass e was 4/64" while the high e string was 3/64" off the 17th fret. this low action gave a slight fret buzz only when i strum real hard.
the nut slot for the g string was giving a bit of problem at the start. each time i perform a divebomb, the g string will go extremely sharp. instead of using pencil lead to lubricate the slot, i chose to use talcum powder so as not to blacken the nut. this seemed to have cured the problem quite a bit.
except for the nut slot problem, the rest of the guitar was top notch.

it wouldn't have lasted 50 years if it weren't reliable now, would it?

never had to deal with them yet, but their website is chocked full of stuff.

after trying out the strat at the store, i came here to check out the reviews to see what everyone was saying about the guitar. i read about how one of the earlier reviewers had gotten the strat as a present from his wife and was wishing it would happen to me. i guess there must have been a star with my name on it that day, 'cause a week later, my wife gave one to me as a birthday gift!
take my word for it, get one!
if you're undecided between the deluxe and this one, take my word for it, get this one!
sure, if the gold plating/ locking tuners/ modern switches float your boat, buy the deluxe. but if you're looking for great tones but can't afford the custom 54 anniversary strat, you need look no further.
did i say go get one?

made supposedly only for 2004.has a mildly figured ash body,(3 piece on mine) maple neck,custom shop 54 pickups, tweed case with commemorative logo. also has engraved logo on back of neck plate .The guitar isnt that much more than a regular American series strat so for what ya get its a decent price.so i give it a 9 here.

I play mostly classic rock in a cover band.i use mesa boogie nomad 100 or my triaxis rack setup. i know evryones been hyping this guitar because of its pick-ups,but i gotta tell ya .there damn good pick-ups. its sounds like a vintage instrument. and the tone controls actually work in conjunction with them.this is the only strat ive used that i can use the bridge Pick-up alone.without getting the ice pick tone i get with my other strat.(93 strat plus) the combination of ash and maple work perfect with the pick-ups.i love the tone of this guitar .it smokes my strat plus which has lace sensors(gold).its alittle noisy but ive been taming strat noise for 25 years,so im gettin good at it.i had my coice between this one and the deluxe,and i cose this because it was more pure strat tone. also to be honest i had a 57 reissue ordered in white blonde ash. it was gonna be another month or so till it showed up.then the two anniversary strats showed up. the deluxe sounded a little to processed and the gold hard ware looked cheesy to me.i hate gimmicks and thats what the s1 thing feels and looks ,ike to me. my strat plus has doodad gimmicks tbx ,trem setter etc so i dont another one with gimmicks thats why i had ordered the 57 reissue,i wanted classic strat tone..the anniversary model has the same things i wanted in a strat ie: ash body ,maple neck, vintage pickups.if only it came in white blonde...

action was a bit too high and made it tough to play faster runs smoothly. i use 10 gauge strings and do my own setups. so the first thing i did was change the strings and set it up. now it plays great,like a strat should. almost as good as my ash tele,but not quite. i'll play it for a while longer to get the bugs out and tweak it a bit.the finish is nice. too bad it has three pieces . i would prefer one or even two but hey its not that expensive of a guitar. No marks or visible flaws anywhere. neck wood was a little bright .i would have liked a more vintage reissue glaze to go along with the 50's type vibe this guitar is supposed to have.but it is a beautiful instrument

ITS A STRAT .THERE INDESTRUCTABLE....well almost.

heard they suck,but ive never tried em so n/a for this spot.

been playing 25 years.full time for the past 17 or so. have one other strat,a 93 strat plus .also have a new ash tele. Gibson les paul classic ,and a custom. marshalls, etc etc. i have quite a bit of gear. and ive been at this for quite some time.playing clubs and teaching.I can honestly say this is without a doubt the nicest start oi have ever owned ,and i had quite a few. looks beautiful and has a very warm usable tone in all pick up positions.get one before its too late.

In most regards, this is a 2004 American Series Stratocaster with the following distinctions: nicely grained ash body in classic 2-color sunburst (not one piece, according to the literature, but in 2 weeks I haven't been able to find the seam), single ply white pickguard (much thicker than the original '50s guards), and three Custom Shop '54 pickups. Neck is maple with the normal satin finish, 22 frets and staggered-height tuners; controls the usual vol - tone - tone, the second tone control being the modern "no-load" control which has a detent just before "10" that removes the pot from the circuit when engaged. Modern 2-post tremolo bridge. This guitar is not a vintage reissue, as some folks have seemed to expect, but more a tribute to the original '54 Stratocaster in the form of a modern Strat.

In the numerical rating for this category, I give it a '9' rather than '10' only because they specify "tons of features" as the criterion for the highest rating; while it can't be said to have tons, it has all the features I want in a Stratocaster, and well done too.

The pickups, unlike the standard American Series, don't feature a reverse wind/reverse polarity middle unit, so you get no hum cancelling in positions 2 and 4. Having grown up on old-style Strats, this is no defect as far as I'm concerned. A little hum is a small price to pay for tones this good.

The music I play includes various rock styles, with tinges of blues, folk, and country at times. About the only genres that fall under the heading of "rock and roll" that I don't play are thrash, death, or nu-netal. Over the years, I've found Strats to be the most versatile instruments for my needs, and this one is about perfect. With one exception, all the pickup positions serve up classic Strat tones. Actually, the "exception" is a classic Strat tone too - that spiky, over-bright bridge pickup sound. Many Strat players find the bridge pickup tends to be nearly-unusable on its own, but on the other hand it's an integral part of the position 2 "quack tone", which this guitar really excels at.

An ideal quack is meaty but bright and biting, with a complex midrange and a lot of sparkle - and that's what the 50th Anniversary gives you in spades. The other positions are great too; the neck pickup is throaty and full, the middle has that acoustic-like transparency (also with plenty of bite) that's equally suited to rhythm and lead, and the position 4 neck/mid combo is full, clucky, and defined. They all exhibit that crytalline, airy character that great Strats are known for.

I've used this guitar through a Hot Rod Deluxe, MESA Boogie Maverick combo, Trace Elliot Velocette, and Pro Junior and it sounds terrific through all of them. That biting attack really works well with the distortion channels on the HRDlx and Boogie.

In a word, this thing just sings.

As it came out of the case, the action was a bit on the high side for my taste - which means it was pretty high, as I'm not a fan of extremely low action. Since the first thing I do with a new guitar when I get it home is switch to a heavier (10-52) set of strings, I figured I'd take care of the action issue afterward, since changing gauges nearly always necessitates a neck tweak. About a half-turn on the truss rod was all it needed; currently it plays very well.

The finish is gorgeous, and with the heavily grained ash body makes for a beautiful guitar. The neck is well-seated, with no gaps on either side of the neck pocket. Pickup height was perfect - for my tastes, I couldn't have set it better myself.

The only quibble I have concerns the nut - just thinking about using the wang bar is enough to throw the guitar badly out of tune due to strings (particularly the G) binding in the nut slots. Even after lubricating it with a teflon-based gel, tuning up the G string often results in an audible "ping" as the tension builds on the headstock side of the string until it suddenly lets go. To be fair, I do use heavier strings than the .009s it was set up with at the factory. But one of the features Fender touted most at the inception of the American Series was the "detailed nut work" - wishful thinking, IMO.
Before I'll be able to use the tremolo, the nut will have to be replaced.

As others have said in this regard, it's a Strat. I expect no problems with it; American-made Strats (outside of the late '70s) have never given me any reason to doubt their toughness.

I rarely gig without a backup guitar, but for reasons of string durability rather than the guitar itself. Strats, and Fenders in general, are superbly gig-worthy and promise years of failure-free service.

I have not had great experiences with Fender customer service. A new Hot Rod Deluxe I bought last year had a defective speaker; I took it to the repair center in March. It's now late August and the replacement speaker JUST ARRIVED. On the other hand, they have eventually rectified any problems I've had in the past - they're just not very quick about it.

I've been playing Strats for 32 years. Over this time I've owned dozens of them; currently I have 14. This is without doubt the best new Strat I've ever bought (and I have some nice ones). As soon as I heard that Fender was making a 50th Anniversary, it was a foregone conclusion that it would be only a matter of time before it was coming home with me.

This guitar has it all - great looks, great action, and most of all, great, vintage sound. It's the sound I hear in my head when I imagine an idealized Strat tone.

It'd be nice to be able to afford the Custom Shop version (a true reissue), but that's a little out of my league. (3 - 4 thousand bucks for a solid-body guitar without binding, exotic bookmatched tops, or elaborate inlay strikes me as insane, anyway.) I really didn't consider the 50th Anniversary Deluxe version, preferring a basic Strat without weird pickups or superfluous switching options - plus the gold hardware looks ugly to me.

The one and only thing I'd change, if I could, would be the neck profile. It's a little on the skinny side, even as compared to recent American Series and American Standard necks, let alone a true '50s baseball bat. Outside of that, this guitar is about as perfect as I can imagine it being. If something were to happen to it, I believe I'd have to sell off a couple of the remaining 13 and get another one.

I think any Stratocaster fiend would be overjoyed with the 50th Anniversary American Series. I sure am!

2004 Made in USA
22 medium jumbo frets
Volume, tone, no-load tone (removes cap from circuit at the 10 setting), 5-way selector
SSS
Custom '54 pickups. I don't know if these are exactly the same as the aftermarket Custom Shop '54 pickups, but Fender says they are of the same specs as the pickups on the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary Stratocaster.
Maple neck with walnut skunk stripe on back. Ash body.
Polyurethane gloss 2-tone sunburst body and clear satin poly on neck.
American series tremolo.
Non-locking Fender-Schaller tuners.
Modern C profile 25.5" scale neck.
Special 50th Anniversary G&G tweed case. Mine came with the 50th Deluxe accessory kit, oddly enough. I got my dealer to provide me with the standard American Series accessory pack.

I bought this to cover the classic rock stuff I like as well as some trashy stuff. By this, I mean CCR, Hendrix, Pixies, Nirvana, Weezer, etc. It seems to do these styles quite well.

I usually run it straight into a 30W Behringer Vintager GM110 analog modelling amp. Sometimes, I use my pedals, which are: BOSS DS-1 Distortion => Electro Harmonix Small Clone Analog Chorus => Dunlop Crybaby 535Q wah => AKAI Headrush delay/looper.

Make no mistake, these pickups are not noiseless and the middle pickup is not reverse wound/reverse polarity. So, there is a mild hum in all 5 switch positions. The hum is not really noticeable on clean settings. On dirtier settings, the hum is more pronounced, but the sounds are louder and more distorted and I don't really notice. Overll, the hum isn't bad.

This guitar can be very, very, very bright if you want it to be. The no-load tone control for the bridge can give you the direct bridge pickup sound. However, the neck pickup can be beautifully round and bell-like. The tone control can really warm things up. This guitar can cop many tones. The pickups are low output, but turning up the gain can help you cover many styles.

Did I mention bell-like? I haven't heard much quack yet, but I am learning what it sounds like.

I wish Harmony Central would separate adjustable things like action from this category. Too many people don't like factory setups and just give low marks. The rest of the guitar might be fine, but people can give it a 2 in this category because the action was "total crap." I have to give a number here, so I will not punish the finish with the setup problems severely.

Anyway, this guitar was setup fairly well. By no means perfect to the default settings, but rather close considering the transit via UPS. There is some buzzing on the low E that I haven't tried to fix. It might be a simple neck relief thing.

Also, there was a string misalignment that I recklessly attempted to fix the wrong way. It was suggested to me on the Fender Discussion Page (FDP) Forum to loosen the neck and force it to a new position to improve the alginment. The theory was that it may have shift during transit. Actually, the problem was fixed by budging the saddles towards one side.

The pickups were essentially set to factory specs. A decent starting point for many, but I imagine I'll lower them eventually.

The ash body looks seamless. Fender says it's at least 2 pieces but I can't find the joint anywhere. The grain is swirly with maybe 2 unattractive marks that are noticeable close up.

Either the pickguard or the bridge mounting posts are misalgined. I can't figure out how this happens since I thought that the holes were all CNC drilled. Anyway, the flexibility in the saddle design compensates for this.

The neck is awesome. Smooth and no frets poking out. There is hardly any grain to the maple but it looks nice. I hope this finish holds up because it is a nice feel. The neck is also more substantial than my Squier. I like it.

One of the strap button screws was not seated and may be stripped.

The tuners are solid and the guitar stays in tune. I am amazed at the tremolo. It is so much better than the one on my Squier. With the Squier, just putting the arm in the trem would put a few strings out of tune. This bridge returns to pitch well. I thought I would instantly put in another 2 trem springs but I don't think it's necessary. 3 springs gives a more loosey-goosey fell that I am starting to like.

The neck pocket is not "clean." There are remnants of at least 2 stickers (w/barcode) and some grease. I don't know where the grease came from, but I hear that the sticker problem is common.

This seems more substantial and solid than my old Strat Pak Squier (1996). That old guitar has held up well, so I bet this one will do just as well if not better.

The hardware seems good so far. The tuners are Fender/Schaller and the German stuff is supposedly top notch. I may replace them with the Fender/Schaller locking tuners to help my change strings faster. The stock tuners keep tune well. I do have a strap button screw than isn't tight. I am not going to try and force it for fear of stripping the hole.

The finish is polyurethane and should last. I am going to baby this guitar because I wouldn't want cracks or chips in poly! It would be a headache to fix.

I haven't dealt with Fender directly as they have no officialy 'Net method of interacting with customers. The documentation on the Mr. Gearhead site isn't always up-to-date.

I have found the Fender Discussion Page (FDP) Forum to be helpful.

I also must give kudos to Guitar Trader. They can meet any price yet throw at them and will help make things right if there is a problem.

I have been playing off and on since 1993. Mostly off. I don't gig and have never been in a band. I have the gear I listed in the Sound category as well as a Yamaha F-33something acoustic and I still have all the stuff from my 1996 Strat Pak.

I wish I asked Guitar Trader to open up the box and check it out before sending. That could have saved them and me some trouble. This guitar came with the American Deluxe 50th Anniversary accesory kit by mistake. They might have also spotted the string misalignment.

I don't think I would buy this again. Don't read much into that statement. I wanted an American Series strat and was ready to get a blue one for $610. I read some great stuff about this guitar and did the math. It's a good deal with some limited edition stuff that may be worth something one day. If it went missing, I would probably be covered by the jack of all trades Heritage or Carvin I will soon buy.

I didn't like 2 and 3-tone sunbursts much before, but this is growing on me. I am going to call it "Toasty" because it reminds me of freezer French Toast from Aunt Jemima. The neck is great. This is my first maple fretboard and I love the feel.

This guitar makes me play in a way I'am not used to. It's just so snappy and alive. It's got personality.

I think this guitar is shielded, but it would be nice if Fender would take an extra step or two and really quiet these things.

Overall, the package is great. It might not be my main guitar for long, but it will certainly get attention.

highly figured 2 piece solid ash body, slightly flamed maple neck, 3 custom shop '54 pickups, single ply pickguard, fancy 1954-2004 anniversary neck plate, fancy G & G tweed, plush lined case, otherwise, it is a typical strat..this is one BEAUTIFUL guitar

the sound reminds me of the old strats i used to hear at jam sessions in the 1960's...very RAW, i love it !!...it can do anything i want it to do...there are no limitations

straight out of the box, it plays PERFECTLY...the finish is flawless...i am VERY particular....i could find NOTHING wrong with this guitar

c'mon...what can happen to a strat???...i used to have one that i literally would throw in the air and let bounce on the stage...then i would whip it with my guitar strap !!...for real !!...it got scratched, and dented, as you would expect, but it never broke and never let me down....i have passed that stage of musical developement, so would expect that this guitar will be passed down to my great, great grandchildren

i had trouble with my old strat's case...fender replaced it...i also lost the little spring in the tremolo cavity...fender replaced it...so far, no problems with this one, nor do expect any...if i should have an unfortunate experience, i am sure the local fender dealers will back it up as they have always done in the past

imagine my surprise when i walked in my door and this strat was waiting for me in my living room....seems my wife was smitten by the guitar when she saw it at the eric clapton crossroads festival in dallas..since i was born in 1954, she thought this would be the most appropriate gift in the world...my god !! ...she was right...i could never have expected such a wonderful gift...man, i love my wife !!..i have been playing professionally most of my adult life,at times 25 gigs a month !!...i have never played or owned a strat that was this freakin' cool...i own too many guitars,prs signature, tele's, martins, etc..you name it...this is the epitomy of what a strat should be....it is AWESOME and i would recommend this model of guitar to anyone for any style of music..simply put...I LOVE THIS GUITAR !!!

As you would expect in a typical American, but the 50th Anniversary only comes with a maple neck, highly resonant ash body, the marvelous "custom shop '54 pickups," and a tweed case with 50th Anniversary insignia. All in all, a great value for the money. I give this category a 9 only because there are other features some players may prefer, such as locking tremelo, roller-nuts, fancy pickguards, etc., but it has everything I need.

I LOVE the sound of this guitar. I have owned two other Strats, a big apple (double humbuckers) and, currently, an American Deluxe (pre-S-1 pickup system). After playing long enough, developing my ears, and sampling enough crappy and quality guitars, I realized I that I wanted a full-sounding, highly resonant, "Stratty" sounding Stratocaster, with the signature Strat "quack," not a muddy or dead-sounding tone trapped in the Strat's comfort contoured body. So, I set off looking for the "right Strat for me," thinking seriously about a '57 Vintage Reissue model.

This guitar is exactly what I was looking for. I play her through a Top Hat Club Royale (2x12) and a Victoria 518 (Tweed Champ clone) as well as a Vox Pathfinder with Reverb (SS practice amp), and I was shocked to find that the "old school" pickups are virtually silent in the tube amps, with just a little more hum in the SS amp.

Honestly, I haven't found a bad sound through the 5-setting pickup switch. Keep in mind, it's a Strat, if you're trying to emulate a Les Paul, you're barking up the wrong tree. Similarly, if I need a Tele honk, I grab my Tele. That said, this guitar is dark enough to cover rock, alternative and blues and bright enough for surf, country and soloing. Sounds amazingly resonant unplugged, crisp, clean and bright on clean settings, and it screams (with definition) when painted with overdrive. I give it a 10 for that quality vintage Strat tone I was looking for.

I bought my 50th from the guys at Wildwood Guitars in Colorado, and it was a pleasure to work with them. Thanks Steve! True to their description, the guitar came perfectly setup, no buzzing, with low action comparable to my Tele setup.

I primarily use 10s, but I'm keeping the 9s on this one, as Fender intended, because it's so easy to bend and sounds great even without the extra heft. The factory finish was near flawless. So far, I haven't found a single defect. The 2-piece body is perfectly matched, with only slight changes in coloration indicating where the pieces meet.

The neck is a pleasure to play. Although I love my 52 RI Tele, with its nitro finished, fat, U-shaped neck and vintage fret wire, the 50th's poly coated modern neck, with medium jumbo frets is much easier to play. Moreover, the fretwork is top notch, with nicely rounded ends.

Time will tell, as with any guitar. Seems rock solid, great finish, depdndable. I took off the factory strap buttons and added the dunlop locking system to fit my well-worn leather strap with the locking system. Strings break, stuff happens, always bring a backup to a gig -- or a living room.

No idea. If I ever had a problem, I would seek out the best local guy to fix it.

I have been playing for six years and have been through plenty of gear in that short time. Once you've played a truly quality instrument or through a great amp, you know when you have found your match. I have parted with plenty of guitars over the years, but I have no intention of selling my 52 RI Tele (with Fralin bridge pickup), my Les Paul (with P-90s), and it looks like this 50th Anniversary. This guitar is exactly what I was searching for, and I would try and find another if anything happened to it. Like anything else, quality varies in every instrument, so compare as much as you can, play the guitar yourself or, if you're just starting out or don't have access to the guitar, have someone you TRUST test and compare it for you. I give it a 9 only because it is a medium weight guitar (likely due to the resonant ash) and I have played lighter alder Strats. The 50th Anniversary American Series Stratocaster is an amazing value for the money!

Hey, just the usual stuff with the addition of Custom Shop 54 pickups, and a 50th Anniversary neck plate, plus the Tweed case with 50th Anniversary emblem embroidered in the cloth. Maple board, excellent 2 color sunburst.

This strat has absolutely PURE strat tone. No hum cancelling position; was thinking about replacing the middle PUP with a reverse wound, but it sounds too good to mess with. I use it with a Reverend Hellhound, and it works for me. I have compared it to a newer one that the store I purchased from received; mine sounds better, and is lighter in weight.

Factory set up was good; I lowered the action a little, because I like it slinky! I have some tendonitus, so I have to have it low. No complaints in this department; the 2 color 'burst is beautiful! I wish the neck was just a little larger, though.

I had a little problem with the input jack at first, but the dealer (Guitar Gallery in Birmingham, Al.) took care of it. Other than that, it seems completely trustworthy.

I have owned tons of Fender gear, but have never dealt with them on an issue.

Been playing since 1964. I play semi-professionally, 2 to 6 times a month. I have had quite a few (around 12) strats over the years; this one sounds as good as any, better than most. I also use a PRS McCarty; I pretty much have it covered with the 2 of them.

I rank it high in this category, not because of the number of features, but because it has the features needed (and some more..the tremolo)

Great clean sound with sustain and a certain "thickness" too. I play primarily blues, (good)old time rock and a little country (sorry!) and pop-rock(sorry again!!) too

This guitar was bought in the best american music shop I know and set uo by a real master: Larry Miletich from Music One Workshop in Kalispell, Montana. It is the second guitar I have sendt all across the ocean from USA to Denmark, and I trust this great guy completely. He did a complete set-up on the guitar and even polished the frets!

It is a Fender american build - off course it can stand the use and I trust it completely, though I take another guitar with me, but thats for different playing-styles (humbucker, distortion and stuff) and in case of string breakage

I have never tried that, but might have a problem because I imported the guitar myself

Having played on and of since the sixties and now deeply into the blues, this my 4th electric guitar will be ranked very high in my little collection - probably the most usefull of the all.

2004 Made in USA Stratocaster. Essentially a regular old American Series Strat with an ash body finished in 2 color sunburst, sinlge ply pickguard, Custom Shop '54 pickups and a tweed case with a 50th Anniversary logo.

The stuff I wanted in a strat, without having to mod, build my own, or go custom shop. I would have preferred slot head tuners, but the regular ones work well.

Sound? It sounds exactly like a good strat should, bright, clear, articular. The in-between settings have lots of cluck, and the tone controls are well voiced. The center pickup isn't RW/RP, but I'm not a gain-monster, so again, it doesn't bother me.

The factory setup was exactly what it should have been, floating bridge and 0.009s. I had the guy at the shop bring the bridge down and set it up for 0.010s. The frets were nicely rounded and polished, and the nut is cut well. No flaws.

It's a strat, you can't really kill it. I swapped the standard buttons for straplocks. I thought they should have been there to begin with.

No problems yet, and I hope I don't have to deal with Fender if there are any problems. I'm sure my local dealer will be able to take care of me.

A great guitar for me. Don't hold your breath on future collectability, since Fender seems to crank out another "Anniversary" instrument ever year. Good thing there wasn't a premium for anything other than the upgraded pickups and case, AND I didn't have to mod it.