Fender American Strat Plus

1987 USA Fender Strat Plus, 3 tone sunburst finish, rosewood fretboard
22 frets
1 volume, two tones. tone pots are TBX ones. First one affects middle & Bridge pickup.
3 Gold Lace Sensor pickups, Wilkinson roller nut, Sperzel locking machine heads, standard pivot tremolo system.
Came with Fender case, strap, strap locks, owners manual.

clean the guitar is very nice, very stratty, but no noise. Lace sensors are louder than normal strat pickups but still retain the sparkle. The TBX tone controls are great. Want the ZZ Top sound, Use the bridge pickup with the tbx turned way down & it's right on the button.First strat I've ever owned that growls.

Set-up was pretty average, ok if you don't have any quirks.
pickup adjustment on the lace sensors is not important. no matter how close they are to the strings there is no difference to the sound (check the owners' manual).
finish was immaculate, even the frets.

watch S.R.V. & see what a strat can take. Try it with a Les Paul. I don't think so.

company pretty good.
Nightmare to get spares from.

Been playing 20 years.
Own 2 '91 Gibson Les Pauls, '76 Strat, '57 USA re-issue (like Dave Gilmour's), '60's Japanese re-issue Strat (pink),60's Japanese fotoflame Strat (Red sunburst), White & Gold Custom shop Strat, '96 USA standard start (lake placid blue), USA Designer Series strat - silver sparkle finish, black headstock, silver logo, Yamaha APX7 electro-acoustic, Yamaha APX9A 12-string electro-acoustic, Danelectro twin neck (12 & 6),Yamaha LA8, Ibanez 80's Roadstar Pro Series active bass, Yamaha AE400,

'95; rosewood fretboard; roller nut; Lace Sensors; trem-setter installed; locking tuners.
Black and white (I assume alder body wood).

Good range. Bright and spanky to Jazzy through Tech 21 Trademark 60 amp. Useful for all the styles I use, which are mostly clean to Blues edge, a bit of grit, and sometimes soaring distortion leads (the amp makes most guitars sound pretty good, this one is no problem either).
I think it wants to play country clean, but quite a bit of variety is available through the TBX, and I like the tone controls set up for de-shrilling the bridge pu.

Bought used, but it plays great and is seven years old, without appreciable fret wear.
Neck is straight and action can be anywhere you want it, without buzzes.

Very solid, by design.
Passive electronics, no worries.

I use it alone all the time (I'm quick at string changes;)

N/A

Playin' about 40 years.

It's a good Strat.
I actually like the Lace Sensors: sound good; less hum.

USA made Strat from 1997. 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, 3 Lace sensor pickups Gold. 5-way pickup selector switch. Red Finish, white pickguard - don't know exactly what type but it's different from the plain white that you see on most Strats. Bought new w/ original fender case, cable, strap, and straplocks. What gives this guitar the high rating is the addition of the LSR roller-nut, and locking-tuners, and tremelo bridge.

Played through a 15W practice amp w/8" speaker and a Marshall JCM800 50W Combo w/12" speaker. Effects: Boss MT2, Dunlop Crybaby 535Q, MXR Flanger Reissue, Boss PH2, Boss DD5. Nice bright distinctive tone that one would expect from a Strat. No extra noise from the pickups. Sound is ideal for playing jazz, country, or blues, but falls short for playing rock or anything harder. The reason is because the pickups just don't seem to give that big enough output to make the guitar suitable for big tones and long sustain. Would be an ill fit to try playing anything at or heavier than...say Led Zeppelin. But it's nothing a little change of pickups can't fix. I thought that Fender should've stocked the bridge pickup with a Red Lace Sensor instead of a Gold LS where that little extra oomph is needed the most. Another thing I noticed is that I hardly use the tone controls because their effect on the sound is minimal, if any.

Excellent set-up. Was able to play a long time before making any adjustments. Stays in tune, thanks to the locking tuners and sturdy tremelo. I didn't realize what a blessing it was to have an LSR roller nut on this guitar until I start playing other guitars with bone/graphite nuts and start dealing with strings breaking and slipping off the slots. In my opinion Fender should make the LSR roller-nut and locking tuners standard in all their models, if they hadn't done so already, and other guitar manufacturers should follow. Gorgeous red finish and sparkly white pickguard makes this a nice piece of eye candy - good enough to just hang up on the wall and stare at it whenever you're not playing it. Neck and fretboard plays well, but I've played smoother ones in the past - thus explains the 9 rating instead of 10.

Had it for 3 1/2 years and so far no problems. Holds it own very well - I don't think a backup would be necessary, given that you have fresh strings on it and you treat it with care. One word of caution: if you buy one and it comes with straplocks that go on top of the buttons DONT USE THEM. They slip off very easily. You're better off fastening the strap directly onto the buttons.

Never had to deal with Fender directly.

I've been playing for a little less than 10 years and this was the second electric guitar I bought. I would recommend this guitar to anybody who's a Hendrix or SRV fan, or anybody who's looking to fill that Fender Strat void in their guitar collection. At a price of 600 new w/case it was quite a deal, compare to the $850+ that most new USA Strats go for. If it were stolen I most likely would buy another one, but this time from the used market where they sell for around 300-500. The best things about it were the finish, the hardware, and the fact that it's a discontinued model (makes it a little more special). What's keeps this guitar from being really kick-ass is the relatively low output from the LS Gold pickups. I'm planning to change the bridge pickup soon to something with a more powerful punch (single-coil size, don't want to butcher up the body for a humbucker). Any pickup suggestions from fellow Strat Plus owners would be appreciated.

This is an 80's strat plus, made in the US. comes w/ wilkenson nut, locking tuners, medium jumbo frets... my strats color is green w/ a hue of blue. pickups are 3 gold lace sensors...

the sound is what makes this model a winner, i have read tons of reviews sayin the problem is it doesnt produce the american standard sound.. theyre diffrent because of the pickups otherwise, its basically the same.... lace sensors provide a cleaner sound, though lesser output than the normal pick ups... so it depends on the user.. i prefer the cleaner tone,,, so im rating the sound 10 of 10..

i got my guitar second hand- but the action & feel of this guitar is superb, the best set up possible... good low action & very nice feel.. i have owned other strats, a japanese & a 40th anniversary stratocaster w/ LSR & locking tuners... i dont know why thw techs couldnt mannage to reproduce the feel of this guitar.. beats me..

fender products speak for themselves.... very durable... most of the vintage guitars from the 50s onwards are still very playable..so no problemo

i havent dealt w/ them

overall this is the best sounding guitar ive ever played.. especially when it comes to clean tone.. i have othe guitars such as a 96 gibson les paul standard, a 40th Anniversary strat upgraded w/ LSR & sperzel, a 52 reissue telecaster.... none of them seem to match the strat plus,.. this is my favorite guitar & i think its gonna stay this way

I would have liked to see a 7 way come stock, and mabye the tone pot wired to the bridge pup, but thats about it, Locking tuners, LSR nut, Locking trem, 22 frets, maple/maple, ash body. All in all alot of features.

I will have to give 2 ratings for this, 9 for the acoustic sound. It is just a great sounding guitar, very full and balanced. And 5 for the sound of the Laces. There not bad pickups, but if you want normal strat sounds they are not good. Not to big of a deal tho, you can sell them and buy some normal singles if you like, Thats what I am doing. I think the laces sound pretty good thro s.s. amps but thro tubes they sound like a blanket is over the amp.

I bought it used so its hard to say. The neck, actualy the whole guitar is just so comfortable. The sec. I put it in my hands it just felt like home, or your fav. chair. The finish is quite beautiful on the guitar. It is an ash body with a Translucent Blue Burst finish. I don't have a rating because, like I said, I bought it used.

Its a Fender. They are built to last. I do not abuse my gear so im not going to have any problems with it. The LSR nut and the locking tuners/bridge, keep the guitar in tune very well, and I never break strings, So this guitar is worthy of any live gig.

Never dealt with em.

I have been playing for a while now. My setup is the strat into a 1970 Fender Bassman. Simple with lots of tone. The pickups are not for everyone and I am putting in some cs 57/62's. Aside from that the guitar is great. And worth every penny. In response to the idiot that gave the guitar a 1. Why did you even buy the guitar? Did you not play the guitar before you bought it? I cant stand guys like you. You buy a piece of gear then come on hear and rip the hell out of it. Why? Does it make you feel better about yourself? You do not contribute anything to this site, so why do you even post a review. A copy of a strat that was run over with a tank, well that might deserve a 1. But get real man. You want to go spend 2 grand on a guitar well go ahead. Your not going to be a better player for it. Your just going to be a little lighter in the wallet. Now back to the review. These guitars go for a good price on the used market so they are one of the best bang for buck guitars out there. American strat, locking tuners/bridge and lsr nut. Dont like the pups? change them out. Either way you get a great guitar that you will keep for along time, for a great price. And isnt that what it is all about.

1995 Strat Plus - USA, 22 frets, solid body, 5 way selector for the passive electronics. The overall package is the usual Start Plus that you can see most anywhere. One thing had to be changed to make the package work - The LACE sensors were terrible and have been upgraded to DImarzio twin rail pickups.

I play R&B through a Mesa 4x10 combo. The Dimarzio pickups and body wood produce nice clean sounds which mimic vintage strat sounds quite nicely. I can also get a 'almost' telecaster honk from this guitar. A couple of quick knob adjusts bring up a full body which can be over driven on the amp to whatever your taste is. The electonics are dead quiet.

The guitar was used and required a complete setup. This was accomplished without effort and the guitar tunes quickly and remains stable. Overall, the fit and finish are acceptable with the exception of the neck - for some reason Fender chose to layer a thick seal on top of the neck and the frets together!!!! It looks like the frets were then leveled. This left a thick layer on the front and back side of the fret wire which tends to chip off and look UGLY!!

This is the guitar that I can use at gigs and also let my youngest son use for his first instrument.

No issues have come up which require customer support.

I've been playing 30+ years and I like the strat plus better than the '54 I started out on. The neck profile of the strat plus and the roller nut make playing and tuning a breeze.
I this one were to be lost, I would replace with another - true to Fender design, all the ones I've played feel about the same.

Plus is a delux model of the American Strat from the early 90's. My model is a '94, seagreen, rosewood fretboard, 3 gold Lace Sensors (well, *had*), locing tuners, straplocs, tremsetter vibrato, roller nut, TBX tone switch, etc. Bought it used for $500. There were other US strats there for the same amount- this was the nicest looking with the most features.

I tend to play fairly clean, melodic stuff (The Smiths, Cure, Lush...). Playing through a Sovtek head, marshall cab, sometimes using Chorus, Flange, and Overdrive.

Warning! Either you're gonna love the Lace Sensor pcikups, or you'll hate them. It's a "Classic Star trek vs Next Generation" thing- no use arguing, it just depends on the person. Make sure you play along with a stock Strat through the same amp for comparison. They don't make noise, but it does sound like you are playing though a wax paper-covered comb, compared to a stock strat- bassy, flat, no body. **Great if you use a lot of distortion or digital effects**; however I would recommend against it if you like to play clean. I've just replaced the pickups with Seymore duncans and now it sounds great for my style! The wood and other electronics are first notch.

Craftsmanship was good. Finish was great- I love the sparkly paint and color. Neck is good, fretboard great. The roller nut is a bitch sometimes to get strings through it (and I use 9's!). No noticable problems, and I even got it used! Great case too.

This is a very solid axe. I don't usually use the term axe, but it's so solid I'd use it for chopping wood ;-) Seriously, I've owned Squire, Mexistrats, and american strats, and there's no comparison to the quality. Better than even my Rickenbacker.

IMHO, Fender's web swite is great- you can get a lot of info from there (manuals, dates, etc). I never had to call.

If you want the classic strat, buy a standard US strat. If you want a strat with a little more, or play with lots of distortion, buy a used Plus. Often this guitar is the same or less $$ than a standard Strat. If you hate the pickups, drop under $100 into it and get some Seymore duncan or Fender stock pickups (not the new noiseless ones- jsut as well to keep the Lace Sensors!). It's real easy to put them in yourself. The rest of the guitar is worth keeping.

This is usual Stratocaster with Gold Lace Sensor pickups. Since Stratocaster is ever popular, buyer will probably know what components are involved.

My advise? Do not buy Fender products! If you are seeing some artist using it, they are custom made. For the price, Fender is not a quality instrument. Don't get me wrong. I love the strat sound but today, the company cuts cost down making the sound suffer. Therefore, giving the consumer negative outcome because of company's act to raise their profits. I made my mistake of buying one. I am changing everything. Body ~ custom made body with REAL vintage pickup configuration unlike "swiming pool" that Fender uses. Neck ~ Only part that I am going to keep. I am changing the fingerboard to Brazilian Rosewood. Tremolo and Electronics ~ Hipshot tremolo with best parts available that are Made in U.S.A. Pickups ~ WARNING!!! Gold Lace Sensors sucks, my advise is to go for Fralin, Barden, or Duncan. Unless, you are about to spend $1,000 again to refurbish. DON'T BUY FENDER PRODUCTS but go for smaller brand like Levinson, Anderson, Shur, etc. Take my advise and save some money.

Look it my comment above.

Other owners will know better than I do.

I love stratocaster and its design. The sound that Hendrix, SRV, and many others produced are no way to be compared. It is very sad that Fender cannot reproduce the sounds that made Fender so popular during 60's and 70's. Their quality is so low (except some of custom models) that no body should even consider buying them. So take my advise and do some research on alternative brands. Don't fall for advertising illusions that company wants you do believe. Finally, PRACTICE!

My Stratocaster is a 1993 model with maple fingerboard,3 gold fender lace sensors,22 medium jumbo frets,schaler locking tuners,american standard tremolo,1 volume control,1 tone control,1 tone control with tbx.....everithing you need

I just love this guitar.I play my strat thru a Fender hot rod deluxe.The lace sensors sound great(bright but warm and they are quiet).I play blues , jazz and rock and with this guitar I have all the sounds I need.I use the neck pickup for rhythm and clean solos(I just love the sound of this pickup on clean).When I use adistorted sound for solos I prefer the bridge and central pickup because they have more harmonics.I play this guitar for 8 years and I still like it as the first day

The guitar was set up perfectly at the factory and in 8 years I didn't have any problems.The only negative thing is are the dots on the freatboard because they are not very well made.Otherwise the guitar is very well made and it stays in tune for months(I still can't belive)

I don't know since I had no problems with my guitar

I can't live without this guitar and it's trully worth this money

Made in 1993, rosewood fretboard, tobacco sunburst body. Standard features for a 1993 Strat Plus (locking tuners, American Standard-style tremolo bridge, 3 gold lace sensor pickups, etc.)
I am crazy about the locking tuners! The Strat plus includes locking tuners that hold tune well, and changing strings is faster than with any other guitar I have played.

All the hardware is top-notch, good-looking, and works great.

It's a strat, what more do you want? Seriously folks, for the most part, I love the stock gold lace sensor pickups. In addition to looking way cool, they provide close to the bite and clarity of traditional strat single coils, but are nearly immune to hum. Moreso, I might add, than the humbuckers on my Gibson MIII. They lack some of the "glassy" ring of the traditional Strat singles, but make up for it in smoothness and clarity. Don't get me wrong, I am nit-picking here...they still sound awesome. Clear as crystal, sweet and smooth as vanilla.

Some people have complained about the lace sensors being too quiet, but I have found it's nothing a little extra gain won't fix. The pickups are so hum-less that you can crank them up as loud as you want.

I bought it used, and the seller claimed it was "...set up by a Dayton-area luthier to almost play itself." I must say I agree. The trem is set up loose, so bend and vibrato are a snap, and the action is quick without mounting the strings so close to the fretboard as to produce too much buzz.

I bought it used, so I can't comment on flaws (or lack thereof) from the manufacuter

Being a strat, I can't see it having any problems here. As far as would I use it on a gig without a backup, I don't think I'd ever answer yes to that, no matter how awesome the guitar was. BUT, I will say this guitar comes closer to a yes than any other I've played. The locking tuners make it quite feasible to change a string in the middle of a song, whereas my older guitar (Gibson MIII, floating Floyd Rose trem.) will not only go way out of tune breaking a string, but takes a lot of time and 2 allen wrenches to change the string.

I just got it, so I've never needed support

It rocks, period. It looks cool, sounds great, it's just an awesome axe. You can play just about any kind of music you can think of, though I'd want something with humbuckers for ultra-down-and-dirty thrash. I love it!