Fender Deluxe Strat Plus

made in 1987 shipped to UK in 89 , came in flash white with white pick gard made in USA .22 frets , solid top in 3 parts ,std controls bar tbx , fender 2x silver lace + 1 blue ,alder body , rosewood neck ,new type sadles in sintered steel , Very hard , new internal profile an option , spersel machine heads in silver , fat frets and wilkingson nut ver 2 , schaller locking strap locks plus the deaded trem setter

This works very well on Vox AC30's , no noise just amp hum , dull sound after 10 years , fender lacer sensors will die on you .

Very well made , nice thick paint .

You will have to chuck the lace pickups as they loose power , all hard ware is ok bar the trem plate chrome rubs off , strap locks are the best but add oil or gease as they scweak in the studio if un greased , this guitar will chew strings due to the hardness of the saddles , no ******* way could I depend on this guitar with the tremsetter , chuck it and get the full set of trem springs screwed up tight and by the way pull your willkingson nut off once a year wash in gas and re-oil !

no I just get new pots and 5 way swich from demazzio

Get rid of the fender lace sensors they will die , I put in stacked demarzzio humbuckers on full power , they come with staggered poles ,change the scratch plate to black ang get tin foil and glue it in the cavitys as a sreen for radio the same with the scratch plate , as in the UK I would get radio Luxemberg on a damp day , oil and grease your spersel machine heads every 3 years but dont forget to give them a 10 minute spin , tip 2 , tune the trem springs , go black , they are a mini reverb , find B if you can , the neck wont move as its bi-flex trus rod is solid , the newer ball roller nut has no string tree so expect pop out on your trash modes of playing , if you want get a needle file on those saddles do as the angle was a bit harsh , an extrawide willkinson nut was avalible for you thick string heads , but the trem setter was crap if you broke a string as the hole guitar went out of tune , but boy can you change strings quick , this guitar with good pick ups is very good ,
Fender took a big risk with those lace pick ups , they just die , dont ask me why ?

1996 Deluxe Strat Plus, Model #110-9500-837, Antique Sunburst, alder body with ash veneer top & back, Bi-Flex truss rod, satin Urethane maple neck w/rosewood fingerboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets, Red/Silver/Blue Fender Lace Sensor pickups, 1 volume, 1 tone, TBX tone control, aged white perloid pickguard, aged knobs/switch tip/bback cover plate, Fender Floyd locking tremolo bridge with pop-in arm (which is also the string block wrench), LSR Roller Nut, Fender Schaller Locking Tuners, Hipshot Tremsetter, Schaller StrapLok buttons, plush-lined black Tolex hard shell Fender case. - Beautiful

Some magazine reviews note the sunburst models are dead sounding due to the sandwich of alder between the ash top/bottom. However, this Strat is extremely resonant unpluged. The Fender Lace Sensors are very quiet. However, the Red & Blue FLS (as advertised) are very humbucker sounding. I much prefer the traditional single coil sound. If you prefer the higher output humbucker sound you will love these. The TBX control is somewhat lacking. I moved the Silver FLS to the bridge (DC Resistance: 7.1K, Inductance: 3.38 Henries, Peak Frequency: 3000 Hz)and the added 2 Gold FLS (DC Resistance: 5.8K, Inductance: 2.4Henries, Peak Frequency: 3600)to the Mid & Neck Postions. This combination is perfect and sounds very similar to the Fender CS54 set but without the noise. I also did the TBX mod listed on the "Blue Guitar" website (http--www.blueguitar.org-new-schem-_gtr-tbx-mods_and_details.pdf). This changes the 82k series resistor to 120k series parallel and allows the TBX to work flawlessly with passive pickups. The 7 rating is "as deliverd". After the mods it's a definite 10.

Very solid and wello fit together. It had the customary low E buzz when I first got it. After a little tweeking with the setup and pickup height it played like a dream. The fit and finish are flawless. The cool thing about the antique sunburst is the dark red micro-flakes in the finish. When the light hits the body at a certain angle the sunburst seems to glow. An incredible guitar that longs to be played.

Bought it used in 1999 and am the second owner. It has held up very well through the years. Fender USA, what can I say? No issues.

Fender has always answered all my emails phone calls Most parts are readily available. Resources, information, & downloads are easily obtained on the Fender website.

I have been playing since '62 and have owned several guitars. I much prefer this Strat over the older Strats as it just seems to "fit". I have played other Strat Plus models and most have the same feel. With the mods I described above, this is one versital guitar. It would be my "if I could only have one guitar" model but I don't really want to be forced to use just one guitar. I'm giving it a 9 over all due to the Red/Blue FLS and the TBX issue.

"Crimsonburst" finish, rosewood fingerboard. Nuisance of a Fender/Floyd Rose trem (soon to be gone). Read the reviews below for all of the features.

Some previous reviewers have said that the Deluxe Strat+ has an ash veneer top only. Look at the back of your guitars, dudes. Same grain. It's an ash-alder-ash sammich and it's very heavy. This has a noticably beneficial effect on the tone, however. Ash has a "mid-scoop" tone profile and it lifts the upper-treble and lower-bass giving the guitar a kind of crisp articulation and punchier bass than a plain alder strat. With the rosewood fingerboard it has a dark, rich early-Trower vibe.

The fingerboard is the most beautiful slab of rosewood I've ever seen. My only complaint (minor) is that it has a shorter radius than I'm used to. If you bend strings in the upper register they bottom out and buzz so you have to set the action a little higher. With a rosewood fingerboard it makes you work harder (it's a bitch with arthritis but I just suck it up). The maple neck on my other strat is nice and flat and springy. Someone said the neck is tinted. Didn't know that. I never saw this guitar in a catalog. Just saw it in the music store and bought it...

...and I knew in the store that the Sensors were coming off. Not that I don't like Lace Sensors. I do - certain ones. But the Blue-Silver-Red setup is an HSH setup and I wanted more of a single-coil sound. I replaced them with Lace TranSensors. They sound different but good with the right pots and caps. It's a VERY modern sound - definitely not traditional. But that's okay; I play prog. I took the blue Sensor and put it on my other strat in the bridge position. I prefer a humbucking bridge sound. It's a much brighter-sounding guitar so it balances nicely.

Now, my memory is terrible but I'd swear I bought this guitar in 1995, but it has the Fender/Floyd Rose trem that, for no good reason at all, requires you to cut the balls off. I could be wrong but I bought it before I moved out of the state at the end of '98 and I know I'd had it a while before that. oh well. I'm surprised I put up with it for ten years but I'm definitely going to follow the advice offered below and trade it for a regular Fender 2-point fulcrum.

I had my guitar tech remove the tremsetter (junk) AND the TBX tone circuit. It's suppose to operate like a normal tone control from 0 to 5 and boost the treble from 5 to 10. All it does over 5 is make the guitar sound thinner. It doesn't add treble; it takes out bass and mids. I had a regular tone control installed.

I heard the earlier ones came with a tweed case. All I got was the gray molded one. :( lucky stiffs.

I'll rate it according to how I liked it -after- I modded it. EVERYbody mods their guitar, right? Anyway, this guitar has every whistle and bell they could squeeze into it. They probably discontinued it because they couldn't sell any of their more expensive strats.

The guitar's natural sound is dark and rich, yet articulate. The TranSenors are bright and open up the sound by adding clarity. They're frightfully dynamic. They sound like crystal-clear 60's strat pickups when played clean and tighten up in the upper-midrange like a P-90 when you dig in. The overdriven sound is very tight. Also, I wire my strats differently - the neck and middle pickups share a tone control and the bridge has its own. I do this because I want the neck and middle to have a higher cutoff frequency so they retain their single-coil characteristics. I use the popular "woman tone" cap for those but I do something darker and funkier with the bridge pickup. It's thick and electronic-sounding with the tone rolled off.

The worksmanship is flawless but the strings buzzed with the factory setup. Fortunately, the best guitar tech in town worked out of the music store where I bought the guitar. So, no problem. The action is tolerable now. The fit is perfect and the crimsonburst finish makes the guitar look like it was dipped in blood. coooooool! This strat is a work of art.

The locking tuners seem a little flimsy compared to some other brands, but the guitar is ten years old and I've never had a problem with it (knock on wood).

Never needed it.

I've been playing over 30 years. Because of the kind of music I play, I often have to change amp and effects settings half a dozen times during a single song. So I use an amp modeller/effects processor. I got it around the same time as the guitar: a BOSS GX-700 which works as well as the day I bought it. I run that through an Alesis stereo 31-band graphic EQ (to correct my speakers), a Peavey PV900 power amp and a pair of Peavey TSL112H compact p.a. cabinets. Roland FC-200 MIDI controller.

If this guitar had come with a couple golds and a silver I probably would never have replaced them. The red Lace Sensor is a sterile, lifeless piece of crap. Actually, if I were to load it with a custom set of Sensors, it would be burgundy (neck), silver (middle), and a "hot gold" hot bridge. I honestly -like- the Richie Blackmore sound in the middle position. I like dark, moody psychedelic strat players like Robin Trower, Richie Blackmore, and David Gilmour (!). Whatever it started out as, my Deluxe + is now my ultimate progressive rock strat ...or rather it will be after I lose the Floyd Rose trem. FLOYD ROSE WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!!

I special ordered a deluxe strat plus in 1994 with the intentions this was the last guitar i was ever going to buy. so I ordered all the deluxe accesories, Ash body, rosewood neck, crimson burst, shaller locking tuners, lsr roller nut, red, silver, and blue lace sensors, floyd rose tremelo, hipshot trem setter, locking strap holders, and the TBX tone control. and a pearloid pickguard. It came with a blue plush hardcase with the strat plus logo on the outside shell. It also came with a toolkit, instuctions on how to set it up and a pretty blue strap and heavey duty 20' cord.

since i played about half clean guitar and half electronic acid rock, i needed a guitar that would suit blues, jazz, and heavey distorted overtoney singing long sustaining acid rock. I use a mid 70's gibson SG tube amplifier with altec lansing speakers. and a peavey profex sound processer. along with a univox super fuzz, morley bad horsey wah, ibenez chorus, dod flanger, morley phaser, and a dean markley mighty mouth. The selling point for me was the lace sensors. when at rest they are stone quiet. no hum or crackles, just quiet. Thers no comparason to a regular strat. This is a pro guitar for pro players. If your playing grunge music this isnt the dirty sounding guitar you would look for. you can get the les paul sound, the SG sound, or if you want the strat sound, just use the silver pickup alone. Also many people dont understand the TBX tone control, its actually a bass cutt not a treble boost. so after the halfway point it cuts off the bass and leaves the highs, makes for a more shrill sound kind of ear splitting. also the lace sensore do not rely on sustain robbing magnets. so you can set them very close to the strings without dampning the string vibrations. very very long sustain. Too bad the lace family took the rights away from fender after the death of doctor lace. but they are still available.

personally i didnt like the way the guitar was set up by the factory. the strings were flat across the top so it took more push on the high strings but was an easy fix. under the lsr roller nut was a set of spacers and all that was required was to remove a few so the strings were equal distant from the frets. this makes it alot more easy to play fast and was less distressing on the fingers. also a rosewood fingerboard overtime will swell a little from oils from your hands and makes sliding up and down the neck less bumpy,and less sticky. you maple neck guys know what i mean. the floyd rose bridge is the locking type and hasnt any play that could dampen the string vibrations so it contributes to the long sustain of the strings. If you use a vibrato alot as i do, the LSR roller nut and the hipshot trem setter is a must have. you can dive it to nothing, let it go and its right back perfectly in tune. very impressive. The tremsetter was a little troublesome to set right. you have to remove the center spring and compensate by tightning the other two in order to get the right tension back on the bridge. then you have to use a matchbook cover or playing card to get the right amount of tension on the tremsetter. but if you change the brand or size of strings you have to do all these adjustments again, but once its set you cant beat it. The fit and finish on this one is very good and only the best ones came with the annaversary logo. there were only 1994 total annaversary models in all the catagories made, so not many in any particular style. mine has the logo on the end of the neck and the forty years and still rockin on the neck plate. The finish is the house of color candy red, called crimson burst, that shows the pretty ash woodgrain through its transparent clearcoat. the shaller locking tuners are very fast, you just stick the string through it, tighten and tune. fast and easy. the bridge tuning was a little difficult because you have to hold it down, adjust it, let it go, and try it, and do it again and again until its right. but one its set its done. i use the fender 3250 strings so i havent had to redo the adjustments at all. The lace sensors havent the strong magnets so i set them as close to the strings as possible without interfering with the strings or my pick. makes for good volume without picking hard. so it was somewhat of a hassle to set this guitar up but the results after its done cant be beat.i havent played anything better.

I have been a pro player for 25 years and i have played many types of guitars. i loved the les paul but i just couldnt have the weight of the thing hanging around my neck for 4 hours a night. the gibson SG is nice but it lacks the tremelo and has a very flat neck radius, so you either love it or hate it. the strat plus bridged the gap for me. i could make it sound the way i wanted it to, was light enough, and had all the latest high tech features. been a flawless performer except the trem is a string breaker so have some spares with you. having the string tool in the trem arm was a nice touch. you could change and tune a string in about a minute. important during a live performance. i like the locking strap buttons so i could push the guitar behind me if i had to change to something else and it wouldnt fall off and hit the floor,its been a dependable guitar and is the last one i will buy.

havent had to deal with the company. because the music stores have anything i could ever need in stock, but so far all i have bought are strings and picks.

i have been playing guitar for 40 years and pro for 25. i still own the 62 jazzmaster that i played until 94. if i lost it i would hunt it back down. i have played many other guitars and all have thier own qualitys, but this one had the most versatility. if you can get one do it, but take the time to set it up correctly. if your a hard rocking dirty guitar player this isnt the one but if you have to cover whatever the agents throw at you this one will get you through any type of gig you need it to.

1989 USA Deluxe strat plus, 22 frets solid top, volume, 2 tone knobs, fender lace sensor pickups, maple neck with satin finish sunburst white pick guard, locking tuners not shure wat type came with an authentic fender usa hard case, easily the most versatile guitar ive ever played has all the features i could ever call upon, i play lead in our band (vintage) lace sensors get everything its a pleasure to play!

It's perfect for lead, rythm there is nothing this guitar can't do, i recently bought a fender fm212r amplifier, it works well with lead guitar with clear tones ringing through well, mellow vintage sound.
As i said this guitar can do any sound rock, grunge, blues best sounding guitr ive ever heard if it were to be stolen i would almost quit playing guitar..

This guitar was $5000 australian ordered in from usa in 89 so i am assuming it was made with the top wood and materials, i love the pickups react perfectly witht the guitar, only proble with it ive had was the tope string buzzing so i got it fixed and its just been a gem to own since....

i've played on stage in front of a full house many times it gigs great, all the hardware has never screwed up works fine, ive had it for 5 yrs and it looks like it will keep playin for alot longer, strap buttons alrite probly could be a bit larger so the strap cant slip off.. but aprt from that i know i can depend on it and if something ever screws up on stage i know its me not the guitar!

ive been playin for 12 yrs (16 now) ive giged many times and everyone who sees it or hears it is blown away by the sound the look just everything about, as i said if it were stolen i would be devastated and if it didnt make me quit guitar i would buy the exact same yr and model, i love its clear tones its versatility and its reliability, EVERYONE ALWAYS TELLS ME FENDER GUITARS WERE MADE BEST IN THE LATE 80'S AND THEY WERE RIGHT, ITS THE CLOSEST THING TO HAVING A CHILD I WOULD EVER HAVE WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING A CHILD!!

93' USA Two Piece Natural Ash Body,Gloss finish, Blonde neck,22 Jumbo Frets,satin finish. Tbx tone control, S/S/S Blue,Silver,Red Lace pickups. Locking tuners. LSR NUT, Tremsetter,.

When I first picked this guitar up and played it unplugged it vibrated and sounded very loud. Without even plugging it in I bought it. I have been very impressed with the sound. I play alot of blues and jazz sometimes crossing over into whatever I'm feelin at the time. The sound is perfect with the exception of not getting dirty enough when i want it to. Thats ok though. The soulful sound of the blue pickup makes me use it almost exclusivly. Together with the silver its buttery and warm. I play it through a 66' Bassman Blackface head and a 2x12 65' cabinet. It's classic and I'll keep these always. So I give it a ten on sound since it delivers as promised.

The jumbo frets and "played" neck edges are great to feel. There was a little of the finish up on the frets but that was easy to fix. The ash body is very well bookmatched. It's flat sawn and the back has a "blotched" tabby look to it. There is one fisheye in the finish. I adjusted the pickups to my liking. I replaced the white/black/white laminate pickguard whit a red tortise/mint/black/mint from "WD" poducts I think, and replaced the knobs whith aged white ones. The trem spring cover on the back was hitting the tremsetter so i routed it out a little where it did this, not going all the way through the plate. I have it set up with 11 to 54 strings and havent had to make any modifications to accomidate them.

I have yet to have any problems with this guitar. Perhaps I dont use it as hard as some, but everything about it seems solid. I think I may have got one of those production pieces that was made on a good day. Lots of Luck!

Haven't needed any yet.

I have traded alot of guitars, but I will never trade this one. There are many I wish I didn't get rid of but for different reasons. I know I gave a "glowing" review but this one deserved it. Everything on it works very very well, and for the money you cant beat it. I dont think I've ever seen one come up for sale and its no wonder.

1995 American Fender Deluxe Strat Plus; "crimsonburst" finish, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, satin-finished neck. Alder body with laminated ash top and back.

Three Fender Lace Sensor pups. Neck: blue (vintage humbucker), Middle: silver (hot strat), Bridge: red (hot humbucker).

Schaller locking tuners, LSR roller nut, Fender/Floyd Roxe locking 2-point fulcrum trem, strap-locks, trem-setter, special passive tone circuit.

It's so loaded it became a custom shop guitar when they discontinued it.

I play progressive rock and need a versatile guitar, but you buy a strat because you want a strat sound. Not only were the blue and red Lace Sensors very flat and lifeless sounding (though the silver was fine), but it's really a H-S-H set up. First thing I did was take the Sensors out. I wanted to preserve the guitar's "concept", and the new Lace TranSensors looked interesting (and cheap) so I tried a set. Very interesting. Very clear and glassy when clean and they fatten up almost into a P-90 tone when overdriven. Can't lie, they don't sound like vintage strat pickups but they're a modern single-coil alternative, powerful and totally humbucking. I like them.

The guitar came stock with a tone circuit called a "Tone-X" or something like that. It was suppose to operate like a regular tone control from 0-5, then from 5-10 it was suppose to provide a treble boost. Nice in principle but what it really did from 5-10 was sap mids and bass and made the tone weak. I had my guitar tech remove it and replace it with a standard tone cap.

Because the music I play requires a broad selection of sounds (and I can't afford a ton of boutique gear), I went for simplicity, versatility, and economy as far as my rig goes. I just use a BOSS GX-700 preamp/processor with COSM amp modeling, a used Halfler Pro 120 P.A. power amp, a pair of small Peavey TSL112 P.A. cabinets (1-12" + horn each) and an Alesis stereo 31-band EQ to correct the cabs. I use a Roland FC-200 midi foot controller to change patches.

My "signature" palet of sounds is based around a custom amp I created by setting a 5150 on medium gain then replacing gain with a Vintage Overdrive module. The result sounds like an amp with (1)5751 and (3)12AX7 preamp tubes and KT66 power tubes. I use a big 212 cab simulation. Tight bottom, medium-high gain, very articulate.

With the pickups switched out, the guitar has the dark, moody sound of a rosewood fingerboard strat (ala my favorite players: Trower, Gilmour, and Blackmore) but also has a delicate edge to the highs like Eric Johnson. The right amp/effects will capture these sounds.
I can get clear, bright clean tones and there's enough power to drive more high-gain sounds as well.

Even with brighter pups, the guitar is a bit too dark and the tone lacks complexity, but then I'm real picky. I'm subtracting a point for that and for the drab sound of the stock Lace Sensors, and another for that crappy tone thingy. But the latter two can be remedied and the guitar will basically sound good.

When I questioned my guitar tech about why the strings bottom out when I bend, he remarked that the fingerboard radius is more like older strats; it's got quite an arc to it. Nothing can be done except to adjust the action higher. I have small hands for a guitar player and a bit of arthritis and that rosewood board really makes me work, but other players probably wouldn't complain. The setup was satisfactory from the factory but I *always* have a guitar set up by my friendly tech as soon as I buy it. No worksmanship problems.

The trem-setter didn't survive that first setup. It made the trem so stiff it was useless and I consider it an ill-conceived device considering the other features (2-pt trem, roller nut, lack of string trees, and locking tuners) all combine to keep the guitar in tune during even the most Van Halen-esque whammy bar hysteronics.

The gorgeous "crimsonburst" finish looks like the guitar was dipped in blood. Under close examination, the effect was obtained by mixing the dark, almost red-black transparent finish at the edges with metal-flake, then fading to lighter transparent red in the center.

The fretboard radius is an issue for me. Clearly, with all these whistles and bells, this guitar was designed to be a modern guitar for a modern player playing modern music. The fingerboard really needed to be flatter. I'm taking a point off for that, and another for the fact that this stratocaster weighs more than my van. It's a bit of a bear to play.

Some finishes look okay after they get beat up. Blonde... white... Even a regular tobacco sunburst. But not, I'm afraid, crimsonburst. I'm taking good care of it, however. I'm neurotic in that regard. Even after 9 years it almost looks new (knock on wood). The guitar itself is plenty sturdy. The most delicate parts are those locking tuners but even those have held up well, but then I don't currently gig and only gigged with this guitar once for a week of dates at a summer youth camp where everyone was very well-behaved. Even if I did, it would most likely be in venues where no drunk is likely to knock it off the stand or throw a beer bottle at it.

Minus 1 point for a delicate finish. It has got a couple small dings (which I repaired) and it seems like it dings kind of easy.

I have never dealt directly with Fender, but then the guitar has never developed any issues. If I'm not mistaken, it's got a limited lifetime warrantee.

I've been playing for ...hmm... 31 years. Yeesh, I should be a lot better! (lazy) As stratocasters go this is about the ultimate, except for the little things mentioned above. I wish it were lighter and the fingerboard flatter, and I wish the tone was a little richer. I've discovered since I bought it that I'm really not a "strat guy". Double-cutaway Les Paul-style guitars with trems seem to be the wave of the future (PRS Santana) but there are few such guitars in my budget range. And yet I'd always have to have a strat for some tunes, and this isn't a bad one.

I'm going to average and round down, since I had to modify the guitar to make it do what I wanted.

Red,Silver,Blue Lace Sensors, Blue Burst...Ice Blue is i think what they called it...maybe Frost Blue...its a 91, and I bought it then, and some drugs were done between now and then so excuse the fuzzy memory. American Standard bridge with twin roller nut and Schaller Locking tuners. Trem-setter came standard, removed it almost immediately. Body is alder i believe, 2 matched pieces solid all the way through..heavy bugger, rivals my Les Paul. Rosewood fret board. 22 fret Jumbos were standard.

Aside from creatures like the Parker Fly or others that have the piezos incorperated for blending that elec/acoustic sound, I don't belive you'll find a guitar with more myriads of sound color than a Plus Deluxe...unless you bought the Ultra! I know this is going to sound cliche, but, the Red Lace Sensor is like a single coil on steriods. Its a very agressive tone, nearly humbucker but with a nastiness when its overdriven that screams single coil, very unique sound, and virutally noiseless. The blue is a buttery smooth rich tone...Fender dubbed it "Classic Humbucker": right on. The Silver was meant to emulate the out of phase bridge/mid "strat sound"...and it does just that, emulate it, but it doesn't quite get there in my opinion. By itself it comes close but because of its location, its almost too full in the low mids to get that nasal rip of the sound its deparately trying to emulate. Even in the Red/Silver combo it's close...but not quite. Not that it sucks, because it doesn't...If you never knew, experienced or heard the natural phasing anomoly that occurs on a standard strat you would really dig the sound here as well..which is why I've never swapped in standard Fender single coils, because aside from the one sound you would expect it to make..all the other tones are too good to eliminate the Lace Sensors. Thats the only thing that keeps me from rating this a 10

I bought it new and it quickly developed a ridge where the "skunk stripe" appeared to be pulling out of the neck. I replaced the neck with another, and no problems since in that regard. In '90, the Plus series came with Sperzel locking tuners...I was disappointed that in 91 they did not...I've been meaning to replace them since i bought it...13 years later i still haven't got around to it. The cases that came with them in that year we're terrible for a guitar in this price range. On the way out from a gig, the hinges let loose and the guitar fell out onto metal grating. I bid good-bye to some of the finish that day...and caseless of half a decade before i finally bought a gig bag for it...it has many more character enhancements since that fateful day.

After the early neck replacement..I replaced the bridge saddles with graphite ones. After sweating all over it during gigs the saddle screws rusted themselved right into the saddles...since the graphite additions, strings rarely break at the bridge and it resists the "sweat factor"...I really should get a rag. After the knock it took falling out of the case leaving an afternoon gig..i went and played a nite gig with it without any problems. This guitar has never ever let me down...its really an animal.

I've never dealt with Fender with this guitar...but I have a lot of Fender amps that i bought used and they were always very helpful getting specs and manuals, and very helpful with questions.

The price was a steal...I bought it from a music store i had a great relationship with...that was not a fender dealer. I ordered it as a Plus with the Blue Burst...i really wanted that color...so they wrote it up with the discount from the plus price...and when they found that the color only came in deluxes they still sold it to me at the Plus price. This was my first real guitar. I had cheapos to that point...and I still love it, even with all its character...but hey, its a strat right? It seems that more it got beat the better it played and sounded...im sure thats all a matter of perception..I've worked to keep my Les Paul immaculate..but my strat is my go anywhere play anything guitar. It has, and will remain, my workhorse.

1991 Deluxe Strat Plus- Frost Blue transparent finish on ash top and back. Three Lace Sensors ( red , silver and blue ). Maple fingerboard with jumbo frets.American Deluxe trem with pop-in arm and Hipshot Tremsetter for the vibrato system.

Blue sensor in the neck sounds like a P-90 without the noise. Red sensor in the bridge produces sounds unlike a traditional strat: very aggressive. Silver sensor is the brightest and most strat-like. Position 4 of the 5-way switch is the jangliest. Overall,an extremely versatile guitar.

Incredibly straight and stable neck that rarely needs adjustment. The maple used seems to be of higher quality than what is in current Strats.

Strings tend to break at the bridge once they get old. Tremsetter is a pain to adjust.

Outstanding value for the money. It needed to have the frets leveled ($50) when I got it in 1999. It has played remarkably well since. The volume pot is starting to get a little scratchy.

i own a 1992 fender strat plus deluxe,i bought it new that year.it has all the goodies you would expect on a top of the line strat.beautiful cinnamon burst color,maple board,22 frets,5 way switch,3 lace sensors:red silver blue,roller nut,locking tuners,all satin chrome hardware,alder body with an ash top(a heavy strat)

the sounds i have gotten from this instrument have been many,through many different amps,and they always worked beautifully.iv'e played for over 30 years and this is the best all around guitar i ever owned.and believe me iv'e tried them all!it's great from bell tone clean to les paul mean

i don't pay much attention to set-up when i buy a guitar because i set it up to my own specs anyway.i use 10-46 strings with slightly high action.this suits my touch very well and gives me a good tone,plus it's nice and quiet.i usually don't even plug it in when i'm buying.i find a good acoustic tone always equals a good electrified one.after all thats all it is ...an amplified acoustic tone....right? the finish and hardware were immaculate

i played this guitar almost exclusively for 10 years and it never let me down.i treated it like gold and it's still in tip top condition.i am not playing in bands anymore and i am selling all of my guitars (except my martin)so who ever gets this guitar will get a winner.

iv'e never had any dealings with the fender co.

not much else to say. i played for over 30 years and i tried all sorts of guitars. this was one of the best all around ones that i played.if it were lost or stolen it would be hard to replace.

1990USA 22frets 5way blue silver red pups bought used off ebay,not sure of body material(alder?) very heavy(lespaulish) beautiful crimson, cinnamonburst roseboard standard 2point trem locking tuners tremsetter(removed,was told only needed if pulling up on bar)

Have had many guitars over the years,prefer PRS,they are not overated,they are computer milled to perfection,finished impeccably, and the note/chord articulation blow anything away. But,oh yeah, this is a Fender reveiw! I would have to say this deluxe strat plus does everything soundwise my prs's can do, and some things better(single coil tones which my McCarty does ok). I never heard a strat sound so good overdriven! There is one determining factor: PLAY WITH THE PICKUP HEIGHTS. What I like to do is sit in front of my Tech21 trademark60(a great amp).Put ch.2 on(overdrive).Put the pup selector on bridge(down). Start banging on an open D chord.Adjust the pup height screw on the high E side(bridge red pup) until it sounds "creamy". Now do the low E side banging on a three note e shape bar chord. Move the pup selector to the middle, do the same. Move the pup selector to the neck, do the same. This is doing it by ear, and I think this is way better than taking a micro measuring ruler to it.Try for yourself.These pups lose no character whatsoever, just noise.

no flaws

should withstand any situation, a real tank

DUNNO

Playing 20 years,would definitely buy again,love everything except the custom kitchen countertop formica wrap. WHY?? on any guitar, leave that wood alone.Had a strat, bought new in 82, could never get used to the overwhelming single coil hum. Thought I would try a strat with the lace sensors, love them.Clean they are beautiful, overdriven they rule.Buy this guitar while they are verry afordable!

My 1997 Fender Deluxe Plus was purchaced through the mail, (to get the Blue-Burst color I wanted). This guitar came with Red, Blue & Silver, single coil Lace Sensors. The Floyd bridge, LSR roller nut, locking tuners and white pickgaurd. I suggest you replace the Floyd bridge with a Standard Fender bridge.
The light satin neck is why I got one of these. It is near to a custom shop guitar as you can get, befor going to the custom shop and spending $1200 more. The neck is good. Very good! You just can't imagine!
The color is cool! Showing through the translucent blue is a book-matched maple top! A rare find on a Strat, for sure! I wish I was the guy that found one in a Pawn Shop for $300, I'd feel lucky!

Ditch the Lace Sensors if you're gonna play Rock 'n' Roll.
I put a bunch of pickups in, tried a bunch of combos, and the best I came up with was a SD-Pearly Gates or a SD-J.B model in the bridge, a Lace Sensor in the middle and an old Texas Special in the neck.
When you combine a Lace Sensor and a Texas Special, it had a very pretty sound. That's the best I can do in describing it! Pretty!
SD-59, J.B, Pearly Gates and similar pickups all come in a single coil size but are double coil pickups. Humbuckers are a must for Rock & Roll. The combo of Lace Sensors and Humbuckers is different to say the least. It calms the sound, makes it milder. This set of three pickups gives the widest array of sound that I've heard on a guitar. You'll not go wrong by switching the Lace Sensors with something else, but keep one or two just for something different.

Dead solid perfect!
I block off the bridge, I don't use the vibrato much anyway.

Look, most pro equipment will last reasonably long and perform for years if you keep it up. I've never had an axe break down on stage yet.

One of the best companies out there.

I've been playing for 25 years.
I wish I had played a Les Paul before I bought this guitar.
Lost or stolen? I'd buy a Les Paul to replace it.
Wish it was a Les Paul.
Buy a Les Paul! It makes Strats feel like toys!

1988 Fender American Strat Plus (has 1984 neck "E 4" serial number, but the 1988 strat plus model apparently used older necks), 22 frets, jumbo frets, rosewood neck, 5-way selector, 3 gold lace sensors, Pueter(same color as Clapton's Strat, but I got mine before his series came out) Sperzel Tuners, Nut lock thingy, Custom add-on:Trem-lock (device that sits inside one of your springs which somehow prevents detuning when a string breaks)

I grew up in West Virginia listing to hard rock, but played country in the clubs. This guitar allowed me to do both.

Currently running my effects through Line6's Guitar Port, this has been a fun little toy.

It is very clean and unnoisy, but recently I'm getting a lot of crackle from my pots. When I work them furiously for about 5 minutes the friction seem to burn out the problem, though.

I have had my neck pickup drop out once, but a quick pat got it to work again.

Love the "straty" tone with the neck pickup, and the warm tone of the bridge/middle setting.

The distortion I get is, of course, more Hendrix-like than that Gibson/Marshall combination you hear a lot of, but through the Mesa Boogie setting, I feel I get a very unique distortion sound I'm very happy with.

When I got this guitar Christmas of 1988, I had only been playing for about 6 months and wouldn't have known good action from bad, or any other problem.

Obviously, I have since checked intonation and action, and everything has been great for all of these years of constant playing.

This guitar has been in the worst clubs of southern West Virginia, in the harsh cold of Boston when I went to Berklee, and now in the humidity of Savannah, GA. It has been through it all and has held up quite nicely.

I play this guitar live every week. Hardware sometimes, as mentioned before, is sometimes a little tempermental, but otherwise A ok.

I do have a fret wear problem on the g string 1st fret. It has a bit of a jagged groove there I am unhappy about. Thought about having it filed, but haven't done it yet.

I'm amazed the finish hasn't came off. It is a great paint job. The strap buttons are solid, I've tightened them once or twice, of course. This is the only quality electric guitar I own, so yes, I depend on it and gig without a backup. I'm not worried, been doing it for years.

And like I read someone else say, It's a Strat, enough said.

Strat repair guys, I believe work with guitars that have been thrown out windows or crushed by lighting equipment, not guitars that break on their own. I've never known any of my Strat playing friends to have that type of problem to know what Fender's Customer service dept. is like.

Been playing since July 1988. If stolen, I would probably look at the PRS guitars, but probably get a new Strat as soon as possible. I would also pray daily for the thief to be infected with sores until he returned it.

I love the Strat history and aura of magic associated with it. I love the versatility. I can play Jazz, Country, Rock or anything with it. I've recorded with it on dozens of professional recordings.

I almost went with a flashy paint job BC Rich guitar, but thankfully, did not. That piece of crap guitar would be in a landfill somewhere by now.

The Lace pickups do not magnetically tug on the string, giving you great sustain. They also reduce all 60-cycle hum and you can adjust them as close to the string as you wish without compromising tone. I personally like the lace sensors, but do not have much to compare them to.

I also would look for the locking tuners and locking nut for my next guitar. Very smart design.

If you intend to seriously learn guitar, you will never regret getting a strat. It is an essential guitar for your collection if nothing else.

'97; USA made; 22 fret maple board; blue-burst finish on a solid two-piece ash body; white pearloide pickguard; "swimming pool" pickup rout; 5-way switch with TBX tone control, Blue, Silver, and Red Fender Lace Sensor pickups, locking Shaller tuners; LSR roller nut, Fender/Floyd locking tremolo bridge (no trem setter); Fender molded plastic case.

The guitar is very resonant with good sustain, full and punchy. Unplugged it has a nice tone, and the body and neck resonate well with each other, I would say that the guitar feels pretty "alive". As far as how the guitar's design affects its sound: some people feel that the "swimming pool" route, the roller nut, and the bridge rob tone and sustain: I disagree for this guitar. The guitar is very reponsive, it has good sustain, and a nice punchy tone, and the neck and body really resonate with each other. To my thinking this means that the wood, nut, and bridge are all working well with each other (my pedal steel guitar has a roller nut, too, and it has awesome sustain, too). The bridge has a heavy steel block which helps, too.
The Lace Sensor set works well for me and gives a pretty wide range of tone, but they're not a traditional sounding set-up. The three pickups are voiced differntly: the Blue pickup is in the neck position, it is dark, thick, and smokey, but not muddy or muffled, it's a great blues pickup, darker than a traditional Strat pickup. The Silver pickup is in the middle and it's the closest of the three pickups to a Fender single coil tone, it's a nice clean rhythm pickup, a little spanky, the best balanced and most traditional of the three. The Red is harder sounding, not as rich as the Blue or Silver, but it's not brittle, I suspect that if it were moved to another position it would open up (I may try swapping the postions of the Red and the Silver), the Red works best with distortion and overdrive, it reallly comes alive when pushed and it's a great hard-rock pickup. This is how they sound clean: Blue--dark and smokey; Silver--clean, snappy, bell-like; Red--like the Silver, but hotter, sharper, and less open. This is how they sound with distortion: the Blue and Silver become punchy, thick and compressed (in a good way), the same wirh the Red, but it gets more edgy and while it takes on the compressed quality it seems to open up and work best with distortion. The #2 and #4 switch postions blend the tones of the pickups, but you won't really get the tradtional quack tones (more quack with #2 than #4). These are great pickups for blues and hard rock, and they cover a lot of ground. The TBX is nice in that you can open up the Silver and Red tone for more edge and presence (I mostly do this for solos). I mostly use the Blue and the Silver, and I can get a pretty good Buddy Guy tone. I think for a good Fender clean, like country or funk tones, you can use these, but they perform best with bluesy and distorted tones. These are really great with heavy overdrive and distortion and the Red really shines. For a Strat this is nice as you get a thickness that has the qualities if a double coil, so if you're after good rock and blues tones these are great. These are noiseless pickups. I play through a Rivera open-back combo, a Rivera head with closed-back cabs, and an old Gibson combo. The guitar sounds best through the stack and the old Gibson...interestingly, it sounds most traditional through the Gibson with 6V6 tubes. I think that for what the Lace Sensors do they're great, but that takes the guitar out of the traditional Fender Strat terriotry (which may have been Fender's intention). Some people may want to change out the pickups because of this...however, that may be the way to go for some considering the low prices these can be had for. To be objective, I think it's a great sounding guitar that compliments my more traditonal Fenders, but I'll take off a few points because of the peculiarities of the pickups and the TBX.

I got the guitar second-hand, but hardly used, and it was setup fine except I had to adjust the intonation. The bridge is not as easy to work with as a standard brdge, you pretty much have to remove it to adjust the intonation (Fender shows pushing it down to access the allen screws, but there really isn't the clearance that is needed to this). This a hassle, but once it's set it's set, and the saddles aren't going anywhere. The truss rod adjustment is done at the headstock which is nice. There is a micro-tilt adjuster for the pitch of the neck, but once the truss rod and bridge are set the action is great. One plus is that action is adjusted by raising and lowering the two pivot bolts, rather than doing each saddle individually. The saddles are differnt thinknessness to match the curve of the fingerborard. This seems like a good design to me, however some people may prefer having individually adjustable saddles (I think that the time saved for setting saddle height is compensated by the time required to remove the bridge for setting intonation, so for an overall set-up it probably ends up taking the same time as for a standard bridge. Once the guitar is setup the tuning stability is great. I have mine set-up for 9's and I float the bridge, and I can do heavy beding and dive bombing and the guitar stays in tune. I think the system of the tuners, nut, and bridge is very, very good. The guitar does not break strings prematurely, but when they do break it's at the point where the string is flexed at the saddle from using the whammy bar. I find that this happens after about three-four weeks of daily playing (just like a pedal steel where the stirngs are exercised by the pedals), but if you change your strings every couple of weeks you shouldn't have any problems. They only weakness I see in the system is the fact that you need an allen wrench to change the string, and this is a little more complicated that just running the string through the bridge, but as long as you keep the wrench in your case it's not a big deal. You could replace the bridge with an American Standard bridge, but you may not get the sustain and stability that this bridge offers.

The neck and the fret work are excellent, it's a great feeling neck and the jumbo frets are fitted and finished very well.

The body is fantastic. The finsh is a really nice burst that is an aqua color in the middle that blends an opaque blue at the edges. The body is very light and the wood is ash (swamp ash, I guess becuase it's very light) with a nice heavy grain. I was told that these guitars all have alder bodies, and for the bursts they used an ash veneer, but this guitar has a solid two-piece ash body. While the tummy contour cut is opaqu, the forearm contour cut is translucent, and the grain of the qwood follows the cut. The fact that the body is solid was confirmed by removing the neck and the bridge and checking the grain chevron of the center seam with the grain on the surface of the guitar.

The neck pocket is super-tight. The build and finish quality of this guiat seem as good as anything that Fender is putting out; who ever built it really did a careful and fine job, or they had a good run with these in '97.

I've been using this guitar regualrly for about 18 months, and it's become my main guitar due to all it can do...it's definately the most versatile guitar I've ever had, and while it may not be the best for all styles (see my comments for "Sound"), it'll get by for most stuff and it excells for rock and blues. The guitar is rock solid, has held up great, nothing's come loose or gone out of whack (i'm not abusive, but I use this guitar a lot). As far as using it without a backup, yes I would and sometimes do, if there's one guitar that covers a lot of ground this is it.

Never dealt with Fender, bought it used so no warranty. These are the ultimate in user servicable guitars, and are so universal that support is not really an issue.

I've been playing for about 20 years. In addition to this Strat I've got a Warmoth '52 style Tele with SD pups, a USACG '62 style Strat with CS54 pups, a Gibson J45, a Showbud LDG pedal steel, Rivera and Gibson amps. I love my J45...I've had Gibson electrics in the past (would like to have some again some day), but I've gravitated to Fender electrics.
This Strat is a great compliment to the traditional Tele and Strat.
I love this guitar. I never would have thought of getting a "modern" Strat like this if I hadn't aquired it as part of a larger deal for a price that was too good to pass up. Now, I couldn't see getting rid of it as the neck and body are fantastic and all the parts and sounds work really well for me. I could see changing out the pickups, but that's generally true as a possibilty for any Strat (one of the things I like about Strats is how easy it is to do mods to them). If I do change the pickups the fact that this guitar has the "swimming pool" rout opens up a lot of possiblities. Some people don't care for these because of the breaks from the traditional Strat, but I think that the features work well, and that the design is a good evolution of the Strat. If it were stolen or lost I would be very very sad. I would look to replace it with a Strat Plus species of Strat as I think these are overall top notch USA Strats that can be had for great prices. If I ever came across one like mine again I'd get it.

1989 Strat Plus Deluxe, USA. 22 frets, rosewood fingerboard on maple neck, ash body (heavy too), gold lace sensors, wilkinson roller nut, american standard trem, hipshot tremsetter, tobacco sunburst finish, sperzel locking tuners, medium jumbo frets. Pickups since replaced with EMG's (SA/SA/89), saddles replaced with Graphtech FAAS piezo string-saver saddles, white pickguard replaced with black (looks cool on the tobacco sunburst body), stock fender knobs replaced with black metal dome knobs (looks very cool). Pickup routing is a fender 'universal' rout, so changing your pickup configuration is possible without having to take to the guitar with power tools (!).

This guitar is a really nice sounding instrument, very warm and full sound without the harsh top end that I've had in other strats. Didn't like the lace sensors that came with the guitar (a little noisy and lacking in sustain) so I swapped these with the EMG's (SA/SA/89) that were in my previous guitar. Still, the natural sound of the guitar comes through. Very versatile sound from Jazz to Funk to Hard Rock. Not sure how it would go for metal though. I've also added a Graphtech FAAS piezo saddles recently which is a great addition and increases the versatility of the guitar even more.

Purchased second hand, and wasn't well setup at the time. Very well constructed though, so didn't take too much to get it playing really nicely. The trem is ok, but doesn't maintain pitch as well as a full locking system does. Some of that might be the wilkinson nut though -the strings (esp the G) seem to stick a little. If it was a huge problem I would have had it replaced by now though! Very nicely finished fretwork (no nasty edges). Tremsetter had also been taken out (most people do this) but I had mine put back in which the techs hate me for as they're a pain to adjust. I just like the strings to stay in tune while (for example) I'm bending other strings and the american standard trems do move a little in this situation (not as bad as floyd bridges do). Nice finish except for some minor self inflicted dings and wear.

I've been playing this guitar for 12 years and never had a problem with it. It's definately built to last, and I've probably done 2000 gigs on this guitar in all that time. I look after my gear too, which helps. I would normally have a backup on a gig, but with the addition of the Graphtech FAAS saddles (which are piezo equipped string saver saddles) I've virtually wiped out string breakage so now often go out with just the one guitar. Strap buttons I had replaced with schaller strap locks.

n/a

I've probably brought and sold a dozen guitars since I've had this one and I keep coming back to it. I would cry if it were stolen. It's just such a nice playing and nice sounding instrument and after 12 years it's setup, configured and played in just the way I like it. When I purchased the guitar, I was actually seriously considering a Valley Arts but fell in love with this one. A few years later I purchased a Valley Arts, and it's a great guitar in it's own right but has nothing on the strat.

My DSP is a '94 spec (according to the manual I asked Fender to send) with a '93 neck serial number - it doesn't have 40th anniversary badging. The colour is "too-much" red (aka crimson burst), and it came with an off-white pearloid scratchplate (since changed to a plain 'mint green' Fender replacement). It has a 22 fret rosewood board, maple neck, ash veneer over alder body, and the 'deluxe' hardware - Fender Floyd-Rose bridge, LSR nut and Sperzels. Pickups were the red, silver and blue Sensors mentioned in other reviews and it had a TBX control. Inclusion of shielding paint in the cavity is a nice touch.

I bought it second-hand a bit over a year ago, and it came with its Fender shell case & its 'tremolo' arm, but was missing its 'toolkit'. I bought it having done my research and decided to buy a used strat with a rosewood board. I'm no expert but after testing some of those available thought it had a great neck (average sized, but substantial feeling, sleek & played-in), general feel and unplugged woody musicality and resonance (almost everything else on a strat can be fixed).

6 months after buying it and having bonded with it I had it professionally set up and the pickups changed and some rewiring done by the incomparable Chris Melville (Melville Guitars, Brisbane Australia). It now has a set of Kinman AVN Blues on board.

I'm pretty much in agreement with many other reviewers about the Sensors. They must have seemed like a good idea at the time to Fender. I found I could only use the middle three positions on the selector - quite liked the silver Sensor and the blue was not bad.

Having said that, the guitar itself sounds great, unplugged. Again, no expert, but my impression from my DSP is that they were well made using good tonewood (leaving aside niggles about the veneering) and well thought out hardware. They seem to be a great guitar 'platform' for creating a range of quality sounds depending on what pickups are fitted.

Regarding the hardware, while not initially convinced about the Fender Floyd Rose, now I think it is a very solid bridge and set on its 2 posts probably contributes to the solidity of the sound projected by the instrument. Of course this means it is not at the spranky, vintage toned strat end of the spectrum; its undertones are more smooth, rich and substantial which leads me to...
the Kinmans, which have been set up to complement the natural sound of the guitar. These pickups are truly excellent - read about them elsewhere on this site and at the Kinman website.

Bought second hand, so can't say much. My DSP was seems to have been treated pretty well by its former owner/s, although had to replace the Sperzels with new ones because 3 came with parts missing - they have to be treated with care.

I think all guitars should be set up professionally once you decide you want to keep it for a while, decide on string gauge, what you want to use it for etc.

Am a guitar enthusiast not a performer, but as above the instrument seems well designed and made. Will no doubt stand up to the extreme rigours of jazz lessons, home practice and occasional jams.

Limited experience here: mail ordered the manual and received it here on the other side of the world within a couple of weeks - no worries.

Have played for 20 years, off and on, have recently taken up jazz lessons and developed a liking for Bill Frisell's music. Other 'heroes' include Neil Young, Elvis Costello, Mark Linkous, Jay Farrer and David Rawlings.
Other current guitars (not a collector): Seagull Grand acoustic which I love for its somewhat flat but breathy, immediate, no 'airs & graces' tone; my first electric, a home assembled Les Paul copy made from scrounged parts which has died and been reincarnated many times; Amplifier: Trace Elliot Velocette Twin, highly recommended, read about them elsewhere on HC. For quiet practice, use and recommend Korg Pandora PX3 with headphones - also sounds pretty good when run through the Velo!

My DSP, as modified, is what I currently want in a guitar. It has a good tonal range, no annoying habits, excellent playability and sounds very fine.

1992 American Made Strux (strat deluxe plus). Beautiful sunburst three color with Ash body and thin Maple, 22-fret neck. All bells and whistles, through body string-thru body bridge (MUCH better than clip and clamp, which is sort of ridiculous), Schaller locking tuners, LSR roller nut. Has the red (bridge), silver (middle) and blue (neck) Lace Pups. Came with Black plastic Fender case.

Great from blues to ballads (for me). Would like a bit more punch, but so far not able to make it happen with this setup.

Used: action was terrible! However, a quick neck adjustment and a height adjustment at the bridge to even out string height made it excellent. Then raised the pickups, which enhanced sound. A 10 AFTER the tuneup.

Haven't played live, but yes, positive this brickhouse can take a road trip.

Website needs PDFs for user manuals. They can't be making any money on $5 to get manuals mailed out. Never dealt direct.

I've been playing for about 25 years. I own Yamaha, Negoya, Sigma, and Martin acoustics. My only other electric is a mid-60s solid body Kay (sounds sort of like an OLD telecaster). I am 100% satisfied with this guitar. If it were stolen I would do bad things to the thief! Then I'd save up and buy another Strux if I could find it. I chose this guitar due to its beauty and features. The price just made it a no-brainer purchase.

If anyone knows how to get more of a full blues sound out of this guitar without modification (i.e. different amp setups or effects), please email me.

I bought a '93 American Fender Deluxe Plus Stratocaster. It has the usual controls. It has three Fender Lace Sensor Pickups (Red, Blue, Silver). It has a black finish. It has a Wilkinson Bridge and LSR Roller nut and Sperzel locking tuners. I changed out the standard pickguard for a turtoise.

I think that this guitar is one of the better Strats that I have ever played. I think that the three different Lace Sensors give a variety of sounds. I usually play rock, so I love the bridge (blue) pickup, but I like the fact that I can get the variety if neccessary.

I got the guitar used, so I don't know factory settings for this particular guitar. I took it home and did some minor adjusting and the guitar is almost perfect. I think that it has held up well so far. I like the look of the black finish with the turtoise pickguard.

I think that this guitar is very reliable, but you should always have a spare. Strap buttons look to be Schaller ready. I think that anybody can depend on this guitar. It sounds great.

Never dealt with Fender.

I think that this guitar is going to be a great guitar in my collection. It will sit right next to my '54 Strat.

Mines a 40th aniversary (1994 I believe). The hardware is premium with frictionless nut, and the bridge is a a three spring trim which requires you to cut the stings and secure them with six allen bolts. Has a snap in tremolo arm. The floyd rose bridge is weak and didn't have enough spring in it to keep from pulling out on me. This is the one biggest dissapointment of this guitar. Beutiful black with subtle green speckle paint finish. Good action, never goes out of tune

Great for light genres of music, but when it comes to heavy stuff you need to crank on humbucker position which kinda sucks. Super good with clean tones and virtually noisless.

Nice, no buzz. Neck laquer is kinda peeling from the sides of the neck which is a little anoying. I have looked after this thing with a velvet glove. Everything else is as good as a 2200 dollar guitar should be- honed to the max!

floyd Rose has come out on me a couple times but otherwise this guitar doesn't loose tune nor does it's hardware lack. No crackle on the nobs or quarter inch in after 8 years of steady use.

I've been playing this strat for about 7-8 years. I wouldn't probably buy it again but I won't sell it either- it's a quality guitar. It doesn't totally suit my style of playing all the time but it shines above all others at times when it fits into what I am doing.

USA Stratocaster Deluxe Plus of 1996. It have a lot of nice things: 22 fret maple neck with LSR roller nut (very very nice), Fender Floyd Rose bridge, 3 lace sensor pickups (blue at the neck, silver at center and red at the bridge). The mine is black with pearl pick guard.

I play a lot of everything...old surf tunes, psychedelia, rock'n'roll, alternative rock and noise... this guitar it's what i was looking for. I use it with a Fender Twin Amp, several Boss pedals and a digitech Wammy-Wha...
1 - No noise
2 - Fantastic clean sound: every pick up has its sound: i use the red and the silver together for the surf, the silver alone for the ballads, the blue for the blues, the red for the other things.
3 - The tremolo arm it's the best I ever played with. No intonation problems even with a great unse of the arm.

It's obvious that if you play metal this isn't the guitar for you. :)

All ok

I've had a little problems with the central "tone" control...it turns over and over the 360? !!!! But now it's all ok.

I bought this guitar new in 1990 directly from Fender with an optional tweed case. It is a beautiful sunburst with an unusual grain. It has an ash top with alder body-the best of both worlds! It has Schaller locking tuners and a Wilkinson roller bridge that won't accomodate any string sets fatter than 10-46, which is what I luckily use. It came with a Tremsetter that I've never used so I can't comment on it. The pups are Lace Sensor Blue, Silver and Red in the bridge. I like them alot, particularily if you process your sound with effects, but they sound fine plugged straight into your amp, especially the Blue neck pup. Neck is all maple with a 9.5 radius and medium frets. The back of the neck has a nice worn in feeling-not sticky at all, like my '57 vintage reissue. The serial number starts with E9 (1989) although I ordered it in '90. The hang tag is stamped May 1990.

The sound may seem a little sterile compared to my '57 RI but the variety of sounds and the ability to use effects with no added noise makes this guitar extremely versatile when performing live. The red bridge pup is fine for lead playing and the blue neck pup is great for everything else. I use a wide variety of amps, vintage and modern, and they all sound good with this guitar. I've been playing since '65 and owned over 30 guitars during that time including the 5 Strats I have now and this one is a keeper.

This guitar was shipped directly to me from the factory and was perfect. It was the second one I got from Fender directly as the first one was sent back a day after I received it. I check the "snugness" of the neck/body joint of any guitar I buy. With the strings and neck plate w/screws off I check to see if I can hold the body off the ground for a few seconds with the neck pressed into the neck cavity of the body. If it can't it won't sustain well and it'll sound "plunky" not rich. I've seen many Strats that can't pass my test (even Custom Shop models) but I don't own any of them. My five Strats all passed this test and that's why I still own them.

It's a Strat but I never gig without a backup. It seems bulletproof.

Never dealt with them for warranty work.

I've been playing for 37 years and own a dozen electrics currently including my five Strats-this Strat Plus Deluxe, a '97 VooDoo Strat, a '57 USA reissue w/ Custom Shop anodized pickguard and pups, a '91 US Strat and a US'88 HM Strat. They are all fine guitars that I plan to keep forever, but the Plus Deluxe is by far the most versatile. If I was going on the road and could only bring one guitar this would be it, it does everything well. However I must admit that the '57 RI is my favorite of the five because it it feels so good to play. Would I look for another to replace the Strat Plus Deluxe if it was stolen? Yep, but it would have to pass my test first and that is harder to find than it might seem.

Made in the USA in 1997 Fender Deluxe Strat Plus.
22 Fret Maple neck with LSR roller nut
Two Tone controls and one volume control & 5 way selector
Three Lace Sensor Singles; Bridge position is red, mid is silver, top is blue.
Beautful Dark red finish with wood grain showing through.
Pearl pick guard.
Bridge is a a three spring trim which requires you to cut the stings and secure them with six allen bolts. Has a snap in tremolo arm.
It has Sperzel locking tuners.
It came with a plush interior hard shell case

I play a variety of music; metal, country, bluegrass, and classic rock. The Fender Lace Sensor pickups are color coded for different kinds of tones. The blue one on top has a rich 50's tone. The mid has a great tone for country. The red single at the bridge position is hot. It is great for metal and soloing. It packs a better punch then many of my guitars with double coils.

I have several guitars and this one is by far the best. The different sounds from the pick ups let you play a wide variety of music without having to switch guitars. The Sperzel locking tuners are wonderful for quick string change. The sound quality is the best that I have ever played.
Here is my only critisism: Though the roller nut helps give this guitar wonderful tone and sustian, it will not keep it in tune with any real tremolo action. The red Lace Sensor bridge pick up provides great hard pounding sound but you will you regret doing any deep dives with this trem if you expect to stay in tune. Why would you put a Tremolo on a guitar with a roller nut? Light trem action only for this guitar.

This guitar seems and appears to be quite durable but I will never put it to the test. In live play I would use it when the spot light is on me. This guitar is a real show off piece. For harder play would rather put the wear on my USA HM Strat or USA California Strat. Also, the Lace Sensor pick ups have the words "Fender Lace Sensor" silked screened on them. It won't take alot of play to wear the silk screening off. I think I could use this guitar w/o a back up but who would ever do a show with only one guitar.

Never had to use them

I have been playing for about 16 years. I own a 1968 Fender Bassman with a 2x12 cab and a Fender Concert head with a 4x12 cab. I also have an Ibanez, a Jackson, a Fender USA HM Strat, A Fender USA Corona California Strat, a Washburn with the best trem ever made....WASHBURN WONDERBAR, A Fender Telecoustic, two Yamaha Acoustics, And A cheap ole VANTAGE Flying V with 2 EMG doubles and the Washburn Wonderbar Trem.
I play through a Zoom 8080 Studio Player effects processor when I am trying to impress and a Zoom 1010 when just playing around. In my opinion, the Deluxe Fender Strat Plus is a Fender masterpiece. If you put it up against a Gibson, you would be throwing rocks at the Gibson!!!!

10 years old, blue-grey colour that's growing on me. Maple body & neck.
Features as with the other listed reviews, although after a bit of research on the Lace website I found that a Silver sensor is a fatter, 70s style Single coil sound, whereas the Gold is more the 50s sound.
A Gold sensor is not necessarily better than a Silver one ('All that glisters ...')
Came with sturdy hard case.

The sounds available are wonderful & versatile.
The Blue (vintage humbucker, neck) is my favourite - turn up a little distortion & play PJ Harvey's 'Is This Love?'. Warm, bassy, great clean or distorted.
The Silver mid sensor is warm without the harsh treble of a trad pickup (to my ears).
In common with many other reviewers, I found the Red pickup disappointing, but found it sounded very tingly with lots of gain on a rectified amp. Came to life with a crunch.

Bought 2nd hand, so nicely set up.
Bridge blocked off, which I prefer.

Ten years old, gigged by previous owner, and yet still perfect.

Web site is a bit weak, but no need to contact them.

I enjoy recording my own songs, so this is really a toy, but what a toy.
I use it mostly with a POD2 pedal, and the flexibility of the POD's amp tones & the guitar's pickups gives an infinite range.
I would definitely buy this over a Standard Strat plus due to the Blue pickup.
I bought this as it was cheaper than a new US Strat with better features. The build quality is superb and guitars are relatively uncomplicated, so I have none of the worries I'd have buying, say, a 2nd hand car.
Pairing this guitar with a POD is not a purists choice, but for a top quality range of sounds it can't be beaten.

This guitar is made in USA in 1997. It has 22 medium frets on a slightly stained maple fingerboard. Neck is standard profile with 9.5" board radius. The body is solid swamp ash I think (might be alder, but it feels too heavy for that), and has a nice fine gold flake finish. It comes with Blue, Silver and Red Lace Sensors on a aged pearl pickguard, plus the regular American Strat controls and switch. LSR roller nut, locking tuners and Deluxe Locking Tremolo (formerly known as Fender-Floyd Rose). Comes with Fender hardshell case and all the necessary Allen keys. Fully featured with the classic look.

I use this Strat into a BOSS ME-8 effects and a Marshall DSL-401 combo. I play mainly rock and blues (think Satriani + Clapton) and this guitar is very good at it. The neck position is fat like a vintage PAF, and I use it exclusively for slightly overdriven blues. It is quite balanced although the bass is a little too much and I had to lower the bass side of the pickup. The neck-middle position has the distinctive Strat "quack" when played clean and sounds very authentic. I never use the middle position but it sounds a little like Texas Special with less tonal character.

The bridge Red Lace Sensor is biggest problem with this guitar. It is thin and lacks low end. Mids are totally absent and it sounds like it can do nothing but some hair metal. Really horrible pickup. Got no balls for lead. I wish there was a Blue variant here. Because of the bad bridge pickup and general lack of character from the Lace Sensors I am considering changing the pickups to Kinman Blues.

The guitar came with a back-warped neck. The strings were buzzing like bees and I had to immediately adjust the truss rod. The intonation was fine but the string height was set too low. Turned the bridge pivots a couple of turns and adjust the claw springs for a floating bridge plus to increase the string height. I often pull up the tremolo arm and floating bridge is a necessity for me, even though I heard that it reduces sustain. The pickups were also too close to the strings and I had to adjust them for a balanced output. The bridge Red Lace Sensor was a nightmare at this.

After an afternoon's work at it, it played very well. I must say that the fretwork is good. The bends are not choked, and tapping was easy because of even fingerboard. I am very particular about an even sounding fingerboard for this purpose. The locking bridge and roller nut are very good and the tuning never goes out when I use the whammy. It also has a low profile and smooth feel, unlike the original Floyd Rose that feels like a respirator on your guitar.

One minor problem I had was that the tip of the 5-way switch was coming off. I am going to drip a drop of glue into it and fix it back. Other than that the guitar is fine. The finish is nice, and the aged pearl pickguard is really attractive. The neck joint is also tight and snug. The output jack is a little loose and I had to tighten the hex nut. The strap buttons sucked and I installed Schaller straplocks effortlessly.

This guitar is supposed to be the cream of Fender besides the signature and custom shop series. It should withstand live playing well. (Even my MIM Strat did!) The hardware is sturdy but I think the straplocks are necessary for any guitar in this range. The finish looks fragile and I better be careful with it. I can depend on this guitar only after I change the pickups, but I will not gig without a backup no matter what guitar you're talking about.

Never dealt with Fender. The local dealer Swee Lee is quite good and gave me a free setup.

I've been playing for 3 years on the electric and more on the classical and acoustic. I have an old Yamaha classical with sentimental values (my first guitar!) and another Fender MIM Strat with EMG pickups. This guitar is great for the price I paid, and it feels very good and sleek. The only thing I hate is the Lace Sensors. They suck! I am getting Kinmans! Anyway it feels similar to my MIM Strat but has a heavier body and smoother neck. The bridge is also much more stable. If it were stolen, I would save up and build my own signature Strat. But I won't mind getting one again.

Made in U.S.A., maple neck and finger board, 22 frets, ash body with beautiful transparent blue finish, hip shot trem setter, schaller locking tuners, L.S.R. roller nut, red, silver, blue single-coil lace pickups, and hard shell case.

I love playing lead using the blue neck pickup, real fat sound. I do not like this guitar for rhythm it's a little muddy. The lace sensors are o.k. I would have preferred a blue or silver pickup in the bridge and gold in middle and neck position. I don't like the lace sensors when driven with distortion. I'm looking into replacing the pickups I'll probably go with Reo Grande's, Muy Grande in the bridge and Tallboy's in middle and neck.

The guitar play's great and stays in tune if you don't use the tremolo, which I expect from any non locking tremolo. However Fender's workmanship on the maple neck was and is poor. I'm guessing Fender put the frets in the neck and then poured on the finish over frets and all. What happened was as I played the finish chipped off the frets which was a nuisance, but worse yet it chipped the finish off the maple finger board as well . I took the guitar to a luthier he contacted Fender, Fender sent out a new maple neck and it did the same thing. I then gave up on Fender and had a luthier do a fret job for $60, and I will now live with a few chips in the finger board finish.

I bought the guitar new 1/25/95 and have never had any problems except for the maple neck. It is the only electric guitar I own and I'll probably keep it for the rest of my life. I would use the guitar any where.

Read the above section on action, fit and finish and you tell me. I would have given this rating a 9 had the neck they sent me fixed the problem. The only reason I give this a 2 is the finish on the neck has fewer chips than the original neck.

I was also looking at a Hamer Daytona for $625 when I bought this guitar. This is the guitar I now wish I had bought and would recommend to anyone looking for a strat. Unfortunately I don't think Hamer makes this guitar anymore, but it would be worth finding a used one. The reason I bought the Fender was the roller nut, which I still like, and the lace sensors which I like sometimes and hate others depending on what I'm playing.

1999 made in mexico, has 21 frets, 5-way and button pickups, transparent finish, strat body, medium frets.

Great for SRV and Hendrix type music. Use monster cable with a 65w peavey amp. Sounds good with any echo effect, not so good with alot of distortion. Full rich sound. Can't scream though like my a guitar with humbuckers. Very texan tone, not good for rock, and metal.

playes perfect, haven't busted one string since i got it, for real.It has gold plated hardware, and some of the gold has wore off.Don't get gold plated hardware!

It will last forever, but as for the hardware, don't get gold plated!I can depend on this guitar, but i do have others just in case.

fender is the best, but i think the next guitar i buy will be a Gibson.

I have been playing for 6 years. I also play any other stringed instument brought to me, the drums too. I love playing songs on it by artists such as pearl jam, chili peppers, hendrix, clapton, king, and eric johnson.I wish i would have bought humbuckers, next time.Fender makes very nice guitars, and i will alwasy trust the fender company.

1984 American Strat w/ 22 frets. Ash body is deep blue w/ white pick gaurd. 5 switch selector controls 3 lace sensor pick-ups- all gold. Thin Maple neck, Shaller locking tuners. An after market LSR replaces the Wilkinson roller nut - the Wilkinson was a POS. American Standard Trem sits tight with all the springs in place. 3-wind 11's finish the guitar off. No bar, don't use one.

This is the do it all guitar if there is such a thing. From dirty blues to country to metal to bluegrass.

I bought the guitar used in a pawn shop for $400.00. It needed the nut replaced (the Wilkinson, not me!) and the frets needed to be milled. I through $225.00 bucks at it and wa-la.... I own a great playing guitar.

I took my guitar to Strait Music in Austin, Texas and let me tell you they are by far, and I say this with all of my heart, the biggest bunch of screw ups in the music business. Hands down a Minus Ten. I even called Robert Strait up and told him about all the problems I was having with his business/service/staff and he was anything but concerned. So I took the guitar to a guy named Shannon at Mars and he not only fixed the guitar but for about a 1/4 of the money I had already paid Strait Music.

So it worked out like this:

Strait music had my guitar for 2 months and did not do what I wanted and it cost me $175.00 (yeah, you'd think I wouldn't have paid a dime, right?)

Shannon at Mars (he still works there by the way) had my guitar for a couple of days, charged me $50.00 and broght my guitar back from buzz city.

This guitar is bomb proof but it must get a tune up at least twice a year, once if you play less. I see no reason why it shouldn't be passed down to generations of players.

Gig w/o a back up? Sure, if you could invent strings that wouldn't break.

no warranty, i am the second, (third? forth?) owner. I have never communicated with the Fender company.

11 years of playing and I still can't get it perfect! The Strat will always play better than me! If my Strat were stolen or lost I would look until I found the guitar that felt right. Heck, when I bought my Strat it was all out of wack, but it just felt right and in the end my purchase paid off! This being the case, if I had to replace this guitar it would not necessarily be with another Strat Plus, but it would be with another quality guitar!


With Best Regards,


Chris in Texas

ps My next guitar is going to be a Taylor 410CE.

1989 model in a teal green finish. 22 fret rosewood/mapleneck.Blue lace sensor in at the bride and silver lace sensors in the middle and neck poisition. Standard two point tremolo with the tremsetter and a wilkensen roller nut.I think the neck is a wide thin with standard frets??? I bought it brand new while playing in high school jazz band.

Beautiful tone! A true work horse. I've used it for jazz, metal, you name it. I've ran it through any amp you can name and it always sounds great.

No flaws here. It came from the factory set up perfectly and after over ten years of use is about ready for a fret grind. This guitar is so smooth!

It's a strat! Nuff said.

Never needed it.

I've been playing for 14 years and have owned several other guitars but I just keep coming back to that Strat. I recently pickud up a 1973 Strat that has quickly become a favorite.

1993 MIA strat. 22 frets. Solid ash body. 1vo2tone. 3 lace sencor (belch) single coils new pickupswould be an improvement. Passive electronics. 1 piece maple neck. Beautiful sunburst finish. String through body strat bridge. Locking schaller tuners. Thin neck.(oval?)L.S.R. roller nut. I say 7.(10 with new pickups.)

My musical style veries a lot. I play rock, blues, and some alternative. It suits me well although some new pickups will be in order soon. I really hate the red lace sensor in the bridge position. The locking tuners make my life a lot easier.(10 with new pickups.)

I bought it used so I don't know about the factory setup. It plays like a dream though, and the finish is beautiful.

Let's face it strats are tanks. No need for a backup.

never dealed with them.

After I replaced the pickups with handwound Rio Grandes The guitar is perfect.If it were stolen I'd kill the person who stole it. It works well with my current gear. I have a Mesa Boogie rocket, a boss me-30, and of course monster sp-500 cabels.

1989 USA; 22 frets; TBX; Bridge: Seymour Duncan Hot Rails, Middle and Neck: Lace Sensors; maple neck w/ skunk stripe; standard bridge; tremsetter; Sperzel locking heads; Wilkinson nut; some wierd dark brown, semi-see-thru, metallic finish, i've never seen another with this finish; came w/ hard case.

You can play anything on it & it'll sound good. I usually use it in a DI, thru a Big Muff. Hardly ever use anything else. Used it with a whole bunch of amps, mainly Marshall and Fender tube amps. Sounds soooo good.... The Hot Rails humbucker sounds good thru the Muff regardless of what amp it goes through. My neck pickup's gone a bit wonky though, gives out a very weak signal for some odd reason.... gotta fix it.

Bought 5 yrs ago used, set-up was amazing, the neck pickup came wonky though (nearly never use the pickup). Frets were slightly worn, pickguard screws rusting a bit, a coulpe of knocks here and there....I've added a few more over the years.

Survived a whole bunch of gigs, will last till sometime in the 18th millenium. Everything's pretty solid, starting to wear gracefully. No strap locks, have been using good ol' masking tape. Now who goes without backups? Never needed to use the backup though..... (except for the occasional broken string)

Never communicated with Fender. 2nd Hand, the warranty was long gone.... will someday take it in to fix the neck pickup, but haven't sent it in for repair yet.

Absolutely in love with this guitar. My first Fender, will never part with it. It's like a sentimental bond. It's irreplacable. Wish I could find another one..... If anyone finds a strat plus, it's worth it. But sit down, take a bit of time to play it :)

1997 model made in USA. It's a metallic red color that I haven't seen before on this model. Blue/silver/red Lace Sensor pickups. Sperzel locking tuners. Straplocks. Floyd Rose bridge. LSR nut. Usual Strat controls but one of the tone controls is a TBX control which can boost treble and bass. A shaped hardshell case, strap, and Allen wrench were included.

I'm a big fan of the Lace Sensors - that's one of the main reasons I wanted this guitar. The Blue in the neck and Silver in the middle position are good for cleaner sounds, but also handle overdrive well. The Red in the bridge is good for harsher distortion. I most often play through a Johnson J-Station. These pickups are so quiet that you really have to crank up the gain to get a distorted sound. I also use a Fender Amp Can and Mini-Twin. I use either the J-Station or an overdrive pedal for effects.

I bought this used. It was in fine shape in general, with two minor flaws. One of the tone buttons didn't work, so I replaced it. There was a scrape on the side of the guitar by the first fret, which I retouched. Outside of that, no complaints. I don't like that you can't adjust the height of the individual saddles in the Floyd Rose bridge. This is a beautiful finish.

Fenders are built like tanks. This would be a great guitar for a gig in a lot of respects - great variety of tones, straplocks, excellent tuning stability with the locking tuners, and the good nut and bridge. It is also far better shielded than many of the other Fenders. I would only have a backup, and I'd be reluctant to use it at a gig until I could make sure that I could find an appropriate replacement if I broke it.

I sent $5 away for the manual a couple of weeks ago and haven't received it yet. Fender's Web site is pretty good, a;though putting up PDFs of the manuals would be nice.

I would definitely replace it if it were stolen or lost. I've had a number of Strats over the years and this is by far my favorite. I prefer the Lace Sensors to the Vintage Noiseless pickups in the current Deluxe models. They are defnitely not "vintage" sounding, but are very smooth and sound great with overdrive. The straplocks are a great feature and should be standard on all guitars. I'm not crazy about the bridge, and this is a little heavy for a Strat. My other guitars are a Parker P-38, a Standard Strat with Gold Lace Sensors, a Lace prototype with Holy Grails, a Danelectro Hodad, a DeArmond Jet Star, two Route 101 Solimar Customs (great guitars!), a Fernandes Nomad, a couple of acoustics, and a bass. I play this, the Parker, and the Route 101 the most.

1990 American made 22 fret maple neck. Natural blonde wood grain laminate. Wilkinson bridge, roller nut, locking tuners. Blue, Silver, Red Lace sensor single coil pickups.

I play alot of Alex Lifeson, Yngwie Malmsteen, and 80's shred. For playing Rush I found the quiet single coil sound ideal. The red lace sensor had pretty nice output, however the silver and blue provided the nicest tone. I have since replaced the red lace sensor with a Duncan hot rail. I am playing this guitar through a Marshall 30watt 3103 Artist head and 4/12 cab. I absolutely love the tone. I can get a real nice overdriven humbucker type metal edge as well as the glassy clean tones Fender is famous for.

I bought this guitar used. It played like a dream. I was impressed with the playability of the neck, which seemed absolutely custom tailored to my playing. I was equally impressed with the locking tuners and how well the guitar stayed in tune. To me this is the ideal guitar in the 700-1000 price range hands down. The craftsmanship is top shelf. I am sorry they discontinued this model!!

I have done numerous gigs and this guitar has never let me down. I am looking to buy another, perhaps the Ultra, which is also discontinued. The neck and locking tuners are unbeatable. I would like this guitar with a humbucker in the bridge. They are not easy to find!

Made in the good old U.S. of A. Ash body with a nice crimson burst finish. You can see the grain of the ash through the finish. 3 lace sensors (blue- neck, silver- middle, red- bridge). Fender- Floyd Rose locking trem, maple neck w/ rosewood fingerboard, LSR roller nut, schaller locking tuners and strap locks, 1 volume, 1 tone, and 1 TBX (what is it??) control.

Great Hendrix style sound out of this guitar. clean middle gets great, punchy blues tone and the neck is really warm. The only problem is that the red lace sensor isn't as powerful as I want it to be. Might put in a hot rails or a humbucker in bridge.

bought used so i don't know about factory presets. The guitar was scratchless when i bought it. Perfect finish.

This is a solid guitar.

This guitar is great. I don't know whats the big hang-up about the lace sensors. This guitar sounds good. So what if it doesn't sound like a "traditional" strat, it's a good guitar. It's too bad Fender discontinued this model.

1993 Deluxe Strat Plus witha rosewood fretboard. Made in the US. 22frets. See through red with ash body. Pickups are S/S/S, came with 3 lace sensors, blue-neck, silver-mid, red-bridge. Passive electronics. This one has a snap on tremelo arm with a string-thru body configuration. A year later, they came out with the Bullshit Floyd Rose system. Has locking tuners, a LSR nut, and came with a tweed hardshell case. Its a 25.5 inch scale length. Large frets, not jumbo. Another important aspect of this instrument is that the inside cavity was painted with black shield paint, with the underside of the pickguard in protective foil. This helps reduce 60 Hertz hum. It has more features than other strats, therefore 10.

This guitar suits alot of musical styles. It differs from most strats because its basically a hot rodded strat. It doesn't sound like a traditional strat. Why, because of the pickups. The Lace Sensor (which are being criticized too much these days) are voiced to produce a varied of unique sounds. Fender claims that the Blue Sensor produces a fat neck humbucker sound (12 Ohms), and it does work quite well. The Silver Sensor (7 or 8 Ohms)is more of a traditional sound with more midrange. The Red Sensor is hot (14.5 Ohms)and is wound to produce more of a Hot Rail sound, similar to that of a Humbucker. This is not a "purist" strat by any means. But, what it was designed to do, it does it well. Also, this guitar does not feedback at all!!

No problems here. After two years of playing I got a good set-up done by a reputable dealer and it was worth every penny (actually about 100 bucks). Since the pick-ups are Sensor's they can be adjusted close to the strings. They sense string vibration and very little magnetic pull. This is a good thing!

The guitar had ZERO flaws, nothing misaligned, everything worked perfect and still works perfect today.

I never had a problem, and never will. Nothing looks to be wearing and it looks like it will last forever. I have 11 guitars and I use this one the most. I jam with the guys on weekends with the occasional studio work but I can tell you that you could tour the world with this instrument and not have any problems.

I wouldn't bother calling Fender when there are so many good qualified guitar shops here in Toronto.

I've been playing for 20 years. I had many good guitars with this being the most reliable on the most versatile. I picked this strat out of 15 in the store with this one being the one I like because of the features and its sound. However, every US Strat in there sounded good and was well made.

Have you seen some of the quality of Gibson guitars these days. I've never seen such overpriced and over-rated shit like I've seen with Gibson these days. I recently went shopping for a Les Paul Studio, every one had paint flaws especially on the neck. One Studio Gem did not have a slot (on the nut) cut out for the G string. I'm not kidding!! The salesperson said "that's why this one is on sale for $899. Fuck that, buy a Fender!

I've got a 98 (I believe it was the last year they made these with the Lace's), US made, 21 frets. Red/Silver/Blue Lace pickups, the locking Floyd Rose(ish) trem, and the blue burst finish.

The sound from it isn't quite for everyone.....if you're looking for the biting overdrive you can get out of EMG's, this guitar might not be for you. Since I'm not into that, this thing's a dream. On the bridge or bridge/mid pickup combo, you can get some nice full-on lead, but the neck pickup sounds for all the world like an old Les Paul. It's great.

The workmanship on this thing was great....only thing to complain about was that the top strap button comes a little loose now and then, but that's just to be expected over time.

Factory action was fine w/ the trem setup, but I only use the trem once in a blue moon, and then just to dive/swell, so I have it pulled all the way down to the body which allows for extremely low action. Also adds a little more warmth to the sound.

The finish is beautiful, all the girls love the blue burst.

Strats are tanks....my live setup is just two of these guitars, and I keep a spare neck handy just in case.

Never had to call...

I've been playing for about seven years...I've got two of these strats, an oddball frankenstein superstrat style guitar with a scalloped fretboard, and a couple of acoustics. The blue strat is by far my favorite of the bunch. If it was lost or stolen, I'd probably scour the planet looking for another one.

THE ONLY THING I CAN COMPLAIN ABOUT: I've seen a couple other people say this same thing....if you're going to use the trem heavily, replace it. The thing is hit or miss...sometimes it's rock solid, but a lot of times it'll throw the G string right out of tune. No idea why.

Mine was a 1998 model.Crimson Burst,maple neck.Fender Floyd
locking bridge.The above mentioned Lace Sensors.Body is alder,
with ash top.Shcaller locking tuners.

sounded okay,but I'm not a fan of the lace sensors.They were
too "dry" sounding,and not clean/bright enough.I was planning
on replacing them before I got the guitar anyway.I had a Marshall
valvestate 2x12 combo,with a Boss GX-700.Also a Roland JC-120
made an appearance.

I could smell the finish the moment I opened the case.I was a little turned off by the warped pickgaurd.Set up was bad,but then again
it was mail ordered.I had trouble keeping the thing in tune after
the strings were broken in.Later,I found that tightening the screws
on the Schaller tuners,it was rock solid! Action was okay,but I
did'nt know about the micro-tilt adjustment till afterward.
No real problems to speak of.

I think the construction was durable,but the finish was not.
Other than that,It las ta while.I'd might have a back up if a string broke.Changing strings with the Floyd style bridge,would be really
slow.

I did'nt own it long enough to have a problem to call then for.I dont
think I would have needed to anyway.

Overall this guitar is okay.I preferred to drop EMG's into
it.I'm not a really great technically speaking,I think I
spent a little too much for what I needed.Looking back I would
have baught a stock American standard,and hot rodded the shit out of it.In fact,I'm planning to do that now.The Floyd style tremelo
is not for everyone,only if you'd like a locking trem,but rather
not deal with Floyd Rose.I prefer Kahler myself.Unless you're a
purist,I feel that a strat is great guitar.With a few modifications
it can become a monster.Drop EMG's with a SPC midboost,and you'll
see what I mean.I'm putting a Kahler 2300 cam in the next one I buy.

I got mine a couple months ago and it's great. This guitar has created a new look towards fender. When I think of fender i think original. And let me tell you, this thing is far from original. This guitar has all the goodies. Hoeck, thats why I got it. A lot of people dislike the bridge. I disagree. Although it does take a little getting used to, it's a hoeck of a lot easier to put on the strings than the regular locking tremolos. this guitar also features the sperzel locking tuners wich are very useful. Anybody out there that wants to get a locking nut or anything like that spare yourself and gets some sperzel tuners. They are quick and easy and they also improve tonal response. Then there is the L.S.R roller nut. I don't really get this thing to much, but I think it keeps the strings from slipping. Note: if you have an L.S.R make sure the little beeds don't fall out of the holes because they are a pain in the butt to put back in. This guitar has 22 frets. Wich I only see on special versions on fender guitars. The lace sensors pickups are are very nice. What I like about these pickups is that it takes out that high shrill sound of single coils and gives you a smooth sound.the bridge pickup is great cuz it sounds like a humbucker.guitars tone wich filters outthe high frequencies when needed. It's kinda like taking down the treble on your amp but still leaving you at the same volume with a little more clarity. The 5 way switch is great with these pickups. it literally gives you that fat round sound of a les paul. The schaller straplock is good for on stage performances. the only thing about this guitar that dissapointed me was that under the frets I found yellowish hugh on the bottom. Not that this matters. It probably had to do with the transportation. the bi-flex truss rod is nice although it meeds to be adjusted while in drastic temperatures. The micro tilt neck is good for adjusting at your comfort. It has a nice smooth maple neck. This is one of the best guitars I have ever played. But remember there will always be a better guitar. But hell who cares this one is pretty damm close.

I have a wide variaty of playing. It all depends in what mood I'm in. I play blues such as kenny wayne and SRV. I play metal such as KORN and sevendust. And my main playing is based on jazz rock vibe like Steve vai and satriani.guys like that.{the masters} I run it through a Boss GT-5 through a dunlop crybaby and a marshall G215R. Hey, it sounds great and thats that. I can't say this guitar is noisy. it's actually quiet, but when set on high distorions this thing kicks. I give credit to the lace sensors on that one. The tone on this guitar is veryyyyyyyyyyy flexible. the possibilitre virtually endless. You can get that fat round sound of a les paul, and of course have the cutting tone of a strat. The only thing I don't like about the sound is that the tone is flexible that it's hard to tweak it just right. But all in all it sounds great.

This guitar was set up ok. They should have said something about the bridge though. It's a floyd rose non locking bridge. It's more like a floating system. When I got it the bridge was bent back. It sorduff pissed me off cuz i thought the guitar was screwed up but it wasn't. The pickups were fine but with the lace sensors it doesn't really matter. If you want a fat round sound I suggest you keep the bridge and middle pickup low and the bridge high. Kinda like a H/S/S thing. In my opinion I think this setting works for all different types of music quiet and loud. If you are a metal freak and don't give a crap about tone then go ahead and put them all high.

This guitar is very tough like all strats. I wouldn't recommend doing anything stupid to test it like run it over woth your car. Especially on a guitar like this. This guitar seems like it can withstand a long time. I haven't gotten rough with it yet cuz i haven't had it that long. Everything seems solid to me. I would not use this guitar in a gig without a backpack. Even though it could.....IT'S JUST TOO PRETTY AND BEATIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!.

I'D say the support was ok. I really have nothing to complain about though. This guitar is better than perfect.

I have been playing for almost 8 years now and have played a lot of guitars. And if you are looking for a guitar with great tone and good in concert this is a must have. If this guitar was stolen I would 1. die of shock 2.start a war 3. kill the person who stole it i compared this guitar with a 70's strat a gibson SG supreme and a fender roadhouse. but for some reason, each time I always went back to this guitar. It gives the sound of a lot of guitars. I wish this guitar came with the skills of steve vai.

Tinted Maple neck, locking tuners and roller nut, sunburst, floyd rose bridge (a real dog), red, silver, blue lace sensor pickups, wide flat camber.

After I got rid eof the floyd rose bridge and replaced it with an an american strat standrad brisdge unit I could concentrate on the sound, which is great!
This instrument, provides a beautiful sequence of tones, especially in positions 2 and 4. Sometimes, a rich bell tone, and depending on style and amp settings a brightvintage fender harmonic.

Perfect, clean, ready to go as soon I exchanged the bridge assemblies. Why fender opted for a floyd rose set up is beyond me.

excellnt. rock solid

Fine as ussual, for fender.

Again, that lousy floyd rose bridge was a mystery!
Aside from that the lace sensors and the instrument prove fenders ability to knock out greta production line instruments!

1989 Model. As described in other reviews, 3 Lace Sensors were stock, with maple neck, jumbo (wide, but fairly flat) frets - appears to be the nature of the fret, as opposed to being fret ware. The body is see-thru blue, and very attractive. The guitar is heavy for a strat - almost as much as a Les Paul, so it is probably Swamp Ash (or Ash... one of the two is the heavy one, and the other the light one... I forget). The nut is the Wilkinson type which was abandoned in subsequent years. I considered modifying it to the LSR, thinking it might be a little less friction, but haven't yet.

When I first got this guitar, I loved it. Thought the lace sensors were the best thing on the planet. And all I had for guitars at that point were a Les Paul Standard. I think that is the problem. I didn't have a good frame of reference for Fender tones, and by comparison, this guitar sounded very Fender-ish. Since then I grew increasing dissatisfied with how it doesn't sound like a Strat in the traditional sense (I have turned into a purist!).
With lace sensors, the distortion gets smoother like a humbucker and the clean tones lose bite - more smooth. I describe it as "built in compression", though that is just my term for it. Anyway, I got sick of it. So I have modified the guitar. I put 3 Seymour Duncan SSL-1 Vintage Staggered pickups instead of the lace sensors. Now it sounds like a real strat. But there is still a problem, which is that the wide, flat frets take away some of the spank that you can usually get on pull-offs and string bending. I might let this be, since I have two other strats now as well.
I may put the lace sensors back in or maybe put in some combination of pickups - this is my guitar maintenance "learning" guitar.

The see-thru blue is very nice. The guitar came with a white pickguard, which I removed and brought to a concert to have it autographed by dada. Now I replaced the pickguard with a black one, and it looks very unique.
The action on the instrument is good, and sometimes buzzes on the low E string for any reasonable action setting - I think again because of the width of the frets.
One of the locking tuners has some free play in it which is not adjustable, so you can only come in gradually from one direction (tuning up). In the other direction, one tends to overshoot. Not a big deal.
With the Wilkinson nut, and .010 string set, I find that using tremolo tends to catch the strings up in the nut a bit, and lose the tuning due to friction. I rarely use tremolo so this is not a big deal either.

It's reliable. Good finish. Nothing much to say about it.

I pity the day I need support from Fender... they seem virtually unreachable. You need to send them $5.00 and photocopy of your birth certificate to get literature, so I hope I never need a factory repair.

This guitar WAS the best deal I ever got on an instrument. It went for $550 when most of its equivalents were selling for 650-700. Makes up for the bad deals I have made. Recently I got a G&L Legacy used for $425, which I must say takes the cake.
I own an American Standard, the Legacy, and this Strat. Of the three, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. I don't plan to sell any of them. This is one of the most attractive Strats I have seen. If the frets were more like the G&L it could be the winner of the bunch.
I also own an old Telecaster, which is usually my favorite of all, but I am on a Stratocaster kick these days - so it has taken a bit of a back seat.
Amplifiers are Mesa Boogie Mark IV, Mesa Boogie Maverick, and Fender Twin Reverb. Boss Pedals + ProCo RAT + Ibanez TS-9.

Get rid of the floyd rose bridge, and all is well. I replaced it witha standard fender bridge. Whata relief!

Beautil beltones are possible here, plus standard enhanced strat sounds. a great soic oiece of work. not exactlty 10% traditional strat.

teh best I've found on any strat.

N/A

excellent as ussual

excellent, fender discxontinuing the pickups and the model.\ replaced by strat deluxe, with low noise pick-ups. I have that strat. It's o;k. but its no strat plus deluxe. even dtrat plus, with its 3 gold lace sensors out performs new noiseless strat deluxe.

1991 Fender Deluxe Strat Plus made in the USA. This 22-fret wonder has a solid alder body with veneer ash top. See through blue finish brings out the ash. Beautiful guitar. This guitar has LSR roller nut and Schaller locking tuners. This guitar was made in 1991, a year or two before the Fender Floyd Rose Tremelo, so it has an American Standard tremelo with a tremsetter. I took the tremsetter off and lowered the bridge as much as possible. Has three lace sensor pickups, a red one in the bridge, silver one in the middle, and a blue one in the neck position. Without going into detail about the pickups (read some of the other posts, they will describe them), I will simply say that this is one of the most versitile guitars ever made. The neck and fretboard are maple. Although I used to only settle for rosewood fretboards, this machine turned me around. This is the single smoothest neck I've ever played on. What else can I say. The case it came with is excellent. It has strap locks. A dream machine.

Perfect, perfect, perfect. It suits my style now and it suits my style back when I bought it... and I must say, I was a much different player then. This is the cleanest beast ever... even without humbuckers. All positions are nearly hum-free. Actually, positions 2 and 4 are hum-free. Sustains like most older Les Pauls and better than some of the newer ones. Wow. I love it.

I don't know how the factory set-up was, but when I got the guitar, the neck was fair. The bridge was messed up. No problem, it took me five minutes to fix it. The top is perfect. All routing is perfect. I don't have much to say about this, everything is how it should be.

This thing is a workhorse. This thing has some thick ass finish. Part of it has looked like it is about to wear through for three years now, but it seems like it will never get there. I feel so confident in it that I would play without a backup... however, I'm a bit of a guitar collector and I always need to have another guitar around... just because.

Never dealt with Fender... hopefully never will.

A 10. Worth the $625 I paid for it. Worth a hell of a lot more than that if you ask me. I don't know what the guy who sold it to me was thinking. Nothing more to say.

NEW TAKE ON STANDARD STRAT DESIGN. LACE SENSOR PICKUPS, (BLUE, SILVER, RED) LOCKING MACHINEHEADS, ROLLER NUT, FLOYD ROSE TREM (SORT OF) TBX CIRCUITS, ASH VENEER BODY. ALL FEATURES EXCELLENT, AND PERFECTLY USEABLE. 1000000 TIMES AS GOOD AS A STANDARD, FOR ONLY A BIT LESS. TREM AND ASH VENEER MAKES IT WORTH THE EXTRA FROM A STRAT PLUS.

THIS GUITAR CAN SUIT ANY STYLE. WITH THE RIGHT AMP, THE RED BRIDGE PICKUP SOUNDS JUST LIKE ANGUS FROM AC/DC. CAN PLAY ANYTHING FROM ROCK TO BLUES TO COUNTRY TO JAZZ! CAN SOUND EXACTLY LIKE A LES PAUL '57 WITH ENOUGH DISTORTION. PERFECT FOR SLASH SOLO'S. VERY QUIET. HARD TO FEEDBACK, BUT ANY FEEDBACK IS MUSICAL. THE OLD STRAT SOUNDS DON'T STAND OUT MUCH, BUT THERE DATED NOW ANYWAY!! PERFECT FOR ANY SOUND EXCEPT EXTREME METAL (PANTERA, SEPS, E.T.C.) IT CAN SOUND RIGHT, BUT DOESNT LOOK RIGHT, PLAY THE SAME ETC

FINISH A TAD UNEVEN. A SLIGHT BLOTCH ON NECK. WHERE THE PAINT IS EVEN, ITS GORGEOUSE AND SMOOTH. I THINK THE DARK PARTS MAY BE GRAIN SHOWING, SO I WONT PENALISE MUCH. STIIL LOOKS AMAZING!! NECK IS AMAZING. BENDS ARE EFFORTLESS. THIS GUITAR VIRTUALLY PLAYS ITSELF. VERY HARD TO SET IT UP TO BUZZ OR CHOKE (I TRIED!). NECK IS QUITE FAST, BUT MORE REFINED THAN A 'WIDDLY WIDDLY' GUITAR E.G. A JACKSON. FRETS ARE ACE.

ONLY OWNED FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS, BUT HAS BEEN GIGGED REG. STANDS UP TO ALL ABUSE!! STILL NOT A SCRATCH! COULD USE WITHOUT BACKUP, BUT ID TAKE A BACKUP NO MATTER WHAT GUITAR YOU OWN.

PERFECT GUITAR. ANY OTHER GUITAR I BUY WILL BE FOR PLEASURE. IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY BUY ONE. WITH A PEAVY VALVE AMP THE CLEAN SOUND ID AMAZING. VERY SMOOTH AND JAZZY. SLIGHT CRUNCH ALSO GOOD. HIGH GAIN IS THE BEST SETTING. USED WITH A BOSS MT2, THIS IS THE MOST VERSITILE SETUP FOR ROCK/METAL. CASE EVEN SMELLS GOOD! I DONT KNOW WHAT FENDER USE BUT I WANT SOME FOR MY CAR!!

-USA '97, 22 frets,in stunning blueburst, 3 Fender Lace Sensors, volume-tone-TBX-5-way switch, Fender Floyd Tremolo, LSR locking tuners,---demo model-no case

this guitar is the axe I've been waiting for!! I play various alternative styles(from ethereal to heavy) and this axe covers all bases, as far as I'm concerned!! Ultra quiet, Fab 'in-between' sounds, clean and articulate in overdrive mode--sounds bitchin' w/ my Boss DD5 and Chorus ensemble pedals thru my Mesa/Boogie DC5 combo---I've finally found the perfect set-up for my music!!

it played great acoustically--pick-up, neck and controls were flawless!! The best guitar I've ever bought in my lifetime of playing!!!(Yeah, I'm in sonic bliss!!)Workmanship is top-notch, plus all joints and fits are solid!!

I have yet to gig w/ this guitar--in fact, I just may slap it in a glass case wall frame cabinet!!!!(har har)--I'm confident this thing will definitely deliver the good, recording or live gigging!! I will hopefully update when that time arrives!!

N/A--haven't had to do so!!

Personally, I've beeen playing for well over 21 yrs. I have a collection that includes a Jackson Soloist, Hamer Centaura, Charvel San Dimas Strat, and my "punk machine', a Jackson Pro Dinky Std. I was gonna buy a Les Paul Gem at the same store, but something clicked in my mind that " it's about time I get a Fender"--Hell, it's my first (and certainly not my last) Fender---I seriously was gonna get a PRS, Les Paul Custom or another Jackson( the PC1) as my ultimate guitar--guess it'll have to wait awhile!!!

USA made, 1992 I think, 22 jumbo frets, volume, tone, tbx. 5 way selector switch. 3 passive special single coils Lace Sensor pickups, blue (neck), silver (middle), red (bridge). Swamp ash body, transparent finish (you can see the beautiful wood), improved american standard style floating whammy bridge with stainless steel saddles, locking Schaller tuners, 25,5" scale, standard D profile maple neck, rosewood fretboard. LSR roller nut, Hip-Shot tremsetter, Straplock buttons. Case and strap included.

Very versatile guitar. You can play from ballads to hard-rock, blues, jazz, ... Not very suited for heavy metal. Use it with Peavey Classic 50/410 and Soldano HR 50/Marshall cab, VOX wah (modified to Real McCoy), TS-9/808, V-Twin, ... Not noisy at all (the Lace Sensors are really quiet, like humbukers). Good bluesy tone on neck pickup, bright in middle, a little harsh and britle in the bridge. Very nice the combination (positions 2 and 4). I have installed the mid-boost preamp from the Eric Clapton signature Strat. Now I can choose from a lot of different sounds that had make my guitar even more versatile. With distorsion, now the bridge pickup is a lot more usable, because I introduce some mids to compensate the excess of treble inherent to the red Lace Sensor. With full-on mid-boost, it sounds like a humbucker! The only problem I have is that, as that preamp is designed to work with the more-vintage-less-output gold Lace Sensors, is better to limit the volume pot to 7 or 7.5. If you go over that, you are oversaturating the preamp (although it could be useful to control the dynamics in clean mode). Now the third pot controls the amount of mid-boost, and the second one is the TBX tone control. The sound, without the pre on, is very stratish, but without noise at all. I'm very happy with the sound and versatility of this guitar, and it also looks beautiful, with its natural finish and white pickguard! You can't imagine how it screams when plugged into the Soldano, with the gain only at 2 or 3... (Eric Clapton at its best), and how it cleans up when turn down the volume. Really fantastic for me.

The guitar was very well set-up, although I have made my own changes. With Lace Sensors you can adjust the pickups really high without problems, but I have compensated them to my taste. All the internal routing is well made, and has a thick layer of conductive paint. The back of the pickguard has also aluminium foil. I have not detected any finish flaw, and everything fits correctly for a guitar of this price.

The guitar seems to be very reliable. The finish is thick gloss transparent lacker and, after years of use (not abuse) it seems like the first day. The Schaller straplock buttons are rock solid, no problem with that. Now that I have installed the active preamp, it's always possible to run out of battery in the middle of a gig, so I think it's necessary: a) change the battery before the gig (a waste of money, because I have had mine for more than a year and is good yet), b) have a backup guitar (is what I like because, even with fresh battery, you can break a string and go totally out of tune in less than a second). Otherwise I think is very dependable, and I think that the hardware will last for years without any problem.

They have help me a lot to find all the pieces needed to make the modification I comment before. They have given me even the schematics of the E.C. model to guide my work. Thanks a lot, Fender USA and LETUSA (the distributor in Spain). The warranty is one year.

You can see my list of gear in the review of my other Strat (a white with tortoishell pickguard Roadhouse model). If it were stolen, I'll check the Eric Clapton model or any vintage model (the '54 or '57, I don't remember) with a V profile neck, but I'd wish to maintain this one also. I love it's versatility, the tone I can get from it, and I hate really nothing, it's a very good guitar for all types of music. I have compare this one to various other Strats in the shop and I like this one for his tone, look and feel. I don't understand why some people says that Lace Sensors lacks tone. I think is pure Strat sound, more than an American Standard. And with the mod I had make, its difficult to beat.

Maple neck w/large frets, sunburst alder body, Lace Sensor pickups (red, siver, blue) stock fender trem and locking tuners. Wilkinson roller nut and trem-setter. Guitar was made and purchased in 1992 and I am the original owner.

The sound of this guitar depends greatly on which hat you're wearing when you play it. That is, if you're rockin' through a high gain amp looking to rip somebody's face off with your wicked chops, I'd have to rate it about a "5". On the other hand, if you're looking for a smooth, clean or blues driven sound, I'd rate this a "9" or a "10".
The pickups have what I would call a smooth dry sound which gives the clean tone enough bite to get your attention without distorting. The sound is much more pleasant to me than standard Strat pickups I've played. They have less of the "ice pick in the ear" tone that I associate with the standard Strat pickups. Once again if you're looking for good jazz sounds from a strat or play clean or blues you would probably like this guitar.
The more distorted it gets, the less definition each note has. It is difficult to get a "Van Halen" type of tonal sepparation when playing chords in overdrive. I know if you're really into overdrive odds are you wouldn't look at a strat with any form of a single coil setup but I mention the overdrive since they boast the Red Lace Sensor in the bridge position to be a "hotter" humbucking sound. It may be "hotter" than a standard strat bridge pickup but it does not compare to a DiMarzio-Tone Zone or the bridge pickup that comes in the Music Man EVH guitar I have which is also a DiMarzio. In my estimation, the Red Lace Sensor is no substitute for a real humbucker.
There is very little noise with these pickups and I've played them pretty loud through my Carvin 100 watt tube amp.
The most pleasing pickup is the neck pickup which I believe is Blue. It has a smooth fullness that pleases in almost any amp setting.
The controls are standard for a Strat. 2 tone knobs, volume and a 5-way pickup selector.

It was not set up from the factory very well. There was a bad G string fret buzz at about the second fret. That was easy enough to fix but it took a lot of tweaking to get it to play and feel right.
There was a minor flaw in the finish when I got it which was not a big deal. What was disappointing was the neck finish. Several of the frets were almost entirely laquered up to the crown. I had to take a razor blade and carefully cut the finish off of the frets. Again, not the end of the world but it shouldn't be that way on a guitar of this "quality".
I also had a problem for several years keeping my G-string in tune. Any time I would use my trem, even lightly, my G-string would go sharp which rendered my trem and Wilkenson Roller Nut virtually useless. After years of tweaking with it I fixed it but I don't understand why.
Here's the story: I don't like to float my trems. I want to be able to tune down and also be able to play on if I break a string in the middle of a song. I also happen to believe the tone is better if you have the bridge touching the surface of the guitar but that's another conversation. Anyway, set up this way my G-string would sharpen as previously mentioned. I finally set it up floating with the trem-setter adjusted correctly and now it works fine. I can't tune down or break a string anymore but I can use the trem pretty violently without it going out of tune.

It has been both durable and reliable. No major problems to report.

Only customer support issue was with Guitar Center right after I bought it but you go there for prices not customer support.

I'm like Jekel and Hyde with this guitar. It's good, it's bad. Over all I'm not totally in love with it. I may even try to sell it.
The bottom line is that I think it's a good guitar. When I start having problems with it is when I think of what it cost. Honestly, I'm not sure it's the best value for the money but it may be if you're looking for a decent overall performer and want something that has a little more sofistication than a standard Strat. Of course the word "Fender" on the headstock is worth something to many people also.
For the money I would probably consider a Carvin Bolt Guitar which I think is more versital and less than half the price. I'm sure there are many other Strat knock-offs that would fit the bill just as well too.
Side note: Strat owners, unscrew your pickguard and see how your body is routed. Do you see three pickup cavities or do you see one big rectangular hole in the front of your guitar? Fender has good quality but they cut corners unless you order directly from their custom shop so don't just fall in love with a name without checking out the details.
I don't regret owning it but for the money, I think I'd buy something else next time.

USA, 22 Fret Volume, 2x Tone (one with TBX active circuit), 5-way switch Lace sensor pickups, red at bridge, silver in the middle, blue at neck Neck & Fingerboard - Maple (one piece) Body - Swamp Ash Finish - Deep red burst Bridge - Knife edge floating trem (think it's wilkinson) Tuners - Schaller Locking Neck/Scale - 25+1/2" Neck is tapered, fat at headstock skinny at body SKB Case, strap, schaller straplocks (very nice), sticker!

Great for blues,jazz,funk, and rock. The Lace Sensor's do not quite have the bite of traditional single coils but I like there smoothed out sound (there are very quiet also). The neck pickup (blue) is beefy for blues leads. I use a Peavy Delta Blues (4xEL84,2x12AX7) & Wah Pedal. I think it is a great sounding instrument, very versatile. The red lace sensor at the bridge is not as nice as a humbucker if your into the distortion thing.

Factory set up was perfect for me, action was not too low (a la Ibanez shred machines) strings were good (super bullets), neck was silky smooth and fast. The pickups were fine, I haven't changed them since I bought it. Finish was also flawless. The only big problem with this design was the wilkinson roller-nut which they have since replaced with a ball-bearing model. The roller nut doesn't function any better than a normal nut and it restricts you from putting anything larger than 10's on.

The middle tone pot died after about 2 weeks. Since then I have had no problems. Hardware is good, finish is good..it has taken its fair share of dings though. Strap buttons are good but they do need to be re-tightened frequently. Very dependable...definately use it with out a backup (whose got $$ for a backup?!)

Been playing ten years, own a Marshall half-stack (2x12). I would cosider buying another one. For the price you cannot beat the quality of it. Of course a $5000.00 hollow-body would be great :-) I LOVE the playability.. the neck is awesome, the body is very nice looking and comfortable. The roller-nut is a pile of shit. Would like to try it with vintage single-coils although I am more than happy with the current sound