Fender Floyd Rose Classic Strat

This is actually my SECOND review for the same Fender Strat. The first was submitted waaay back in March '03 after I had the USA HSS Strat for a short period. . . .Came with "Original Floyd Rose" double-locked tuning system that still functions well.

The controls are: volume/tone/tone with a 5-selector switch. Dunlop straps locks and thick, felt washers have been installed. The original finish has been buffed to an extreme brilliance with California carnuba wax...The fretboard and back of the neck are that way as well.

This is a 1992 USA.. yet 'made-for-export' Fender Stratocaster. Serial number FN200XXX. Pickups are still HSS. The finish is still the original high-gloss black with poly clear on top. I've made a number of changes to this instrument since Spring 2003, thus this 2nd review on the same guitar. The tuners are still the original vintage-style tuners. The neck is 22-frets, all maple. I've had to personally sand down the fretboard and refinish it with two kinds of poly when the original finish became compromised...(what a major hassle to refinsh a fretboard thats still fretted)

The "sound" of this axe? Hmmm.. The no-name (type?) stock DiMarzio humbucker bridge pickup is awesome..bright, sustains quite well and records VERY well. The stock Fender single coils were unacceptable both in the studio and on the stage as well. I replaced those both this year. The Seymour Duncans I replaced them with are 'alright'.. but I'm thinking of replacing those as well with some DiMarzio "Area 61's"

I play at minimal stage volume levels at church. I will not go and try to make money with this guitar. But it always sounds so great coming thru the P.A. after being processed by my Boss GT3 multi-pedal.

I'm probably the 3rd owner of this Strat. The frets have been releveled and recrowned twice since I've owned it: once by a local luthier right after I bought it, and the 2nd time last year after I bought the fret tools and taught myself how to save a bunch of time and money by doing ALL my instruments's frets. I replaced the two single single coil pickups a couple of months ago with noiseless Seymour Duncan "Classic Stack" STK upgrades. At the same time, I also replaced the tone pot and tone cap with brighter-sounding ones.

I have the action set down low... as I do on all of my guitars/basses.

The guitar is quite durable.. and for the most part has held up pretty good for a guitar manufactured in April 1992. However; just one month ago, I replaced the low-E saddle on the Floyd Rose bridge. The saddle actually spilt into two pieces after a string change. ha ha! I would NOT take this to a paying gig with no backup.."why" you ask? The Floyd Rose string change is a MAJOR, SLOW drag.

I've only ever emailed the Fender Corp. ONCE to ask a question about Fender finishes. Yes..they DID respond, and it did help! I mostly do ALL of my own luthier work now..I'm self-taught, so I've never considered sending Fender any work.

I've been a electric guitar/bass player since 1972. Would I "replace" this guitar if stolen... I've already done that, as I have a 2007 USA sunburst nitro Strat for a backup. That guitar came to me with DiMarzio pickups in it already: Area 61 (bridge) and Area 58 (neck/middle). This '92 is a rather odd Strat in the fact that it was made for foreign export. What do I "hate" about the guitar... I wish it were NOT black, but rather a lighter colour or even sunburst.

2001 fender american deluxe floyd rose strat.Sunburst Alder with maple neck and fretboard.Original floyd rose tremelo,fender DH-1 humbucker in bridge and 2 custom shop texas specials single coils(asses aftermarket),vintage tuners,C shape neck,Fender deluxe case trem arm and strap locks came with the guitar.The only reason i give this catagory an 8 is because i feel fender could do so much more with the pickups in these guitars.

This guitar has an Alder body and has a very crisp sharp tone,This guitar is one of the most versitile guitars I have owned.I use a line 6 spider amp(the old red face model) and the guitar sounds great on all settings.The guitar came with a fender DH-1 humbucker in the bridge that was super hot but I am not a fan of passive pickups.So I took the single coils and the hum and and put in a single EMG 81 that literally brought this guitar to life.

Since I bought the guitar used I cant comment but when it arrived the action was super low.The finish is sunburst and well done.Seems to be very durable poly as the original owner was not to nice to the guitar and it still looks new.Although fenders quality control has gone WAY down hill lately this guitar is a superb example of quality crafstmanship by fender.the neck is a nice c shape and very comfy.HATE the vintage neck tint though.Some really shotty router work around the floyd.Looks hand routed.I have seen other FR strats with this same route so i know it wasnt home done.

The previous owner used this guitar extensivley on the road and only for a year nad the guitar was a wreck when i bought it.the floyd wad rusted beyond belief.the neck has edge wear and fret ware after only a year of 2 night a week gigging.But once I cleaned the guitar up and added some new floyd parts this guitar will last years.Overall this is a wrkhorse guitar and i like beatup guitars anyway.

Everytime I deal with them they are very helpful and curtious even more so for the custom shop.limited lifetime transferable warrenty.

I have been playing for 25 years and have owned every guitar from a fender squire to a ken lawrence explorer( actually 107 guitars in my life)if this guitar were lost or stolen I would buy another without hestitation.I love its versatility and feel and the just bare bones look and feel of the guitar.My gripes would be the yellow neck tint and shotty router work for the floyd but other than that i am happy.

2002 Black HSS w/maple fingerboard. US made...mostly. The features are the same as already described so I won't waste your time.

The one thing I will remark on is the neck, which I think is one of the best I've ever played. The black plastic(?) layer protecting the truss rod access is something I've never seen from Fender USA before whick leads me to believe that they contracted out with some other company for the supply. (Mighty Mite, perhaps?). No matter. It plays great! 9.5" to match the 10" radius on the Floyd, great frets, cool vintage-toned finish, old style Klusen tunders. Great stuff.

This thing really looks like a custom modded strat circa-'79. And the neck profile (medium C-shape) is very nice, comforatable for me. Cool early-80's NWOHM vibe. Perfect for Iron Maiden and Saxon riffage.

It's all Strat, can't miss it: Jangly, natural reverb tank sound from the trem setup. THe HB is fat and nasaly with a high-end shimmer. The singles are very high-end bright and hotter than normal. I find myself needing to actually roll off the tone more often than not. That's great! Finally! A guitar that puts out more frequencies than my amps can handle!

As far as amps go I generally use a Fender Twin (2002 model) or a Laney GH50L half-stack (the best Marshall I've ever owned). The only effects I use are Boss stomps, either in front or in the e-loop, nothing fancy, just loud.

It is noisy in positions 1 and 3, of course, seeing as though those are the pure single setings, the rest of the positions involve hum cancelling of some kind. This is an important consideration when youre switching back and forth between clean and dirty or effected tones.

You can generally nail any late 70's early 80's strat tone with this thing. Early Metal, Rock, Blues, Funk, R&B, Jazz (maybe) if you roll all of tone off. Probably won't suit nu-Metal or Thrash sredders, the frets are not jumbo enough and the radius is not flat enough for that style of playing. But for playing covers in a Rock band? Absolutely dead-nuts perfect.

I have no idea how well the factory set it up as I bought this thing used. I set it up on my own using Fender 150 9-40 (what a puss!). You have to use the Fender mico-tilt adjustment is you want to set it up properly, i.e. the Floyd Rose way circa '79, (too detailed to go into right now, e-mail me if you want to know how it's done). The micro-tilt works really well. A lot more precise than a matchbox cover or a toothpick, and the sound does not suffer.

As far as fit and finish go, it's almost perfect. My only gripe? They left the finish on the sides of the frets. I know it's been done this way for decades and all, but it really looks like crap when the finish starts to chip off.

This is a pro axe, and will last forever as long as you take care of it. Everything is solid. This is a very giggable guitar. Moderate weight for a Strat.

I would not take this guitar without a backup, why? The correct "Floyd" setup leaves the trem floating off of the body, so breaking a string would drag all the others out of tune, making the guitar useless. This is an important factor to consider if you use puss stings like I do. My solution: buy a second one! (See my other review).

Never called. The website and user manuals are great.

Before I sat down to write this review, I stopped to think about how long I've been playing, 26 years it turns out. I've gone through a fair ammount of gear now that I think about it. Lots of strats. Some good, some bad. This is one of the good ones.

I have to say that this is a fantastic guitar. I've named it "Guilty Pleasure". I use it when I'm playing with my Top-40 cover band. It's versitle enough to do a whole gig of "Jack" music with a clean channel, a dirty channel and a couple of effects. You can squeeze out more than a few great tones out of it if you learn to use the tone and volume knobs. Very responsive, squaky, chimey, ringing, tone. Great guitar. Lots of fun to play.

Fender doesn't make these anymore, so yourself a favor and find one of these things before they become "closet classics". I don't think Fender make a whole lot of these things. You should be able to find one for about what I paid for this one. Hurry!

H/S/S 1996 USA standard strat controls, with a floyd and a DiMarzio in the bridge (don't know what it is. No complaints here, not "tons" of features, but more than I need.

perfect sound, you actually can get any sound out of this guitar, even a convincing hollow body impression. I play mainly jazz/blues, but the odd bit of metal etc.... The stock single coils sound great for me and the humbucker is lovely.

They all clean up nicely with the responsive tone/volume pots.

You can get a really good Stevie sound out of the neck, but I don't really like that, so i'f you're like me you'll leave the tone rolled back a bit.

Sometimes i wish it was just three singles, instead of the humbucker. i miss that in between sound you get, and it doesn't work aswell with the humbucker. but I can live with that!

i don't like the floyd rose really, but thats my problem! its handy to have though.

well if you set it up right it'll be great, i got this guitar second hand in mint condition (it still had the protective cover on the scrtchplate) i've only needed to set it up once since then after three years.

there has been some oxidisation/rust on the floyd but it's caused no actual problems yet, and i don't imagine it will for a while. but thats happened on every guitar i've owned!

I don't think they're designed for use with heavyer strings it seems to work ok with .11 - .46.

I play this guitar everyday, for at least an hour, i've giged it and studied with it for years without backup and it has never let me down.

The finish is good, i mean, I don't really pay much attention to it, i just play it! It gets used and naturally it gets chipped/scratched: who cares? it's only a guitar and as long as it plays right.....

Never dealt with fender direct, doubt I ever will. I brought it four years ago and it has never caused any trouble.

It's great I don't use any of my other guitars that often, just a tele, for slide stuff.

if it was stolen, lost, whatever i'd buy a Melancon pro artist or something similar with a fixed bridge. i won't be getting rid of it for anything less to be honest. Iv'e played PRS, high end Ibanez, and none are better than my strat (in my humble opinion!!!)

problem is, England is a rip off, i've seen the prices you Americans get stuff for and it's just not fair! but if a good guitar cost a lot what can you do? brand new this would set me back about #1200 i havn't got that sort of money. Second hand is the way to go!

Cuerpo de Alder (premium)color negro, brazo de maple (una sola pieza) trastes medium jumbo (22), clavijeros vintage, tremolo Floyd Rose original (cromado). Capsulas DH-1 (Fender) en el puente, y American Standard en el medio y en el brazo.
Las terminaciones son de la calidad de un instrumento profesional.
Me regalaron un Case moldeado, pero no es Fender...
El 9 es por la capsula del brazo (que en mi guitarra ideal es un humbicking) y los trastes que idealmente serian Jumbo...

La guitarra suena EXCELENTE, pensaba cambiar la capsula del puente y del brazo por unas Di-marzio (que tengo en mi otra strat, una american standard del 40 aniversario) pero NO LO HARE, solo reemplazare la del brazo, y sera por una DH-1.
A penas uno toma la guitarra se NOTA la diferencia, es un instrumento muy fino, la verdad, esta guitarra respira ROCK!
El sonido del maple en el brazo es muy especial, cero queja...

La guitarra venia muy bien calibrada, en excelentes condicines, el Floyd no desafina, todo OK.
La accion es la adecuanda para mi, "just fine", no me obsesionan las cuerdas pegadas al brazo..

Todo ok...

Todo ok..la gente de Fender Chile es un siete!

Mi strat es un instrumento profesional, con todo lo que eso implica. Es una guitarra clasica, de una versatilidad increible, para mi gusto la mejor mezcla para rock, heavy metal, blues...tiene todo lo que quiero, como dije antes, si la hubiera hecho en la custom shop, solo habria cambiado los trastes a jumbo y la capsula del brazo a doble...es un instrumento para toda la vida...Como un amigo me dijo..."hueon! si te parai' con esa huea al lado de Eric Clapton, el hueon la encuentra rica! y no es talla..."

This is a 1989 Japanese Fender Floyd Rose Classic Strat. It has a 22-fret neck, an alder body with a very nice-looking 2-tone sunburst finish. Pickups are: 2 Fender Custom Shop Special single-coils and a Dimarzio humbucker (which model, I'm not sure) in the bridge. It's a standard strat body shape, except one of the corners of the neck heel is rounded off, greatly improving access to the upper frets. I've never seen this before on any Strat but this one. It has an original Floyd Rose tremolo with locking nut. The tuners are of the vintage style. Nice-looking, but not the best tuners. However, with the Floyd Rose installed this does not make a difference in tuning stability. The neck is nice and thin with an oiled finish on the back, the best neck I have played on any guitar ever, IMHO. I bought it used from a small music store and it came with a tweed-imitation hardshell case. There are so many cool little things about this guitar. It has all the features I need. And now for the sound...

My musical styles are extremely varied, ranging from classic rock, 80s and 90s metal, and modern metal (NOT nu-metal) to jazz, blues, country, alternative rock, easy listening, top 40 covers, etc. I have been known to dabble in almost any style except for flamenco and R&B. Not that I have anything against those styles, to each his own. I am currently running it through mainly two amps live, a Hughes & Kettner Triamp Mk1 and a 1965 Vox Ac-30. No FX. The two single coil pickups do generate some hum, as do all single-coils, but nothing out of the ordinary. The humbucker seems to be a high-quality model from what I can tell, although I have no clue which member of the DiMarzio line it is. Noise is minimal. This pickup is very bright, perhaps a little too bright for some styles, nothing you can't EQ out. One genre this pickup reeeally shines in is 80s metal. It will clean up well using your volume knob. The single-coils are pure butter. This is Fender tone at it's best, folks. You can coax very versatile sounds out of this guitar. The only sound I would say the guitar can't get would be that huge, fat Les Paul hi-gain crunch. Don't get me wrong, it's full-sounding. But I still prefer my Les Paul to get those fat rythym tones. There's nothing I really don't like about the sound of this guitar. I give it a 10 because it does everything it's designed to do.

I can't really comment in this category because the guitar was 11 years old when I got it. The store I bought it at had it very well set up, however. I set up all my own guitars as soon as I buy them, and I barely had to tweak it from the way the store had it. The guitar was old and in banged up condition. Dents in the finish, scratches in the paint and hardware, dirt on the pickups, but I knew she was mine. Perfect working condition. A PERFECT working guitar.

This guitar has stood up to 4 years of heavy use both in the studio and on the stage. I haven't had it long enough to comment on it's long-term reliability, but the guitar is a tank. I don't know if I would want to give it to one of those pop-punk kids and tell them to use it for a baseball bat, but she's one tough guitar. I installed Dunlop straplocks on it when I bought it, as I do all my guitars. I would not use any Floyd-equipped guitar live without a backup. This is a Floyd Rose hassle though, and not Fender's fault. I completely trust that this axe will stand up to many more years on the road. I give it a 9 because I've only had it for 4 years.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing this wonderful instrument we call guitar since the year of 1990. I own several other guitars including other Strats, Telecasters, Gibson Les Pauls. Ampwise, I love the old Marshalls, but you gotta crank 'em so freaking loud to get the sweet Marshall tone. The Triamp is perfect for most any application from crystal-clean to more gain than any human should ever need. The Vox is like my child. What more can I say? I would definitely replace this axe if it were lost or stolen, though it might be-semi difficult to find one like it. I love the features, I love the sound, I loved the price, I hate the fact that I can't have 10 of them. Buy one. Or better yet, find one and tell me so I can buy it.

American guitar , year:1990
21 frets, white finish, rosewood fretboard, maple body, 1 volume, 2 tones (I replaced 1 tone and put a switch for controlling single/double coil on the bridge pick up) , 5 way selector
Pickup configuration: S/S/H
Maple neck
Standard tuners

I play rock, blues, funk ,hard rock, and even jazz, and is a very versatile guitar, and still sonds like a Strat, despite the Floyd Rose tremolo. Good sustain if you use 0.10 gauge strings.
I replaced the original DI Marzio Humbucker. I prefer a DiMarzio PAF with coil switching
The neck is oil- finished (like the Music Man guitars) and is a good adition

Good setup
No problems with the pitch
Jumbo frets - good job!!

I play this guitars 12 years in concerts. Absolutely no problem except certains flaws in the electronic, but is not properly a guitar problem.
I abuse this guitar, and this still works
Is my mail guitar on my gigs

I don't need repair

I think that each Fender ' quality depends from the buider. I don't know if this model is good, but my guitar definitely is!!
A winner

1989 Japanese Floyd Rose Classic, S-S-H w/ a dimarzio in the bridge, alder body, nice neck, cutaway neckplate.

check the pics:

http://users3.ev1.net/~booboo22/strat3.jpg
http://users3.ev1.net/~booboo22/strat4.jpg

with the pickup configuration, it offers everything good about a strat (the luscious neck pickup tone), as well as what you wish it had (the 'bucker in the bridge). plus the floyd lets you go crazy with no worries of tuning problems.

this is secondhand (probably third-hand, but.....) so can't really comment on the setup. i set it up myself and it's lovely.

the hardware is great, but the big drawback: the FR tremolo has what seem to be stuck blocks in the string clamps, making it a major pain in the arse to change the strings.

this is a workhorse, what can i say. i've never dropped it and don't intend to, but this thing could survive a nuclear winter and stay in tune. the japanese strats of this era really are fantastic, comparable the the USA models if not better.

completely and totally N/A

i've been playing for 10 years, have owned loads of electrics. this is up there with my takamine electric as my favorite. i will never get rid of it because it is so unique (look at the neckplate pic above and tell me if you've ever seen another like it).

and you simply can't beat the neck p'up cranked to 10 and screamin'.

Floyd Rose Classic Strat

A truly "fat Strat" for those players wanted a wide variety of extreme tones from a humbucker-equipped Strat: choose from the HSS model, who features a scorching humbucking pickup (Fender DH-1) and two American Series hot single-coils to the HH model, who it beefs it up with a double dose of beefy DH-1 humbuckers, offering a wide array of fat humbucker and cutting single-coil tones..... Both guitar shared the Floyd Rose Original Double Locking Trem.

Extreme tones from a versatile instrument, yes, of course! You can obtain a wide palette of sounds, the Floyd Rose Classic HH, as the name implies, can deliver the classic single-coil sound when the humbuckers are splitted and a more aggressive tone when the two pickups were in full humbucking mode, while the Classic HSS had the traditional humbucker/single/single pickup arrangement, currently found on most Fat Strats, for those guitar mojos wanted a bridge humbucker for crunchy overdriven distortion but also the need of two single-coils for that legendary Strat tone, perfect for classic rock, country, boogie and blues. An amazing idea: Want a single-coil pickup sandwiched by a huge pair of beefy humbuckers? That isn't so bad, a Floyd Rose Classic Strat HSH with gold hardware, American Deluxe neck with abalone "star" inlays (like the Sambora Strat), solid ash body as well with powerful Clapton/Guy active mid-boost (25dB!) and TBX circuits combined with an active/passive switch for power preservation!

I didn't have a particular opinion for that instrument yet. HSH configuration was strongly recommended for incredible versatility, punch and sustain, so most guitarists can replace the original pickups with Hot-Gold Lace Sensors (Dually at neck and bridge and Single at mid), a HSH-routed pickguard was required to fit these pickups.

I can't purchased the Floyd Rose Classic, the fact that my brother had already a customised Fender Floyd Rose Classic Strat with an Ibanez Edge locking trem and Seymour Duncan HSS pickups with coil-tap switches, so I'd use ut on a gig, because I've already a backup guitar to play many styles of music with my teacher.

Can't dealt with Fender yet, but I'm sure that the legendary manufacturer of fine electric guitars and basses can build one of these days the third "missing" guitar of the Floyd Classic range, the Floyd Rose Classic Strat HSH, by popular demand of course, the fact that the HSS and HH models had already gained an extremely huge success since their first launch in the mid '90s......

Floyd Rose Classic Strats are extremely versatile (the third "missing" guitar included!), and offers tons of tonal shades. You know, a Floyd Rose Classic HSH with the powerful 25dB mid-boost and TBX circuits installed and the new Hot-Gold Lace Sensors fitted, offers the same sonic features of the DH-1 humbuckers and the American Series single-coil but without the annoying hum, because the Hot-Gold Lace Sensors are quiet, but slightly hotter than the original Gold Lace pickups, because it melded the glassy '50s tone of the Gold Sensor with the hot humbucker sound of the Red Sensor. I'm certain that the new Floyd Rose Classic HSH become extremely popular and, along with the HSS and HH models, first launched in the mid-'90s, can attract both shred masters and classic rockers worldwide.

My "MADE IN U.S.A." '92 Strat has a 3-color sunburst finish over alder and a maple neck. I purchased it brand new. The stock guitar came with two American Standard single coils and a DiMarzio PAF Pro humbucker which remain to this day. And of course, it sports a Floyd Rose Original bridge. Like the HM Strat before it, this guitar was geared toward those looking for something more than the traditional Strat. Imagine, a Fender with a real Floyd Rose and a real DiMarzio humbucking pickup. (I.e., not some made-for-Fender crap) It even has Schaller strap locks installed. ...black Tolex hardshell case, picks, strap, polishing cloth, and a bumper sticker. Go Fender!

I have played it through a half-stack (Carvin X-100B 100 watt head/KMD 4x12 cabinet "powered by Celestion"), and an early 70's Fender Vibroverb. My effects consist of a Boss ME-5 multi-effects pedal and a Korg PX2 (headphone amp). Straight through the Fender, the clean single coil sound is like honey. Beautiful. Veeery sweet, but I have to attribute some of that tone to the amp. Every guitar I have ever heard through the Vibroverb sounds amazing. The humbucker through the Carvin produces a good low end rock/metal tone, although I find it to be a bit dark. I actually prefer the more open sound of my poplar Fender Prodigy. With the Classic Strat, you can get everything from the sweet, bluesy/warm, glassy sound to a tight low end shred tone and some cool sounds in between. Very versatile.

I don't recall the setup, but I know the dealer did a setup anyway and only raised the pickups and bridge slightly to suit my heavier playing. I am still impressed by the humbucker cutout in the pickguard. It's not just the plain old rectangular hole; it's actually cut to match the shape of the pickup itself. I have yet to find this type of cutout on any other pickguard. I think this little bit of attention to detail adds a classy touch to this guitar. Now the finish on the other hand... While I love the beautifully faded tri-burst, the back side of the horns appear to have not been sanded properly or buffed out after painting. Maybe it's overspray? I also don't like the fact that the frets were installed before the neck was finished in it's vintage tinted hue. The finish on the fret wire eventually cracks and chips off leaving an unsightly fretboard. These chips can extend to the fretboard itself leaving the wood exposed. The orignal guitar had a loose pickup wire. (more below) Otherwise, this a well-made, solid instrument.

Seeing as how this guitar rarely sees the light of day, let alone a gig, I really can't say too much. It seems to be a very solid, sturdy guitar capable of withstanding more than a few acts of Townshend-like inspiration. It's gotta weigh damn near 10 pounds!

I received a call from the local music store informing me that my order had finally arrived. AFTER ONLY LIKE 8 FRIGGIN' MONTHS!! So I dash off to find that my new dream guitar has a rosewood neck. Rosewood!? "If I had wanted rosewood, wouldn't I have purchased that one on your wall over there. You know, the one I played 8 months ago?" Fender sent a new (second new) guitar next-day air. It arrived with a maple neck and an intermittent single coil. "We can fix it." "Like hell you will. I want a new from the factory guitar with a maple neck and 4 working coils, and I want it here tomorrow." I can't recall, but I believe the store did a quick solder repair. Fender takes the hit for the rosewood snafu, because I believe the store did order the right part number. Fender did get the second guitar there fast, though. Why the first took so long, I'll never know.

I have been playing for...uhhh...way too long to excuse my lack of chops. (over 10 years) My other guitar is a '91 Fender Prodigy with a DiMarzio Super Distortion. I still wonder how the Classic Strat would sound with the Super Distortion as opposed to the PAF Pro. Had I designed this guitar, I would have opted for chrome knobs and a bright white pearloid pickguard. I purchased the Floyd Rose Classic Strat as a long term investment, and I treasure it as if it were priceless. To me it is definitely irreplaceable. If it were stolen, I would have to spend a lot of money on a flamed/quilted/spalted/birds-eyed "boutique" guitar to help me overcome my grief. And it too, would never see the light of day.