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.

This intrument was purchased from a used musical gear place on Beach Blvd. in Stanton, Calf (Orange Co.) It has the predictable humbucker in the bridge position, and two single-coil Fender pick-ups as well. 22 frets, Floyd Rose locking tremolo system, black high-gloss finish and an all-maple neck. Standard, default Fender tuners. ALso with the purchase I bought the best hardshell case they had (good investment)

The Strat is solid. There is NO PROBLEM getting it to bark when I want to, via the humbucker, squeals very easily and the standard Strat tone is sweet...sweeeeeet! I had a local luthier reshape the worn frets into a "V" shape so no buzzing was evident. easy to do right-handed tapping in a vauge Van Halen method.

Black, high gloss, white pick guard, white pick-ups. The finish is far from perfect, but no major, obvious flaws to distract from the beauty of this guitar.

Everything seems quite solid, quite well-crafted as I anticipated upon purchasing ONLY an American-made Fender like I always had as a teen. It is a very dependable tool for sure.

Right, so i've had this strat for a while now and i still love the thing. Its Japanise i think, its got a Floyd Rose Original trembolo, and instead of three single pickups, its got two singles and a Dimarzio humbucker. Maple Neck, two tone knobs, and a volume. 22 frets, 5 way selector, active electronics, locking tuning system and the normal strat shape.

My music style is lead like in Thin Lizzie, and i play a bit of Hendrix. Its perfect for that style, but not great for rythym. I mainly use distortion and it sounds beatiful. A very bright sound from the humbucker, and a slightly heavier sound from the singles.

When i her first, she sounded perfect. But at first i didn't have a clue how to use the floyd rose trem, but i got the hang of it. I didn't really notice any flaws, although there was a slight click, on one of the knobs at number 4. It might have been a feature that i haven't discovered yet, though.

The strat has always been my favorite guitar. There is a sort of twang of them that no other guitar posesses. If in the un-likely event it was stolen (i own a shotgun) I would definatly buy another Strat, or maybe a Gibson Les Paul. Tis a great all rounder.

Mine is a 2000 floyd rose classic strat, made in USA. 22 frets(medium jumbo I believe). volume, 2 tone, 5 way selector. S/S/H configuration, standard american strat pickups in the neck and middle, and a DH-1 at the bridge. Although the catalog that came with it claims it to be a DiMarzio PF pro, so I'm not too certain about the bridge. Alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard.

The color is the antique White. The thing reminds me of a classic '57 chevy done in yellow and white, very nice. The floyd rose tremolo system is superb, far superior to the standard tremolo system on my MIM standard fat strat. It has a holder for two allen wrenches for the tremolo system behind the neck, which I think is cool. Convenience is convenience.

I received it very very slightly used, in truly mint condition with the case, strap, strap locks, tools, cable, all still sealed in the original plastic. I paid 599 on ebay, I was going to by a MIM deluxe, but then came across this deal as a buy it now, words can not describe how I happy I am I did this.

I play mostly my own music, being a better songwriter than guitar player. Even so, I do know a lick or two, and this guitar sounds excellent for the rock styles I play, as well as excellent for experimenting with tones and effects, and doing truly alternative things like psychedlic melodies.

I use a Boss ME-30 for effects, a system which certainly has it's drawbacks, like the lame UI and non backlit screen. With my Mexican Standard Fat Strat, stock pickups, the ME-30 produces only passable tones(acceptable, but not nearly as nice as my friends with better guitars through boss metal distortion pedals for example). With this new Floyd Rose Classic, the sounds have gone from ho-hum to very nice. Not to mention the volume levels are substantially higher and cleaner than I can use with the Mexican Strat.

My amp is a Crate GX-65, and this guitar puts out some very nice tones through this amp. They definetly seem to like each other alot.

This was not from the factory when I got it, but looked like it had been sitting in the case from day one. I had to make a truss rod adjustment, which severly lessened some serious fret buzz in the second to fourth frets, but other than that it seems fine. I will still be taking it to Torres Engineering to get a fret level, as there is still some minor buzz, but I find this to be true for virtually every guitar I've played, so I don't consider it a major problem.

As I mentioned earlier, I got this used in truly Mint condition. I paid 600 bucks and got a brand new strat in my book. Right down to the accessories still being in a sealed bag. The finish is flawless, the neck and fretboard flawless. Beautiful.

The action is low, even after the truss adjustment. The neck feels like it was meant for me. -1 for the minor buzz that comes up occasionally, but that will be gone after a level.

This guitar will handle live playing no problem. The hardware is top notch, and it has the feel of a tank in terms of durability. The finish looks like it will last a lifetime given proper care. It certainly seems better than most guitars I've played. The strap buttons are totally solid. The locks are sweet. I can depend on this guitar, I'm sure.

I would not go to a gig without access to a backup no matter what guitar I owned.

Web site is slow and severely lacking in information. If you asked me what I thought about it on the street, the phrase "It blows" comes to mind. Some things they could add are a model identifier by serial number. That would make verifying model claims on places like ebay painless. Also, I can get to parts of fenders website where they discuss accessories and allow you to view guitars with different colors through a google search engine, but not through the main page. Perhaps they are working on it, but it's been this way for a few weeks now and looks really crappy and is really slow. For this alone, in this day and age, I give their support a 5.

I've been playing guitars for about 3 years now. I own an Ibanez Aw-50 dreadnough accoustic, a Crate Gx65, a Boss Me-30, a standard Fat Strat(mexican made), and now this beautiful guitar.

For me, this guitar is about graduating from a tool to learn, to a fine quality musical instrument. Mexican strats are easy to play, have better tone than most low end guitars, but still do not have the same tone as an American made, at least in my experience. This Floyd Rose Classic is everything I wanted in a Strat and for the price I paid and the condition it was in, this was one of the best deals I could have hoped for getting.

Floyd Rose Classic with your standard options,
H/S/S config, 3-Tone Sunburst, Maple fretboard

Included in the price of the guitar was a hardshell case, strap, straplocks, guitar cable and cloth, along with all your standard wrenches and etc.

Personally I prefer the older rectangle cases to the SKB style case that came with the guitar starting in 2000, but I don't have a strong enough preference to make have made a big deal out of it with the store or with Fender.

On the whole, this guitar came with more "stuff" than any guitar I've ever purchased in the past (ESP, PRS, Ibanez, Washburn)

Before I begin, I will confess to being an ANUS when it comes to guitars. Some players can pick up anything and play it through anything, but I'm not one of them. If it feels "off" or sounds "off" to me, my playing is equally "off". This proves to hold more truth in a music store setting than on stage, which is where I initially pulled the guitar out of the box.

When I first plugged this bad oscar in I was impressed. Having worked in one of the world's largest music stores (if not that largest), I've plugged an uncountable number of guitars into an equal number of amps. I'm not easily impressed.

I bought this guitar for 2 things. I wanted the kind of beef I had been getting out of my Floyd equipped ESP's for years, but I wanted to be able to get the rest of those vintage blues/jazz/funk tones that sound uniquely strat.

To test it out, I plugged it into a Line 6 Flextone II 2x12, an amp that I feel can produce a good environment to test a wide variety of tones, from funk to shred and back. I was happy to discover my needs were met almost completely. Since I am such an anus, I still replaced the humbucker with a Duncan JB trembucker like all my other guitars and that pushed it up to a "10" for me, but out of the box I'll still give it the 9.

The setup from the factory was pretty good, but personally I don't think it's fair to make an assesment like that. A guitar traveling from one destination to another through various climates and conditions can very easily low what was a great setup at the factory. Nevertheless, it was perfectly playable, the action being perhaps a little lower than I'd like but not low to the point of buzzing or fretting out. So far as the pickups and trem, they were adjusted exactly as they should be, nothing had to be done by the store's guitar shop other than the mods I requested. There was nothing amiss with any of the pots or controls, nothing misaligned or otherwise poorly done. I HAVE seen those sort of things, even out of high end custom shops, but thankfully this wasn't the case here.

The finish itself was excellent, the wood beneath, even though it is alder, had a very attractive grain. Call me sick, but in a world that's insane with flaming spalted birdseye crotchless maple, I am utterly sick of seeing it and discussing it. This guitar has a very nice, subtle graining (obviously it isn't designed to be ridiculously figured anyway) and a smooth, mellow color to it.

My only real complaint about this guitar is the pickup routing. As has been mentioned, the swimming pool cavity job on a guitar that costs pretty close to a grand is fairly disappointing. However, since the guitar sounds the way I want it to sound and plays the way I want it to play, there isn't much since in nitpicking the issue. I have played more expensive guitars that impressed me much less.

The guitar has preformed pretty well in gigging situations, as well as in the studio. I have the same issues with this guitar as I have had with every other guitar I have ever owned (some 16 odd guitars) the strap buttons tend to need to be tightened every couple months or so, as well as the input jack. The only new problem I have is I am breaking a lot more strings than I ever have before. Where it just one string I'd be concerned of some sort of burr in the metal, but it's seems to be rather random. This may be because all of my previous floyd rose guitars had a floating trem and this one is blocked, but I don't really know. I wouldn't play a gig without a backup, but I wouldn't play a gig without a backup using any other guitar either. I've never needed to use my backup before, but a gig is a gig and you plan for every possibility as far as I'm concerned.

I have never had to deal with Fender on an issue with this guitar, however I have had to deal with them hundreds of times as a guitar salesman and I have always found them to be one of the very, very best. As a long time player of ESP guitars I can verify that having good customer support is very important. As a player who gigs frequently, sometimes it is paramount that I can get my issues dealt with in a timely manner. The fact that ESP couldn't do that for me, either through a dealer or personally, contributed greatly to me finding another company that could suit my needs. Fender has never given me any problems. They've always been good about getting things done as soon as possible and, if that cannot be done, at least giving you a realistic and fairly accurate timeframe as to when it will be done.

As a guitarist for 13 years, gigging musician for 10 years, teacher for 9 and salesman for 4, I can honestly say I do really dig this guitar. I have owned 2 PRS, one of the original Jem's, a Washburn N2 and probably 15 different ESP's over the years, this guitar ranks probably 2nd or 3rd of my favorites.

My major dislike of this guitar is the lack of any tremelo recession behind the unit. I knew there wasn't any, but coming from playing guitars that were recessed, this takes a little getting used to. When the trem is set up to float, the amount of play you have is reduced substantially. If you're not big into dive-bombing, you'll probably be alright. Now, with the trem set flush as is common, a nice, even vibrato using the bar is much more difficult. The technique I've used for probably 11 years completely unusable. I suppose it's the trade off one makes for having a d-tuna on the guitar (not Fender's fault in any way).

In comparison to an ESP M-II, it holds up fairly well to the "metal shred" challenge, though the vibrato issue doesn't exist on the ESP. However, I could never get the same variety of tones out of any of my ESP's. There is also the potential issue of neck radius. Fender necks not being specifically designed for a floyd rose, the "metal" guitars play somewhat faster. Personally, I have not had any issues related to this. The guitar has been very comfortable and playable all over the neck.

After all things are considered, I will be buying at least 2 more of these guitars. I'm sure I'll change humbucker in both of those as well. Maybe I'm getting old, but after years of playing the kind of guitars I have, it's kinda nice to pick up a little piece of tradition as well.

It's not the best Floyd Rose guitar out there. It's probably the most versitile though, and I recommend it to anyone looking for the same sort of things I was looking for.

FLoyd rose classic strat. 100% made in the usa. Original floyd rose locking system, 22 frets, DiMarzio P.A.F. Humbucker, 2 single coils

Very Veritle guitar, great for rock.

Good Action. No Flaws

Very dependable

N/A

Great guitar i own three of them,, i have one for sale for 600$. They sell for 1000$ on musicians friend. Email me if interested

I bought this guitar second hand in the year 2000. It is a 1990 FLoyd Rose Classic Strat as far as I can tell, with a blue teal fotofinish. It is different from other classics in that it has routing so that you can "pull back" the whammy bar, a cut away neck attachment so you can access the upper frets easier. It has a rosewodd fretboard, and 2 single ne humbucker configuration. The humbucker is a dimarzio. It also has a pull switch on the first tone control which as far as I can tell switches the humbucker to single coil if pull up. One of the previous owners scratched something off the back of the neck where the serial number is, so I suspect it once said, "Made in Japan", although the neck plate says Fender USA! It has the classic headstock and tuners and a Floyd Rose original in chrome. It has kind of a flat wide neck though which isn't my preference. The body has been routed around each of the pickups instead of a huge cavity as in the newer guitars.

I am a gigging musician, and it suits my style perfectly. It NEVER goes out of tune from whammy bar usage, maybe halfway thru the night I will have to sharpen the e string a little, and I really give the whammy bar death. It has a very versatile tone, from bell like clean tones in the neck and neck/middle positions, to screaming lead tones from the humbucker. I drive it thru a marshall tsl head and peavey 5150 quad bin, and it has a great sound, without excessive noise.
I reckon if you are in a covers band, looking for a guitar that can do any style/sound, this is the one. I have found that ibanez has a great lead tone, but crap clean tone, and I think a gibson would only give SOME of the sounds you need, this guitar pretty much delivers it all. I also have a pro-tone squire, and a strat-plus(1989), and although it has a different tone from the rest it still kicks ass. The strat plus probably has a warmer more classic older strat sound than this guitar.

I can't find any flaws with this guitar, except to say that fotofinishes are crap, and it is starting to crack and peel a little, especially on the back. Nothing has cocked up on it since I've had it though, and it looks like a typical unbreakable strat. Minus a few points for the finish though.

Yes this guitar DOES withstand liveplaying easily. nothing will wear out bar teh finish, see previous paragraph. I CAN depend on it and do, however would NEVER do a gig without a backup, what if a string broke, or the jack wear out as they do on strats? One point off for the finish.

NEVER DEALT WITH THEM(I am from NZ) Plus was 2nd hand.

I would love to know if it is a genuine Floyd Rose Classic Strat, and if it was made in JAPAN. I ahve been playing for about 15 years, and love Jimi HENDRIX especially, so I just love that strat sound. I would definately but another one if I lost this one, but at about $4000 NZ money, or $1800 US or so, the cost is quite prohibitive. Does anyone over there want to sell me theirs?
I basically hate nothing except the hassle of changing strings with a Floyd Rose, although the Floyd Rose is my favourite feature.(I am not a shredder, but why have a whammy bar if you can't use it?) I have compared it to Ibanez guitars, but I just love that strat sound. Thing only things I would change is the finish, and the neck, I want a rounder neck with maple fretboard. I reckon it is sometimes hard to see teh fret dor inlays on rosewood at night on stage, so I very occasionally get a bit lost if it is real dark. If it had a sunburst finish and decent round neck(both of which are available) i would give it an 11 out of 10! If you want a reliable gigging guitar, with a great sound, then buy one!

This is an American made Floyd Rose Strat built in '93. 22 frets, laminated neck, w/ volume, 2 tone controls, 5way selector, DiMarzio paf pro in the bridge, and two standard issue singles. Body is black w/ a white pickguard, and has an original Floyd Rose trem system. It came with a case, tools,(mounted on the back of the headstock, great feature),cleaning cloth, and some misc. Fender flyers and stickers. The features are great, this is exactly the guitar i was looking for at the time, and i still love it. I only wish now that Fende had put a little bit better singles in it. But its still a great guitar.

I play rock and metal, some blues now and then and this thing does it all very well. Right now I am playing through a Mesa/Boogie DC-5 head and 212 cab. At times she gets a little noisy, but very little. This guitar is very versatile, and the tone knobs are very responsive. I usually keep my volume on 10, first tone on 10, and second on five, w/ all the pickups on, but the middle pickup is dropped down flush w/ the pickguard. I get great tone out of this monster, especially in the lead channel of my amp.

As stated in the other reviews if this guitar, my FR classic was set up perfect from the factory.

I've NEVER had any kind of problem with this thing and i've had it for seven years now, Would and have gigged w/out a backup almost every time I've used it out. Only use other guitars for different tunings.

Never had to deal with Fender.

Have been playing for about 13 years now, also own a late 80's squire bullet that is currently out of commission,(beat the shit out of that thing, only had problems w/ the input jack). I only wish that I had asked if I could get better single coils with it, but no big deal. If it were stolen, I would definitely buy another Fender, I dont know if would be the exact same one. Everything about it is great, very versatile. Fav. feature would have to be the allen wrench holder on the back of the head. Comes in very handy w/ a floyd rose trem.

2000 Floyd Rose Classic Stratocaster HH (110-6700-741)in Antique White,with a rosewood fretboard. Made in Corona, CA in July 2000.
Alder body, 22 medium jumbo frets, with 2 Fender DH-1 Humbuckers.
Gotoh "vintage style" tuners and an original Floyd Rose locking
tremolo. Also came with fender strap, cord, polishing cloth, and
tools as accessories.

I spent a lot of time trying to decide on a new well-rounded guitar that would get me a nice range of sounds. I decided on the Floyd Rose Classic for a few reasons. First, I love the strat body style, and it just felt more comfortable than the few Les Pauls and SG's I tried. Also, at least on the higher end USA Fenders I played,
the quality level just seemed to be better, for about 3/4 the price of your typical Gibson. And there were no plastic "pearloid" tuners on it like a typical LP Standard. Seeing a nice $1200-$1500 guitar with plastic hardware on it just seems "cheap" to me. I also love having the original Floyd Rose locking system. You can bend and bend away, and it just will not go out of tune. And the sound smokes. You can get anything from a smooth clean sound from the neck pickup to a warm mean distortion from the bridge.

I special ordered the guitar from Guitar Center back in May, and just recently received it August 4th. The setup was excellent right out of the box, and all I had to do was check the tuning and make some minor adjustments. The neck was nicely oiled, and very dark... but the NICEST feature of this guitar may be the Antique White finish. The paint was absolutely flawless, and the guitar was still "shedding" in the case since it was so new. I had to special order the color, but I must say that it was absolutely worth it. It's possibly the nicest looking color for a Strat. The neck join was nice and tight, and the action was set perfectly... not too low, but high enough for some great bending. I was really impressed with the quality coming out of the Fender factory.

This guitar has a nice weight, and seems very solid. The finish seems very thick and durable and the hardware is great (though the "vintage style" tuners seem to be the only weak link, but could be easily replaced)and everything looks like it'll last a nice long time. The only thing that's tough with a Floyd Rose is that if you do break a string, it's not just a "quick change" operation. You have to unlock everything to replace it. It also came with straplocks that you caould put on if you wanted.

Fender was very helpful while talking with Guitar Center. They provided accurate info on when the model was going to be produced, and the guitar arrived right at the end of the "delivery window" date
that they gave me.

I've played non-professionally for 15 years, and this the nicest guitar I've owned to date. I bought it because I wanted a guitar with a strat body style, and the tuning stability of the Floyd Rose. I decided on the HH pickup config mainly because I liked the fuller warmer sound (like a Les Paul) more than the single coil setups that I played. I think that this guitar is a great compromise of features that will fit a lot of different roles... exactly what I was looking for.

my floyd rose classic strat is a 1992, 22 frets, usa made, vintage tuners. it has a dimarzio, P.A.F. pro and two single coils. the bridge is an original floyd rose

I would say that this guitar is good for someone whos looking for a versitile guitar. The humbucker provides a fat sound which is good for rock music. Plus the single coils provide that vintage tone. I personally think that single coils in the neck position are superior on a clean channel too. humbuckers distort to much on the neck position. I would recommend this guitar to anyone interested in lead guitar.

Everything about the setup was perfect. The action was just right not to low for picking , and not to high for hammer-ons and pulloffs. I must say that the floyd rose original is the best. When I play I use lots of bends and I must say that I dont Have to fine tune but once every three or four days. Being extremely picky, there would be two things to complain about . One is that the pickup cavity is one large hole instead of three seperate holes. Also , I would have really loved to see the guitar routed from the bottom of the floyd, so you can really utilize it. Other than that, everything was perfect

Perfect

N\A

I have been play for 9 years , My influences range from old metallica , maiden to lit to satriani ect. I play through a fender ultimate chorus. My favorite feature is the floyd rose. I have a jackson kelly, and an Ibanez Iceman. Id gladly choose my FRCS over these. Ive made a few adjustments to mine, Pearl pickguard, black knobs, routed bridge cavity, ect. Ive always though that the stratocaster is the ultimate design, but Ive also felt that the single coil in the bridge and the regular tremolo lack. But with the floyd rose and humbucker, This makes for the greatest shred weapon

This is a 1999 USA Floyd Rose Classic Stratocaster, 21 medium-jumbo frets, Solid maple neck and maple Fretboard, it has a Fender Humbucker in the bridge position and 2 American Standard Single coils in the middle and neck position and the Floyd Rose Original Double Locking Tremelo System, and the controls are your standard Volume, Tone, Tone and 5-way selector controls seen on almost every Stratocaster but i have seen 3-way switches on Strats like the USA 1957 Reissue for instance. i got this guitar in the beautiful, rare Vintage White finish, if you've never seen it before it's basically a Custard, Bananna Yellow finish, but it's gorgeous for a Stratocaster.

I think this is the absolute best sounding Stratocaster, i've ever plugged in, you can get just about any tone you want with this guitar, i play everything from Buddy Holly to Stevie Ray Vaughan, and this Axe gets the job done!, the Humbucker privides a real punchy clean tone, and outstanding when you have Distortion going, and the other 2 pickups provide a very warm mellow glassy tone still with a loud punchy output, but this baby has got some GUTS!!!

i got this guitar home and it was set up perfect, no string buzzing, no tuning problems, nothing just a guitar that plays and sounds as good as it looks, and the "Floyd Rose" tremelo, just provides the best Tuning stability i've ever seen on a guitar, the bridge moves so effortlessly with the tremelo arm which makes string choking more comfortable then ever, and never goes out of tune a bit, i tune it to 440 and it stays at 440 through my 8 hours a day of playing, and no noisy pickups here at all, this guitar is just a dream come true, great "Action, Fit & Finish."

No Problems here either!, this guitar would withstand almost anything, just a havy solid well made Stratocaster, as soon as you pick it up, you know it's quality.

Well i've never had a problem with it that i've had to contact Fender, it's great, but the only downside of this is where i got it, i bought it at the Guitar Center, and have you ever heard they're slogan "Guarenteed Lowest Price"??? yeah there is a catch to that....doesn't include case or gig bag, NOTHING!!! and Fender.Com says that the Floyd Rose Strat includes Black Tolex Case.....but i never got one but Guitar Center treated me very kind and the case doesn't make the sound, the guitar does so i still rate it a 10

This Guitar is a 10 all the way!!! i've been playing for 5 years and i love it and i don't regret anything about it........go check one out for yourself....you'll be surprised!

1996 US made... It has 22 jumbo frets (which I find a bit too heavy...), a rosewood fretboard, S/S/H pickup configuration (2 Standard Fender single coils and 1 PAF Pro DiMarzio humbucker), an Original Floyd Rose trem and strap locks. I bought it with a Vintage Fender case (it's really beautiful!!!), a cable, a strap,...

I play many different styles, so I needed a guitar that's very versatile...And the fact is, I can play rock, metal, jazz, blues or funk with it!!!It sounds very bright and full, much more than others superstrats...Though, I think I'm gonna change the pickups for EMGs, because the single coils tend to be noisy and lack output...Moreover, in my opinion the humbucker lacks definition.

It was perfectly set up from the very beginning, though I can't understand why they always put extra-light strings...I replaced 'em with custom lights, and as a result my axe sounds much fuller... Elseways, the finish was and still is perfect, and there are no flaws on my beloved strat ;-)

My trusty strat has withstanded many a gig and the only trouble I experienced was the strap button broke a couple of months ago...I also used to break many strings...but I changed my picks and now it's way better ;-)...but I still always have a backup guitar just in case of need...

Never had to contact them...though I've been told they're nice and helpful...

I've been playing it for 2 years, along with a rack system (Rocktron Piranha preamp, Alesis Quadraverb GT fx processor and Mesa-Boogie power amp and cabs), and there isn't a style I can't play with those... Though, when I have it refretted I think I'll have lighter frets set in...I'm also in the process of changing the pickups, as I said...Anyway, it's still one of the best axes I've ever used, and I really for that price it's a killer!!! If it were stolen, maybe I would buy a Schecter instead of it, but it's much more expensive, so...This axe is close to perfect, and it has virtually everything I like in an axe...plus, the sunburst finish is really beautiful...

OK...year manufactured 1998. Made in USA. 22 medium jumbo frets. Standard Strat knob config: two tone, one volume w/5 way selector switch. Original Floyd Rose trem system. "Premium" alder body. Vintage-style tuners. 25.5" scale length, neck radius at 9.5". This guitar comes in a couple different variations. Mine is the maple neck w/HSS pickup configuration (Fender DH-1 humbucker in bridge position, Fender American Standard single coils in the neck and bridge positions). Mine is gloss black with white pickguard, knobs, pickup covers, etc. Came with low-end black tolex case (not the slightly better deluxe one unfortunately), cheasy cheap-o Fender logo strap (not that I'm complaining), strap locks, allen wrenches, cable, and guitar cloth. With the exception of the Floyd Rose system w/it's elaborate bridge workings, locking nut, etc. this is a very basic, simple guitar. I'm giving it the highest possible rating in this category for that very reason. It has everything I need and want on a guitar, and is'nt muddied up with a load of useless features. If I'd wanted a guitar with TBX controls, push pull switches, gizmos, gadgets, etc. etc. Then I would'nt have bought the FR Classic Strat. The only thing I could've done without is this little attachment bolted onto the back of the headstock to hang your allen wrenches from. Was there really a demand for this? If so, then why stop there? How about a hook to hang your keys from, a drink caddy, and maybe a cigarrette holder? I love the Floyd trem too by the way. I can't keep my hands off it. Fender really should have included a routing under the bridge to allow for pullups. Having such a great whammy system is a big plus and a big selling point. By not routing underneath it's not able to be utilized to it's full potential. Actually, I should knock off 1/2 a point because of that. Overall score in this category: 9 & 1/2.

In theory this guitar should deliver exactly what I want from it which is classic strat single coil tones when playing using the neck and middle positions, with the option of adding extra power and edge when needed by engaging the secret weapon humbucker. Now, I say "in theory" because I'm playing it through a little Marshall VS15R practice amp, so I have'nt yet heard what it's really capable of. So, it really would'nt be fair for me to judge and rate the tonal qualities of this guitar until I've experienced it's full potential by playing it through a real amp. That's why I'm not giving this guitar a rating in this category. I will say that it does sound nice through my little amp though. The single coils alone sound a little dull and lifeless, but I'm trusting that since the pickups used are touted as being decent pickups, that what I'm hearing (or not hearing) is merely the limitation of my wimpy little amp. As far as the humbucker goes, it was the reason I went with this HSS setup over a standard SSS setup. Single coils in the bridge position do have a brightness, but sound too thin and brassy to me to be useful, but humbuckers in the bridge position have that same bright, edgey quality, but add the extra dimension of power needed to pull it off. So I love the combination of the two singles in front and the bucker in the rear. As far as the quality of the DH-1, the jury is still out. It sounds OK through my little practice amp, but as I said before, since I have yet to play this guitar through a real amp, I would'nt be able to deliver an accurate assesment. This model also comes in a HH configuration which is a humbucker in the bridge and one in the neck. A combination of single coil and full humbucker setups can be accesed via the 5-way switch. However, a combination of humbucker AND single coil combinations cannot be accessed. It's either or. That's why I went with the HSS. I like the idea of the singles AND the bucker at once. If I want a humbucker in the neck I'd look for something other than a strat. The humbucker in the bridge is an essential element though.

I did'nt do an overall rating for this category because there are several factors to address here. First off, the fit and finish deserve a perfect score of 10. I guess I lucked out in this respect since I bought this guitar sight unseen. Everything was perfect right out of the box. No flaws are visable anywhere. I won't go into detail, I'll just say everything is as it should be. Since a common complaint about Fenders is a loose neck to body fit, I would like to mention that mine is nice and perfectly snug. I also love the look of this guitar. It basically emulates the look of one of the re-issue models with it's "aged" maple neck, and vintage-style tuners (they're lousy, next-to-useless tuners, but since the Floyd locking nut renders them useless anyway, it's cool that they chose these as the tuners to use as they are the coolest looking). I just wish they'd gone one step further and fitted it with the mint-green pickguard and "aged" knobs and pickup covers. That would have been the perfect touch. But I can understand why they did'nt as this guitar is supposed to be a kind of hybrid stylistically ie; a combination of classic and modern looks and features. I also love the feel of this guitar and Strats in general. The "comfort contouring" really makes a big difference. Strats are the perfect couch-potato guitar. I can lay down on the couch and play, stop and concentrate on the TV, then comfortably nap out while still holding it. Try doing that with a Les Paul! I also like the feel of this neck. It's a little on the thinner flatter side. I have medium to small sized hands. I've been playing music since I was a kid (drums), but I'm a novice guitar player. To all beginners I submit that selecting a guitar with a comfortable neck is THE most important element when first starting out. I started on a guitar with a thick rounder radiused neck which was hard for me to play. When I switched to this one it made all the difference in the world. As far as the factory set-up, I won't even mention that. I think it's useless and unfair to make that a determining factor in rating or scoring a guitar. Who cares about the set-up?! What's important to me is the overall craftsmanship and attention to detail in the building of an instrument, not if it needs tuning or a minor adjustment out of the box. Now, on to two points I'd like to address. First, on the Fender website the tonewood used to make this guitar is listed as being "premium" alder. Is there anyone out there who knows what "premium" alder means? Most of their other models simply say alder. If anyone has any inside info on this please e-mail me. I've heard all kinds of lore and horror stories about how the big companies will advertise that their guitars are made of, for example, mahogany, when in fact yes they do use mahogany, but just a thin ply of mahagony with the rest being cheap-o filler wood. I can't imagine that anyone with any name, reputation, or clout would actually do this. This practice would be dubious, shady, misleading, and highly unethical at best, and (I would think) completely illegal at worst. Does this sort of thing really take place? Can anyone with any inside knowledge tell me what actual wood went into the making of my guitar? Are guitar makers held accountable to any sort of standards? Secondly, I was very disapointed to discover AFTER I got my guitar that Fender now adheres to a new practice of routing out one giant pickup cavity under the pickguard, instead of creating a seperate cavity for each pickup. Apparently, since they now offer Strats in many different pickup configurations, they produce just one universally cavity'd body to cut down on production costs. Now, that's great for Fender and Fender stock holders, but it sucks for Fender customers. I can't say that I definately would'nt have bought this Strat if I'd known about this practice in advance, but I definately would have researched other options first. The only upside to this, slight as it may be, i

This guitar is built like a brick $#!%house. It appears to be solid as a 1000 year old redwood. The finish is nice and thick, and appears to be durable. I'm just a bedroom hobbyist player though and plan on handling this guitar with care and fastideously maintaining it's appearance, so I'm not one to tell anyone what sort abuse a Strat can take. The Floyd Rose system also keeps this guitar reliably in tune. I was very unimpressed by the way the regular Strats go out of tune if you even so much as look at the trem bar. We're just months away from the futuristic 21st century and Fender has'nt yet devised a way to keep their standard bridge from throwing their guitars out of tune?!? Would I gig without a backup? I'm not, and most likely never will be a gigging guitarist, but if I were, I would never gig without a 2nd guitar on hand. What a silly notion! I was a gigging drummer once. Would I have gigged with only one pair of drumsticks?!?

I've never had to deal with them.

For all the reasons mentioned above, I can't give this guitar an overall definative rating right now. The jury is still out on the sound thing. Right now I have no plans to upgrade to a real amp, and can't say for sure I ever will. Concievably I may never experience this guitar's full potential sound-wise. I'd also need a definative answer on the pickup cavity issue before I could form a final opinion. If one giant pickup cavity is truly an improvement tone-wise over seperate cavities or does'nt make a difference either way, cool. If it's a detriment to the toneality of the guitar, then obviously I'd consider this practice to be nothing short of 2nd rate, irresponsible, shoddy workamanship. I can say that as it stands right at this moment I'm very happy with this guitar. It feels great to hold and it looks, feels, and plays beautifully.

This is a 1995 Fender Floyd Rose Classic Strat. I purchased it new about 3 years from a dealer in Moncton, NB (Canada). It has Fender vintage tuners, a maple neck with 22 medium jumbo frets, an alder body, the original Floyd Rose trem, two Fender American Standard single coils (neck and middle) and a DiMarzio PAF Pro in the bridge. It's designed to look like a vintage strat with a humbucker in the bridge and a Floyd Rose trem. The trem floats but is not routed underneath, so you can pull up on the bar a little. It has the standard 5-way selector switch and one volume two tone controls (normal and TBX). There is also a clamp on the back of the headstock where you can put the allen keys to lock the nut. It came with a strap, strap-locks, a cable, allen keys, polish cloth, and a hard shell case (black tolex).

I bought this guitar because it catered to my two favourite playing styles:hard rock and blues. The PAF Pro provided that "Van Halen" tone, while the single coil in the neck was perfect for that glassy blues sound. I don't use the middle pickup, so I lowered it to be even with the pickguard. I am using it through a Marshall Mini Stack (not a tube amp)and a chorus pedal. The neck pickup has that single coil hum which can be loud if there's an electrical appliance turned on, but mostly it's manageable. It also sounds a little muddy with the gain on full. The bridge pickup drives the amp more and sounds warm and clear. I think I might replace the neck pickup with a Texas Special.

The action on this guitar is very low and the neck is comfortable to play. It was well setup from the factory but did require some minor adjustments. Nothing more than expected, given the fact that every player has a different style. The finish is gloss black and contained no flaws. It's only available in four colours,(Candy Apple Red, Black, Vintage White, and 3 Colour Sunburst), which sucks because I wanted a transparent blue or purple. I may buy a replacement ash body from Warmoth to acheive this. I looked into refinishing the old one but it wasn't economical. It's made of quality materials except I think that the body isn't solid. I've heard that Fender made them from 3 2x4s glued together. Also, there's a huge cavity underneath the pickguard. I supposed that this was done to allow any pickup configuration without additional routing. I wished that they would have left the body cut for the h/s/s configuration. I think that the additional wood creates better tone. The controls are smooth, especially the volume, and the selector switch is quiet. The chrome on the bridge looks like new and I play the guitar every day.

The guitar feels pretty stable. It's impossible to knock it out of tune when the nut is locked. I've had it for three years and other than a few scratches in the finish on the back from my jeans and belt,it looks brand new. I'm surprised that the chrome on the bridge hasn't worn at all (I rest my hand on it when I play). I don't play outside the house so I don't know how it will perform live. Because of the floating bridge, I wouldn't play without a backup. If you break a string your tuning is gone.

Never dealt with the company directly. It took me about three months to receive the guitar after I ordered it, but that may have been due to the dealer.

I have been playing for ten years and have owned a cheap strat copy, an American Standard Strat, an Ibanez RG770, and the Floyd Rose Classic Strat. It is the best guiatr I've owned by far (It's also the most expensive!). If it were stolen I think that I might get a custom copy made in a different colour with an ash body. Fender still make this model but the PAF Pro has been replaced with a stock Fender humbucker and it still only comes in the same four colours.

Im not tooo sure when it was made i bought it at guitar center a year or two , its 22 frets, its s/s/h they have 2 normal single coils and i comes with a PAF pro but i but a duncan custom custom. its got a rosewood neck , maple, its a strat , a floyd rose bridge , umm i think it has vintage fender tuners, idunno the radius for the neck but i like it alot

i dunno its weird andi play really fast heavy music and this fits it great, but also i like acoustic stuff and it does that good to ... i use a fender deluxe 112 plus, and i use the amp distortion and i have a DOD death metal distortion and i love that . it is amazing

i dunno i just got it from someone i traded it with my guitar teacher for a lonestar strat i love this guitar....i got it great becuz i set it up at a store the day i got it

it seems great i only use this guitar , its all i like . its damn dependable too

i dunno never had to

i would only buy this guitar.. i love it , but i mean i like others this is my main

This guitar is basically an American Standard strat with the addition of an original locking Floyd Rose tremolo (chrome) and a Dimarzio PAF Pro humbucker in the bridge position. Two vintage single coils, five way switch, volume, tone, and tbx control. I opted for the candy apple red finish. The body is alder and the neck is maple with 22 medium frets. It has a maple fretboard, they also offer rosewood. The tuners are vintage split on the top with a hole in the center for the end of the string to go into (a nice feature so you don't prick your finger). It came in a hardshell case and fender includes a nice accesory bag with allen keys , manuals, schaller strap locks, fender strap and even a guitar cloth,(it's the little things that count!)

The guitar was made for hard rock but is well suited most styles. I use a Marshall JCM 2000 half stack, Tech 21 amp, and Rocktron chameleon. I replaced the neck pickup with a Dimarzio HS-3 because the vintage single coil was a bit noisy and didn't match up well with the higher output humbucker.The result was a good compliment and a well balanced sound. The tbx control is very useful as it boosts treble one way and bass the other, i would like to equip all my guitars with this. You can get a sound from Buddy Guy to Joe Satriani, it's very versatile and will get better over time.(as a strat does). I give it a 9 since i had to change the pickup.

The guitar was set up very well from the factory. The people at Fender know they can't just get by on name recognition.The intonation was perfect. I lowered the action a bit and changed the .010's to .009's and loosened the truss rod a bit , thats about it. The people who set it at the factory don't know what the player prefers so you can't criticize them. The finish is very thick and durable. There were some pits in the metal of a few bridge saddles but it's no big deal, hey its not a custom shop. The back of the neck was a bit sticky , i prefer the natural feel so, ill probably sand it a bit. They really did a nice job.

The guitar is like a rock and it's a tough job to get it out of tune. The chrome plating seems to hold up better than black or gold plating , so i believe it will last. It does have a floating tremolo so it would be wise to bring a backup to a gig. The tuners are not very heavy duty so you may knock one out if you bang it but it seems stupid to put the best tuners when there's a lock on the nut anyway.

i've never needed help so i can't say but fender is very reputable.

I've been playing more that 15 years and this is my main guitar. I would replace it in a heartbeat and i've even thought of getting the rosewood neck model. The original Floyd Rose is by far the best tremolo ever made , you canno't get it out of tune and the sustain is excellent. If i had to keep one guitar , my les paul and ibanez would go before this one. Since the bridge is floating, they could have routed out under the tremolo allowing pull ups on the whammy, i guess i'll have to do myself. Aside from that and the stock single coils, its a very versitile , solid instrument. Best guitar under $800