Since 1954, the Fender Stratocaster has set the bar for the electric guitar. Versatile and expressive—but originally conceived as an affordable, workingman's instrument—the Stratocaster has become ubiquitous across all genres of music as a Swiss-army-knife guitar.
By the year 2000, the "American Standard" Stratocaster very clearly resembled the 1954 original, but this model wasn't simply a re-imagining of the vintage classic. It was the authentic original model, refined and evolved for the 21st Century. In many ways, it found the perfect blend of timeless design and modern technological improvements.
This 2001 American Standard Stratocaster features the classic Fender Contour Body finished in "Hot Rod Red"—almost like the classic Fiesta Red but just brighter. This one has aged and mellowed beautifully with time, and it has been upgraded with Custom Shop pickups under the hood. It still has the original American Standard two-point bridge and tremolo system, and the tuners have upgraded to locking tuners from Sperzel.
As for setup, this 2001 American Standard Strat plays like a dream. The frets have been properly dressed, so it doesn't have the annoying gobs of lacquer that you often find on Maple necks from this era. With the upgrades, it's a ripping Strat that will do everything you need to.
This 2001 American Standard Stratocaster has a an eye-catching finish that would look great on stage. It shows some play wear and signs of use, but it's pretty clean cosmetically. The lacquer has separated from some of the inlays on the fingerboard (see photos). The strap buttons have been replaced with Schaller gold buttons, so it's ready for strap locks. It includes a Fender molded plastic case, which arrived with a smoky smell but we've been able to air it out and minimize that as much as possible. Also- one of the case latches is broken.