Fender American Standard Stratocaster with Deluxe Electronics

It's the daddy-o, the good old American Standard Strat. The basic recipe is exactly what you want from a Strat: alder body, maple neck, three pickups and Fender's reliable two-point tremolo, all built in the USA. This 1997 example comes in a fetching Sunburst and is in really good shape.

What makes this one more interesting is what's under the pickguard. The original electronics have been replaced with a loaded pickguard from the American Deluxe series, giving it an HSS configuration with Fender N3 Noiseless single-coils, a Fender Deluxe humbucker at the bridge and S-1 switching. So you still have the familiar Strat layout and sounds, but with substantially more tonal range and far less of the 60-cycle hum associated with conventional single-coils.

The N3 pickups use Fender's noiseless design rather than simply shielding the guitar, while the S-1 circuit adds extra pickup combinations beyond the standard five-way Strat arrangement. In practice, that makes this a particularly flexible version of the classic American Standard: proper Strat sounds are still there, but you can also get thicker, quieter and more humbucker-oriented tones when the music calls for them.

It's a nice combination of a straightforward late-'90s American Standard and a useful later upgrade – everything you need, nothing you don't, with a little extra flexibility thrown in.

This one is in excellent condition, with only very light play wear: a couple of marks on the front and some surface scratches. Fully original apart from the electronics upgrade.

Specifications

• Model: Fender American Standard Stratocaster
• Year: 1997
• Made in USA
• Body: Alder
• Neck: Maple
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Scale: 25.5"
• Pickup configuration: HSS
• Neck pickup: Fender American Deluxe N3 Noiseless Stratocaster
• Middle pickup: Fender American Deluxe N3 Noiseless Stratocaster
• Bridge pickup: Fender American Deluxe humbucker
• Switching: 5-way selector with S-1 switching
• Bridge: Fender 2-point synchronized tremolo
• Finish: Sunburst
• Condition: Excellent, very light play wear
• Originality: Original apart from electronics upgrade
• Modification: American Deluxe loaded pickguard with N3 noiseless HSS configuration and S-1 switching
• Includes: Original hard case and tremolo arm