Thanks strat-o-sphere,
I was looking for that 2nd link,...
I still can't believe all the confusion about the 2004 50th Anniversary strats.
I still say the 50th AmSe. is the best of the bunch,..
The 50th Deluxe is basically just like any 2004 Deluxe (SCN's and the S1 switch)
The CS 50th is/was outta most people's price range (listed for $5400)
The 50th AmSe. with the same pickups as the CS,.but with an affordable price.

Also,..should be noted,.. the CS54's in these guitars,are NOT the same as the aftermarket CS54"s,..these were made specifically for the 50th Anniversary.

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50th AmSe. Strat
54 ThinSkin Strat
Mesa Boogie LoneStar Special 2-12 Combo
Mesa Boogie Nomad 45 1-12 Combo

I have a 2004 American deluxe fender strat hss. which means its a fat strat. it has a dimarzio fred humbucker at the bridge position upgraded from the dh-1, and has the sunburst finish on it. i bought the guitar for just over 900 dollars, and i havent given it at all the play time it deserves. i now want to sell it because i need the money. i want to sell it, and im willing to sell it for 800 bucks or maybe even $750. if anyone is interested please let me know thru this post or call me. 832 671 7629

Thanks, Tanner

I have an 04 50th Ann. American Series Strat with Custom Shop Vintage 54 pups ,Delta Tone system,noload tone controls for the middle and bridge pups,single layer pickguard and the 2 screw trem/bridge.It is a simply sublime guitar in everyway.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Mines a 1996...
I own a couple LP's and a 73 Tele..
Often and more so than not,, my 50th Aniversary Strat is my favorite..
It started life with me as an AM Standard Lonestar Version..
Two Texas Specials and a Duncan Pearly Gates HB at the bridge..
That combination was not bad for my style,, but I did end up swapping the PU's and pick guard (electronics) for a David Gilmour set of active EMG's..
Better and broader ranges..
Fender Deluxe Trem and LSR Roller nut & Locking gears..
That made it a compleatly new monster..
Gotta Love It!



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Very nice guitar, but we're talking about the 2004 50th Anniversary Strats. The anniversary of the Strat 1954-2004. Your 1996 is for the 50th Anniversary of Fender as a corporation 1946-1996. As you saw from the pics and links posted, big difference between these guitars. And just like in 2006 for the 60th anny, in 1996 EVERY guitar that Fender made in that year had a little anniversary label, not just the 'limited edition ones', which looked much different than your Lonestar.

p.s. Nice color finish on that one. Must sound killer too.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

You might have better luck with ebay or craigslist rather than resurrecting a 2 year old thread. And are you sure you want the whole world to see your phone number?

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

Everything said in this post sure looks correct to me.

I have two of the garden variety MIA 2004 AMSTD strats. Both hardtails, in three tone sunburst. There is no 50th Anniversary badge on the headstocks. Both guitars have to 50th Anniversary neck plates.

The reason I got the guitars is that they are good quality w/o being too valuable to gig with. I also like the neckplate that dates the instruments w/o going thru all the serial number hassle.

The 2004 American Standard strats have a higher output bridge pickup (as compared to the other two pickups). The bottom tone control functions on the middle and bridge pickups and has the Delta Tone circuit. When you turn this tone control up to 10, the tone curcuit is bypassed and you get straight signal to the jack.

I keep finding "50th Anniversary" Strats and they're all different.

Some have rectangular neck plates and some have a contoured heel with a neck plate that's rounded on one corner; some have the S1 volume switch and some don't; some have a 50th Anniversary sticker on the back of the headstock and some don't. Some have a gold spaghetti logo, some have a silver spaghetti logo, some have the logo in "brush script" font; some have the G&G case with the logo and some have those cheezey molded cases.

So . . . does anybody, anywhere have a MASTER LIST of EXACTLY what models were released as ACTUAL 50th Anniversary special issues and what models are simply regular 2004 models?

I've seen these go for as little as $300 and as much as a couple grand. I'd like to know what I'm talking about.

Check out Strat-o-sphere's post on page one of this thread and see here: http://www.stratcollector.com/newsdesk/ ... 00111.html

See here also: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document?doc_id=92579

There were 3 made in America 'special edition' Strats in 2004: Custom Shop, American Deluxe, and American Series.
The Deluxe has the rounded heel, S-1 switch, and noiseless pickups.

Now you mention a 50th anniversary sticker on the back of the headstock. That is for the 1996 Fender anniversary as a COMPANY and ALL Fender guitars from 1996 have that sticker. See my post above replying to Time Traveller's picture of this sticker.

Keep in mind that ALL American Deluxe and American Series Strats made in 2004 have the 50th anniversary neckplate. They are NOT all the special edition ones. See http://www.stratcollector.com/newsdesk/ ... 00111.html for descriptions of the special edition versions which have subtle differences or "upgrades" from the rest of the Am Dlx and Am Series from 2004. The most telling sign from a mile away that a Am Dlx or Am Series from 2004 is the special edition 50th is that it will be in 2-tone sunburst with a 1-ply parchment pickguard and maple fretboard. The special Dlx had gold hardware too. If it's any other color than 2-tone sunburst or rosewood fretboard (even though it has the 50th anny neckplate) then it's obviously NOT the special 50th anny version and should be priced accordingly as a regular 2004 Am Dlx or Am Series.

And yes the special ones in 2004 came with a tweed case with orange lining and the 50th anny logo inside the lid, like this:


I hope that helps explain things. Fender made it very confusing. And I'm sick of scammers ripping people off by jacking up the price of a plain ol' 2004 US Strat claiming it's the 'special edition' version just because it has the 50th neckplate that they ALL had that year.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

+1

This thread is 2 years old and everyone is still just as confused as they were in 2004 when these Strats came out. It's basically all explained here: http://www.stratcollector.com/newsdesk/ ... 00111.html and in dozens on past threads here such as.
http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... light=50th
http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... light=50th
http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... light=50th
http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... light=50th

I'm dreading the Strat's 60th anniversary in 2014

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

WOW! Thanks for the reply! I never expected such a quick response. That's incredible. Yeah that is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you . . . very much!

^ Hey no problem. We all like to share our Fender knowledge here no matter how big or small it is. Oh, by the way, welcome here.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

Does anyone know what the pickups are in the 50th anniv. Model.

Thanks,mike

Yes the for the American models the deluxe 50th anni has SCNs and the Std 50th Anni has 54s. They are similar to custom shop 54s but have plastic wire not cloth. As all have said above do not confuse the genuine 50th with the standard guitars made in 2004. Both the americans came with a case with a gold interior and a 50th emblem on the plush.