I bought a 50th anniversary Strat in '04 for my grandson. It sits untouched so now I'm going to attempt to learn. How can I identify exactly what I bought - what kind of pickups it has and so on? My receipt only says it is an American Strat.

Hi hughiehound, welcome to the Forum.

If you have a 2004 American made Strat then it will likely be an American Series. Essentially an American Standard, but it was renamed Am Series for a few years to make it easier to distinguish from the (Mexican) Standard.

Couple of years ago they decided to go back to calling it the American Standard - go figure.

If you post pictures of it here then people may be able to tell you more - though there may not be much more to tell.

BTW: in addition to your receipt it should also say "Made in USA" on the headstock. That's a better way of telling...

Cheers - C

Thanks for the fast reply. I'll have to figure out how to add pictures. It's at the guitar shop right now getting new strings. The serial number dates it to either '02 or '03.

Are the pickups the most important part of the guitar? You can identify them by looking at a picture? Do they still use the exact same ones in the american standards made today as they did a few years ago? I was tempted to ask the guy who is working on it now, but was a little paranoid about letting him know that I don't know.

Hi hughiehound,
I wouldn't say the pickups are the most important part. Those pickups are just fine. There are many factors that go into a good instrument. The American Standard you have is a fine instrument. More important is the setup and the amplification. The setup procedure can be found here http://www.fender.com/support/stratocaster.php More than likely the guitar is not setup correctly. The factory gets them close, but in my experiences they leave it up to the shop owner or purchaser to dial it in. Having proper setup is very important, especially to someone just beginning.

The amp choice depends a bit on the style of music you want to play. Congratulations on your decision to learn to play. There are so many internet sites that will help you along. Some are pay, but many are free. Have fun!

_________________
-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

Hi hughiehound, and welcome to the forum. Since the guitar has sat unplayed for several years, it is likely in need of a complete set-up. You might consider calling your guitar shop and asking them to do that for you. It will probably run in the neighborhood of $50, but it will improve its playability and your enjoyment.

Have fun with it!

_________________
I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

Ha! gldfshkpr beat me to the punch.

_________________
I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

Great minds think alike.

_________________
-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay