Thanks for the comments. I have had to remove the middle pickup to send off to be restored because it has died on me, while I have it all apart I will check for markings inside pick guard and remove the neck and check there also.

This is some info that I have found out, and this is what I was told when I bought the guitar.

When I originally purchased the guitar from a local music store 20 years ago, the prior owner of the guitar was a younger partner with an older gentleman in the local store. According to the younger guy, who tracked me down about 6 months later, that was his personal guitar, and the older guy sold it by mistake. He offered me a Clapton model in return if I wanted to trade it back in to him. I told him I was not interested in trading it back in, but would like to keep it. So he told me that if I was going to keep it to hang on to it because there was only two like it that he knew of.

Before I finish what he told me, I do know from a vintage collector that during that time they made graffiti yellow strat plus which had the roller bridge, lace pickups, tbx knob, and the lock tuners. In 1989 they finished out the left over parts on a line called a deluxe strat and they had the lace pickups and the tbx knob, but no roller bridge or lock tuners. He said there were around 400 of these deluxes made. But he knew nothing about just a graffiti yellow standard american strat made in 1989.

So back to the original owner. He told me that he had bought the guitar at an auction and there was only two of its kind then. He said that fender had painted two standard strat bodies graffiti yellow by accident and decided to go ahead and build the two guitars and sell them. The only parts they had left from the original plus and deluxe version was the tbx knobs so they installed everything else standard and put the tbx knobs in there and sold them.

He said one had a solid maple neck and sold to a guy from overseas, and he bought this one which has maple with a rosewood fretboard. Of course at that time I just figured he was making it all up, but now I wonder if there was some truth to his story after all. A few months ago I saw on eby the only other graffiti yellow american standard strat I have ever saw besides mine, and it was exactly like mine, year, color, everything except it has a solid maple neck. The ad stated very rare 1989 graffiti yellow standard american strat and it was located overseas. I tried to contact the guy but never got a reply.

I would like to know if there is any of these guitars out there, if there is I have not seen them. Thanks again for the comments...

As predicted, I have no idea how to add a picture. It can't be that hard!

Anyway, drmaxfield, was wondering if your saddles look different from other American strats from that era. I have not changed mine, but I have only seen one or two with those machined looking saddles.

Have you noticed any change in tonal value when you adjust the height of the pickups? I like how the TBX control allows for tonal change within the middle pick up. I've been able to mimic an almost accoustic sound by using the TBX control.

Anyway, would love to hear anything you'd like to add! And, I'll continue to try and add my pics...

Alright. I was just as confused as you are. Just bought a 1989 Graffiti yellow Strat with the exact same specifications as yours. Has a rosewood board, with a regular nut and regular pickups, however, it has the TBX control on the tone knob.

Took the guitar apart and appears to be all original. The neck pocket shows two dates; a munufacturing date and I'm assuming a completion date, but both dates are in the year 1989 and only a month apart. The heel of the neck also shows the year 1989. Again, the guitar does not appear to have been altered in any way as far as I can tell.

Emailed Fender to get some answers. My question was very specific, that is, did Fender ever make any American STANDARD (not Plus/Deluxe) Strats in the Graffiti Yellow color scheme? Here is exactly what they replied with; "We did for the foreign market back in the day, but sadly I do not have any other info to give you ."

Interpreting the response from Fender, I think it is confirmed! Fender did make the American Standard Strats in the GY color but only for the foreign market. So the ones that you and I have are authentic, and somehow made it back to US.

Now the question is; did you buy your guitar brand new and from a Fender dealer? If so, why would the dealer have sold you a guitar that was intended for the foreign market.

I'm giving myself a massive headache over this.....

Although not a rare valuable American Strat like your, I have this 2008 48th Street Special Edition MIM Strat in Grafitti Yellow!!It is an amesome color

Holy crap!! I too have a graffiti yellow American standard strat with rosewood fretboard and tbx tone pot. I've had it maybe 10 years or so, bought it from my teacher who was really reluctant to sell it to me. I only discovered the tbx pot a couple years ago when I dropped in a new pickguard assembly with p90s. Still have the original of course. I've been dying for info on this. I thought it must have been one of those deluxe standards from 89 with the lace sensors replaced with stock single coils. What are the serial numbers you guys have on yours? Mine is E416XXX. I'm on the bus on my iPhone right now but I will post pics when I get home.

I have the exact same guitar; American Standard Strat in Graffiti Yellow. Totally original and unmolested with neck date of 10/29/87 and 1987 pots. E4 serial number. VERY RARE as an American Standard.

"I thought I would post to see if anybody had any info about my guitar. Don't want to sell it or anything like that just wondering if it was a rare guitar or not. I have looked and I can't find anything out there any where about it.

I know there was some strat plus and strat deluxe made in this year(1989) that was graffiti yellow, but my guitar is just a USA standard strat, but it is graffiti yellow. It does have the TBX tone knob, but other than that, it is standard. No special tuners, no lace pickups, etc.

I have had this guitar for 20 years and I have never really thought about guitar history, just bought it and played it, but I am curious now about this model. I have posted on forums across the net and I always get the same response that it is a strat plus or deluxe, but this is just a standard. That's about the only thing that i do know about it. Thanks to anyone who can offer some info.
Dale