A few years ago I bought a used fender Stratocaster XII, and recently I've noticed that mine has a different bridge than others than I've seen. Unlike the typical electric twelve string bridge, mine has the same old bridge that used to be on the original fender Electric XII. I'm trying to get an idea of how old this guitar is: it is made in japan, so it can't be that old. when did fender switch the bridge type? Is there any benefit to one or the other?

The 'original' Strat XII used the bridge designed for the Electric XII of the 1960s. I think these MIJ guitars were produced during the mid/late '80s. My own Strat XII is of the newer type, made in 2006 with the Gotoh bridge. Both are well-engineered tailpieces, fully adjustable for both string height and intonation.

HTH

Arjay