So I went through some of the identification tools on the Fender website, and I take it that since the serial number on my Strat begins with MZ9 it's a Mexican made standard 2009 model. But now everywhere I look it says that the mexican models don't come in 3 colour sunburst which is exactly what colour this guitar is... Could someone explain this to me? I feel a little stupid but it seems to be a bit of a mystery. I guess it really doesn't matter, because it plays like a mexican model, but I'm just sort of wondering how I ended up with a 3 colour sunburst body.

There could be many reasons...

Did you buy it new with all the tags and junk on it? Was it used? Does it have a Rosewood fingerboard? Did you buy it at the beginning when the 2010 models came out?

The reason why I ask is because I have a '10 Candy Apple Red American Special that should have a 2010 neck but my SN is a 2009 SN. This is because Fender still had a lot of necks left over for that year and I just have a left over maple neck neck. I can live with it.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Could have been an FSR, or it's not unheard of for guitars to be available in unadvertised colors.

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I have an '09 MIM Strat, got it from Musician's Friend. In the copy listed on their website, (and others, too) it is listed as having a brown sunburst finish, (no mention of how many colors, it just said brown sunburst)which is what I ordered. When I got it, it was pretty much the usual 3 color sunburst. I was slightly disappointed, but as it still looked good to me and it seemed to be a decent guitar, it wasn't a deal breaker. I suspect whoever (at Fender) wrote the original copy of the description made a mistake, and everyone else at the different websites just copied and pasted it. I don't believe it's a fake, it's just a mistake in the description.

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'08 Fender Am. Std. Jazz bass, maple fretboard, charcoal frost metallic finish
'10 Squier VM Jazz bass, maple fretboard, natural finish
Ampeg BA115
'09 MIM standard Strat, maple fretboard, sunburst finish
Fender Super Champ XD

That's probably what it is then. I know it definitely isn't a 2010 model with a 2009 neck, because I bought it early in 2009. I think around February. Even if it was a 2010 model, the Fender website would have the 3 colour sunburst listed by now. I bought my guitar from Long & McQuade. I did a trade in. So I'm definitely not complaining, because the 3 colour sunburst was exactly what I was looking for.