I just bought a Fender American Special Strat in Candy Apple Red off of Ebay for $639..It is supposedly brand new..However, when I looked at the pictures on the auction, there was the plastic piece that comes in the trem arm hole when it is new...I did not see the trem arm anywhere...The seller stated in an email to me that she wasnt really sure if there was one in the gig bag or not...Are these guitars supposed to come with the trem arm brand new?

It doesnt really matter either way, as I am planning to buy a David Gilmour style shortened trem arm...The dilemma is that I am not sure which size I need...The American Special does not use the two point bride, it has the vintage synchronized tremolo.

Here is the site I'm going to buy it from:
http://www.stratcat.biz/4027.shtml


Here are the thread size options:

Any American Vintage Strat (10-32 Threads).
American Standard Strat w/2 Point Tremolo Bridge (10-32 Threads).
Mexican Strat (5mm x .8 Threads).
Japanese Strat (5mm x .8 Threads).

I'm not sure if I need the mexican strat size or the american vintage size.


If anyone can help, I would be very greatful!

Thank you!

Hi Brad0451,

It is the American 10-32 thread, comes with Strat when new, often misplaced. I have one Gilmour size, It's OK but I preferred the medium sized arm, 5-1/4 inch length.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

I actually went on Fender's website and for the road worn, american special, and standard strats they all have "vintage style synchronized tremolo" for the bridge type, whereas the american vintage strat has an "american vintage synchronized tremolo".

I just want to make sure I am ordering the right one since I will be spending about $15-20 bucks..

It can be confusing, but ALL Amer bridges are 10-32 threads, vintage 6-screw or 2-point are the same trem arm thread size. I think that the only exception is the "pop-in" trem on the Deluxe, it doesn't have threads. Some of the better Mex models will also have the 10-32 threads, depending on the model.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Is that simply because they use metric measurement in that country?

So you are ASSURING me that that is the right size?

After seeing that the bridge on the American Vintage is different than the one on mine, I am afraid of wasting 20 bucks

Yes. Metric in Mex

Yes. I am sure, definitely.

The 6 screw bridges are referred to as Vintage and Vintage style, the former indicating a better bridge, sometimes it is the same thing, you have to account for marketing. The Mex models, and some other models with the metric threads will say "Vintage style tremolo", meaning a 6 screw bridge. Any American bridge, with threaded arm, will have a 10-32 thread, whether it is Vintage, Vintage style, Vintage like, 2-point.

Edit:
The "Synchronized Tremolo" is what Leo named the original bridge back in '54. In all actuality it is a "Vibrato", as a "Tremolo" is a varying volume, while a "Vibrato" is a varying pitch (whammy bar). But Leo was the man, and that's what he named it. So, the "6 screw, Vintage Style, Synchronized Tremolo" is a generic name referring to bridges of that type.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Do you still have your DG trem arm? Is it for sale? If so, what color is the plastic tip? And the big question...how much??

I got mine from Callaham, with a bridge order. $15 for the arm (plus shipping), parchment tip, you can also get a white tip. Even though I don't use the whammy bars on Strats anymore, I'll keep it in case I get locking tuners someday.

http://www.callahamguitars.com/partsstr.htm

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

For the American Special Strat, which color tip should I get?

Parchment. It looks a little more vintage-like or slightly aged, when compared to the white.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.