Hey guys,

I'm looking to trade my current guitar for what the seller claims is a "1995 American Stratocaster 50th Anniversary Edition". The serial code suggests that the guitar was indeed manufactured in either '95 or '96 at the Corona Plant, but I just wanted to double check with you guys before I go through with the deal.

Apparently there's a new PU switch, nut and bridge fingers, and the bridge is blocked, but other than those things it's all stock.

http://img717.imageshack.us/i/dscn5033.jpg/
http://img145.imageshack.us/i/dscn5043v.jpg/
http://img198.imageshack.us/i/dscn5051.jpg/
http://img140.imageshack.us/i/dscn5058.jpg/
http://img823.imageshack.us/i/dscn5059d.jpg/

Hopefully going to check it out sometime next week, I'm very excited to finally get my hands on my first American strat!

Looks okay from these photos. 1996 was the 50th Anniversary of Fender as a company so all guitars made that year had a "50th Anniversary of Fender 1946-1996" oval decal on the back of the headstock. As long as the asking price is within the normal range for a players condition 1996 (say $550-$700) you should be okay.

Hi - I'm no expert but a few things occurred to me looking at the photos.

I looks well used which I don't think is a problem - a few signs of general wear on the headstock and neck, again not a problem

I was wonderering about the trem cavity cover on the back of the guitar. It looks in the photo to be single ply - should it it originally be a 3 ply cover? There looks to be a couple of extra screw holes on the where maybe there have been different covers fitted over the years. I don't think they are problems as such and you wn't see them when playing but might help you knock the seller down a little on price if you lke the guitar.

It looks like it was refinished.

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Thanks for the responses guys!

I'm not sure about either the back panel or the finish. I'll ask him about both of those things, but I believe he got the guitar second-hand so the original owner might be accountable for them.

As for the overall condition of the guitar, it's all purely cosmetic right? It won't impact on the way the guitar plays? And what about resale value if I decide to sell somewhere down the line?

It is an authentic American Standard I have one of these in the same color, and everything on this one is as it should be. These also have killer single coil pickups too! At least, the stock ones in mine are hot. A pearloid pickguard will set this thing off man! Buy it, but it now!

Oh Steve, I'm getting excited.

One last thing, I've read that these guitars have the dreaded swimming pool route. Is that true? That suits me just fine, since I might like to swap in a humbucker to the bridge at some point and make it a fat strat.

Yes, I believe you have the "pool" route. In my experience, I own guitars with the "standard" and the "pool" routing, and they all sound great. Really, the only difference in tone I am hearing between them is the pickups most likely. I'd put my '96 up against any other strat, regardless of the routing It's a killer!