The 2011 American Deluxe V-neck Candy Apple Red and Black are wrongly shown on Fender's website. The pictures suggest it has a white pick guard, while the 2011 model comes with a gold-vinyl 1-ply pick guard (unfortunately not my favourite colour for a CAN).

As a result, every on-line web shop you can think of world-wide is showing the CAN/BLK with white pick guard. This almost made me order this guitar. Luckily after talking to Fender Germany, I knew that the specs were correct, but the picture shows is not.

Please have somebody update:

http://www.fender.com/products/american ... dNo=011920

Thanks for that clarification.

I am in the market for a Strat in Red, but not with a gold pickguard and I was considering that very model.

American Deluxe Vs produced between 2004 and 2009 came with the choice of mint, gold or copper vinyl pickguards. In 2010 Fender offered the guitar with a mint guard.

I think Fender decided to bring back the gold vinyl pickguard on Black and Candy Apple Red for 2011.

Perhaps they'll reinstate the locking bridge option for the HSS Strat in 2012.