OK, I recently picked up a MIM Stratocaster which I thought must have been a Classic Series (because it's Fiesta Red) but now I'm thinking it is an old Classic Player.

The guy I got it from said it was a Classic Player and it has the Designed by the Custom Shop neck plate. When I checked out the serial # it was dated 1998/1999. But the tremolo on mine has the 6-screws (like the Classic Series) while the Classic player has the 2-point tremolo.

So did they ever make the Classic Player '50 in red?

Did they even make the Classic Player '50 in 1998/1999?

Thanks a bunch.

The MIM Classic '50s Strat was available in Dakota Red.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Hi uprange,

The Classic Player has a two-point bridge, and was only available in Gold or Sunburst, and I believe came out in 2006-2007. The six-point bridge means that yours is not a CP. Someone just put the neck plate on, and without pictures it is impossible to say what kind of guitar it was put on.

I believe that the Classic Series came out in 1999.

Pictures would help identify it better.

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---> "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.

Shimmilou is right, the Classic Player line wasn't introduced until 2006. I bought a Baja Tele when they were first released and a CP 60s Strat later that year. Both have '06 serial numbers.

It sounds like you have a Classic Series 50s Strat. The Fiesta Red finish, the 6 point bridge and the time frame you mention would seem to confirm that.

John

I agree that it's probably a Classic Series '50's Strat.........then again, they could have swapped the neck plate onto another MIM guitar. Hard to say. If you had another guitar with a V-shaped neck you could compare the neck profile. Are you sure it's Fiesta Red? I've seen a Fiesta Red Classic 50's Strat that almost looked pink-ish.

Regardless, It can't be a CP '50's Strat for the reasons listed above but my question is, why would somebody switch the "Custom Shop Designed" plate? I mean, it doesn't make the guitar worth a significant amount more. The CP '50's is only about $50 more than the Classic Series when they're new. Obviously somebody thought passing the guitar off as a CP '50's would help get more money out of it but they apparently didn't realise the actual value of the instrument wouldn't be that much greater.

OK, here is some more info:

The pickguard is single ply like you see on 50s vintage-style Strats. But as you can see from the image it looks like it is Dakota Red which isn't one of the Classic Series colors. Not sure if I got that color right, so please let me know.

The neck is one-piece maple with the small headstock, and it seems to be a C-profile. That is what set me off because both the Classic series and Player have the V-neck. The tremolo is the vintage 6-screw with FENDER stamped saddles.

So what Strats did they make in Dakota Red in Mexico circa 1999?



Thanks again for all your input - Danno

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1999 Classic Series '50 Stratocaster / Dakota Red
2006 Reverse Stratocaster / Olympic White
2009 Road Worn '50s Stratocaster / 2-Tone Sunburst
A bakers dozen acoustic guitars, most pre-war

It could be a Classic Series, and a picture of the front of the headstock would help ID it. If it has the gold spaghetti logo, maybe a CS, if it has the silver modern logo, maybe a Mex Std.

The evidence so far strongly suggests a modified Mex Std. (no V neck, that color)

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---> "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.

The headstock has the gold spaghetti logo and one of the vintage-style butterfly string trees.

Maybe it's time to take off the neck and see what's stamped on the body.

UGH - I hate doing that...

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1999 Classic Series '50 Stratocaster / Dakota Red
2006 Reverse Stratocaster / Olympic White
2009 Road Worn '50s Stratocaster / 2-Tone Sunburst
A bakers dozen acoustic guitars, most pre-war

The original Classic Player Stratocaster was made in the CS circa 2002 (?). It came with the choice of lightly figured C or V-shape maple necks w/ rosewood or maple f/b, 22 jumbo frets, 9,5" radius, abalone dots and Sperzel Trim-Lok locking tuners. Other fine touches included a solid select alder or premium ash body, 1-ply 8-hole gold anodised aluminum scratchplate and two CS Vintage Noiseless pickups paired with a dual-coil Ceramic stack humbucker in the bridge.

One more weird thing: the serial number and Made in Mexico decal is on the back of the headstock. Did they do that in 1999?

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1999 Classic Series '50 Stratocaster / Dakota Red
2006 Reverse Stratocaster / Olympic White
2009 Road Worn '50s Stratocaster / 2-Tone Sunburst
A bakers dozen acoustic guitars, most pre-war

After a pile of research I found out that the Classic Series originally had Dakota Red as an option which was discontinued around 2002.

This also has more of a soft-V neck than a C-neck. My Road Worn has a Soft-V but this one seems softer.

Thanks again for all your input, I really appreciate it.

Danno

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1999 Classic Series '50 Stratocaster / Dakota Red
2006 Reverse Stratocaster / Olympic White
2009 Road Worn '50s Stratocaster / 2-Tone Sunburst
A bakers dozen acoustic guitars, most pre-war