hi, all.

i bought a 2001 strat on e-bay 6-7 years ago and it's a nice guitar, but i don't know exactly what model it is.

being an acoustic player most of the time, i know i have a 2001 martin D-18 and that's the end of it, but on electric fenders there are so many variations, i'm more than a little confused and any help would be appreciated.

it has a corona california plate on back, has 22 frets, a 5-way switch, sn is ZO158433 and here are a few pics. just lmk if any other info or pics are needed.

The color actually looks like Ocean Turquoise Metallic.

Very nice!

Arjay

_________________
"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

hmmm...i can't even see the images.

what did i do wrong?

ps...now i see them. wrong web browser

its a 2000 American Series Stratocaster, Looks like Ocean Turqoise Metallic (One of fender's prettiest colors).

In 2000, Fender changed the American Standard guitars to the American Series (changed it back to American Standard in 2005). They were marketed as having rolled fingerboard edges, for a more broken-in feel. Also, they modified the pickups, eliminated a string tree, and added staggered tuning machines.

I personally think the 2000-2004 USA Strats were among some of Fender's finest. I owned a 2000, currently own a 2002, and am hoping to come across another 2000-2004 sometime soon. Great guitars.

thanks, rick.

i took the backplate off and the only distinguishing mark i saw was a white painted #12 on the carved out inner wall and the color is definitely metallic, which i guess isn't even offered right now.

hearing that, i think i got a real good deal for $650+shipping and i love it, regardless. it's a nice, heavy instrument and stays in tune well.

The New American Standards were introduced in 2008.



Did you mean Aqua Marine Blue Metallic, perhaps?

Looks like an early American Series in Gun Metal Blue. Great and very Rare color.

Some things that lead me to believe this are that it only has one string tree, the tuning keys hights looks staggard and that S/N would be about the right date for that model.

The american series guitars made in 2000 were not the same ones made in 2005. In 2005, they changed some things up again...I've tried a bunch, and none of them felt like the 2000-2004 American Series. While the 2005-2007 USA Strats were still called the American Series, they were distinctly different than the early 2000 models. So yes, you are correct...they didn't change the name back to American Standard until 2008, but the 2000-2005 American Series had some slightly different specs (not numeric specs, like fretboard radius, or string spacing...but in construction specs...neck shape, smoother, more rounded edges of the fingerboard, etc.)

At that time, Fender may have called it Aquamarine Blue Metallic, but it is basically the same as Ocean Turquoise. I actually almost bought a used 2002 Strat last summer that was labeled as being Ocean Turquoise. Funny how fender has a certain color that they use 3 or four different names for, even though the color is the same, and how they have certain colors that they use one name for, but comes in different shades...Lake Placid Blue, for example...I've seen it in several different shades, all on brand new guitars.

the pictures don't do the color justice. it looks deeper blue in less light and has a shiny greenish tint in harsher light that seems to change back and forth with the contours of the guitar. maybe it's lucerne aqua firemist with metalflake.

i guess it's still "my blue strat"