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Post subject: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:53 am
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Hi folks, I'm Dee from Germany and I'm new to the board.
During the registration process the door bell rang and I received my US Strat from the 80s.
I got it off the well known online market place ;).
So, instead of just saying "Hi!", I can immediatly ask for help. :lol:
When I took it apart, I found a swimming pool routing instead of the expected S/S/S routing.

I'm a little astonished! As far as I know, swimming pool routings started in the 90s, not the 80s?????????

Could it be that it's an 80s neck on a modern body? Or did they actually use swimming pool routings in 80s Strats as well???

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My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:21 am
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Yup, perfectly normal to find swimming pool routing in some of the 80's US line.


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 6:05 am
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The initial launch of the American Standard Strat had used "E4" series decals until they were all used up. The guitars themselves, weren't introduced until late '87/88 and used the swimming pool route until late '99 or early 2000 as they were being transitioned from "American Standard" to "American Series" models. The current "American Standard" Strat is basically unchanged except for the bent steel bridge saddles.


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 6:33 am
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93greenstrat wrote:
The initial launch of the American Standard Strat had used "E4" series decals until they were all used up. The guitars themselves, weren't introduced until late '87/88 and used the swimming pool route until late '99 or early 2000 as they were being transitioned from "American Standard" to "American Series" models. The current "American Standard" Strat is basically unchanged except for the bent steel bridge saddles.

Below are some of the changes implemented in the American standard in 2008 taken fron the Product page of this site. Not listed among the changes is the one less string tree due to the staggered tuners, and they switched to HSH routing.

Features include hand-rolled fingerboard edges, alnico V pickups, staggered tuners, improved bridge with bent steel saddles and copper-infused high-mass block for increased resonance and sustain,tinted neck, high-gloss maple or rosewood fretboard, satin neck back for smooth playability, thin-finish undercoat that lets the body breathe and improves resonance.


Last edited by RRR on Wed Feb 08, 2012 6:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 6:45 am
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Thank you so much, guys! :)
I didn't know that.

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My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:08 pm
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To clarify a few points that others have made - the "swimming pool" routing started with the first American Standards. These ones that used the "E4XXXXX" serial numbers (and even a few have "E3XXXXX" numbers) were made anywhere from the tail end of 1986 (October or later) all the way up to almost the middle of 1988 (the latest I've seen was a Strat Plus with I believe June 1988 dates). The American Standards and Strat Pluses officially debuted at the January 1987 NAMM show; I don't know if Fender did a "soft launch" and actually shipped any of them in late 1986 or if they were just building them and storing them in their warehouse to fulfill orders received at the January show.

Why the "E4XXXXX" numbers? Fender's ownership (FMIC) received the unused decals from CBS when they bought the company in early 1985. CBS/Fender never really did get into the "E4XXXXX" numbers for their models (the 2-knob Standard and the Elites) built during 1983 and 1984.

1998-1999 was the transition period away from the swimming pool route to the current HSH routing; the HSH was first used on the American Deluxe Strats that were introduced in March 1998; Fender "phased in" the HSH routing for the American Standards over the next year or so. It's not unusual to see an American Standard in one color with the swimming pool route with a later body and neck date than one in a different color that has the HSH route. I suppose Fender does batches of bodies and stores them until final assembly; you could see that they could have stockpiles of less popular colors with the swimming pool route that took longer to use up than say black or sunburst. And of course if they brought out a new color in 1998 then the new color would have the newer route because they didn't have any stockpiled bodies ready for assembly. Certainly the swimming pool bodies were gone before Fender transistioned from the original American Standards to the "American Series" models introduced at the Summer NAMM show in 2000 (I don't recall if that show took place in June or July; I've always used July 2000 as the starting point of the American Series models).

Sorry for the long-winded post.


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:11 pm
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Thank you for your informative post, John.

What you wrote doesn't mean, that ALL(!!) 86 to 88 models have the swimmingpool routing, right?

I have an 86/87 oly white American Strat which has a standard S/S/S routing. The serial no. is EExxxxxx, which indicates that it was produced for export only.

So, am I right when I'd say from 86 to 88 you can find both routings in different guitars?

Both, my new black one and the 86/87 have the great TBX control which I really love.

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My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 7:45 pm
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Smokin' Frets wrote:
Thank you for your informative post, John.

What you wrote doesn't mean, that ALL(!!) 86 to 88 models have the swimmingpool routing, right?

I have an 86/87 oly white American Strat which has a standard S/S/S routing. The serial no. is EExxxxxx, which indicates that it was produced for export only.

So, am I right when I'd say from 86 to 88 you can find both routings in different guitars?

Both, my new black one and the 86/87 have the great TBX control which I really love.


Yes; by "all" I meant "all American Standards", not "all Strats made during that time frame". Of course the vintage reissues had the SSS routing, as do some of the MIJ guitars as well as your EE/export only model.

And that swimming pool route was used on American Standard, Strat Plus, Strat Plus Deluxe, Strat Ultra, Roadhouse, Lone Star, and Big Apple Strats from their introduction until some time in 1998-1999. The Strat Plus, Plus Deluxe and Ultra were essentially discontinued by mid-1998 (although a few were assembled and shipped even as late as 1999); the other models were transitioned color-by-color to the HSH routing.


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 12:39 am
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Wow, thanks a lot for all this detailed information.
I am definitely in the right place here!! :D

I'll post pics of my equipment soon and I'm looking forward to read and write more in this forum. Have a great day y'all!

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Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 6:22 am
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I bought a black American Standard in the late summer of '87 and it's the only Strat that I never took the original pickups out of,I gave it to one of my sons in '95,and it's never been taken apart since new,he still has it...it's a great guitar,and no matter how bad a rap that the swimming pool routes get,which it evidently has,in the hands of a good guitarist they will sound good,that Strat has it's own voice and character.


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 6:57 am
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Certainly nothing to be concerned about. Out of my little selection of Strats, the one I'm always certain will get the job done tonally is my '92 Plus, which is most definitely swimming pooled.

Makes less of a difference than some people say it does - or if it does, maybe I prefer that slight difference! :lol:


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:39 am
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And sorry for your unfortunate discovery, that sucks.


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:28 am
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Vulpinity wrote:
Certainly nothing to be concerned about. Out of my little selection of Strats, the one I'm always certain will get the job done tonally is my '92 Plus, which is most definitely swimming pooled.

Makes less of a difference than some people say it does - or if it does, maybe I prefer that slight difference! :lol:



And really, there isn't that much more wood under the pickguard between the universal route and the HSH route. How much of a difference it makes probably isn't that much if anything at all.


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Post subject: Re: Swimmingpool routing in 80s Strat?? Serial E4xxxxx
Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 1:00 am
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93greenstrat wrote:
Vulpinity wrote:
Certainly nothing to be concerned about. Out of my little selection of Strats, the one I'm always certain will get the job done tonally is my '92 Plus, which is most definitely swimming pooled.

Makes less of a difference than some people say it does - or if it does, maybe I prefer that slight difference! :lol:



And really, there isn't that much more wood under the pickguard between the universal route and the HSH route. How much of a difference it makes probably isn't that much if anything at all.


I would be surprised if it made a lot of difference. Most people I know would rather have a late 80's or 90's strat with a swimming pool than an early 80's CBS strat any day. And think if it this way - if you ever decide you want full sized humbuckers, the routing is already done ...you could even put a middle position bucker if that idea is what floats your boat.


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