Hello, everyone. New member and I just bought a used American Special Strat in 2 tone sunburst or at least that's what I was told it was. When were the American Specials first released? My serial number dates it to 2009 (z9487354), I think, and I thought I read on the net somewhere that these weren't released until 2011 (though I have seen some 2010s for sale on ebay). I don't know enough about pickups to tell if these are the texas specials since they aren't marked anywhere. I pulled the pickguard (a little more effort than I thought it was take! ) and numbers in the body are 0079283-603 and C00598642.

Is it possible to confuse the American Special with a Highway 1?

Thanks for your help.

I think the American Special came out in 2010. Fender often matches bodies and necks that were made months apart so it could be a Highway One neck or a very early American Special one, I can't actually tell a difference between the two (except for the late 2011 Highway Ones which had one string tree).

Is the finish glossy and thick, like an American Standard? Then it's probably an American Special. If its satiny or just not quite as glossy as an American Standard its probably a Highway One.

They're both fantastic axes so either way you win

I'm not really sure how to compare the finishes since I'm not all that familiar with how an American Standard looks. I've seen them, of course, just never studied them up close.

I'm sure they are both fine guitars, but I'm pretty sure I overpaid if it was a highway one. Plus, I was kind of excited about the pickups, if for no other reason than they had a "name" associated with them.

Too bad there is nothing actually written on the guitar.

American Specials officially came out at the January 2010 NAMM show.

What Fender does is they produce the first runs of new guitars at the end of the prior year so that they can fulfill orders placed at the NAMM show. So for the American Special Fender would have done the initial production runs in late 2009 so they could ship them in January - since these were actually built at the end of 2009 they carry 2009 (i.e. "Z9xxxxxx") serial numbers.

Fender has been doing this for years - they did the same thing with the first batch of 2010-spec American Deluxes even though they were not released until March 2010; I personally had a 2004-spec American Deluxe V-neck (a model introduced in January 2004) that not only had a 2003 serial number but it lacked the "50th Anniversary of the Stratocaster" neck plate.

That's good news then. I think I'm really going to like this guitar. I just need to spend a little bit of time cleaning it and setting it up. So far, I am really liking the neck on it, too.

You did good! I love mine!!!!

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Play it from your soul!
2011 Fender American Special Stratocaster Candy Apple Red
1995 Fender J.A.M. Amp

Pictures please! Could help with identification, and well, just because we like pics.

For TS pups, look for a blue dot on the neck pup and a red dot on the bridge pup, located on the underside.

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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.

Hi NukeBass, Welcome to the forum!
The serial # you posted tracks to an American Special Strat Maple Neck in 2 Tone Sunburst -Part number 011-5602-303- Completed 10/26/2009. If that sounds like what you have......I'd say you have a pretty good chance of that being what it is!

Hope that helps a bit,
cheers,
rob

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rob Schwarz
Director,Fender Customer Service
Proudly serving Fender Customers
for over 30 years

Yep, strat with a maple neck in 2-tone sunburst pretty much describes it! I'll try to get pictures up tomorrow so everyone can see it, too.