Before I go on I would just like to say I love this thing! I was told it was a 2002 MIA Dlx Floyd Rose Strat but I have been looking online today and am coming to think it is a 2002 MIA Floyd Rose Special strat even though the ones I have seen had 21 frets? The specs say 22 frets for the model. The thing that makes me think that is the water slide decal instead of the raised silver looking headstock logo and the other is the regular dot markers where as the Deluxe is suppose to have pearly ones. Anyway I love it and the neck is so perfect for me. I don't think it was hardly played since it is almost mint condition!

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02' Fender MIA Fat Strat w/OFR
12' Gibson 70's tribute LP
11' Gibson SG Melody Maker
Orange AD-5 combo
Blackstar HT-20 combo

Purdy!!

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Mmm... non recessed Floyd? Yummy.

Nice, enjoy it!

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Nice Strat! Sorry I missed this when it was originally posted. That particular model carried at least two names during its lifespan. When they first came out circa 1991/1992 they were called the "Floyd Rose Classic" model. At some point Fender's deal with Floyd changed and around 2001/2002 it was renamed something like "American Strat HSS Special Double-Locking". These always had kind of "vintage styling" with the spaghetti waterslide headstock decal and standard dots. Even though they eventually started putting the "D" serial numbers on them I don't believe these were considered part of the American Deluxe series; that name "American Special" was applied to this guitar, the former Hendrix VooDoo Strat (which also got some crazy rename like "American Reverse '68 Strat Special" or something like that), and I think maybe the TeleSonic and Strat-O-Sonic were under that umberella as well - basically anything that wasn't an American Series, American Deluxe, Amercian Vintage, or an Artist Signature fell into that bucket. Of course even though the same name was used they are not to be confused with the current American Special series; these early 2000s models would slot in the lineup along side the American Deluxes.

Now is when I wish I still had all those old Fender Frontline catalogs that got tossed out in the mid-2000s.

@John C

When the Floyd Rose Specials were introduced in 1991, Fender used DiMarzio PAF Pro humbuckers - the same pickups found on the 1st generation Samboras with the huge star inlays and 25db mid boost. The change to the Atomic humbucking pickups occurred in 1998, a few months after the American Deluxe series came into the scene as the successor to the Plus line. The Floyd Rose Classics were renamed American Specials in 2000/01; the necks got rolled edges and detailed nut/fretwork like the American Series guitars and the alnico V pickups with the flush poles were replaced with new pickups with staggered polepieces.

The American Floyd Rose series was gone in 2003.

Hey Chromeface - did you keep your old Frontline catalogs? I wish I had retained mine to keep track of these things. I knew the humbucker changed at some point from the DiMarzio PAF Pro to a Fender model pretty close to the end of the model's life but for some reason I thought it went to the DH-1 (as used on the American Deluxes of that time frame).

Send the serial number to Fender Customer Service... That should help.

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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