Hi Ho Guys!
Have a chance at a 1997 USA texas special strat - any opinions or info as it is a bit confusing out there in googleland!

I remember the Tex-Mex Strat (forerunner of the Jimmy Vaughn signature model) but I don't recollect a "Texas Special Strat" per se.

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

Found this on another forum:


"Sorry I don't have any links plus I don't have the colors as they changed through the years, but I do have some dates for a timeline:

Version 1: Lone Star Strat (1996 - June 2000) - original guitar based on the American Standard Strat with Texas Special single coils and Duncan Pearly Gates Plus. Special colors and either a white pearloid or a shell pickguard depending on color.

Version 2: American Series Fat Strat Texas Special (July 2000 - July 2003) - receives all upgrades associated with the American Series (rolled neck, staggered height tuners, 1 string tree, etc) but still has the Texas Specials and Duncan Pearly Gates. Still has special colors and pearl or shell pickguard.

Version 3: American Series Strat HSS (July 2003 - December 2007) - pickups change to Fender Tex-Mex and a Fender "Diamondback" humbucker. The guitar has S-1 switching and is now in standard American Series Strat colors. Black pickguards on most colors, parchment on others.

Version 4: American Standard Strat HSS (2008-present) - current version receives all upgrades as the "new" Amercian Standards (including the new bridge with bent saddles, etc.). Tex-Mex and Diamondback humbucker but S-1 switching removed. Standard colors/pickguards.

The pickup change was pretty dramatic; I think the Fender humbucker is more powerful and does not blend as well as the old Duncan. Because of that I personally consider the model discontinued (even though the name changed in July of 2000) as of July 2003 when they changed pickups and took away the custom colors - but that's just me. It does live on as the American Standard Strat HSS."

The Am Std has never had an S1 switch, and neither have any of the other guitars mentioned in your post. Also, none of the guitars that you mentioned "live on as the Am Std", as the Am Std has been it's own model since introduction, at one point changing to the "Am Series" then back to the Am Std. Someone has given you a lot of misinformation.

_________________
---> "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

Right for the American Standard HSS.

But the "American Series HSS" HAD THE S1 SWITCH on it!



The S1 switch has been removed after the 2008 upgrade and the name change to American Standard.

These detailed informations came from our Fender expert John C.

If memory serves me right , they were part of the "Hot Rodded Series" which included the Big Apple Strat with dual humbuckers. They morphed into something different when the S-1 switching became available. I had a 2002 TS Fat strat that I turned into a SSS version. I have tried the MIM version and they are quite different animals indeed. I imagine fender reintroduced them because the TS pickups were still one of the more popular pickups.

morello quoted one of my old posts over on another forum - and as chromeface pointed out the American Series HSS and HH models that were introduced circa August 2003 did have the S-1 switch (along with the American Series SH and HH Teles). They were the first Fenders to have the S-1, and were followed by the American Deluxe version 2 models that were released in January 2004.

The S-1 went away on the American Series models as they were discontinued - the SH Tele, HH Tele and HH Strat went away at the end of 2006; the HSS Strat continued on through 2007 and was replaced by the American Standard HSS in January 2008 which used the same pickups at that time but no longer used the S-1 switching.

In 2012 Fender replaced the Tex-Mex pickups with a pair of Fat 50's singles but kept the Diamondback humbucker.

I had hoped they would also replace the Diamondback with a Duncan Trembucker to match the configuration borrowing from the early CS Showmasters with no avail.

Apparently I am the one misinformed.

Is it that the SSS models were the "regular" guitars, while the HSS and other variants were the only ones that were different as far as the S1?

_________________
---> "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.

Yep!



There's also the aforementioned American Standard Telecaster SH we've already discussed on a previous post.



From what I've read this guitar is a 2008 model which has been modified by its previous owner. The 3-ply b/w/b pickguard is not stock and strap buttons are locking Schallers.

Thanks everyone - I passed on it.

Yeah that was what I thought about when I read his post was the American Roadhouse.

The American Roadhouse and Lonestars were so cool why did they start making them in Mexico? I mean I realize Mexicans need something to do but thats Texas man.

_________________
https://www.facebook.com/groups/fenderguitarandamp/