J.W. Black was a leading guitar repairman in New York City at the time. He recalled: “In the early ’80s, Fender was pretty much off the radar as far as my clients and players were concerned, at least in New York. At the dawn of the Schultz era, things began to come back into focus, and in 1985, with Schultz and his investors now owning the company, Fender faced one of its most daunting design challenges yet: Build a better Stratocaster. Not a reissue, not a cost cutter, not a “Cadillac,” not an import — just a basic U.S. Strat. This 50th anniversary model features three new Custom Shop Vintage 1954 single-coil pickups, a special commemorative 50th anniversary neck plate, and “Parchment” knobs and pickup covers. Various electronic components, and the configuration of the amplifier and speaker, can be used to alter the sound of the instrument. Jose Rodriguez blows on a Fender Stratocaster guitar body to remove wood dust as he does the final sanding work before sending the bodies to the paint shop, at the Fender manufacturing facility. The reissues of ’82 were okay, but many players had the real thing and they were still affordable. The construction of the guitar is very good, esp. for a Mexican Strat. I would've thought that I'd prefer an American, however I really have fallen in love with this guitar. It's constructed like any other strat. "It's an American rock 'n' roll icon. There is no more recognizable guitar in contemporary music than the Strat". No two Strats sound alike. They have an incredible variety of sounds available on the same instrument. It's brilliant. There is no other instrument like it. Acoustic Guitar Lesson.
