Spot the Mexican in this line up of Fender American Roland Ready Strats
Guitar

Spot the Mexican in this line up of Fender American Roland Ready Strats


guitarz.blogspot.com:
Todd writes:
I collect and play Fender USA Roland Ready (RR) Strats because of their high build quality (comparable to other USA Strats of the period); they drive a great product line of devices made by one of the best instrument manufacturers; and of course, because they're pretty rare for a mainstream brand and well known model. I've even seen knowledgeable Fender collectors claim they are all forgeries and were never actually produced by Fender in the USA.

Some of the confusion stems from the fact that they are neither Fender VG Strats nor the Made in Mexico (MIM) RR Strats still made today: VG Strats have an abbreviated number of modeled sounds/tunings on board the guitar and therefore no 13-pin jack - whereas the Roland Ready models actually sport a 13 pin connector on the lower bout (facing the floor while played, in addition to the normal the 1/4 jack on the front) and have no on board sounds. All Roland Ready Strats are simply a sound source for Roland GR, GI and VG series devices, but MIM RR Strats don't offer the same features as the briefly produced USA versions.

Speaking purely technically, the USA RR Strats offered the same upgraded build quality as the normal USA Strats of those years - they play identically to USAs of the same vintage (with the exception of sacrificing one tone knob), The differences between MIMs are:
  • A 22nd fret (vs. 21)
  • Larger cast steel bridge saddles (like other USAs)
  • Upgraded tuners (?)
  • Two cast string retainers on the headstock (vs. one stamped)
The upgrades contribute to an overall feel of improved quality, with a noticeable improvement of sustain, in particular. All Roland Ready Strats can be used to drive: VG-8; VG-88; VG-99; GI-10; GI-20; GR-20; GR-33 and the GR-55 among others, which are very well made and sound great.

It's not clear why RR Strats were produced in the USA so briefly - their serial numbers appear to range only from N5 to N7 (1995 to 1997). Wikipedia does not mention RR Strats (neither the USA or MIM varieties; although VG Strats do get a brief nod), but it does offer the following information, which could explain the timing and brevity of the USA production:
"On February 11, 1994 the Fender manufacturing plant based in Ensenada, Mexico burned down. Fender President Bill Shultz decided to temporarily move production from the Mexico plant to the U.S. plant. These Fender guitars are fairly rare and can be identified by the unique serial number."
However, that doesn't fully explain the design changes listed above relative to the typical MIMs - perhaps Fender simply chose not to use the MIM design while manufacturing it in the USA? Any information regarding the "unique serial number" mention in the Wikipedia article would be greatly appreciated.
Todd

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!




- Strat Copy Given The Hollow / Relic Treatment On Ebay In Germany
guitarz.blogspot.com: Currently listed on eBay with an optimistic Buy It Now price of €685. When it comes to "Holey" Strats, I much prefer my own Feline Holy Panther. (Which, incidentally has now been immortalised on vinyl record and CD on the track...

- 1978 Fender Jazz Bass With "love It Or Hate It" Antigua Finish
guitarz.blogspot.com: I'm not sure how many Fender Jazz Basses were produced n Antigua finish, although I know I have seen one before. I'm personally quite a fan of Fender's antigua finish, although I know many people detest it. I quite like...

- Brandless Stratocaster With Emg-esp Pickups, Pitch Black Finish And Lots Of Chrome
guitarz.blogspot.com For a while now (and yes, it's been a while since I've posted here, sorry, but don't worry, I've been playing guitar a lot in the meantime), I've been wanting to post about a stratocaster - even if I'm...

- 1984 Mij Squier Stratocaster In Camasrillo Ca For $275
Here is a seller offering a 1984 Squier Strat that has a big headstock, 3-bolt neck and bullet truss rod just like the 1970's era guitars.  This is from the period when FMIC had been purchased by the employees and they didn't have the Corona...

- Fender Japan E-series Squier Strat In Los Angeles For $275
The E series (early 1980's) Japan Strats are going way up in price - players realize that with the chaos at Fender USA and loss of the Fullerton Plant in the purchase from CBS many of the Strats were being built in Japan in the mid 1980's. The...



Guitar








.