"Swimming Pool Rout" Fender Strats

[davidd]

Does anyone know what years have the Swimming Pool Routs? I know my '92 American Standard has it. Do all of the '89 and early 90's Strat Plus Models have it? I assume the '57 AVRI's don't right? Thanks for you knowledge.

David

[bubs_42]

Does anyone know what years have the Swimming Pool Routs? I know my '92 American Standard has it. Do all of the '89 and early 90's Strat Plus Models have it? I assume the '57 AVRI's don't right? Thanks for you knowledge.

David

Late 80's to mid 90's have them. The reissues didn't. I'm not sure how far into the 90's it went.

[Gino]

I have a '94 Am. Std. and it got the pool.

[GaryT]

The American Series stopped the swimming pool route, dual string-trees etc. 2000-2001 the SSH route appeared. I could be off a year. I have all the Fender Frontlines from back then. I could check, though I'm pretty close though. All American Standard series from before 08 have them. The Strat Plus also has them. No RIs have them though, they have the 3-single-coil routes as do the Signature Series.

[Special J]

My '86 AVRI '57 does not. My buddy's '91 Am. Std. does.

[RoyB]

Does anyone know what years have the Swimming Pool Routs? I know my '92 American Standard has it. Do all of the '89 and early 90's Strat Plus Models have it? I assume the '57 AVRI's don't right? Thanks for you knowledge.

David

American reissues have the three single route, but all the "American series" (standard, plus, big apple, etc) have the swimming pool from there start in 87-2000. Although I don't like the bridges used on those guitars I really like the tone of the pool route.

[atquinn]

What routes do vintage strats have? I know Don Grosh favors the swimming pool route; he thinks it sounds better.

-Austin

[GaryT]

Vintage Strats = SSS routes. But heres the thing with the Swimming Pool routes. I gigged the Lonestars from 96-2001. I use to carry 3 with me at all times. A 96, 97, and a 2000. Today I still have a 2001. Which actually was the year Fender dropped Lonestar, Big-Apple, Roadhouse names. But it is the better Strat out of the 4. Ash upgraded body, slightly thicker neck, lighter, more resonant, etc.

But as far as the routes. Many players actually prefered the Swimming Pool routes as they felt they added a acoustic Tone to the Strat. Since they resemble a sound chamber in many ways. What happened though is Fender Strat players felt they didn't accuratly stay true to the original Strat in Tone or Build. Thus the Pool route was dropped.

Without a doubt they are a slightly different Tone. Some may prefer this. There's nothing wrong or right about it, just the facts.

Myself? I kinda like the Tones of the Pool route. But I also found that my last Lonestar in 2001 is the best built QC'd Strat of all the ones I played. And I also quickly realized that the Texas Specials and Pearly Gates Plus interact much nicer with Ash/Maple than with Alder/Rosewood. Originally I thought the reverse would have been true. Thus I learned the hard way.

Gets back to what I started talking about earlier. Fender discontinued the American Standard Strat by 2000. My 2000 was a American Series. Thus the Pool route was gone, elimination of one string-tree, the rolled finger-board edges already existed on the Hot-Rod Series. Which is what Lonestar, Big-Apples, Roadhouse were originally called. Yet Fender continued to evolve with this series. The Staggered TMs followed to eliminate the String-Tree, and the SSH route was introduced.

The American Series continued to 2008. Then the American Standard name was again brought back. The guitar was again upgraded with another new design of the Bridge/Trem that brought back the Vintage Saddle design, Bigger Block, etc.

But the exact year of the change from American Standard to American Series would be the same year of the last swimming pool route. I didn't own a 98 or a 99. The 98 still has the pool route for sure. I'm thinking that 99 is the year of the change. By 2000 they were gone for sure.

I use to grab a Fender Frontline yearly back then. So I could pin it to the specific year if I dig them out. But its either the 99-2000 thats the last. I was leaning towards 2000 because of the miilinium and the intro of the American Series, Probly when Fender introducted the newer designed Strat?

My question would be this....................What is the route from 2008 and up? Are they now HSH or is it still SSH? IMHO Squier and Carvin has the most usefull route with the 3-Humbucker routes. The Classic Vibe series of Squier use's this. And Carvins Bolt-Ons always have. But they don't limit you in any way, yet they still are somewhat true to original body Tone.

Another change that came with the American Series is Fender decided to go with non-aged Pearloid Pick-Guards[like this photo]. The older 96-97 had the aged pearloid PGs which I thought looked slightly better.

[Lockbody]

My question would be this....................What is the route from 2008 and up? Are they now HSH or is it still SSH? IMHO Squier and Carvin has the most usefull route with the 3-Humbucker routes. The Classic Vibe series of Squier use's this. And Carvins Bolt-Ons always have. But they don't limit you in any way, yet they still are somewhat true to original body Tone.

Yep, HSH.