AMERICAN DELUXE FIRST SERIES
1998 American Deluxe Series and new Noiseless pickups advert
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The new American Deluxe Series was launched in July 1998, replacing the Plus Series as Fender's top-of-the-line American production model.
“The American Deluxe Strat is very nice, with a lot of special features but nothing unnecessary. The idea was to enhance the Strat’s sound and playability, not to change it,” said Mike Lewis, Fender’s Marketing Manager. The launch of the American Deluxe Series coincided with the opening of Fender’s new production facility on Cessna Circle in Corona. It was regarded by Fender executives as the most advanced and expensive guitar manufacturing facility ever constructed. The new plant was designed to optimize production flow, reduce inter-building material handling, minimize downtime, and scale output capacity to meet projected demand growth. Although the first official American Deluxe Stratocasters were launched in July, a few transitional models had already been built a few months earlier at the old facility. |
These were sold as Strat Plus guitars but featured the new Noiseless pickups instead of Lace Sensors, and had serial numbers with the “DZ” prefix used for all American Deluxe Series instruments.
American Deluxe Stratocaster
For the launch of the American Deluxe Series, Fender stated that they went back to the original 1950s Stratocaster drawings and discovered that the body shape had gradually ‘wandered’ from the original design over the years. To address this, they reprogrammed all the CNC machines to produce body contours more closely resembling those of the '50s Stratocaster—although some differences still remained.
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Since most of the finishes on the American Deluxe Stratocaster were transparent, Fender began using higher-grade alder and ash to enhance their appearance. As a result, the bodies were made from fewer glued-together pieces, as the wood grain was visible through the translucent coatings. They also started matching colors to the type of wood—such as a 3-Color Sunburst that looked great on alder, and Teal Green Transparent, which complemented ash beautifully.
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Particular attention was paid to the neck. At the factory, the neck edges were carefully pressed to create a rounded, smooth surface. Fender also meticulously files and shapes the fret edges so they blend seamlessly with the rolled neck contours. This attention to detail ensures the neck feels exceptionally smooth to the touch.
“The rolled edges are an ergonomic thing, a noticeable difference, and a pleasant feel, especially if you play with your thumb over the neck. It feels like an older neck. There was more handwork on the frets and the nut, too.”
George Blanda
They introduced a new neck shape, the modern “C” profile, which was slightly thicker at the back and rounded along the sides. Moreover, the asymmetrical neck plate allowed easier access to the higher frets.
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The American Deluxe Stratocaster featured Fender/Schaller Deluxe Staggered Cast Sealed Locking tuning machines. On the peghead, the first three tuning posts were shorter than the last three—this staggered design created a steeper break angle over the nut, increasing string tension and improving sustain. Additionally, the locking mechanism secured the string at the post, eliminating the need for multiple wraps and enhancing tuning stability.
Enhanced cosmetic details included abalone dot markers, a new raised silver logo, called Appliqué Logo, aged plastic parts, a mint green or brown shell pickguard, Schaller locking strap buttons, polished-chrome hardware, a Fender Deluxe 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo with Pop-in arm, and the new Noiseless pickups. |
The Staggered Tuners and the Appliqué logo
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The American Deluxe Fat Strat and its variant with locking tremolo, the American Deluxe Fat Strat with Locking Tremolo, were equipped with two Noiseless pickups and a Fender DH-1 humbucker. They also featured the LSR Roller Nut described here.
The bridge on the locking tremolo model was the Fender Deluxe 2-Point Locking Tremolo System, which was used also on the Plus Series and is described here. The Fender DH-1 pickup is sometimes misnamed as Atomic pickup. According to Bill Turner, the “Atomic Humbucker” was merely a product name chosen to highlight the Toronado and Cyclone guitar models and the differences between the original Atomic Humbucker and the DH-1 were only in appearance. The Cyclone had black and white bobbins, the Toronado had a nickel-silver chrome-plated cover, and the DH-1 of the American Deluxe guitars had aged white bobbins. |
First-Gen Noiseless Pickups: Vintage Noiseless and Hot Noiseless
“For years, pickup designers have been striving to develop the ultimate noise-free single coil replacement pickup,” Dan Smith said, “a pickup with as little 60-cycle hum and extraneous noise as possible, with the classic bell-like tones and fidelity of Fender’s standard-setting, original designs. There have been notable attempts from within Fender, as well as from outside designers and manufacturers. In the mid-eighties, we worked with Don Lace on his uniquely designed Fender Lace Sensors, which were used on Fender’s Plus Series guitars and basses through the mid-nineties. This was followed by our own highly successful Vintage Noiseless pickups [the name given to the Noiseless pickups used on the American Deluxe Stratocaster, Editor’s Note], introduced on the American Deluxe Series instruments in 1998. Both of these designs were, and still are, excellent examples of pickup design at its best.”
Fender Noiseless pickups featured a stacked dual-coil design that provided classic Fender single coil tone with humbucking properties.
The stacked coil design dates back to around 1970, when Quilla H. Freeman filed a patent for something called a “Single Pickup Frequency Control” (U.S. Patent No. 3,657,461), which was granted on April 18, 1972. It was, in fact, a noiseless pickup—the first stacked coil, no less.
This design was remarkably similar to Noiseless pickups. The main difference is that Freeman specified a single “light prism rectangular parallelepiped” magnet within the coils, instead of six individual rod magnets like those used by Fender. Just what a “light prism rectangular parallelepiped” magnet was remains a mystery to this day, as there’s no reference to it in any known technical literature.
Quilla H. Freeman may not be widely known, but his 1972 patent represents a pivotal moment in electric guitar history—a lost invention that anticipated Fender’s Ultra Noiseless pickups by more than 25 years. His mysterious “light prism” magnet remains an odd footnote in pickup lore, but his technical insight put him ahead of his time.
Fender Noiseless pickups featured a stacked dual-coil design that provided classic Fender single coil tone with humbucking properties.
The stacked coil design dates back to around 1970, when Quilla H. Freeman filed a patent for something called a “Single Pickup Frequency Control” (U.S. Patent No. 3,657,461), which was granted on April 18, 1972. It was, in fact, a noiseless pickup—the first stacked coil, no less.
This design was remarkably similar to Noiseless pickups. The main difference is that Freeman specified a single “light prism rectangular parallelepiped” magnet within the coils, instead of six individual rod magnets like those used by Fender. Just what a “light prism rectangular parallelepiped” magnet was remains a mystery to this day, as there’s no reference to it in any known technical literature.
Quilla H. Freeman may not be widely known, but his 1972 patent represents a pivotal moment in electric guitar history—a lost invention that anticipated Fender’s Ultra Noiseless pickups by more than 25 years. His mysterious “light prism” magnet remains an odd footnote in pickup lore, but his technical insight put him ahead of his time.
Bill Turner
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They were first introduced in the American Deluxe Series and then became available as replacement pickups.
For three years, the staff at Fender Guitar Research and Development headed by designer Bill Turner had been working on the difficult task of designing a hum-cancelling alternative to Fender’s classic single-coil pickup designs. “Initially,” said Dan Smith, “it wasn't clear at the outset of the project what such a pickup would be, how it would be engineered, but we knew what it had to do.” |
The parameters of the project were relatively simple—three basic engineering goals had to be met.
- First, the new pickups had to have that benchmark Fender tone. They had to respond to subtle changes in playing styles and respond to the natural wood tones of the guitar body, the heart of a guitar’s voice and character.
- Second, they had to eliminate as much 60-cycle hum as possible, at least as much as a standard dual-coil humbucking pickup.
- Third, they had to be the same size and have the same general appearance and shape as original Fender single-coils.
THE AMERICAN DELUXE SECOND SERIES AND THE SNC NOISELESS PICKUPS
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Noiseless pickups were made up of individual upper and lower coil sections. The two coils were separated by a soft ferrous steel plate which lay between the two coils.
The magnets extended through both coils and passed through the steel spacer plate at the center of the pickup without touching the plate. The soft ferrous steel plate served two functions: |
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- First, it isolated the bottom coil from string vibration, making the top single coil the sound source. The Noiseless pickup sounded like a single coil because, functionally speaking, it was a single coil.
- Second, the spacer plate increased the amount of magnetic flux that passed through both coils, which increased the output.
Vintage Noiseless vs. hot Noiseless
The first-generation Noiseless pickups included the original Vintage Noiseless pickup and the Hot Noiseless pickups, also called Ceramic Noiseless.
The sound modeling for the Vintage Noiseless pickups was patterned after an original set of Stratocaster pickups from 1963. One of the original ‘63 Strat pickups was sacrificed for magnetic testing and later rewound after the magnetic material was analyzed. Engineers at R&D discovered that the magnet material produced in the ‘60s was manufactured using a specific process that was only used from 1961 through 1966. They replicated this formula and those “special” AlNiCo 5 magnets were used for Vintage Noiseless pickups. Oddly enough, years later, Fender stated on their website that the magnet was made of AlNiCo 2.
The Vintage Noiseless pickups were used on the American Deluxe Series, the Eric Clapton Stratocaster, and various other guitars.
The Hot Noiseless pickups, also called Ceramic Noiseless, were an overwound version of the original Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups and featured ceramic magnets.
They could be distinguished by their flat beveled pole pieces—while the Vintage Noiseless featured staggered beveled pole pieces—and by their silver logo, whereas the Vintage Noiseless had the word “Noiseless” in gold cursive.
Hot Noiseless pickups have been standard on the Jeff Beck Stratocaster since 2001 but were never available on the American Deluxe.
The sound modeling for the Vintage Noiseless pickups was patterned after an original set of Stratocaster pickups from 1963. One of the original ‘63 Strat pickups was sacrificed for magnetic testing and later rewound after the magnetic material was analyzed. Engineers at R&D discovered that the magnet material produced in the ‘60s was manufactured using a specific process that was only used from 1961 through 1966. They replicated this formula and those “special” AlNiCo 5 magnets were used for Vintage Noiseless pickups. Oddly enough, years later, Fender stated on their website that the magnet was made of AlNiCo 2.
The Vintage Noiseless pickups were used on the American Deluxe Series, the Eric Clapton Stratocaster, and various other guitars.
The Hot Noiseless pickups, also called Ceramic Noiseless, were an overwound version of the original Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups and featured ceramic magnets.
They could be distinguished by their flat beveled pole pieces—while the Vintage Noiseless featured staggered beveled pole pieces—and by their silver logo, whereas the Vintage Noiseless had the word “Noiseless” in gold cursive.
Hot Noiseless pickups have been standard on the Jeff Beck Stratocaster since 2001 but were never available on the American Deluxe.
Vintage Noiseless
Neck/middle/bridge DC resistance: 9.8 K Ohms Neck/middle/bridge Inductance: 3.0 Henries Magnet: Special Alnico 5 (or Alnico 2) |
Hot Noiseless
DC resistance: 10.4 K Ohms Inductance: 2.8 Henries Magnet: Ceramic |
American Deluxe Second Series
Fender’s heritage of innovation and willingness to embrace the unconventional led to a redesign of the American Deluxe guitars and basses, culminating in the launch of the second series in 2004. The Samarium Cobalt Noiseless (SCN) pickups and the innovative S-1 switching system were at the heart and soul of this new series.
SCN Pickups
In a sense, the origins of the second series of the American Deluxe date back to 1995, when Fender began working with Bill Lawrence—a legendary German-born guitar pickup designer, guitarist, and engineer.
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The goal was to develop a pickup that could accurately reproduce the low B string of a five-string bass while preserving the distinctive tonal character of the Fender Jazz Bass. The result was the highly acclaimed pickup used in the five-string Roscoe Beck Artist Series bass.
From that point on, Bill began sharing some of his design ideas with Fender’s R&D team. One of the most significant of these eventually led to the redesign of the American Deluxe Series. Although Fender had long remained firmly committed to traditional materials, Bill persuaded the company to explore a variety of new materials—some of which had never been used in conventional pickup design--including samarium and cobalt. |
Bill Lawrence
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SCN Pickup
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The magnetic force was from miniature samarium cobalt magnets which, in conjunction with the moderator bars, delivered a wider, softer magnetic field.
The pole pieces and moderator bars were made from special alloys to avoid inductance leakage and circular currents, as well as for the control of the eddy current effect. The copper wire was precision-made to custom specifications. The new Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups were hum- and microphonic-free, had close to zero magnetic interruption of the string path, and the widest sonic parameters possible. |
“We mounted his new prototype into our test bed guitar and began testing it against our original ’56 and ’63 Stratocaster pickups—the benchmark we’ve used for the past 10 years. We were literally amazed—no noise-canceling pickups we had tested before had come this close to capturing the true essence of Fender’s original designs. The more we played it, using a variety of amplifiers and playing styles, we came to realize that this pickup actually exceeded our expectations—under certain conditions, it actually outperformed the originals! Since those first tests, we have been working closely with Bill to fine-tune this exciting new design so that we could incorporate it into our American Deluxe Series instruments.”
Dan Smith
When it came to manufacturing, Bill’s demand for flawless quality led to the development and construction of new coil-winding machines—nothing that was available at the time met Bill’s requirements. In addition, Fender started using test parameters and procedures that were not typically associated with normal pickup production. This ensured that every single pickup met the same demanding criteria.
The earliest SCN pickups for Stratocaster had no external markings. Later models featured the SCN logo lightly embossed in the bottom right corner of the pickup covers, but the uncolored lettering made it difficult to see. However, the bottom side of the pickup is easy to identify in photos, as it has a unique design and is labeled with ST-NK, ST-MD, and ST-BR to indicate neck, middle, and bridge positions.
The earliest SCN pickups for Stratocaster had no external markings. Later models featured the SCN logo lightly embossed in the bottom right corner of the pickup covers, but the uncolored lettering made it difficult to see. However, the bottom side of the pickup is easy to identify in photos, as it has a unique design and is labeled with ST-NK, ST-MD, and ST-BR to indicate neck, middle, and bridge positions.
The S-1 Switch
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The new American Deluxe Series also featured the groundbreaking S-1 switching system, which allowed players to change pickup configurations instantly.
The switch was visually discreet, located in the crown of the master volume knob. A single push of the switch engaged an array of parallel, series, and combined pickup configurations, offering an extensive range of tonal options. Whether used in the studio or on stage, the S-1 system provided unmatched versatility, allowing players to access both classic Fender sounds and more modern textures at the flick of a switch. |
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New Models
The new American Deluxe Series included more models than the previous one, such as the American Deluxe Strat QMT HSS and the American Deluxe Strat FMT HSS, which lacked a pickguard and featured a quilted (QMT) or flamed (FMT) figured maple top. There was also a variant with a “V”-shaped neck: the American Deluxe Strat V neck.
The HSS models were equipped with an SCN pickup at the neck, a Hot SCN pickup in the middle, and a Fender DH-1 Humbucking Pickup at the bridge. The Hot SCN pickup had a hotter output than a standard SCN Strat pickup and was designed for proper balance with a humbucker in the bridge position.
The HSS models were equipped with an SCN pickup at the neck, a Hot SCN pickup in the middle, and a Fender DH-1 Humbucking Pickup at the bridge. The Hot SCN pickup had a hotter output than a standard SCN Strat pickup and was designed for proper balance with a humbucker in the bridge position.
American Deluxe Strat FMT HSS
The THIRD SERIES AND N3 NOISELESS PICKUPS
In March 2010, Fender updated the American Deluxe Series once more, replacing the SCN pickups with the new N3 Noiseless models.
N3 Noiseless pickups marked a return to the warmth and clarity of alnico magnets. Featuring an improved stacked-coil design, they were specially voiced for each pickup position. In fact, the insulated metal core varied in thickness and composition depending on the position, enhancing tonal response. Fender also fine-tuned the size, shape, and wire gauge of the coils to achieve balanced magnetic responsiveness.
Justin Norvell, who was Director of Marketing at the time, explained:
N3 Noiseless pickups marked a return to the warmth and clarity of alnico magnets. Featuring an improved stacked-coil design, they were specially voiced for each pickup position. In fact, the insulated metal core varied in thickness and composition depending on the position, enhancing tonal response. Fender also fine-tuned the size, shape, and wire gauge of the coils to achieve balanced magnetic responsiveness.
Justin Norvell, who was Director of Marketing at the time, explained:
“We went so deep into what makes a guitar sound good, and we had to free our minds from accepted wisdom in some cases. People say, ‘Well, we have to make these pickups out of AlNiCo 5 and so on,’ but with the American Deluxe, instead of having a set of identical pickups, we ended up doing an AlNiCo 5 in the bridge, where it’s a little hotter; an AlNiCo 3 in the neck, where it’s a little rounder; an AlNiCo 2 in the middle, which sounds really sweet.”
Justin Norvell
New N3 pickups were identified by a silver cursive Fender logo and “N3” marking on the pickup cover.
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DC Resistance
Neck: ~6.8 K Ohms Middle: ~6.8 K Ohms Bridge: ~6.8 K Ohms |
Inductance
Neck: ~3.1 Henries Middle: ~3.2 Henries Bridge: ~2.8 Henries |
Magnet Type
Neck: Alnico 3 Middle: Alnico 2 Bridge: Alnico 5 |
Other Upgrades
The 2010 upgrade also introduced a compound-radius fingerboard—ranging from 9.5” to 14”—a comfortable and practical feature previously exclusive to Custom Shop instruments, and a reconfigured S-1 switching.
Additionally, the bridge pickup was wired to a no-load tone control, allowing the tone circuit to be bypassed entirely so the bridge pickup could be routed directly to the output jack.
HSS models featured another innovation: the new Passing Lane Switch. This allowed players to instantly route the signal from any pickup position straight to the bridge pickup, bypassing the tone circuit entirely—resulting in more overtones and a slight increase in volume.
Additionally, the bridge pickup was wired to a no-load tone control, allowing the tone circuit to be bypassed entirely so the bridge pickup could be routed directly to the output jack.
HSS models featured another innovation: the new Passing Lane Switch. This allowed players to instantly route the signal from any pickup position straight to the bridge pickup, bypassing the tone circuit entirely—resulting in more overtones and a slight increase in volume.
American Deluxe Strat Plus
In 2014, new models were added to the American Deluxe Series. Notably, the American Deluxe Strat Plus and the American Deluxe Strat Plus HSS introduced a unique innovation—interchangeable personality cards housed in compartments on the back of the body. Swapping these cards allowed players to instantly access different wiring configurations without the need for soldering or modifications. These configurations included multiple volume controls, treble bleed circuits, alternative tone-circuit signal paths, pickup-blending options, and more.
Additionally, they featured fully solderless electronics, and pickups and pots could be swapped out easily using quick-connect plugs, eliminating the need for soldering.
“Soldering is a thing of the past,” declared Richard McDonald, Executive Vice President. “It’s unpredictable, not particularly roadworthy. Fenders have always been easy to modify, to customize, but now, on a guitar like the Strat Plus, if you want to reconfigure the controls and functions, you can just pop in one of our ‘personality cards.’ It takes about 15 seconds.”
Additionally, they featured fully solderless electronics, and pickups and pots could be swapped out easily using quick-connect plugs, eliminating the need for soldering.
“Soldering is a thing of the past,” declared Richard McDonald, Executive Vice President. “It’s unpredictable, not particularly roadworthy. Fenders have always been easy to modify, to customize, but now, on a guitar like the Strat Plus, if you want to reconfigure the controls and functions, you can just pop in one of our ‘personality cards.’ It takes about 15 seconds.”
American Deluxe Strat Plus
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Quick Connect Plugs
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Antonio Calvosa
