FENDER SQUIER SERIES Made in Mexico
Between 1993 and 1998 many Stratocasters characterized by a Black Logo were made in Mexico. They all belonged to the Fender Squier Series and differed from the Standard Stratocasters whose '70 style logo was silverish (at least until 2010 when it was replaced by the black one). The poplar bodies and the necks of These “black label” Stratocasters featured a tulip poplar body, Mexican pickups, and hardware and electronics of oriental origin.
There is the widespread conviction that the black label Stratocasters were assembled in Ensenada with less quality US leftovers, but they were made to plug a market gap where Fender was losing money. No “factory fire” or “less quality extra US parts”, just driven by money.
The quality of this series was lower than the Squier guitars made in Japan in the past and the Mexican Standard Stratocasters.
The very first Black Labels were Squier Branded and exhibited the “by Fender” decal on the ball of the headstock. There are few units of these Squier Classic Stratocasters (assembled in Mexico), probably introduced to raise the Squier brand after the Korean failure, and they are all dated 1993, because the exact same guitar was immediately renamed “Squier Series Standard Stratocaster”, Fender branded, thus relegating the Squier brand to the eastern regions only.
The subsequent Black Labels were all Fender branded.
The 1994 Fender Squier Series Standard Stratocaster (not to be confused with the Squier brand) and the 1996 Traditional Stratocaster were very similar guitars. The first ones featured, in addition to the black logo, a small "Squier SERIES" decal, instead of the classic "Original Contour Body" one on the headstock and a monolayer pickguard; the latter had no decal on the ball of the headstock and had a three-layer pickguard. The Traditional Fat Stratocaster variant had a humbucker instead of the single coil. It seems, however, in present times, there are some rare Squier Series which lack the “Squier Series” logo, as it would have been removed by the guitarists who felt the term Squier was synonymous with low quality.
There is the widespread conviction that the black label Stratocasters were assembled in Ensenada with less quality US leftovers, but they were made to plug a market gap where Fender was losing money. No “factory fire” or “less quality extra US parts”, just driven by money.
The quality of this series was lower than the Squier guitars made in Japan in the past and the Mexican Standard Stratocasters.
The very first Black Labels were Squier Branded and exhibited the “by Fender” decal on the ball of the headstock. There are few units of these Squier Classic Stratocasters (assembled in Mexico), probably introduced to raise the Squier brand after the Korean failure, and they are all dated 1993, because the exact same guitar was immediately renamed “Squier Series Standard Stratocaster”, Fender branded, thus relegating the Squier brand to the eastern regions only.
The subsequent Black Labels were all Fender branded.
The 1994 Fender Squier Series Standard Stratocaster (not to be confused with the Squier brand) and the 1996 Traditional Stratocaster were very similar guitars. The first ones featured, in addition to the black logo, a small "Squier SERIES" decal, instead of the classic "Original Contour Body" one on the headstock and a monolayer pickguard; the latter had no decal on the ball of the headstock and had a three-layer pickguard. The Traditional Fat Stratocaster variant had a humbucker instead of the single coil. It seems, however, in present times, there are some rare Squier Series which lack the “Squier Series” logo, as it would have been removed by the guitarists who felt the term Squier was synonymous with low quality.
Squier Classic Stratocaster assembled in Mexico (Courtesy of Claudio Lusi)
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1995 Squier Series Standard Stratocaster headstock
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1998 Traditional Stratocaster headstock (XysteR from strat-talk)
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1995 Squier Series Stratocaster (reverb.com)
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"Squier" stamp in the neck pocket of a Fender Squier Series Stratocaster body (spinditty.com)
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FENDER AMERICAN TRADITIONAL SERIES
In 1999 the Traditional Stratocaster was replaced by the American Traditional Stratocaster, intended for the non-US market, which did not differ much from the previous one, despite the Fender logo on the headstock not being black. However it featured the "MADE IN U.S.A." decal, besides the “American Traditional” one, which was deceptive, since it was only assembled in the US.
1999 American Traditional Stratocaster headstock, very different from the previous hybrid strats (Courtesy of Rosiario Migale)
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1999 American Traditional Stratocaster (Courtesy of Benbenben, seymourduncan.com forum)
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FENDER CALIFORNIA SERIES
The California Stratocaster and the California Fat Stratocaster produced between 1997 and 1998, were the result of intense collaboration between Corona and Ensenada.
Mike Lewis, then marketing manager for Fender's electric guitar division, said: “The California Series came about thanks to the joint efforts of Fender's Corona, California factory and its Baja California Norte, Ensenada, Mexico facility. The bodies and necks are shaped by Fender's craftsmen in Corona and subsequently hand-painted at our ultra-modern facility in Mexico. Final assembly, including the installation of vintage hardware and electronics, is then completed in Corona. All three instruments are marked by exceptional attention to detail, tonal quality, and playability.”
Despite Mike Lewis’s statement, the neck of the California Stratocaster seems to have been manufactured in Mexico because of the 3/16” truss rod nut and the black plastic insert. The California Stratocaster was equipped with a trio of Tex-Mex pickups. At the same time, the California Fat Stratocaster boasted a Tex-Mex humbucking pickup paired with two Tex-Mex single-coil pickups. Both guitars sported a vintage-style tremolo bridge, the same used on US-reissues, and Gotoh tuning machines.
The California Series guitars featured a Transition Logo and the label “MADE IN U.S.A.”, and had a “California Series” decal on the ball of the headstock. On the back of the headstock, they had a serial number composed of “AMXN” followed by a 6-digit number, with the first digit indicating the year of production.
Mike Lewis, then marketing manager for Fender's electric guitar division, said: “The California Series came about thanks to the joint efforts of Fender's Corona, California factory and its Baja California Norte, Ensenada, Mexico facility. The bodies and necks are shaped by Fender's craftsmen in Corona and subsequently hand-painted at our ultra-modern facility in Mexico. Final assembly, including the installation of vintage hardware and electronics, is then completed in Corona. All three instruments are marked by exceptional attention to detail, tonal quality, and playability.”
Despite Mike Lewis’s statement, the neck of the California Stratocaster seems to have been manufactured in Mexico because of the 3/16” truss rod nut and the black plastic insert. The California Stratocaster was equipped with a trio of Tex-Mex pickups. At the same time, the California Fat Stratocaster boasted a Tex-Mex humbucking pickup paired with two Tex-Mex single-coil pickups. Both guitars sported a vintage-style tremolo bridge, the same used on US-reissues, and Gotoh tuning machines.
The California Series guitars featured a Transition Logo and the label “MADE IN U.S.A.”, and had a “California Series” decal on the ball of the headstock. On the back of the headstock, they had a serial number composed of “AMXN” followed by a 6-digit number, with the first digit indicating the year of production.
California Stratocaster headstock (Courtesy of StratMike from Strat Talk)
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California Stratocaster (Courtesy of StratMike from strat talk)
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Antonio Calvosa
