During the 1990s, Fender expanded its product lineup by introducing a new series designed to address the evolving needs of modern guitarists. Since the 1980s, rock music has moved into heavier and more aggressive sonic territories, and players increasingly sought “beefed-up” pickups to match these demands.
Since many guitarists were buying American Standard Stratocasters and replacing the bridge single-coil with a humbucker, Fender responded by releasing the first U.S.-made Stratocaster with a humbucker in the bridge position—specifically a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates. This model, known as the Lone Star Strat, was introduced in 1996 as the first in the Hot Rodded American Standard Series. While later catalogs listed the pickup as a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates “Plus,” it was essentially the same Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates model.
For the neck and middle positions, the Lone Star Strat featured Texas Special single-coil pickups. To enhance its visual appeal, Fender equipped the guitar with either a pearloid or tortoiseshell pickguard, depending on the body color.

1996 Lone Star Strat advert

Following the success of the Lone Star, Fender introduced a double-humbucker Stratocaster: the Big Apple Strat, released in 1997. Designed to provide a thicker, more powerful sound, this model featured a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbucking pickup in the bridge position, delivering a smooth, articulate tone with enhanced output. The neck position housed a Seymour Duncan ‘59 humbucker, known for its warm, vintage-style sound with a slightly higher output than the original.
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1997 Fender Roadhouse Stratocaster ad featuring Lee Roy Parnell

The ​Roadhouse Strat, also released in 1997, was the third model in the Hot-Rodded Stratocaster Series, designed to offer a more versatile sound with an emphasis on blues and rock. It was equipped with three Texas Special single-coil pickups, known for their higher output and punchier midrange compared to standard Strat pickups. This made the Roadhouse Strat particularly well-suited for overdriven tones while still maintaining clarity and definition.
Big Apple Strat and Roadhouse Strat also came with a unique pearloid and brown shell pickguard and were available in a variety of finishes, enhancing both their aesthetic and sonic appeal.
In 2000, when the American Standard Series was replaced by the American Series, the Hot Rodded American Standard Series was also discontinued, replaced by the American Hot Rodded Series. 
​The American Strat Texas Special, the American Fat Strat Texas Special and the American Double Fat Strat took the place of the Roadhouse, Lone Star, and Big Apple models, respectively.

However, the series was relatively short-lived, as Fender integrated these models into the broader American Series by 2003, streamlining the offerings. 
With the shift to the American Series, Fender began labeling the guitars more simply—such as the American Stratocaster HH and HSS—reflecting the move towards more universal, straightforward naming conventions.
This period marked the end of the era where Stratocasters were specifically marketed as “Hot Rodded” versions, but the spirit of those guitars continued in the new models that embraced humbucker configurations, providing guitarists with a wider range of tones that were more suited to modern, high-gain styles of playing.
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Antonio Calvosa