88 Strat Am Std - Question on Body Routing

New memeber to the forum. Just picked up a 88 Am Std Strat and it's barely been played. Almost no fretware at all, and not a nick on the body. I opened her up and found the bathtub route - universal route. Was Fender doing this in this time frame? The pickups are marked 016730, and the pots have the date codes that corespond to 87/88. There really aren't any giveaways that the body is Fender. There is some sharpie / marker writings in the route - it has a number 145, and only thing in the neck cut away is a letter R in marker. Does this sound right for a Fender body? Oh yeah - the routes and such are all painted and there is a powder like stuff hanging around on the sides of the cut outs. I'm guessing some polishing compound or something...

Anyway -just hoping I found a closet classic & not a body swap...

Thanks for any inputs!

Steve

I have an original 89 AS and it has the same swimming pool rout so I'll guess that the 88 had it as well. I'd be interested in any mods you plan on or do you intend to keep it stock. There seems to be a lot of Strat players that look down on the AS, but I'm happy with mine other than the neck being too thin. The only thing I've swapped on mine are pups - BL 280s and 290, although I will be switching to Kinmans. Good luck with the 88.

Yep - normal. My'87 has the bathtub route. These American Std guits have enjoyed a long run, eh? Mine's Torino Red, and it's sounding better all the time. I did try other pups, but went back to stock. The one thing that I did change out was the bridge saddles - I put the graphite ones in. This warmed the sound to the point of removing the zing that the stainless saddles had - and, I just about never break a string on this guit now!

New memeber to the forum. Just picked up a 88 Am Std Strat and it's barely been played. Almost no fretware at all, and not a nick on the body. I opened her up and found the bathtub route - universal route. Was Fender doing this in this time frame? The pickups are marked 016730, and the pots have the date codes that corespond to 87/88. There really aren't any giveaways that the body is Fender. There is some sharpie / marker writings in the route - it has a number 145, and only thing in the neck cut away is a letter R in marker. Does this sound right for a Fender body? Oh yeah - the routes and such are all painted and there is a powder like stuff hanging around on the sides of the cut outs. I'm guessing some polishing compound or something...

Anyway -just hoping I found a closet classic & not a body swap...

Thanks for any inputs!

Steve

Yes it's a Fender body! If still in doubt post a picture - then I shal tell you for 100% sure :D

Shouldn't it have a date stamp in the neck pocket? And the micro-tilt thing?

Shouldn't it have a date stamp in the neck pocket? And the micro-tilt thing?


... yes of course - but I took it for granted that theres a micro tilt thing in there... but they are not always dated... in the pick up route close to the control route an eyelet should screwed into the wood for grounding.

Shouldn't it have a date stamp in the neck pocket? And the micro-tilt thing?


... yes of course - but I took it for granted that theres a micro tilt thing in there... but they are not always dated... in the pick up route close to the control route an eyelet should screwed into the wood for grounding.

Sorry - It does have the microtilt, and it also has the eyelet with ground wire in that exact place. No date stamp in neck pocket though. Just an R in marker, and 145 written in the swimming pool route.

I got an 88 American Standard Stratocaster as well...it has the Swimming-Pool Route but it's one heck of a guitar and I never understood its bad reputation...