For all you Satriani fans, the back cover is signed by Joe as well Jeff Campitelli, his long time drummer going back to his "Surfing with the Alien" days.
Signatures aside, here's a nice example of a great guitar, in one of the cooler finishes, Blue Pearl Dust. In the early 90's Fender had the greatest selection of colors for their Strat Plus guitars than any other time in their history. Between the "Stone" finishes (Blackstone, Bluestone, Redstone), "Frost" (Blue Frost, Red Frost), "Pearl Dust" (Black Pearl, Blue Pearl), old custom colors (Lake Placid, Caribbean Mist), and contemporary finishes (Torino Red, Black, Artic White, Electric Blue, etc), Fender had more color options available than any time in their history. To me, the Pearl Dust stands out as one of the best ever, just under the "Stratoburst" finishes of the early 80's.
The Strat Plus made its debut in 1987 and had a very successful 13-year run, ending in '99, which was the last year of the American Standard series. In '00 Fender debuted their new "American Series" (i.e. renamed from the "American Standard"). The Plus was replaced by the American Deluxe which was basically the same idea with upgraded pickups, locking tuners, and some non-standard finishes. When released in '87 the Plus was essentially a deluxe model American Standard, with upgraded pickups and hardware. It featured a trio of the new Lace Sensor pickups, which provided a vintage tone without the annoying noise associated with standard Strat pickups. The Gold Laces (50's Strat sound) on this model are the same pickups used on the Clapton and Buddy Guy signature models and both player toured with their stock pickups for many years. The Plus also features precision locking tuners as well as a Wilkinson roller nut, both enhancements to keep the guitar in tune, especially for players who use the tremolo to great measure. Lastly, depending on the year Fender also employed a "Tremsetter" by Hipshot in the tremolo cavity, which further contributes to tuning stability, returning the trem to the "zero" position when not in use. You can play right-hand bridge harmonics, aggressive rhythm, palm mute the strings, or do bends without the other strings going out of tune and the bridge stays put.
Cosmetically it's in nice shape for 21 years, not a closet queen by any means but well taken care of. There are fine buckle scratches which you can see in the "back" picture above, as well as a scratch, not down to the wood, by the output jack, as well as a few minor dings on the edge. All in all, if you're not expecting a museum piece, you'll be very happy with the condition. You'll be just as pleased with the tone and sustain as well as playability. This guitar has a great neck which allowed for a killer setup!
Includes original case, the molded case with twist lock latches, which was only produced from ca. '90-'92.
