1987 Vintage Fender USA Stratocaster E Serial plus a Bit of Fender History

Description: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE The short answer is that this auction is for one late 1980s USA Fender Stratocaster, and one non-original hard-shell case. It is in good condition, has great vintage tone, and excels at everything vintage Fender Stratocasters are known for. It has a 22-fret neck. Everything on the guitar works. The longer answer is that I bought this Stratocaster in the mid-1990s thinking it was a CBS era Fender Stratocaster made in 1983, as indicated by the serial number on the neck decal. When I opened up the pickguard, I got a surprise. The neck pickup appeared to be genuine Fender from the early 1970s and the middle and bridge pickups were genuine Fender circa the late 1980s. But what really confused me was the body routing. After a lot of research, I discovered the routing pattern in the control cavity exactly matches that of a Fender Lead, a guitar produced by CBS in the early 1980s. Here’s what my research suggests this guitar is: I believe this body was used by CBS as a prototype while developing the Fender Lead guitar they brought out in the early 1980s. When CBS sold Fender to the Fender Musical Instrument Company (FMIC) in 1985, the body, neck decal, and pickups were among the parts included in the sale. While FMIC was getting production going in the mid to late 1980s, they used these parts, along with a new 22-fret neck they’d designed as an upgrade for the new American Standard Strat, to begin shipping guitars. You often hear stories of how FMIC used the decals; this guitar tells the story of some of the other parts they got. This is a very nice vintage Fender USA (or American) Stratocaster all on its own and an interesting bit of Fender history as well. The only reason I’m selling this guitar is due to a hand injury that makes a strat body style difficult for me to play. The guitar currently has the early the 1970s Fender pickup in the neck position (5.29K ohms) and two Steward MacDonald Golden Age pickups in the middle and bridge positions. The middle pickup reads 5.66K Ohms, and the bridge is the hot, overwound version which reads 7.19K Ohms. The wiring harness is not original. The pots are CTS, the switch is CRL 5-way, and the wiring is cloth-insulated, push-back style. The output jack is Switchcraft. It has a Steward MacDonald Golden Age Treble Bleed Circuit installed to preserve tone as the volume is rolled down. The tremolo bridge is genuine Fender but not the original. I believe the tuners are original but there is evidence that others were installed at some point. There is a shim between the neck and body to achieve optimum neck alignment. The original neck date was sanded off at some point, likely by luthiers at FMIC to get a good fit with the body. The frets appear to be original jumbo frets. There are a few dimples on the first four frets, but they don’t buzz and, in general, the frets have lots of life left (please see photos). The guitar is currently set up for 11-52 medium top/heavy bottom strings. The original pickups are also included with this auction. Their values are 6.03 ohms for the pickup with the blue and white leads, and 6.16 Ohms for the pickup with the red and black leads. The case is in very good condition but lacks its key. Because of its history, this is a very unique guitar so please view the photos carefully for details and condition. I will gladly answer any questions and do my best to provide additional information and photos if requested. This guitar will be shipped in its non-original hard-shell case in a sturdy box with adequate padding. Please review my feedback and bid with confidence. Please no international bidding or overseas shipping.

Price: 1895 USD

Location: Ellensburg, Washington

End Time: 2024-09-16T19:15:35.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD