Fender American Vintage Strat, olympic white. What have we here? Well, this started life as a 2008 American Vintage '62 Strat, but at some point, a previous owner swapped the neck out for an American Vintage '54 Strat neck, with a maple board and a soft-V profile. It's a lovely neck; the amber colour and grain are visually appealing and it feels very intuitive in the hands. The neck arrived from overseas with a minor back-bow, so our local ninja-luthier heated and clamped it and restored it to it's natural glory. It's now playing like a legend: lively and responsive in the hands, heaps of unplugged volume, tidy low action... great stuff. Plugged in, you get a heap of bite, snap and sizzle, balanced by a rounded low end and an understated, refined midrange. The neck pickup is especially satisfying... yum. The white nitro has aged a little unevenly and copped a couple of knocks; it's looking glorious and has a certain radiant charm. This is a bit of an unusual one, but it's made of glorious bits and plays and sounds great, so hey, can't go wrong with a hot white Strat right?

Model: Fender American Vintage '62 Stratocaster (body), American Vintage '54 Stratocaster (neck)
Made: Corona USA, body date 28 Feb 2008, neck date 10 Jul 2001 (serial V180338)
Finish: olympic white, nitro finish, 3-ply cream guard
Body: alder
Neck: maple with maple board, soft V profile, 25.5" scale, 7.25" radius
Weight: 3.660kg
Mods: neck replaced
Pickups: Fender American Vintage single coil x3
Case: non original hard case

Cosmetic condition notes: mild finish wear. Headstock has a couple of light scuffs on the end. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only. The back has a few light scuffs and dimples around the body, no major marks. The sides have a few light scuffs around the whole body, nothing major. The front has a couple of dimples behind the bridge and some play wear on the guard and top horn, nothing major. Overall: very good condition (8/10).

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. Frets have minimal wear, 8/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 11/49 strings.