Fender 1982 'Standard Stratocaster', black, made in USA 1982. First up, this has a new neck attached. Here's the tail: I bought this one from overseas, and when it landed I initially thought I had a winner. It sounded amazing, but just had some fret buzz issues to sort, so I sent it to a great luthier in North West Tassie for a re-fret. He pulled the frets out, but before putting new frets in, he noticed the neck didn't look 'right'. As it turns out, it was very bent, but not in the usual 'ramps up towards the body end' way; it was bending almost 1cm to the left like a banana over the course of the neck. Neither of us had seen that issue ever before, it's very unusual indeed. As such, I sourced a new USA Strat neck for it, which bolted straight on with no issues. The new neck is from a Highway One model, so it's blessed with a super tasty satin nitro finish which feels amazing. It's got the bold late 70s style decals, a modern 9.5" radius and 22 medium jumbo frets. It's a great neck, it really delivers in the feel department. It's funny, but the replaced neck kinda solves some of the issues with this era of USA Strats, as some of them had late 70s hangover funky fretwork and sloppy neck pockets, whereas these later necks were extremely consistent. The new neck had an extra fret, so that meant it needed a new guard too, but the original neck and guard are both included with the sale. 1982 was a transitory year for Fender, trailblazer exec Dan Smith reintroduced a smaller vintage-style headstock and four-bolt neck joint and was undertaking some marvellous work tidying up the quality control on the ground too. Now, the original black finish has a bunch of checking, rub wear and marks, which looks fantastic. The red bobbin pickups are super sought after, complete sets often fetch well north of $1000, so you're getting some really good guts. Plugged in, you'll understand why... the pickups are divine, this really does sound stellar. The bridge pickup is warm and full with a tasty aggressive midrange, it's got a lovely mix of clarity and grunt. The middle pickup is all quack and punch, there's a bucketload of heft and attack. The neck pickup is a gooey, warm, full-bodied delight, with plenty of natural sparkle and shimmer to keep things defined without ever being thin or harsh. This sounds very, very good indeed. So, if you're after a cool Strat from a significant period of Fender's history for a bargain dime, here's a winner.

Model: Fender Stratocaster (body), Highway One Stratocaster (neck)
Made: USA. Body: Fullerton plant, 1982 (serial E209449). Neck: Corona plant, 2007 (serial Z7152802)
Finish: black, gloss acrylic
Body: alder
Neck: maple with rosewood board, 9.5" radius, 25.5" scale, 9.5" radius, modern C shape, satin nitro finish
Weight: 3.535kg
Mods: neck neck attached, guard replaced, new 5-way switch installed
Pickups: Fender red-bobbin alnico single coil x3, inc. X-1 in bridge position
Case: new Crossfire brand tweed hard case
Bonus: original neck and guard included

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. Headstock has some minor scuffs on the end. The neck has some light rub wear from play, no major marks. The back has widespread scuffs and dimples and a bunch of checking lines, heaps of minor marks but no major marks. The sides have minor scuffs and dimples all the way around the body, no major marks. The front is similar, lots of minor scuffs and dimples and some checking lines on the elbow area, as well as some play wear on the top horn. Overall: good condition (7/10).

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. Frets have minor wear only, 9/10 for life left. Wearing fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.