Fender ST456 Strat, refinished to walnut stain, made in Japan 1988 approx. This is a cutie. Fender's Boxer Series guitars were the 'modern' offering of the mid-eighties catalog, so there were pointy things, Teles with Floyd Rose tremolos, short and medium scale instruments, as well as this fairly sensible offering: an HSS Strat. A previous owner went to town and removed the well-worn factory black finish, stained it to a walnut hue and finished it in satin danish oil. It looks and feels very lux now, and there's some pretty fancy grain going on that's now on glorious display. The satin feel neck feels great too, it's a slim modern C style shape that's effortless to move around on and features some tasty tightly grained maple and super dark choc rosewood. The humbucker adds a certain dimension to the tone, it's perfect for punchy punk rhythm parts as it maintains a certain clarity even with a healthy dose of gain. The neck and neck/middle positions dole out all those classic chiming, quacky classic Strat tones we all came for, so there's a lot of fun to be had. There's a lot to like here, and to pick up an E-serial Strat for this kinda cash is a mighty fine effort these days. Good times ahead!

Model: Fender Boxer Series Stratocaster (ST456)
Made: Japan, 1988 approx (serial E853273)
Finish: walnut stain, danish oil satin finish (originally black), 3-ply tort guard
Body: basswood
Neck: maple with rosewood board, slim C profile, 25.5" scale, 7.25" radius
Weight: 3.4kg approx
Mods: refinished, new guard, pots/jack/switch replaced
Pickups: Fender Japan ST-Current x2, Dragster HB x1
Case: none

Cosmetic condition notes: mild finish wear. Headstock has some minor dimples on the back and end. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only. The body is freshly refinished, so there's no major marks, jsut some mild scuffs from play only. Overall: excellent condition (9/10).

Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, action is low, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Frets have minor play wear but are pretty even with no major buzz issues, 7/10 for fret life left. Setup with fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.