Fernandes STJ-75, black, made in Japan around 1988. This little overachiever is featured on a page in the 1988 Fernandes catalog under the 'New Metal Version' section... not to be confused with 'nu-metal', which is played exclusively on PRS guitars by gentlemen in baggy pants. Frankly, this guitar melted my face. I'm not typically drawn to Superstrat style offerings, but once I got this setup and popping, the thing plays itself and sounds absolutely enormous. The neck is slim, but rounded on the back, so it's pretty intuitive and will feel familiar to ESP fans. The FRT-68 'Head Crasher' tremolo bridge is in great order, it's a sturdy piece of hardware that holds tune convincingly even under significant abuse. The ease of movement all the way up to the top of the board is awesome, you'll be flying up and down the thing in no time. The pickups are remarkably convincing too: the single coils are hot and clear, offering an assertive percussive fullness through the low end to a glassy clarity on the top. The bridge pickup is rich and snarly, with excellent note definition and complexity and a really responsive voice. There's enough natural brightness on tap to maintain clarity and precision even with heaps of gain... it's a terrific sounding guitar, surely and truly. This kind of cash doesn't go that far on a new shredstick these days, so do yourself a massive favour and back this little dark horse. Boodly-boodly-boos x1000.

Model: Fernandes Limited Edition 'New Metal Version' STJ-75
Made: Japan, 1988 approx (no serial visible)
Finish: gloss black
Body: alder
Neck: maple with rosewood board, 25.5" scale, 15.75" radius, slim C shape
Weight: 3.755kg
Mods: none
Pickup: Fernandes VS-1 single coil x2, VH-2 humbucker (bridge)
Case: basic non-original gig bag

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has some dimples on the end and back and a little chip on the point. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor scuffs on the back only. The back has minor scuffs around the whole body, most concentrated in the belly carve area and behind the cavity. The sides have dimples and scuffs on the top horn, scuffs in the elbow area, scuffs near the jack and some dimples on the bottom horn. The front has a patch of rub wear up from the trem bridge, some scuffs in the elbow area, near the switches and around the bridge and some standard play wear on the horns. Overall: good condition (7/10).

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. The frets are in great shape 8/10 for fret life left. All electrics tested and working properly. Setup with fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.