(SOLD) Fender Japan '62 Stratocaster ST62-70 Shell Pink 1993
Fender Strat, shell pink, made in Japan 1993. What a beauty! This delightful creature was made at the famed Fujigen Gakki plant in 1993. The '93 catalog shows a list of available finishes on this model: sunburst, black, white, red... the shell pink finish was only done in limited runs, so they're increasingly tricky to score. It's got plenty of scuffs and knocks and has yellowed heavily, so it has a legit-relic look that has already turned a bunch of heads in the shop. The fretboard is a particularly dark lush piece of rosewood too, which alongside the faded yellow plastics, rounds out the aesthetic perfectly. This was blessed with an alder body and some USA pickups, which lend it some extra sparkle and clarity plugged in. It's a vibrant and shimmering tone with heaps of detail and an understated depth, rounding out chords and notes with a juicy percussive bottom end. The Duncan JB in the bridge position is pretty obviously a mod, but heck: it sounds great. It's perfect for punk or alt-rock rhythm stuff, with creamy mids and plenty of punch, or equally at home bringing lead lines to life in gregarious candor. The neck is a comfy vintage C shape, on the slimmer side but not shredstick-skinny, and feels instantly friendly in the hands. This honestly plays and sounds as good as it looks, and yep... it looks pretty good.
Model: Fender Stratocaster (ST62-70)
Made: Japan, Fujigen plant, 1993 (serial N078760)
Finish: shell pink, heavily yellowed, gloss poly, 3-ply cream guard
Body: alder
Neck: maple with rosewood board, 7.25" radius, 25.5" scale, vintage C shape
Weight: 3.540kg
Mods: humbucker installed in bridge, body routed to fit, guard replaced, back cover removed
Pickups: Fender USA ST-Vintage single coil x2, Seymour Duncan SH-4 'JB' humbucker
Case: basic non-original gig bag
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has a dent and some dimples on the end. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor scuffs on the back only. The back has a chip in the bottom corner, dimples along the back and bottom edge, some scuffs and dimples in the elbow area and near the neck plate and some rub wear on the horns. The back cover is removed and missing. The sides have some scuffs on the top horn, a few dents and chips in the elbow area, a few chips and dimples in the elbow area and some dents on the bottom horn. The front has what appears to be sticker fade marks in the shape of flames along the back edge, some scuffs and dimples around and up from the bridge and in the elbow area, and some play wear on the guard and horns. Overall: good condition (7/10).
Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, action is low, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. The frets are in reasonable shape, 7/10 for fret life left. Setup with fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.