Crews KTR ST60s, candy apple red, made in Japan 2012. My oh my, what a delightful Strat. The Key to the Rock (KTR) series is a three-way collaboration between Tokyo-based custom-shop style builders Crews, the very well renowned Terada Gakki factory and Musicland Key, one of Japan's larger music retailers, offering updated takes on some classic shapes executed with outstanding panache. The KTR Les Paul style models are the most famous, but their F-style offerings are just as holy-guacamole-excellent. This one is based on the 'slab board era' Stratocaster, so 1960-62, so it gets some tasty  vintage touches: mint guard, matching headstock, Kluson-style tuners, a classy steel block tremolo bridge. There's also some modern touches: a slightly flatter fretboard with taller frets, headstock-end truss adjuster, 5-way switch and a satin finish neck. What sets these guitars apart is the outstanding woodwork. Firstly, the neck: it's carved by hand to a very agreeable vintage C style shape and made from some gorgeous consistently grained hard rock maple and a truly outstanding slab of rosewood on the board. You can't fake quality in timber, and the neck has that magic feeling you only get on a very well made instrument. The body is two piece centre joined alder, with the subtle consistent grain on show under the thin finish. The 'cloudy lacquer' finish pairs the subtle pearl of a metallic candy apple with a semi-gloss nitro topcoat; it appears and feels somewhat similar to a French polish and catches the light beautifully in the flesh. Now, the pickups: back in the 80s, legendary Japanese pickup winding guru Jun Takano designed the Greco 'Dry-Z', one of the most accurate and aurally pleasing PAF-style pickups of all time. He's now running his own high end pickup brand, K&T, and a set of Strat pickups will set you back in the region of $1200aud, provided you're happy to order and wait for them to be hand wound. This has a set of 'Not For Sale' NFS60 single coils, and heck, they're great. The low end response is full, immediate, tuneful and fat. The top end shimmers with detail and clarity, with amazing articulation and note separation, while the midrange is as complex as a Tolstoy novel in original Russian. It's hard to overstate how good this sounds. It's a little unforgiving if you hit the wrong notes owing to the phenomenal clarity, but if hit the right notes... dang, try not to cry. These very seldom appear used even in Japan, let alone in Australia. Sure, you could spend $9k on a Fender Custom Shop, or...

Model: Crews Maniac Sound KTR ST60s
Made: 2012, Japan, Terada factory (serial 120410)
Finish: candy apple red, 'cloudy lacquer' nitro topcoat finish
Body: alder, 2-piece
Neck: rock maple, Madagascar Rosewood slab board, 25.5" scale, 8.25" radius, slim vintage C shape, 42mm nut
Weight: 3.485kg
Mods: back cover removed, not included
Pickups: K&T 'Not For Sale' NFS60 single-coil x3
Case: basic hard case

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has a scuff on the top edge, no major marks. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples and rub wear on the back only. The back has some some dimples on the bottom horn and around the trem cavity, scuffs along the back and edge and some dents and dimples in the elbow area.  The sides have some dimples and a chip in the elbow area, some dimples near the jack and some dents and scuffs on the bottom horn. The front has some dimples near the knobs and behind the bridge, some light scuffs in the elbow area and some play wear on the guard and horns. Overall: very good condition (8/10). 

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