Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster 7Up Green c1988
Fender Eric Clapton Strat, 7-Up green, made in USA 1989. In the late 80s, few guitar players enjoyed the esteem and popularity of Sir Eric. His signature model guitar launched in 1988, replicating many of the appointments of his famed 'Blackie' touring guitar, which he put together from a 1956 body, a 1957 neck and some hot rodded electronics. The initial run came in white, red, pewter grey and this here wild green hue, with the black option added shortly after. It's hard to get exact numbers, but the 7-Up Green finish accounts for somewhere between 1/500 to 1/2000 of the total production run from the era... it's by far the least common finish. Fender didn't even have a watertight agreement with Pepsi, so the name of this finish was changed a year or two later to Candy Green. The finish wasn't super popular at the time, but history has been kind to it and it now enjoys a bit of a cult status. I personally think it looks fantastic: it's vibrant, rude, nasty and classy all at once. This particular example has a bit of a dent near the jack and is priced accordingly, but it's otherwise pretty tidy and is in excellent functional order. The neck is a comfy soft-V shape, with a modern bend-friendly 9.5" radius and twenty two frets, and with plenty of play already on the clock, it feels fantastic. The Lace Sensor pickups are great: super clear and sparkly with a very definite attack. The tone controls offer a treble boost/cut on the first knob and a 25dB midrange boost on the second, so you can dial in huge thick monstrous sustain like a Les Paul set to maxtreme, or add just a whisker of boost to smooth and fatten things up so the mix feels great. I reckon these early Eric models are a smart investment and a tonne of fun to play, which is a great combination.
Model: Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster
Made: USA, neck date 7 Feb 1989, Corona factory
Serial: SE80129
Finish: 7-Up Green gloss poly
Body: alder
Neck: maple, maple fretboard, 9.5" radius, 25.5" scale, soft-V shape
Weight: 3.680kg
Mods: strap buttons replaced
Pickups: Fender Lace Sensor Gold single coil x3, active mid boost and TBX treble boost/cut on tone controls
Accessories: Fender tweed hard case, trem arm, bridge cover , basic docs, original strap pins
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has dimples on the end, scuffs on the edges, a dent on the back down from the G tuning machine, a burn mark near the signature logo and some extra holes from a since-removed string tree. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples and rub wear and some checking lines on the back only. The back has dents along the back edge and scuffs around the cavity, elbow area and both horns. The sides have a dent on the top horn, dents and scuffs in the elbow area, some chips and dents near the jack and scuffs on the bottom horn. The front has a decent dent and some finish only cracks near the jack. scuffs around the bridge and back edge, dents and rub wear in the elbow area and some play wear on the guard and horns.
Overall: good condition (7/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.
Fret life: 8/10, minor wear only