Fender Japan '72 Stratocaster ST72-125PRD Pink Paisley 1987
Fender Strat, pink paisley, made in Japan 1986-8. Well well well, it's been a long time since we had one of these beauties through the shop. This beauty was made in in the late 80s, so it's one of the first run of MIJ paisley models; they were rebooted late in the 2010s but largely disappeared for the decades in between. It was a high end model in it's day, so it gets a great white ash body, USA made pickups, a deluxe USA bridge block and the cool F-key tuners. The neck is pretty fat: it's a generous U-shape profile, not enormous, but on the fat side, and comfy in it's particular way. Despite the ash body, this is a pretty friendly 3.5kg, and delivers plenty of natural resonance and volume. The tone is bright and snappy, with an enjoyable low end punch balancing out the slicing top end and an airy, dry midrange lending chords and notes nuance and depth. On a curious note, it has a vintage-correct 3-way switch, which may be original or might have been a mod; it's not clear. The finish has a few splits and marks and has yellowed over the decades, but dang: it looks supremely snazzy. If this was a mint condition example, you could expect to pay another $1k on top, so it's a pretty handy buy if you've been looking for one. I hope you've got some sunglasses to match!
Model: Fender Stratocaster ST72-125PRD
Made: Japan, 1987 approx, Fujigen Gakki factory
Serial: E736554
Finish: pink paisley, gloss poly
Body: white ash
Neck: maple, maple fretboard, 7.25" radius, 25.5" scale, deep 70s U shape
Weight: 3.525kg
Mods: none
Pickups: Fender USA ST-Current single coil x3
Accessories: basic non-original hard case, non-original trem arm
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has scuffs on the end and some dimples on the treble side, the front near the Fender logo and back under the tuners. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples, scuffs and rub wear on the back only. The back has some minor splits in the finish on the bottom horn, along the belly carve, in the bottom corner and in the elbow area, as well as scuffs on the top horn and back edge. The sides have dimples on the top horn, a split in the finish in the waist area, dimples and scuffs in the elbow area, dimples along the back edge and near the jack and some dents and surface scratches on the bottom horn. The front has a chip in the finish behind the bridge, some splits in the finish near the jack and elbow area, dimples near the back edge, elbow area and near the bridge 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: 7/10, normal wear inc minor pitting but playing evenly with no major buzz issues