Fender Stratocaster, sunburst, made in USA 1977. Well, this one has some presence about it, right? Here we have a 77 Strat in superb condition, not far off all original, great frets and well under 4kgs... yes, yes, yes. The neck is a slim U-shape profile, it's nice and straight and has some really pretty grain in the maple on the back. The fretboard looks to have been refinished when the frets were replaced, but the finish on the back of the neck and headstock appear to be original. The new frets is a huge bonus: not all 70s Fenders had great fretwork from the factory, but the re-fret job on this is spot-on and lends this a heap of extra smoothness in the hands. The body is a solid ash, so it's not exactly light, but at 3.87kg it's on the light side for a 77... always appreciated. The tone is super sparkly and bright: there's heaps of slice and definition on tap paired with a quick, punchy and very assertive midrange. It loves a bit of overdrive and would sit on top of a mix just right. Dialled back on the neck pickup, the clean tones on offer are sweet too; the detail and nuance in your notes comes through with heaps of clarity but there's still a good dose of warmth and body on tap. These don't come around all that often in this neck of the woods, especially in this kind of shape. The dollars on this era of Fender stuff is creeping up steadily, so nabbing this and stashing it til it turns 50 in a few years is a pretty sensible idea. As long as you promise to play it everyday, okay?

Model: Fender Stratocaster
Made: USA, 1977, Fullerton plant, (serial S767679)
Finish: sunburst, 3-ply black guard
Body: ash, two piece
Neck: maple, one piece w/skunk stripe, 7.25" radius, 25.5" scale
Weight: 3.870kg
Mods: frets replaced, fretboard refinished, 5-way switch installed (original included), bridge replaced (Gotoh steel block tremolo installed), strap pins replaced
Pickups: original Fender grey bottom alnico single coil x3
Case: original hard case, very good condition

Cosmetic condition notes: Headstock has some marks on the end and bottom edge. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only, as well as some little teeth marks in the 19th fret. The back has a few dimples around the edge of the body, as well as widespread minor surface scratches and light scuffs; no major marks. The sides have light scuffs around the whole body, no major marks. The front has scuffs around the bridge and in the elbow area as well as dimples along the top side and some standard 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 electrics tested and working properly. Frets were replaced at some point, they look almost new, 9/10 for life left. Wearing fresh 10/46s.