Fender Stratocaster Solid Body Electric Guitar (1975)
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Fender Stratocaster Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1975), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 554736, natural polyester finish, ash body, maple neck, original black tolex hard shell case.
This 1975 maple-neck Stratocaster is resplendent in a natural ash finish, a trademark of the period CBS/Fender adopted in the early '70s in deference to the then-current "Hippie Wood" trend of stripping your Fender to bare wood. This guitar's see-through finish is the heavier polyester that enveloped the Strat starting in 1975, while the headstock still has a coat of lacquer to set the decal.
This guitar has other typical 1975 features as well, with the newly adopted flat-pole pickups still mounted in the white pickguard and trim supplanted by black plastic in 1976. All three pickups are date coded to 1975; the neck unit has spliced, slightly thinner wire and vaguely staggered poles so likely started off in a different instrument. A 5-way switch was installed as well, but otherwise the internals appear original with a matched set of pots all dated to the 51st week of 1974.
Other hardware is the standard mid-'70s issue, with cast Zamac bridge saddles and trem block, 2 string trees and the "F" tuning machines. This ash-bodied Strat is lighter than many '75's at just under 8 Lbs; we have had much heavier from this era! It is a good playing and sounding Strat, typical of its '70's brethren with the typical snappy tone and a half-century along now a classic of sorts.
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.)., 7.94 lbs.
This is a relatively clean 50 year old Strat with not to much wear overall and it remains mostly original-and remember this was the era of massive numbers of Fenders becoming Frankensteins of all sorts. The finish has some light scuffs and dings but no heavy wear. As noted there has been some re-wiring but all components appear period, the 5-way switch perhaps slightly later. Under the cover the lead pickup coil has been wrapped in fabric tape but does not appear rewound; the solder joints at the eyelets look undisturbed.
All other hardware appears original, including the pickguard, bridge and saddles and tuners. The two tone knobs do not exactly match the patina on the volume but again all are period parts. The original frets have been crowned down a bit but still play fine, the maple fingerboard has very little wear except for one noticeable ding below the 5th fret. This is a very spanky-sounding Stratocaster with a lively tone and some great "in-between" sounds a good example of a Deep-CBS era guitar living in the original Fender HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This 1975 maple-neck Stratocaster is resplendent in a natural ash finish, a trademark of the period CBS/Fender adopted in the early '70s in deference to the then-current "Hippie Wood" trend of stripping your Fender to bare wood. This guitar's see-through finish is the heavier polyester that enveloped the Strat starting in 1975, while the headstock still has a coat of lacquer to set the decal.
This guitar has other typical 1975 features as well, with the newly adopted flat-pole pickups still mounted in the white pickguard and trim supplanted by black plastic in 1976. All three pickups are date coded to 1975; the neck unit has spliced, slightly thinner wire and vaguely staggered poles so likely started off in a different instrument. A 5-way switch was installed as well, but otherwise the internals appear original with a matched set of pots all dated to the 51st week of 1974.
Other hardware is the standard mid-'70s issue, with cast Zamac bridge saddles and trem block, 2 string trees and the "F" tuning machines. This ash-bodied Strat is lighter than many '75's at just under 8 Lbs; we have had much heavier from this era! It is a good playing and sounding Strat, typical of its '70's brethren with the typical snappy tone and a half-century along now a classic of sorts.
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.)., 7.94 lbs.
This is a relatively clean 50 year old Strat with not to much wear overall and it remains mostly original-and remember this was the era of massive numbers of Fenders becoming Frankensteins of all sorts. The finish has some light scuffs and dings but no heavy wear. As noted there has been some re-wiring but all components appear period, the 5-way switch perhaps slightly later. Under the cover the lead pickup coil has been wrapped in fabric tape but does not appear rewound; the solder joints at the eyelets look undisturbed.
All other hardware appears original, including the pickguard, bridge and saddles and tuners. The two tone knobs do not exactly match the patina on the volume but again all are period parts. The original frets have been crowned down a bit but still play fine, the maple fingerboard has very little wear except for one noticeable ding below the 5th fret. This is a very spanky-sounding Stratocaster with a lively tone and some great "in-between" sounds a good example of a Deep-CBS era guitar living in the original Fender HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.