1982 Fender Fullerton American Vintage '57 Stratocaster w/ Tweed Case

Up for sale, a 1982 Fender Fullerton-era American Vintage ‘57 Stratocaster in perfect working order, complete with the original tweed hardshell case. 100% original save for a jumbo refret and corresponding carved bone nut, this first-year example of the '57 Stratocaster marked the birth of the American Vintage line of instruments. The very first vintage reissue guitars ever offered by the Fender company (when in this case the model they were replicating was only 25 years old), the Fullerton factory era of Fender vintage reissue production was very brief, lasting only from 1982-84, when Fender was still manufacturing their guitars on the same machines that made the originals back in the '50s. While Fender would later move to a new factory in Corona, CA in 1985, the Fullerton-made guitars are highly prized for their rarity, tone, and connection to the origins of the Fender company.Tonewoods include an alder body and a one-piece maple neck, and the guitar's natural acoustic response has great clarity, with treble sparkle and woody cut. Via the trio of gray bobbin pickups with staggered alnico magnets, there are quintessential Strat tonalities at every position on the three-way pickup selector switch. The bridge pickup has bounce and glassy snap, and the neck pickup delivers a throaty, midrange-forward oomph, with hollow quack on tap at the “in-between” positions. This Strat weighs 7lbs 9oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.The maple neck is slender and fast-feeling, with a soft V-shaped carve and notably rolled edges, measuring .805" deep at the 1st fret and .855" at the 12th with. The maple fretboard retains its 7 1/4" radius, refretted with jumbo fretwire that has tons of meat and shows no wear. The guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2" scale with a straight neck and responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod, and the upgraded carved bone nut measures 1.650" in width. On the headstock, the original waterslide Stratocaster decal is intact, and the Kluson-style tuning machines turn smoothly and hold pitch well. The pencil date on the neck heel reads 5-24-82, and the heel and pocket retain their factory markings.All of the electronics work as they should, with the original trio of gray bobbin pickups with staggered alnico pole pieces. The wiring harness includes CTS pots which date to the 26th week of '82 and a Sprague Orange Drop tone cap. There is very minor additional routing to increase the depth of the pickup cavities. Hardware includes the four-bolt neck plate with early V-prefix serial number, jack plate, “ashtray” bridge cover, and the vibrato unit which has its steel block and original arm. All of the plastic parts are original as well, including the bright white pickup covers, one-ply pickguard, and uniformly aged knobs. A MIDI pickup was at one time installed just forward of the bridge, with two small mounting holes added to the pickguard.The two-tone Sunburst gloss nitro lacquer gloss finish exhibits extensive lacquer checking, and natural playwear includes buckle rash across the back, and various dings, finish chips and scratches from honest use on the body as a whole. The gloss on the neck profile has been largely removed, with a smooth satin feel on the profile length.The original tweed hardshell case is included, retaining the original handle and with two replacement latches.