1992 Fender Stratocaster '57 Vintage Reissue ST57-53 Sunburst, Near-Mint, Japan MIJ Fujigen

Up for sale, a 1992 Fender Stratocaster ‘57 vintage reissue model ST57-53 in near-mint, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. This early Fender Japan Strat was produced at the venerable Fujigen factory during the golden age of Fender Japan production, uncommon outside of its country of origin. '50s spec features include a particularly rich two-tone Sunburst gloss, pencil-dated neck heel, single-ply pickguard, and trio of alnico magnet single coil pickups.Featuring a basswood body and one-piece maple neck, this Strat has a chiming, clear quality that translates well through the stock pickups. Via the five-way selector switch, the bridge pickup has a sparkling cut, the neck pickup has ideal fullness and bell-like top end, and there’s ample quintessential Strat quack at the in-between positions. This guitar weighs just 7lbs, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.The one-piece maple neck has a medium C-shaped profile carve with notably generous shoulders and lightly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .840” deep at the 1st fret and .965” at the 12th. The fretboard has a vintage-spec 7 1/4“ radius and flawless original slender fretwire. This guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod. The nut measures 1.650” (42mm) in width. On the headstock, the clean Kluson-style tuners turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch.The “Made in Japan” text and L-prefix serial are present above the four-bolt Fender-embossed neck plate. The neck heel is faintly pencil dated (just like a genuine ‘50s Fender), reading 3-5-92, and the factory ST57 stamps are present in the pocket and on the heel.All of the electronics work as intended, and the solder joints are untouched, with full-size pots that date to January of '92. The chrome plating on the hardware is notably clean, and plastics comprise the single-ply white pickguard and original trio of knobs and pickup covers. This is an exceedingly well-kept example, with cosmetic wear on the rich two-tone Sunburst gloss limited to just a scant few faint scratches in the clear coat on the body as a whole. The smooth ambered gloss on the neck profile is equally pristine.A black faux leather padded gigbag is included, along with the original Japanese user manual.