1996 Fender Stratocaster ‘65 Vintage Reissue ST65 Ocean Turquoise w/ American Vintage 57/62 Pickups, Japan MIJ

Up for sale, a 1996 Fender Stratocaster ‘65 vintage reissue model ST65 in 100% original condition and in perfect working order. This rare, non-catalog “Made in Japan” Stratocaster boasts a 1965 feature set including a small Pre-CBS-style headstock, transition logo, factory-installed Fender American Vintage 57/62 pickups, and a custom color Ocean Turquoise Metallic finish.Tonewoods include a basswood body and a maple neck capped by a thick slab rosewood fretboard. The guitar is loaded with its stock trio of Fender American Vintage 57/62 pickups, faithful to early '60s spec with black fiber bobbins, cloth-covered leads and staggered alnico magnets. The guitar offers plenty of sparkling cut in the bridge position and throaty, bell-like chime at the neck, with quintessential Strat quack at the in-between positions on the five-way pickup selector switch. This guitar weighs 7lbs 10oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action and accurate intonation.The maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve with nicely rounded shoulders and lightly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .815” deep at the 1st fret and .900” at the 12th. The thick slab rosewood fretboard has pearloid dot inlay and a vintage-spec 7 1/4“ radius, and the slender fretwire is pristine. This guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod, and the bone nut measures 1.650” (42mm) in width. The headstock sports a small Pre-CBS shape paired with a '65-spec "transition" logo, and the Kluson-style tuning machines turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch. The “Made in Japan” text and N-prefix serial are present above the four-bolt neck plate, and the neck heel retains its ST65 model stamp.All of the electronics function as intended, and the original trio of factory-installed Fender American Vintage 57/62 pickups are wired to the stock harness with a five-way pickup selector switch and standard Volume/Tone/Tone control array. The chrome hardware has plenty of shine with just a touch of patina, and the vibrato actuates easily, complete with the original arm. The three-ply mint green pickguard has some requisite scuffing across the strum path, paired with uniformly yellowed pickup covers and the original trio of knobs.Cosmetic wear on the custom color Ocean Turquoise Metallic gloss finish includes some finish chips clustered along the treble-side lower bout body perimeter, an area of buckle rash central to the back, and a number of minor nicks and faint scratches in the clear coat on the body as a whole. The neck profile retains its smooth ambered gloss.A Fender-branded padded gigbag is included.