Up for sale, a 2002 Fender Stratocaster '72 vintage reissue model ST72-58US in excellent, 100% original condition and perfect working order. Crafted exclusively for the Japanese domestic market, the ST72-58US model is an upscale iteration rarely seen outside its country of origin, featuring USA-made American Vintage 57/62 single coils with black bobbins, staggered alnico magnets, and cloth-covered leads.
Designed to pay homage to the Strats of the early '70s with a large headstock, block logo, three-bolt F neck plate and block bridge saddles, this Stratocaster has plenty of sparkle and spank on tap. The bridge pickup provides biting twang and cut, while the "in-between" positions on the five-way pickup selector switch have a snappy, thinned-out quack. The neck pickup is bold and round with a throaty zing that's harmonically rich and great for lead work. Acoustically resonant and well-balanced on a strap, this Strat weighs 7lbs 13oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action and solid intonation.
The maple neck has a medium C-shaped profile carve at the nut, bordering on the more slender side of things, with generous shoulder in every register and lightly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .825" deep at the 1st fret and .970" at the 12th. The maple fretboard has a vintage-spec 7 1/4" fretboard radius and stock slender fretwire that has its full factory height and well-rounded crowns, showing no wear. The neck is straight, and the truss rod is responsive and optimally adjusted. The scale length is 25 1/2“, and the nut measures 42.5mm in width (just shy of 1 11/16"). The headstock features the vintage-spec large Strat shape with block logo and Gotoh tuners which turn smoothly and hold pitch well. The "Crafted in Japan" text and Q-prefix serial number are present above the three-bolt F neck plate.
On the body, the electronics all work as they should, with three original staggered pole un-beveled alnico V magnet Fender American Vintage 57/62 single coils with cloth-covered leads. The vintage-style vibrato is faithful to Fender's early 1970's design, sporting block saddles. Plastics include bright white pickup covers and a three-ply guard, with just a touch of uniform aging on the knobs.
The gloss Candy Apple Red gloss finish is a particular shade of this Fender custom color, abbreviated OCR in the Fender Japan catalog for "Old Candy Red," referencing this rich, darker iteration. Cosmetic wear is limited to a few faint finish scratches and minor marks on the body as a whole, mostly clustered just south of the knobs on the treble-side lower bout, with one finish chip on the back body edge. The gloss finish on the neck profile is flawless.
The original Fender-branded gigbag is included.