Query failed: connection to localhost:9312 failed (errno=111, msg=Connection refused). FS/FT: USA 1988 Fender Strat, Bare Knuckle Pickups, Original Case NOW SOLD - Guitars £ Discussions on The Fretboard
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UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45

FS/FT: USA 1988 Fender Strat, Bare Knuckle Pickups, Original Case NOW SOLD

surfguy13surfguy13 Frets: 124
edited August 2013 in Guitars £
Hi guys

I guess the time has come to part company with this old strat.  I'm playing the tele more now and it hardly ever gets used.

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/4792/t8eh.jpg

It's a 1988 US strat and the body has been stripped from the original red back to natural.  If you're looking for a nice shiny 'case queen' then this isn't for you!!  ;)  However, it really is the best strat I've ever played by a million miles and feels and sounds superb.  Apparently, the mid to late 80s strats were built well and are well regarded.  It has a few minor marks but nothing horrendous 

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/343/3usg.jpg

Comes with the original case and one of the latches is boken but this hasn't been a problem for me and it can be fixed quite easily.

The guitar weighs in at 7.5 lbs which is an almost perfect weight for a strat and it feels as light as a feather on a strap.  And talking of straps it comes with the original Fender strap that was in the case from new!!

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/6088/ve76.jpg

The frets have loads of life left in them and the neck feels 'just right'.  Not sure what the radius is though and not sure how I would check this either.  Feels like 9.5 to me.

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/4321/hl5.JPG

The guitar has had the pickups upgraded.  A set of US pickups (not the original set) were sent off to Bare Knuckle to be re-wound (scatter wound) and have new cloth wires installed.  This work cost over £100 from BK and that is not including the cost of the original US strat pickups.  The values are:

Neck: 5.51K
Middle: 5.23K
Bridge: 6.9K

The re-wound pickups sound superb in every way!  The original set of USA pickups will come with the guitar so you'll get two sets.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/7411/sj8m.jpg

Other than the pickups the only changes to the guitar is a new Grigsby 5-way switch and a new CTS volume pot.  Originals will come with the guitar.

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/9347/k9ph.jpg

The neck pocket is really nice and tight on both sides.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/9931/zset.jpg

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/2006/bdjp.jpg

Few more photos here:  http://imageshack.us/g/1/10270501/

I would like £575 which includes next day (uninsured) delivery by UPS.  If you'd like it insured it will cost 2% of the insured value.  I never bother personally.  It will be shipped in a shipping carton.  Payment by paypal gift or bank transfer.  I'm in Cambridgeshire so pickup is an option and you're in the area please feel free to come and try it!

I might be interested in a 52 reissue tele or possibly a tele with a humbucker at the neck....happy to add cash to a deal.
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Comments

  • photekphotek Frets: 1429
    Great price Guy. I had a jam on this recently and it is a bit special, a proper sounding strat if you will. Best of luck with the sale.
    My good traders feedback
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  • surfguy13surfguy13 Frets: 124

    Hi Mark, appreciate the kind comment!!  :)  Yeah, it really is a nice strat, nothing to look at but it feels and sounds amazing!!



    photek said:
    Great price Guy. I had a jam on this recently and it is a bit special, a proper sounding strat if you will. Best of luck with the sale.

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  • dchwhitedchwhite Frets: 179
    Beautiful guitar, Guy. I have a set of radius gauges if you do end up needing to measure it.
    Stonevibe: 'The best things in life aren't things'.

    Trading feedback: Previous (+18) and Current

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  • FusionistaFusionista Frets: 184
    Nice-looking workhorse.  Why is it when I already have too many strats I still want another one ?  It's not like that with women (honest!). 

    "Nobody needs more than 20 strats." Mike Landau
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  • surfguy13surfguy13 Frets: 124
    Very much appreciated, thank you!!!  I often wonder what the radius is on Fenders and it makes a huge difference.  I have a feeling this is 9.5 because although it's a 50s format with a maple board it wasn't a vintage reissue as such.  I really MUST get a set of radius gauges........!!

    dchwhite said:
    Beautiful guitar, Guy. I have a set of radius gauges if you do end up needing to measure it.

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  • dchwhitedchwhite Frets: 179
    surfguy13 said:
    Very much appreciated, thank you!!!  I often wonder what the radius is on Fenders and it makes a huge difference.  I have a feeling this is 9.5 because although it's a 50s format with a maple board it wasn't a vintage reissue as such.  I really MUST get a set of radius gauges........!!

    I got mine from an eBay seller, and IIRC he did me a deal where I got the gauges and a fret rocker, and it was about what just a set of the gauges are selling for atm... I'll see if I can dig his username out if you're interested.
    Stonevibe: 'The best things in life aren't things'.

    Trading feedback: Previous (+18) and Current

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  • surfguy13surfguy13 Frets: 124
    dchwhite said:
    That would be brilliant, thanks a million.  A fret rocker would be a good idea too!!!  :) 

    surfguy13 said:
    Very much appreciated, thank you!!!  I often wonder what the radius is on Fenders and it makes a huge difference.  I have a feeling this is 9.5 because although it's a 50s format with a maple board it wasn't a vintage reissue as such.  I really MUST get a set of radius gauges........!!

    I got mine from an eBay seller, and IIRC he did me a deal where I got the gauges and a fret rocker, and it was about what just a set of the gauges are selling for atm... I'll see if I can dig his username out if you're interested.

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  • fretfinderfretfinder Frets: 4636
    edited August 2013
    I got some radius gauges off Stewmac and also a steel action height tool, which makes a great fret rocker too. A US Standard Strat should be 9.5". I find the gauges very useful for getting the saddle radius on a Strat/Tele roughly the same as the 'board radius. The gauges have given me some interesting fretboard readings off Gibsons though - like LP fretboard radiuses being anything from 10"+ and the bridge radius not necessarily matching the 'board radius! Those particular beasts are no longer in the family...
    Trading feedback: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/57830/
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  • surfguy13surfguy13 Frets: 124
    That's really good to know that the 'standard' for a US strat should be 9.5.....I'm pretty sure that's what this strat is. Incredibly it hadn't occurred to me that I could use a radius gauge for the bridge saddles as well as the neck.....I've always done it by eye but how useful would that be for a double-check!!!!!

    fretfinder said:
    I got some radius gauges off Stewmac and also a steel action height tool, which makes a great fret rocker too. A US Standard Strat should be 9.5". I find the gauges very useful for getting the saddle radius on a Strat/Tele roughly the same as the 'board radius. The gauges have given me some interesting fretboard readings off Gibsons though - like LP fretboard radiuses being anything from 10"+ and the bridge radius not necessarily matching the 'board radius! Those particular beasts are no longer in the family...

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