Very good condition featuring double cutaway ash body, multi-ply tortoiseshell grain and white pickguard, three single coil pickups, one volume and two tone controls, five way toggle switch, maple neck with walnut skunkstripe, East Indian rosewood fingerboard with medium jumbo frets and pearloid dot inlays starting at the third fret, large maple Stratocaster headstock with bullet truss rod system, Fender and Stratocaster logos along with serial number and Made in USA on the headstock, two butterfly string trees, six in a line Fender F stamped tuners, three bolt F engraved neck fastening plate with Fender Micro Neck Adjustment stamp, and original Fender hard shell case (the F is missing from the Fender logo on the case - see photos).
This 79 Strat is set up in flawless playing order. The neck shape is very comfortable with a smaller profile. The fretboard has been professionally refretted but has been played some since this work was completed. The body has been professionally refinished Candy Apple Green. The pickguard is a Fender replacement (the original white pickguard is included and could be reinstalled). The bridge saddles are replacements but work perfectly on the guitar. The tremolo block is a replacement ESP block and the tremolo cover plate is missing. The pickups and electronics have been replaced. The pickups are Fender Custom Shop Texas Specials and the guitar is wired with a Dan Armstrong style circuit. With all the knobs all the way up, it’s a basic Strat with a 5 way switch - volume as normal and the last knob is a master tone knob. The middle knob is the secret phase/series control. If you’re in position 1 or 5, rolling the middle knob back will blend in the middle pickup in series for a big fat sound. If you are in position 2 or 4, rolling the middle knob back blends in the other pickup but out of phase for a really thin weird sound. About halfway down is all three pickups, with one out of phase, and all the way down is just two pickups, but totally out of phase. If the switch is in the middle position, the middle knob has no effect, kind of like a safety escape thing. Extreme versatility! This is an outstanding utility instrument with an excellent vibe and feel. The Candy Apple Green finish is quite striking and the original neck finish is in great condition. This is a chance to have a vintage Stratocaster with tons of tone and classic appeal at an affordable price.
