Fender '54 Stratocaster Review CIJ

It??s an Old Candy Apple Red (OCR) Fender Stratocaster based on the ??54 series made in 1998 with Mapple Neck. It is Crafted In Japan (CIJ); it has 21 (thin) frets; vintage-style pickups (5-way switch); vintage-style hardware (6 saddle bridge with 'fender' mark on it); and vintage style thin-pickguard. Everything is "aged" to look old. It??s one of the most beautifull guitars i??ve ever seen.

I??m not sure about the body wood. On Fender??s Japan website says Basswood, but could be Poplar or Alder aswell. It??s actually light and very beautifull... i think it??s Basswood.

The Neck it??s simply outstanding: medium-large v-shaped, one-piece mapple, perfect for my hand and playing style. I like to play mainly Hendrix, SRV, Jeff Beck, Clapton and Jimmy Paige. Mainly.

All-in-all, it??s an awesome vintage-style Stratocaster and surprisingly cheap. It comes with standard vintage features but everything is milimetrically there, like if it was a reborn of those vintage Strats mounted by Leo Fender himself.

I play for 12 years and before this guitar, i had 8 Stratocasters. 1 ??40 Aniversary Edition (1996 i guess); 4 American Standards; 1 American Vintage ??62; 1 ??74 largeheadstock Strat; 1 MIJ; and my father has a fantastic vintage Gibson Les Paul deLuxe Goldtop ??68.

Everyone had it??s specific goodies, but this one have all of them on a single instrument. Excelent sound on all pickups. Even so, i think bridge pickup could be a lil bit more... "strong", i don??t know the right word.

I don??t know how to describe it fairly, but the neck pickup got that Hendrix Band of Gipsie??s Who Knows kind of sound. It??s fantastic! The middle pickup has an amazing Paige??s Telecaster/Danelectro kind of sound... and the bridge pickup shout??s clearly. I love it... even so, i think it could be a little more agressive, like Beck??s style.

I??m "only" give it a 9 because the bridge pickup. The one in my ex-American Vintage 62 was a little better!

It came with a good setup, no noise, buzzes at all... everything was pretty nice adjusted. Action came a little high for my taste, i had to lower it a little and now it responds very well. Excelent for bending. And it tunes firmly enough to explore all bending and vibrato abuses.

As i said before, it is one of the most beautifull guitars ive ever seen. It??s an Old Candy Apple Red finish with Mapple Neck with "Original Contour Body" and "Sincronized Tremolo" seal on it.

It??s excelent for concerts. I??ve made 7 gigs with it and it still great. Nothing to complain yet so far... everything is firm enough, great for playing, hearing and looking. But i treat it like if it was my daughter...

I never used such services. No opinion to make...

I have this guitar for 6 years from the day i bought. I bought on a store in Ipanema (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). I do not plan to trade it or sell it because it??s very hard to find a guitar like this.

I would like to precise the body wood... if anyone knows, please email me =P

In the moment i have this Stratocaster and a ??68 Gibson LesPaul DeLuxe wich was my standard when searching on a guitar to buy. Both are in the same level. Outstanding guitars.