Fender American Series (the precursor to the 'American Standard') Stratocaster, dating from 2002.
This one is priced a little cheaper owing to some natural finish delamination / lacquer checking to the back of the neck. This is an issue unique to early-00s Fenders and near every model I've seen seems to have it. The working theory is that there was a general issue with the sealer coat application on guitars produced during these years and while they left the factory fine, decades passed and said delamination became visible. This doesn't affect the structural integrity or playability of these models, but did mean that they're prone to heavy checking to the back of the neck over time.
Most of this was confined to the skunk stripe area, assumably because of the change in grain between the rosewood and maple and the lacquer's subsequent change in adherence to the neck. The skunk stripe itself hasn't moved at all, nor are there any issues at all with the truss rod or neck itself - simply the lacquer surrounding it had lifted for the above reasons. However, said area has been professionally filled, meticulously blended with the existing finish and highly buffed to be totally imperceivable to the touch and playing beautifully. Despite the aforementioned lacquer lift, the guitar is otherwise in excellent/near mint condition and very well looked after and has not at all been abused or neglected.
Specs:
- Sunburst finish
- Maple neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- 2 point tremolo
- Original Fender moulded hard case
- Original tremolo arm
- Original strap
Condition:
Save for the lacquer lift to the back of the neck, the guitar is otherwise in excellent/near mint condition, with barely a mark on it and just gentle signs of playing wear from a careful owner over the past 22 years.
Modifications/repairs:
Aforementioned lacquer lift to back of neck attended to, imperceivable to the touch and playing beautifully. No structural issues, other modifications or repairs.
Accessories:
Original Fender moulded hard case, worth a fair bit in its own right. It also comes with its original tremolo arm - and even its original strap!
In short, a lovely USA Fender Standard Strat with its original case - for Mexican Player series money!