trailwinder's Music Gear Setup

I picked this up secondhand a few years ago, stock other than the pickups (Fralin Woodstock 69s, which are excellent and probably worth half the value of the guitar at the time). It's a '97 model. I've since re-done the wiring, changed the pickguard out for a Fender Mint Green, and swapped the Kluson vintage-style tuners with Kluson vintage-locking tuners (a lot easier to deal with on stage).

It's a great workhorse Strat, plays great with medium jumbos and a C-neck profile. It sounds amazing with the Fralins, although I'm sure it sounded fine with the original Fender pups. Fender used the same USA-made hardware for these as the '62 reissues. It was painted in Mexico, but is otherwise made in USA.

The finish seems to be thin poly. The Fiesta Red is definitely on the "Coral" side of the Fiesta spectrum (for those not aware, Fiesta Red is less one color than it is a range of possible hues, due to the myriad inconsistent ways Fender has mixed it over the years).

This is a great model to be aware of if you're looking for a good used deal. All the fundamentals that make a great classic Strat are there, can't really go wrong!