1986 Squier by Fender Stratocaster '62 Vintage Reissue Black Slab Board, Japan MIJ

Up for sale, a 1986 Squier '62 vintage reissue Stratocaster in excellent, 100% original condition and perfect working order. Built at the FujiGen Gakki factory in Japan, this guitar was one of Fender's very early attempts to build a quality, affordable Strat under the Squier brand name and the first Squier Strats made specifically for exporting to the USA. Produced soon after the famed "JV" line, this early Squier features a thick slab rosewood fretboard on the maple neck and comes complete with a trio of original ceramic magnet single coil pickups. These pickups kick and snarl quite a bit more than traditional single coils, with plenty of output and a clear, percussive quality. The guitar weighs 8lbs 3oz. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, this Strat plays well with low action, accurate intonation, and 11-50 strings.

The maple neck has a medium C shaped profile at the nut, filling out with a bit more roundness and depth as you travel up the fretboard. There's a bit of light figuring in the maple on the profile too! The neck feels comfortable and fast with Fender's traditional 1 5/8" nut width and a 7 1/4" radius on the thick slab rosewood fretboard. The original slender, vintage-style frets show just a light touch of wear on the fret crowns beneath the plain strings on frets 1-5, with virtually no wear further up the fretboard. The guitar plays well in all registers and notes ring out clearly. The back of the neck heel retains the original Fender Japan "E" prefix serial number, and the heel is pencil dated 5-28-86.

On the body, all of the electronics work as they should, with three single coil pickups wired to a 5-way pickup selector. The guitar retains all of its original plastic parts, with notably yellowed pickup covers and knobs, while the stock three-ply white pickguard shows minimal aging. The chrome plating is very clean on the bridge, and the vibrato actuates very easily with a smooth and even response that allows for fairly deep dives and quick, subtle warbles. Cosmetically, the guitar exhibits an assortment of minor finish nicks and some light scratches in the clear coat of the gloss black finish, but as the photos show, this guitar presents very well and is a professionally setup and 100% original example from Fender Japan, in a time when the Squier and Fender brands were of comparable quality in Japan.