1997 Fender Fat California Stratocaster Sunburst Finish - Made in the USA!
Good to Very Good Condition
You can search the internet and find lots of great reviews about the California Series. Basically a hidden gem of vintage features with modern quality control.
I purchased this second hand in 2003 as a back-up. When it arrived I noticed a small chip on the edge of the bass side of the neck between the 3rd and 4th fret. It doesn't affect playability and is only visible to the player.
It has been played sparingly because I have many other instruments. It has been stored for the past 15 years in my climate-controlled, smoke-free home.
This one has Tex-Mex pickups and the "Fat" designates that it had a factory-installed humbucker at the bridge. The pick-ups match perfectly and the "in-between" position (2) splits the humbucker perfectly. The humbucker has some slight patina on the bass side.
I upgraded the original Kluson tuners to locking Gotoh tuners that look just like Kluson tuners. They are a wonderful upgrade and make string changes much easier.
All the switches and pots are US quality. The fret job on this is quite amazing, jumbo frets with no sprouting and practically no wear.
In addition to the patina, there is some finish checking and some minor scratches on the edges, consistent with a 23-year-old guitar, but very difficult to see because of the sunburst finish. I think the best description is closet classic -- it is definitely not a relic and has been well-taken care of.
Guitar will ship with vibrato bar and in a Fender gig bag.
Easily identified by the "AMXN" serial numbers, Fender's California Series was a joint effort between Fender's California and Ensenada, Mexico factories, with body carving and final assembly happening in America and painting done south of the border. This HSS "Fat" version ran alongside a standard version with three Texas Special pickups.
