*****. This guitar was bought new, stored for 5 to 15 years in climatized storage, and never played. Most of them have hard shell cases in new excellent condition as well. Some were sold with a gig bag from the maker. Some models are no longer available in new condition as some of these, while a few are still being sold new. I feel that the added age and rarity has benefited the guitar as some woods develop a better tone as they age and some are scarce. So they are like brand new but that term can only be used by an authorized dealer which I am not. *****

This Fender 72 Pawn Shop was made in Japan in Sept. 2011 and I bought it new in Feb. 2014 and placed it in a climatized environment and never played. So it has had eleven years to peacefully rest, age, and mellow. It is an an unusual semi hollow rock machine.

A semi-hollow Strat body with Tele neck and humbuckers? Sure why not?The new Pawn Shop series instruments draw inspiration from strange and storied pawn shop finds of the 1960s and ™70s, and emerge as all-new Fender guitars with a bold element of eccentricity”guitars that never were but could have been.

The Pawn Shop Fender ™72 has a semi-hollow Stratocaster® body with an f-hole, a Telecaster® style neck, two humbucking pickups, and dual-knob chrome control plate with master volume and pickup blend-a creative alchemy of diverse Fender
components.

Features include a rosewood fretboard with modern 9.5 radius and 6105 frets, a Fender Wide Range humbucking neck pickup and Fender Enforcer„¢ humbucking bridge pickup, ™70s-style hard-tail Stratocaster bridge, ™70s-style Fender œF tuners, mint green pickguard, bullet truss rod, three-bolt neck attachment and deluxe gig bag.Features

• Series: Pawn Shop Series
• Body Shape: Stratocaster®
• Body Material: Alder
• Body Finish: Polyester
• Neck: Maple, Tele Style
• Neck Finish: Polyester
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
• Frets: 21
• Position Inlays: Vintage Cream
• Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
• Nut Width: 1.650 (42 mm)
• String Nut: Synthetic Bone
• Truss Rod: Bullet Style Truss Rod
• Pickups: Enforcer„¢ Humbucking Pickup (Bridge)
• Wide Range Humbucking Pickup (Neck)
• Controls: Master Volume, Blend Control (Center Detent)
• Hardware: Chrome
• Tuning Keys: Fender® 70s Style "F" Tuners
• Bridge: 70's-Style Hard-Tail Stratocaster Bridge
• Strap Buttons: Vintage Style Strap Buttons
• Pickguard: Mint Green/Black/Mint Green
• Strings: Fender® USA Super 250L's, NPS (.009-.042 Gauges)
• Unique Features: Telecaster Neck, Hardtail Bridge, Double Humbucker Configuration,
• "F" Tuners, Rotary Blend Control with Center Detent, 2-Knob
• Chrome Control Plate

• A Fender Enforcer humbucking bridge pickup and a Fender "Wide Range" humbucking neck pickup serve up an array of thick, meaty tones perfect for high-gain applications.
• A master-volume control and pickup pan-pot allows you to effortlessly roll your way into higher-gain solos and back to more subdued rhythm parts.
• A rosewood 9.5" fingerboard radius with 6105 frets (tall/narrow) makes this neck play fast and smooth.

I will include the only three reviews that were posted on Amazon several years after I purchased this guitar. All 5 star, no others posted: 1) I'm loving this guitar.

The intention of the Pawnshop series was for Fender to design guitars that "never were but should have been". These are pseudo-prototypes built to loose specs for specific years. If you're not familiar with the Pawnshop series, I would recommend reading more about them before buying one, know what you're getting into.

This one has a Strat shape, but with a semi-hollow body like a thin line Telecaster. It has a Telecaster neck with three bolts and a bullet truss, P-Bass style knobs, and a vintage inspired Strat hard tail bridge, strings through body.

The neck pickup is very clean and sparkly, while the bridge pickup is high-output and dirty. There is no tone controls, only a volume knob and knob that blends the two pickups. The blend knob is a lot of fun, and the tonal possibilities are plentiful.

The guitar is a touch heavier than I'd expected, definitely has a bit more heft than a Strat, but is still lighter than say a Les Paul. It's heavier than it looks but not to the point where it's an issue.

It's made in Japan. I've always heard that Japanese Fenders rival American Made ones. The fit and finish on this guitar is superb. I've read other reviews that have said their guitar arrived with loose jack plates or other problems, I experienced none of that. The guitar seems extremely well built from head to tail.

It's supposed to have a 70s look. When I look at it, I see the 70s style parts. My wife who knows nothing about guitars commented how 70s it looked when she first saw it, so it projects that vibe even to people unfamiliar with guitars. I like that.

The factory set-up was playable, but I have a phenomenal guitar tech and anything he hasn't touched bugs me. It's going in for a setup today.

All in all I think Fender hit the mark with this beast. It has great curb appeal, and it's a rare and unusual looking guitar, so it turns heads and gets comments. It's extremely fun to play. The distinct pickup selection and arrangement give it a sound far different from my Strat and Les Paul, tonally it's extended my range.

If you're looking for a high quality guitar that's a little different and a lot of fun, this may be the one for you.

2) This is one great guitar. The build quality is as good as my American Deluxe and half the price. I actually like the neck better on this than my Deluxe. I did feel the need to change the tuners, not a big deal.

3) This guitar is amazing! I'm a touring musician and this is the guitar i take with me.
Love the sound and playability. Compact feel, the neck shape its perfect (for me) and
its really easy to set-up.
Fully recommended!