Fender Stratocaster ST57, Crafted in Japan (1997–2000) in a beautiful Vintage Blonde finish

This is a late-90s CIJ ’57 reissue Strat - one of the most respected eras of Japanese Fender production. The guitar has that classic vintage platform feel: lightweight, resonant, and very responsive.

The finish is especially cool on this one. It’s closest to Vintage Blonde, but slightly warmer and a touch more amber than typical examples. The wood grain is clearly visible through the finish, giving it a subtle translucent look. It’s not a flat white, it has depth, character, and a naturally aged vibe that looks fantastic under light.

Condition is really good both technically and cosmetically.

The frets are in great shape with plenty of life left. Neck is straight, truss rod works properly, electronics function as they should. It plays cleanly up and down the neck.

There are only a few minor cosmetic notes: a small finish chip on the neck at the 3rd fret (top side), a small dent at the same fret on the bottom edge, and a couple of very light, barely noticeable dings on the body (see photos). On the bridge you can see a bit of light surface oxidation on the vintage-style hardware, purely cosmetic and typical for steel parts of this age. It doesn’t affect function and actually gives it a subtle, honest vintage character rather than looking worn out.

Overall it presents very clean for a late-90s instrument.

Tremolo arm is not included (easy to find replacements on Amazon for around $10). No case included.

A great example of a Crafted in Japan ST57 in a slightly more unique blonde tone that really shows off the wood grain - classic vintage Strat feel with a beautiful, understated look.

The following work has been done: full cleaning, fret polishing and string height setup (2.3 mm at the 12th fret on the low E string), pickup height adjusted for balance and clarity, and a fresh set of D'Addario XL 10/46 strings installed.

Epic Axes is a musician-driven showroom in Los Angeles. Each guitar is personally selected, inspected, and tested to ensure top performance - only instruments we would play ourselves become part of our collection. Text us to book a visit.

Body
• Construction: Solid body, bolt-on neck
• Wood: Basswood (typical for late-90s CIJ ST57 models)
• Finish: Vintage Blonde (translucent white with visible wood grain), gloss polyester
• Pickguard: Single-ply white (vintage ’57 style)
• Weight: approx. 3.2–3.6 kg / 7.0–7.9 lbs
• Contours: Classic Stratocaster comfort contours

Neck
• Material: Maple
• Joint: Bolt-on
• Profile: Vintage-style soft “V” (’57 reissue style)
• Fingerboard: Maple (one-piece construction)
• Radius: 7.25"
• Frets: 21 vintage-style
• Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
• Nut: Synthetic bone
• Nut Width: approx. 42 mm / 1.65"
• Neck Finish: Gloss polyester
• Headstock: Small ’50s style headstock with spaghetti logo

Hardware
• Bridge: 6-screw vintage-style synchronized tremolo
• Saddles: Bent steel saddles
• Tuners: Vintage-style Kluson-style split-shaft tuners
• Strap Buttons: Standard
• Hardware Finish: Chrome
• Tremolo Arm: Not included

Electronics
• Pickups: Fender Japan LJ52 vintage-style single-coils
• DC Resistance (measured):
  • Bridge: 5.47kΩ
  • Middle: 5.52kΩ
  • Neck: 6.64kΩ
• Controls:
  • 1 Volume
  • 2 Tone
• Switching: 5-way blade switch
• Output Jack: 1/4" mono
• Configuration: SSS

Other
• Model: Fender Stratocaster ST57
• Year: 1997–2000
• Made in: Japan (Crafted in Japan)
• Orientation: Right-handed
• Condition: Excellent technical condition; fully functional; frets in excellent shape with plenty of life left; small finish chip and minor dent at 3rd fret area; a few very light body dings; light surface oxidation on bridge hardware; no structural issues
• Case: Not included