This is a first month production, custom color, 1982 fullerton avri 57 strat in fiesta red. A unicorn. One of the earliest serial numbers I have seen at V000XXX and a neck date of 5-25-1982. Grey bobbin pickups, which were only featured on the very first run of 1982 fullerton avris. These fullerton reissues are widely considered to be the closest to the pre-CBS original 57 strats, and were made by hand, using the same methods, templates, and tools as the pre-CBS ones. A small number of Fullerton AVRIs exist and even fewer were made in custom colors.

One interesting quirk is that this guitar features a slightly misprinted decal that Fender decided to use anyways, where the word Stratocaster is far from “with synchronized tremolo”, with the Fender logo also slightly smushed. This printing quirk was only seen on a few AVRI guitars produced in 1982/1983. This guitar is 100% original and comes with trem arm, hang tag, and a tweed case.

This guitar has the quintessential strat sound in all settings and is extremely dynamic/responsive to touch. Note separation is very strong with a snappy point of attack. Cosmetically, this guitar exhibits tons of mojo and is one of the coolest guitars I have ever seen with extreme finish checking throughout. There are a few areas exhibiting finish flaking/peeling that were stabilized professionally with a tiny bit of clear coat. Frets are in great shape. If you want the next best thing to a 57 strat at only a fraction of the price, this is the one.

Quick Specs: 57/62 pickups, slim “C” neck, 7.25 radius, maple fretboard, nitro finish