1989 Fender American Vintage '57 Stratocaster, Lake Placid Blue w/ Custom Shop Fat 50s & Tweed Case

Up for sale, a 1989 Fender American Vintage ‘57 Stratocaster in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with a tweed hardshell case. Produced at the Corona, CA factory in the first few years of AVRI production, this Strat boasts a custom color Lake Placid Blue nitro lacquer finish, outfitted with a set of Fender’s Custom Shop Fat ‘50s single coil pickups.

The Custom Shop Fat ‘50s single coils feature a slightly hot-rodded wiring design for enhanced bass register kick, with great midrange detail and exceptional articulation. Whether it's the sparkling spank of the bridge position, the extra warmth and girth of the neck single coil, or the thinned-out quack on the "in between" positions on the five-way switch, this Strat is simply a delight to play. Weighing 8lbs, this American Vintage ‘57 Stratocaster has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

• Wood: Maple
• Shape: Slender C, full shoulders, measuring .820” 1st fret, .885” 12th fret
• Fretboard: Maple, 9 1/2“ radius (re-radiused, satin-finished)
• Frets: Narrow/tall, refret, no wear
• Scale Length: 25 1/2"
• Nut: 1.650”, bone
• Tuners: Fender Deluxe, Kluson-style
• Serialization: V-prefix stamp on neck plate, serial dates to 1988-89
• Factory Markings: 3-27-86 pencil date on neck heel

Body Specs:

• Wood: Alder
• Pickups: Custom Shop Fat ‘50s single coil x3 (modern)
• Harness: CTS pots, Sprague Orange Drop tone cap (modern)
• Controls: Volume, Tone x2, Five-way pickup selector
• Hardware: Vintage-style Synchronized Tremolo
• Plastics: One-ply pickguard (modern), bright white knobs

A unique amalgamation of early Corona factory date codes, this Stratocaster’s neck heel and pocket have perfectly mirrored finish, ensuring a factory match, and while the neck heel’s pencil date is from the first quarter of ‘86, the V-prefix serial in the 43,000 range would indicate a much later date of completion circa 1988-89.

The custom color Lake Placid Blue nitro lacquer finish exhibits “shattered glass” checking across the body, and cosmetic wear is limited to faint buckle worming at the treble side of the back and some minor dings on the body, largely on the perimeter. There is partial wear through the nitro gloss on the profile down to the bare maple, more indicative of aftermarket relic-ing and not natural palm wear, resulting in a smooth, satin-adjacent feel.

An era-correct tweed hardshell case is included; one of the locking latches is non-functional.