1986 STRATOCASTER 57' REISSUE one of first Made in Japan Near Mint Cond. (code FE388)

Beautiful 1986 Fender 57 Reissue Stratocaster  made in Japan with 86 stamp in the neck. ST Vintage Pickups Black Bobbins Pole piece. Vintage Bridge with Fender Stamped Saddles. The neck is nice and straight and it's a great player.Perfect frets. Is an interesting time for Fender, as they were not building Stratocasters in USA because of the Fullerton Factory fire and they were still constructing the Corona, CA plant. These are pretty rare and some claim the quality superior to American made.The Japanese Fenders were awesome in these years and this is a very nice neck with a nice neck profile. The body is solid and looks like alder or basswood, so besides the excellent quality, they are limited production as well. If you don't know the history of these Japanese E-series guitars, google has all the information. Comes with Original GIG Bag or in generic Hard case if you prefer.

The MIJ (Made in Japan) and CIJ (Crafted in Japan) guitars are very high quality. The Japanese are, as many of you know, masters at copying—as these guitars testify. In fact, the new Fender USA management guys "almost cried" when they traveled to Japan and saw the quality. At that time, Fender USA was still trying to get back up on its feet after the CBS buyout, as USA quality under CBS ownership let their standards really slip.

In 1984 CBS decided to sell Fender and finally, an investment group led by William (Bill) Schultz bought it in the month of March for twelve and a half million dollars. This investment group formally became the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation or FMIC. Bad news though, the sale did not include production facilities in Fullerton, California. Thus USA guitar production ceased between late 1984 till October of 1985 until the new factory was built in Corona, California. It has been estimated that 80% of the guitars sold during this time were made in Japan. When the Corona plant was started up, only the Vintage Reissue Stratocaster models were first produced (between late 1985 through 1986). Oddly enough, most of the MIJ Fenders were Reissues too, both Strats and Teles, and then later even Signature models.