1984/1990s Fender Partscaster Stratocaster Electric Guitar

When a local customer said he wanted to sell his vintage Strat, I didn't expect this to turn up! After tearing the instrument apart in front of him, sleuthing yielded some results: this looks like a heavily-modified 1984 Fender USA Reissue neck mated to a probably-import body of indeterminate wood (basswood or alder?) and fitted with active EMG pickups, a newer harness, and pickguard.

The centerpiece of the guitar, however, is its fast-as-heck, retro-looking, hand-done-extra-inlaid neck. It's bling-tastic in just the right, slightly off-kilter way. While it has a shot of overspray, all the old nitro-style crackling and weather-check to the finish is intact and looking good.

There's a 9V battery for the EMG preamp tucked-in under the pickguard and the pickups sound solid and Stratty with perhaps a little extra juice in the upper mids. I didn't fiddle with the controls in the video clip, but it'll give you an idea of the guitar's character. This thing feels and sounds like a rock machine and that's what I think it was intended to be when it was cobbled-together.

Work included: a fret level/dress, general cleaning, tremolo cover swap-out, and a good setup. It plays spot-on with hair-over 1/16" EA and 1/16" DGBE action at the 12th fret. The neck is straight, the frets have a lot of life left, and the truss works.

Scale length: 25 1/2"
Nut width: 1 5/8"
String spacing at nut: 1 3/8"
String spacing at saddle: 2 3/16"
Body length: 18 1/4"
Lower bout width: 12 1/2"
Upper bout width: 10 3/4"
Side depth at endblock: 1 3/4"
Neck profile: ~12" board, slim-C rear
Weight: 8 lb, 5 oz
Body wood: solid basswood (or alder?)
Neck wood: maple
Fretboard: rosewood

Condition notes: the neck's dot inlay was filled in and replaced with custom, hand-inlaid, pearl. The neck also got shot with one coat of overspray to seal the pearl, which is now flaking-off on the pearl itself but good everywhere else (typical). It has a nice, buttery-orange color and features lots of checking at the headstock for a retro look. The tuners are replacements but they are good quality, 18:1 units. The body appears to be '90s-era replacement and the pickguard and trem cover are, too. The jury's still out on the bridge, trem block, and springs, however. The body itself shows average use-wear but nothing major.

It comes with: a '80s Fender USA molded hard case.

The white/black/white backplate is more "factory" in terms of the black/white looks, but it's one from my parts bin. I couldn't stomach the gross-looking, mottled-grey/black bit of uber el cheapo that was on here so I swapped this one on, instead.

The back of the neck shows at least one player's definite love for this guitar.

The unmarked neckplate is definitely not Fender-issue but at least it's a heavy-duty one.

The neck date is slightly a mystery, but I think it's trying to tell us it's an '84.

Does this neck-pocket code mean anything to anyone else?

I haven't set the trem up for proper use (it came in cranked-down in "semi-hardtail" fashion), but if the next owner desires, I can set it up however he or she prefers.