1990s Unmarked Strat-Style Electric Guitar (Decoboom Pickguard)

This unmarked, mystery-brand, Asian-import Strat was gifted to me a while back and it's since become a favorite guitar around the house. It's deceptively cheap -- the pickups are roughly Squier-style with magnets on the bottom, the hardware is all mid-grade but sturdy, the tuners are sealed and work, the original electronics were the average mini-pot, low-grade stuff, and the body seems to be basswood or something similar.

It's one of these instruments where you think, "maybe I should swap the pickups?" but you know that half the fun is that it is the way it is.

I'd been playing it so much (tuned CGCGCG low to high) that I decided it was time to add some character to it so I grabbed a Decoboom pickguard, rewired it a bit (new pots, an on/off for the neck pickup so I can add it in positions 4 and 5, and a new jack and extra shielding), and... now it feels even more homey.

I mostly just wanted to show-off the pickguard. DB does a great job with this stuff -- it's clear acrylic and reverse-engraved and painted which gives a super-retro look.




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