[Rainer.]

Product:
1992 Fender American Stratocaster, 3 tone sunburst.

Price:
$600 used. Great condition, though, especially for a 16 year old guitar that I bet made it's rounds around a few guitarists. The plastic hardware has aged with a lot of honest tobacco smoke. Gives it a good amount of character.

Experience:
This guitar has been serving me for a year now, out of my sevenish years playing. Absolutely versatile. I use it for a lot of funk, rock, country/roots, and about everything else you could throw at me, which is why it's displace my beloved Gibson LP for role as my main axe. It's a one guitar wonder, and when paired with my PODxt Live, makes for essentially the most versatile rig out there.

Features:
22 fret, Standard American Strat hardware; two-point sync trem, all that good stuff. The only big tonal modifications on this guitar are the pickups, Fender Custom Shop (I don't know an exact model) in the middle and bridge positions. An absolutely gorgeous sounding Van Zandt in the neck. The tone knobs have been rewired so that one controls the neck and middle, while the other does the bridge.

Sound:
Simply good for everything I've thrown at it. My favorite sounds are an amazing overdriven lead sound I get from the neck pickup, everything you could ever want out of a Strat's neck pickup; a funky rhythm from the middle combined with the neck; a tone reminiscent of The Edge with a dotted eighth delay with the middle and bridge combined, and a countryish twang from the bridge. But on hyper overdrive, the bridge pickup sounds surprisingly heavy, contending with humbuckers. The neck pickup of course has lovely rhythm strumming and picking tone. Chimey, bright, and lively without ever sounding icepicky (something many Strat users complain about, but I've never had an issue with on this guitar). I play everything from bluesy John Mayer to classic rockin' AC/DC and Van Halen on this. When I've played in cover bands, this guitar almost never comes off.

Playability:
Playable like any Strat you would expect. Frets are accessible no problem from the bottom to the top of the fretboard. Weight is solid. Not too heavy, but you definitely are carrying a good sized instrument on you. Fret work is nice. I probably should fix up the action a bit as I am getting a minuscule amount of buzz on a couple frets up around the higher frets. Not enough to deter me, though, and with a little turn of a wrench would easily be fixed. The bridge was a bit rusty when I bought it off the last owner, but with a little TLC, and a lot of scrubbing with a toothbrush, now it's quite fresh and rust-free.

Reliability:
Describe any issues you've had regarding the durability of the instrument. Has it stood the test of time, or does it fall out of tune every time the wind blows? Have you ever contacted the manufacturer? How is customer service? For custom ordered guitars, how was your experience ordering it?

Overall:
This is the Strat that you've always wanted. Classic, beautiful instrument that sounds and plays great, and easily tailored to your exact needs. Amazing guitar.