VINTAGE MIJ! Fender ST-557 Stratocaster Vintage White w/ Original One Piece Curly Maple Neck 1985-1987 Japan

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If you like the sound of Albert Hammond Jr. from The Strokes, this is the guitar.

Here is a 1987 Fender ST557 (as named for Japanese domestic market but called a Japanese Standard or Contemporary Stratocaster for the US export market). These "Made in Japan" (MIJ) models were the first Fender Japan guitars exported as Stratocasters after the Japanese Squier Strat line (and we all know how good they were). Essentially, Fender were so concerned about the quality of Japanese Squiers surpassing their Fender USA line, they had the Fujigen factory build proper Fenders and this was the result. Choice woods and top-shelf Japanese craftmanship with Fender USA Alnico pickups. Not to be confused with the more common and inferior ST57, these strats were made in the Fujigen factory from 1985-1987 and are considered some the finest examples of Japanese Fender craftmanship. They are far superior to the USA builds at the time. Rumour has it that there is footage of Fender literally steamrolling container loads of imported MIJ Squiers to protect the USA brand, so great was the concern over the superiority of the Japanese 'budget' brand to the CBS era USA Fenders. This particular one is very special. It has had only two owners - the most recent purchased it in 1992. This guitar is in original condition and has a one piece roasted curly maple neck! The only alteration being that the string locks were removed professionally in 1992 and replaced with a single string tree which is much better. This particular model is especially rare as it pre-dates the E serial and instead has the three patent pending numbers on the front of the headstock. This was done on very few models out of the Fujigen factory to be true to the original 1957-62 Strats that these were a reissue of. I have removed the neck to show the authenticating stamps and Fender sticker on the neck butt and body pocket.

Here is a bit more on that:

The decal on the quitar headstock in the image identifies it as a Fender Stratocaster featuring a "synchronized tremolo" system. The presence of three specific U.S. patent numbers 2,573,254, 2,741,146, and 2,960,900 indicates that the neck was likely manufactured in or around 1962.

Decal Details

• Brand & Model: Fender Stratocaster

• Feature: "WITH SYNCHRONIZED TREMOLO"

• Patent Numbers:

2,573,254: Patent for a

'Combination bridge and pickup assembly for string instruments"

2,741.146: Patent for the 'Tremolo device for stringed instruments" (often called a vibrato unit by players)

2,960,900: Patent for the overall guitar design.

The color has mellowed to a beautiful TV Yellowish hue. The bridge and middle pickup have stayed white while the neck pup has yellowed but they are all original to the guitar. It's just one of those weird anomalies that occurs with age. There is some buckle rash, a small nick on the front body and a small scratch in the back of the neck (see pics). The guitar is in great condition physically and practically but could use a fret polish. All vintage, used guitars should have a setup and strings to the purchaser's liking. Comes with a high quality, lockable Fender flight case (fitted to the guitar) and the original trem arm.

Let's go through some specs:

Body Material: Solid Alder.

Neck: One-piece roasted curly Maple with a slender "C" profile and 22 medium jumbo frets.

Fingerboard: Maple with a 12" radius.

Hardware: Fender System 1 tremolo & closed back Fender tuners

Pickups: Three Alnico Fender USA single coils

Scale Length: 25.5 inches.

Nut Width: Approximately 1-5/8" (42mm).

Weight appr 8lbs

Collectors value these for being "post-JV" Japanese builds that offered premium features often found on higher-tier American models of the same period.

These "E-serial" models were made to extremely high standards and are considered collectible "gems" of the Fender Japan era.

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