While I'm waiting I mosey on down the counter to check out this beautiful old Yugoslavian SKS that's come in since the last time I was in. As I'm admiring the carbine I see out of the corner of my eye that the employee has returned from the back and laid a guitar on the counter. From fifteen feet away I see that it's a Strat, it's got no strings, and it's pink. I say a silent prayer as I forget about the gun and walk over to the guitar: "Please Lord let it be a Hello Kitty!"
It wasn't a Hello Kitty, but it sure was pink; more of a Pepto-Bismol hue than the light shell hue that is more popular.
In took me about 20 seconds to make a quick assessment:
*Probably an older Squier neck. Very nice, dark rosewood fretboard with 22 frets that are in good shape.
*Tuners changed at some point from the stamped trapezoid jobbers to a cast set.
*Three ply white pearloid pickguard.
*Two single coil sized double blade pickups in the bridge and neck positions, and a ALNiCo single coil in the middle.
*Two mini toggles and a pull knob on one of the tones. Likely both coil splitting and phase options going on here.
*The 5-way switch is the beefy, mechanical, higher quality type.
*The guitar is about the lightest Strat I've ever felt. The soft, porous body looks an awful lot like pine.
I ask, "How much?"
They say,"Twenty-five bucks out the door."
It's a done deal.
I get the guitar home, do the autopsy thing I typically do with a weird old piece like this, solder a couple disconnected wires, and string it up. I take a few pics during the process, just for you fellas. I believe that the blade pickups may be Kent Armstrongs.
Damn if this thing isn't a pink little beast. It's extremely resonant acoustically and plays well for a guitar with a more traditional neck radius. The electronics function perfectly, though I'm still trying to get the hang of all the switching options. The tones the pickups produce can go from full, ballsy and brash . . . to delicate, thin, phased and nasal. This guitar covers lots of sonic ground.
My initial thought was to paint it and maybe fix it up cosmetically. Call me weird, but I've decided I sorta like it the way it is now. But then I’m the type of guy who thought Steve Vai’s Green Meanie was the bees knees, and not too long ago I paid a grand and a half for a beat up looking EVH Frankie relic.
Note that all three knobs say "tone." An accident? A necessity due to parts availability? Or a boasting message from the builder?
When you really want a bathtub route and aren't fussy about how you get it.
This sticker is on the backside of the spring cavity cover.
