• Model: Fender Stratocaster Hardtail
• Series: International Colour
• Finish: Monaco Yellow
• Finish Type: High gloss polyester
• Body Construction: Solidbody
• Neck: Maple, one piece maple fingerboard
• Neck Joint: 3 bolt with Micro Tilt
• Truss Rod: Bullet nut at the headstock
• Headstock: Large CBS style
• Scale Length: 25.5"
• Fingerboard: Maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 7.25"
• Frets: 21
• Inlays: Black dots
• Pickup Configuration: SSS
• Pickups: Three Fender single coils with flush pole pieces
• Controls: Master volume, 2 tone
• Switching: 5 way, factory standard from 1977
• Bridge: Hardtail, strings through body
• Tuners: F stamped
• Hardware: Chrome
• Country: USA (Fullerton, California)
• Year: 1978

Being a hardtail makes this a different animal from a trem Strat. With the strings anchored through the body there is no spring cavity in the back and no springs to resonate or knock it out of tune, so you get more attack, a slightly fuller sustain and a guitar that stays put. Plenty of players, especially for recording and harder rock, actively prefer a hardtail for exactly that reason.

This is a late 70s Fullerton USA Strat through and through. You get the large CBS headstock, the 3 bolt neck with Micro Tilt, and the bullet truss rod at the headstock, so both relief and neck angle can be set with a hex key without taking the neck off. A maple neck and maple board, a 7.25" radius and 21 frets give it that proper vintage feel under the hand.

Maple board and hardtail together give you the brightest, most direct Strat voice. The three single coils with a 5 way switch, which had been factory standard from 1977, cover the classic positions, from the snappy bridge to the round neck tone and the in between quack.

Monaco Yellow on a maple board is a real standout, bright and bold in a way that suits the period perfectly. For anyone who wants a genuine late 70s USA Strat with a colour that nobody else in the room will have, this is a much more interesting buy than another sunburst from the same years.

Very Good condition. Shows light to moderate signs of use consistent with age, with no significant issues to mention.

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