When the newly independent Fender resumed American production in 1986, they went to great lengths to make sure every Stratocaster leaving the new Corona factory was the very best Strat they could possibly build, with careful attention to detail at every step in the build process… and they got it really, really right. (Some of the staff at the new facility had been with Leo at the original Fullerton factories)
Hand built
Each new American Standard was essentially hand built, from start to finish, which meant only around 120 – 150 guitars were being completed each week – same as back in the Leo days. As part of the “getting it right” process, the new factory produced a run of Strats purely for the UK and European market, to show their overseas customers that Fender was, indeed, back in the game. A selection of the very best Strats were pulled aside as they reached completion and given their own serial number prefix of EE. (One ‘E’ is for ‘eighties’, the other is for ‘export’)
Inca Silver
It would be several more years before Inca Silver reappeared as a color option on an American Standard built for the American market, but a small number were produced as part of the EE series. Originally used on Chevrolet’s famous Corvette, from 1957 to 1959, Fender had introduced Inca Silver as an official Custom Color in 1960. (This was a great example of Leo Fender’s business flair; whenever a car manufacturer stopped using a particular color, Leo would snap up remaining stock from the paint makers at hugely discounted prices!)
All factory original
Our Inca Silver model here is all factory original and features a solid Alder body, precision two-point tremolo system, pickups that sound like Strat pickups are meant to sound, TBX tone control, and one-piece Maple neck and board, with regular 9½” fingerboard radius.
Teflon-coated butter!
Put all those vintage-correct Strat features together, with magnificent build quality, and you’ve got a fabulous sounding guitar that plays like Teflon-coated butter! Our soundfile says it all…
SOUNDFILE NOTE: While Pee Wee Crayton’s ‘Do Unto Others’ is believed to be the very first time a Stratocaster was ever committed to recording tape, another great early appearance – when the Strat had been around for only four years – was Richie Valens’ inspired playing on ‘La Bamba’, recorded in 1958. We open our soundfile with a quick tribute to that iconic early use of the Fender Stratocaster.
Condition
Condition is Excellent+, with just light playwear on the scratchplate and a spot of light buckle-rash on the back, from where the guitar has obviously been played low-slung. The board and frets are like new.
Free courier delivery
As noted above, our Inca Strat is all original. It comes in its original Fender hard shell case and is 100% ready to rock and roll. FREE COURIER DELIVERY is included to any address in Australia. ($100 airfreight to New Zealand, $175 to the US, Canada, UK and mainstream European countries. International freight added at checkout)
*Late 1987 or early 1988 is the best most of these EE-serial number models can be pinned down – dated by serial number, features and pot codes.
Weight: 8lb 5oz
Just Guitars
