If you’ve ever looked at a 1970s Strat and thought, “That looks great, but I’d rather it actually played in tune and didn’t hum like a fridge” — this is the one for you.
 
This 2016 Fender Japan ‘72 Reissue is straight out of the MIJ fairy-tale: Aged Vintage White gloss finish, big CBS headstock, and enough precision and polish to make Fullerton look like it was running on coffee fumes.
 
The neck is a proper U-shape maple affair with a 7.25-inch radius and 21 vintage frets, finished in glassy clear gloss that feels equal parts vintage and velvet. It’s got that reassuringly solid Fender Japan feel — no “modern slim-taper” nonsense here. The maple fretboard is slick and honest, just like the guitar it sits on.
 
Under the hood, though, things get spicy. The pickups have been swapped for EMG SA20 noiseless single-coils — clean, glassy, and completely hum-free. Paired with the David Gilmour signature wiring setup (featuring EXG Expander and SPC Presence controls), you can go from crystalline funk cleans to thick, sustaining leads with the twist of a knob — all powered by a neatly tucked 9V battery. It’s like having a Strat and a sustain pedal living in harmony.
 
This unique set of EMG SA pickups and the DG20 active electronics have been used by David Gilmour on his legendary Red Strat since around 1985. The SA Pickups feature an Alnico Bar magnet for smooth string bending and amazing sustain.
 
The EXG and SPC controls are effective when turned clockwise, and fully bypassed when they are turned counter-clockwise. Both circuits are continuously variable from flat to maximum effect and are wired in series with the signal path, so there is an input and output. No alterations to the guitar body has been made to accommodate these pickups and circuitry, the battery fits the control cavity perfectly.
 
Hardware’s all high-end Japanese precision: upgraded Gotoh tuners with gold finish and pearloid buttons, a Gotoh 6-point vintage-style trem with full-size block and bent steel saddles, and a matching pearloid backplate to complete the look.
 
The body’s basswood — light, resonant, and perfectly balanced at 3.5kg — so your spine won’t file for divorce halfway through a set.
 
Cosmetically, it’s got a few honest dings and surface marks — nothing serious, just proof it’s been played and not worshipped. Structurally, it’s solid as a Shinkansen timetable.
 
A 70s Strat aesthetic with zero 70s problems. Quiet, refined, and ready to outshine every noisy single-coil in the room — all while looking like it just stepped off a Tokyo stage circa 1979.
It’s basically what Gilmour would’ve used if he’d been a bit more into sushi than psychedelics.
 
This instrument received a full professional setup with deep body cleaning, body polish, neck deep clean, full electronics check, truss-rod and action and intonation adjustment. Restringed with Ernie Ball 10-46 Nickel-plated steel strings.
 
This guitar will be shipped around UK with Parcelforce courier, safely packed into a sturdy guitar cardboard box. 24h courier service provided to UK customers. We also ship to USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and many other places, but at the moment we don't ship to EU or Northern Ireland.