Amongst the various Mary Kaye style Stratocasters that Fender has produced over the decades, this one is possibly the most comprehensively equipped. V144352 is a 2005 Fender Special Run DLX 57 Mary Kaye. FSR models are dealer specials – this one has the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pick-ups; also the S-1 switch with very useful series connected tones when activated. Usually Fender used S-1 switches to offer one or 2 extra parallel tones – this uses the switch’s capability to the max.
Unlike many 57 style Strats, this one has a regular C profile neck with a 9.5 radius; the 22 frets show no signs of wear. All the gold hardware is in excellent unpitted condition, the tremolo arm present and the single ply scratchplate free of cracks and warping. This guitar has been part of a cherished collection – played regularly, but always kept clean. The nitro finish has yellowed gracefully and the ash grain looks very nice if you peer through it.
The electrics are all fully functional – this guitar was regularly serviced. For any geeky types interested, the wiring schematic is #010-1400/02 – most commonly seen in the American Deluxe series from 2004. With the S-1 switch in normal mode you have the traditional 5-way options – the SCN pick-ups providing a very full chime. Push the S-1 in and a higher output results – not a typical humbucker mid-heavy compression – each position retains a single coil clarity, but adds some very useful mid-range frequency. Position 3 is an almighty “cluck” reminding us of a pair of parallel connected P-90s or Wide-Ranges. They are the sort of tones that may wonder how you managed without them. These non-standard pick-ups and configurations were from the genius of Bill Lawrence.
The guitar weighs 3.5kg (7lbs 12oz) – great for longer sets.
The appeal of this guitar will be justifiably limited to the purist collector as the case and the documentation that once accompanied V144352 is sadly missing. This is therefore priced to reflect that, and will hopefully still appeal to you if you want a great playing, classy looking lightweight versatile Strat. Have a listen to the demo to get a feel for the tones offered by the S-1 switching.
