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Fender ST72-58US
List: $1,280
The ST-72 isn’t the only 70s re-make in Fender’s catalogue, Fender’s Classic Series offer 3 representatives from the manufacturer’s prominent decades; 50s, 60s & 70s all of which are inherently Mexican. The ST-72 on review here is a representative from Fender’s Japanese chapter.
Does the Japanese Fender handler, J-Craft, sound familiar to you? If you are an Ibanez fan, it should ring a bell. The J-Craft team is currently responsible for putting the Prestige Ibanez models on a more revered standing. It is heartening to see their successful blueprints all over this strat. The ST72 has an ace construction; this guitar is a deserving representative of the Fender philosophy where owning one guarantees quality. While the J-Craft operatives took pains to pay homage to details (the big headstock for instance), the hardware fitted on this guitar are domestic appointments, the quality of which is acceptable & does not give a feel of being an eastern knock-off.
The ST72 also features a basswood body instead of the politically correct ash (reflective of the 70s). Nevertheless, the pickup wiring retains the vintage touch- 5-way + a tone-free bridge single coil.
Playability/ tone
If you are accustomed to the bare feel of many maple necked guitars, the ST72’s is the immediate objectionable factor. The rather thick lacquer overcoat will make Gibson fans feel more at home instead. The 21 vintage frets on board feel puny initially but with the proper setup (which this guitar had), ‘hindrance’ is not an entry in its playability register.
Coming back to the basswood body, the other ‘wrong’ ingredient here, it is a cause for concern with Fender purists, as the overall weight of this guitar misses the required critical mass, hence affecting the feel rather severely. On the contrary, if you are tone objective, matters pertaining to mass should be the last critical factor if the guitar in question is a superb sounding instrument, which the ST72 is. Major accounts go to the American (surprise!) single coil trio resident here- sweet cleans, prickly crunch, ultimate twang- the ST72 is an obliging guitar.
However, you will do well not to invest in this guitar in the hope of getting immaculate extreme drive responses (a.k.a. METAL) as the default pickups are strictly vintage voiced. They are naturally quiet, even at driven settings, but injecting them with excessive drive (with pedal sources in particular) will induce repulsive background hum.
Last say
The hype which precedes a Japanese Fender is arguably personal; if you like the feel of these guitars, then it has diminished association with the Mexican/ American models not living up to their respective standards. We do note that there are unbecoming Mexican/ American standards in the market; there are Japanese ones as well.
Most Japanese Fenders are winners with many of us (this reviewer included) simply because they are good guitars per se. After playing countless American models, which very much set the standard for Fender impeccability, the Japanese counterparts are very much on their own turf. While they deserve to propel the Fender prestige, they have their own weight issues which might sway staunch Fender fans into heresy. However, let this be the least of anyone’s worries because it simply doesn’t render these Fenders unplayable.
If you are too anchored in the western Fender philosophy all these while, you can now look east to acknowledge a respectable counterpart. If these guitars are more readily available in the USA, they will definitely be a contender in the balance of Fender power.
PS: Thank you BEEZ & all @ G77 for making this review possible.
Plus points
• Sweet, vintage pickups
• Top-notch construction
Misses
• Overall weight very un-Fender
• Default action on test model is a little high for speed
