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Post subject: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2013 7:55 pm
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I just picked up a 2004-05 "Crafted In Japan" Strat XII. The color is Inca Silver. I cannot find a record of this as an optional color for that period. Was it? It also has Lace Sensor pickups which, I assume, were added but I have heard that some Strat XII's had them as stock. True? Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2013 8:10 pm
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The Strat XII has been released at least twice that I know of. I missed it on the first go-round in the early '90s but from archived data sources, it was slightly different from the later issue that appeared in the mid 2000's. The first iteration had a 22-fret neck and used the bridge designed for Fender's original Electric XII guitar from the '60s. The later version had 21 frets and was fitted with a Gotoh-designed bridge. As for finishes, I've never seen either guitar in Inca Silver. AFAIK, the only available colors were 3TSB, Burgundy Mist Metallic, and Lake Placid Blue (the latter two with painted headstocks). I have one of the later guitars in LPB. Your Lace Sensor pickups were probably an add-on from the previous owner.

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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 12:43 am
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Can you post a couple of photos?


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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 9:45 am
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I'll put up some photos in about a month, when I pick it up. I agree that the only finishes I see listed for this model during this period were the Lake Placid Blue, Burgandy(both with matching headstocks) and 3 color sunburst. So, I am wondering if it could have been some sort of FSR? By the way, I pulled out my 2004 Fender catalog and there is no mention at all of the Strat XII! A very "stealth" model!


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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 9:57 am
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Spareparts wrote:
By the way, I pulled out my 2004 Fender catalog and there is no mention at all of the Strat XII! A very "stealth" model!


Availability comes and goes. It's not currently cataloged either but it'll show up again, I'm sure. Perhaps with a broader selection of available finishes.

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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 5:31 pm
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This is where this story(mystery) ends. I had a guitar tech open this guitar up. What we found was that someone did an excellent job of taking a Strat XII neck and attaching it to an MIM Strat hardtail body(Inca Sliver) and threw some very nice Lace Sensors on it, to boot! Very sweet project guitar, but NOT a real Strat XII. I'll wait and see if a real one passes my way.


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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 5:32 pm
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Odd indeed!

Which bridge was used on this project guitar?

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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:58 pm
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The later(2005) model bridge was used. There was some modification of the body cavity in terms of where some holes were drilled to accommodate the strings through the body. Still, an extremely nice job....just not authentic!


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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 9:05 pm
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Then it's not an original Strat XII but a partscaster made up from different parts.

Lace Sensors... did the guitar comes with active electronics? Surely the previous owner added a Clapton circuit with those pickups to add more depth. :roll:

Image

In that case the body would normally sport a special compartment to house a battery.


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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 10:05 pm
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Spareparts wrote:
The later(2005) model bridge was used. There was some modification of the body cavity in terms of where some holes were drilled to accommodate the strings through the body. Still, an extremely nice job....just not authentic!


The Gotoh 12-string bridge only passes six strings through the base plate to the ferrules at the rear of the body -- the other six are top-loaded via the rear lip of the plate itself. It shouldn't have been necessary to drill any additional holes or perform any routing at all. Weird.

:?

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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 2:12 pm
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Happy ending to my above post about the Inca Silver "Frankentwelve"! The same Guitar Center that took in the parts guitar just took in a real 2006 Strat XII. They sent me a ton of pictures of it, opened up(!!), knowing I would be suspicious. I checked it out last weekend and bought it on the spot. Great deal on it, too! Just your basic sunburst model with unpainted headstock but that's fine by me!


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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 2:26 pm
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MIM body in Inca Silver, I'm guessing it's hardtail to accomodate the Gotoh bridge? If so then it sounds very much like a Robert Cray Strat with a Strat XII neck.

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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 2:31 pm
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Spareparts wrote:
Happy ending to my above post about the Inca Silver "Frankentwelve"! The same Guitar Center that took in the parts guitar just took in a real 2006 Strat XII. They sent me a ton of pictures of it, opened up(!!), knowing I would be suspicious. I checked it out last weekend and bought it on the spot. Great deal on it, too! Just your basic sunburst model with unpainted headstock but that's fine by me!


I expect you'll be hunting for new pickups, pots, and wiring in very short order -- unfortunately the OEM electronics do not measure up to the rest of the instrument's otherwise excellent quality. I installed Fender's CS 69 set in mine......a significant sonic improvement.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 7:11 pm
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Yeah, at some point I'll probably have some new electronics installed as the original pickups on this one are quite a bit more harsh than those nice Lace Sensors on the partscaster XII I didn't buy. For now, though, it's fine to just have it stock and since I already own a Rick 370/12 and a Yamaha Pacifica 330-12, it's not like I can't get a good variety of electric 12 string tones already!


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Post subject: Re: Stratocaster XII Color
Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:54 pm
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If a Rick fit my fretting hand a bit more comfortably I wouldn't have even bothered with the Strat XII. I love the sound of toasters and I'm a sucker for the FireGlo finish.

Arjay

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