1997

Well, well, well... a 1997 Fender Frontline magazine was hiding between books, still in very good condition for a 20-year old publication. I used to bring this along to cafes for a good read back then. Life without wifi & data connection was simple & good.

That Strat on the cover- I wouldn't buy it. Look at that gap there, you'd wonder how it got through QC.

My first Fender was not a Strat for this reason; that headstock outline. Maybe I have OCD genes in me somewhere but I noticed how the trimming of that indicated outline was somehow 'wrong'. I've included the later, Y2K-ish headstock on the right for comparison. It seems that the design was somehow a little compressed at some points so to me it's quite repulsive. I bought a Tele 😜

American standard?

You'd think that American craftsmanship takes pride in giving you the best money has to offer but the reality is this; when the products are from the lower tier offerings, cutting corners are inevitable. It's like having them done in some third world factory to spare the coffers. The example shown above- the short tenon with a chipped edge & that unforgivable gap there. The objective of a mortise-tenon alignment is its full contact coherence once adhesive is applied. Any gaps in this discipline, there is a compromise in strength & in this case, it affects resonance. This tragedy here is a hidden anomaly because there is a pick guard hiding it all.