ST-72: Back...

My Fender ST-72 revival is complete with a set of R.Cocco strings (.009 set). Had been playing this guitar after lunch till past 4.00pm. There were some interesting observations:

• Higher output? There were definitely no pickup replacements. The new Gotoh pots had the same value- 250K- & the Orange Drop cap certainly had no effect in increasing pickup output but this time round, my ST-72 was more responsive to distortion. I'd suspect it was the pickup height tampering to suit the revised action here. Remember, the St-72 feature a trio of American Vintage pickups, these are not hot by any means.
• More desirable playability. No major revisions here except for the new string saddles. However, the new saddles are not of the vintage make, the Graptech Ferra Glides saddles are very similar to the current Fender American Deluxe form. Maybe the more leveled, less cavity/ indentations in design help give the player a more flushed picking hand feel. It's as if I could pick faster here without the feeling of being scratched- psychological, this one.
• Faster than before. A new bridge, a revised action & a fresh set of strings- these are some of the considerations contributing to fretting acceleration. The R.Cocco strings contributed to the firm feel, this helps tremendously, in my case, to overcome those slender, vintage-type frets on board. So the role of the strings should not be diminished in this case.