NGD: 1988 MIK Squier Stratocaster

My first guitar was a Made in Korea Squier Stratocaster.  My parents got it for me sometime around 1993, and I remember being completely in love with it... until I wasn't.  You see, like most young guitar players, I noticed shortcomings that I didn't know could be addressed with a little know-how. 

Those shortcomings started to grate on me as I became a better player - the intonation was off, the pickups weren't super cool sounding like EMG 81s, and the neck position on the switch actually activated the middle pickup and vice-versa. Of course, knowing what I know now, this all could have been easily addressed - intonation is easy, pickups switches are no problem, and the pickups might have been the result of me lowering them to be flush with the pick guard. (Yeah, I was dumb).

I traded that guitar in to the local shop in order to get my Yamaha Pacifica 112, and while that guitar served me well throughout high school, Ive always wondered about whether I would have been better off with my first guitar and a bit of tech knowledge.

Well, I don't have to wonder anymore.  A Lake Placid Blue Squier Stratocaster, MIK, came up locally for $200, and after a week I threw out a lesser offer on a whim, not expecting the seller to take it.

He did.  Happy Father's Day to me.

According to guitarrepairbench.com, this example dates to the first years of the production at the Young Chang factory in Korea.  Apparently, the "E" followed by a "1" indicated the first year of production (1987), though in 1990 they changed the approach to serial numbers so that the first number indicated the year of production ("E0" for 1990).  Thankfully, they also changed the serial number coloring in 1990, making this one a 1987-88.

I don't recall the color of the serial number on my original, but looking at the picture above, I think my first MIK had a black serial number, meaning it was made after 1990. One of the things I remembered most about that guitar were the saddles - they were stamped "Fender", which I thought was pretty cool. These are exactly the same. Still cool.

The grim on the pickup covers is pretty gnarly, and the knobs have obviously been replaced (too white in comparison).  If I'm going to change anything, it might be those two things.

Aside from some tarnish on the saddles and some pretty serious fret wear, there is one minor crack in the finish just behind the bridge.  For a 30 year old guitar, this isn't exactly a big deal, and it's kind of laughable pointing it out in the era of relic finishes.  Another point of interest is the strap button on the horn - I don't know about you, but that doesn't look quite right, though thinking about it, it may make the strap more secure?

So how does it sound?  Like a Stratocaster... Duh? Once I adjusted the pickups, it was punchy and strat-y in all the ways you'd expect.  What I didn't expect was the near-extreme loss of highs with the rolloff of volume.  I mentioned this to my wife, who responded with a "well you can fix that right?"

Sure I can.  But I won't.  There's something about this one that deserves to be loved warts-and-all. Probably a guilt thing.