NGD - Mystery Fernandes EVH/Star Wars Mutt...

[stevejamsecono]

This was a complete impulse buy for me, but the price was so low I had to give it a go..

20250110_122853 by Steve Bailey, on Flickr

So what is it? It appears to be a late 80s/early 90s MIJ Fernandes superstrat from 'The Function' series that has been modded into some unholy EVH-style strat with an SD Dimebucker and a killswitch as well as some Stars Wars livery (the skull and the Fernandes-branded(?!) stormtrooper tone knob.) It's a completely baffling combination of parts that doesn't seem to exist in any of their catalogues, so I'm inclined to think the owner or someone previous cobbled some things together. Usually the superstrat-style Fernandes guitars have floyds, this has a 2-point Fernandes-branded Gotoh 2 point bridge instead. Usually the matching headstocks have painted necks, this doesn't. It's a weird mutt, but a shockingly solid feeling and resonant one.

Confusion aside, what by all rights SHOULD have been a complete joke buy has turned out to be really fun so far. It has that served its intended purpose (annoying my bandmate after complaining our new material was leaning too 'hard rock') as well as filling a niche I didn't have in terms of Fender-scaled shred instruments.

Some changes will be made eventually, as the skull sticker is too "Punisher/Blue Lives Matter Ford F150" adjacent for my liking. I also want to try adding a Sustaniac to the neck pickup slot to up the ante on its 'stunt guitar' standing. Until then, fun shredding to be had!

Huzzah!

20250110_122901 by Steve Bailey, on Flickr

20250110_122906 by Steve Bailey, on Flickr

20250110_122911 by Steve Bailey, on Flickr

20250110_122921 by Steve Bailey, on Flickr

[therizzla]

I dig it! I really want an older Fernandes Tele. Happy NGD!

[marqueemoon]

That’s awesome.

Over the top in the best way.

[Jonesie]

[stevejamsecono]

I knew I could count on you.

Also I gotta say.... man. Killswitches should be standard issue on all guitars. What a fun gimmick.

[countertext]

I reckon you peel the sticker and replace the stormtrooper and it’s perfect.

[B.T.]

Congrats! Super sleeper’s. I picked up their offset Sustainer for a couple hundred bucks a few years back. I couldn’t be happier and was amazed at the good bang for the buck factor. It’s a shredder, I’d love to throw something like a Vega Trem in it.

[HNB]

Love it!

[zhivago]

I can't believe I missed this thread!! This thing rocks!! Love it!!!

[stevejamsecono]

I reckon you peel the sticker and replace the stormtrooper and it’s perfect.

One down, one to go on that front. I got some new black dome knobs from WD in the mail so took care of that. The sticker is trickier because I want to find something to replace it that occupies a similar design sensibility but without being a big dumb skull.

Definitely open to suggestions there!

Congrats! Super sleeper’s. I picked up their offset Sustainer for a couple hundred bucks a few years back. I couldn’t be happier and was amazed at the good bang for the buck factor. It’s a shredder, I’d love to throw something like a Vega Trem in it.

Definitely my favorite of the three MIJ strats I've had. I had a a Tokai one a few years back and an Ibanez more recently and although they were both solid guitars neither of them really did it for me enough to want to keep them. This thing seems far more likely to stay.

[B.T.]

Congrats! Super sleeper’s. I picked up their offset Sustainer for a couple hundred bucks a few years back. I couldn’t be happier and was amazed at the good bang for the buck factor. It’s a shredder, I’d love to throw something like a Vega Trem in it.

Definitely my favorite of the three MIJ strats I've had. I had a a Tokai one a few years back and an Ibanez more recently and although they were both solid guitars neither of them really did it for me enough to want to keep them. This thing seems far more likely to stay.

Hey what's the fretboard radius on yours?