Absolutely stunning 1996 Anniversary Series Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature in the best color. Comes with the tremolo arm and a Fender hard case in black tolex with red lining. One owner from new, extremely clean all over, smoke-free use, and has never been pulled apart or modified. These models from 1988-1996 are incomparable to the ones that followed. This 100% all-original beauty is one of the very best we’ve ever had, and we’ve seen quite a few over the years. We’ve found the Anniversary models to showcase some of the finest craftsmanship, with extra attention to detail in the finishing—it seems like a little more care went into these.
The 9.5" radius maple neck is exceptionally clean from top to bottom. The frets have just been cleaned, dressed, and polished, showing very little wear overall—just some light string marks on the first three frets. They’re super smooth and feel like new. The vintage profile frets make the guitar effortless to play. There’s some very light checking and wear around the underside of the 2nd to 8th fret area, but nothing that can be felt. The headstock is exceptionally clean, with only a few very small nicks (as expected). The nut is in great shape but has a small chip at the top E string area. This doesn’t affect the playability or functionality of the guitar, so we’ve kept it all original. The rear of the neck is in great condition with no major dings, nicks, or issues. The V-profile on these Clapton models is incredibly comfortable to play. It's also great to see this guitar completely free of neck joint finish cracks, with a super tight neck pocket on this beauty.
The alder body is a perfect weight at 8.2 lbs and free of dings and chips. There’s a small 5mm top layer mark on the top curve, but aside from some light surface scratches from playing, it’s exceptionally clean overall. The plastics have aged beautifully to a nice parchment white, and the control knobs are a lovely cream color. The gold Lace Sensor pickups are the coveted 666 serial/model and sound absolutely incredible—the logos are even still intact. The hardware shows some dulling and slight scratches, but nothing unexpected for a guitar of this age. It’s a solid 9/10 for condition and has been well cared for all its life.
The case is not the original tweed one these guitars came with, but this hard case is from the '90s and, in our opinion, actually complements the red guitar better. Of course, this is all personal preference. The case is completely functional with no issues or repairs and is nice and clean. It comes with the tremolo arm.
The guitar has been completely stripped down, serviced, and rebuilt. It plays like butter, with a flat/fixed tremolo as they originally came. At some point, it was set up for a floating trem, so it’s missing the block they came with as standard. Currently set up with 9-42 strings, it’s effortless to play—super low, loose, and fast for whatever style you play! We are all players here and make sure our guitars are ready to rip straight out of the box. This Strat is a keeper, and we know the next lucky owner will treasure it for many years to come.
All items are shipped with full insurance, and we promise to have guitars shipped within 24 hours of payment clearing. We use recycled packaging, and we kindly ask you to recycle the materials upon receipt if possible—let’s all do our part to take care of Mother Earth.
