For those not into the lingo (or the acronyms), NGD is shorthand for “New Guitar Day.”

Yep, I did it again.

Fender Stratocaster XII – 2018 MIJ 12-string

This is a new (2018) Fender Special Run (FSR) Made in Japan Stratocaster XII.  If you didn’t notice outright, look again – it’s a 12-string Stratocaster. That’s what the XII denotes in the model name.

The first guitar I bought brand new was a 1971 Framus 12-string acoustic.  That guitar is now 47 years old.  I played it both as a 12- and as a 6-string for years.  But it’s 100% acoustic, which means no onboard electronics as is common with acoustic guitars today.

1971 Framus “Blue Ridge” 12-string acoustic guitar

There is something about the sound of a 12-string guitar. The Byrds, back in the 1960s, used Rickenbacker 12-strings on a number of their songs, which helped give them their “signature” sound.

As I played with the church band recently, I used my acoustic 12-string to add that “chiming” sound to the songs we played.  But I had to sit near a microphone that picked up the sound and broadcast it through the P.A. system.  Sitting, while more comfortable than standing, limits one’s ability to sing.  Especially when also using an electric guitar for other songs.

This is a lower-end Stratocaster 12-sting.  Its body is basswood and the pickups are standard single-coil (Fender makes a slew of pickups for a variety of sounds).  The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard (all my other fenders have maple boards, although my Gibsons use rosewood, too).  The neck is a “U” shape, with a 7.5″ radius.  Compare this guitar with my Eric Clapton Artist Series Stratocaster, which has an alder body, a “soft V” neck, 9.5″ radius, and “Vintage Noiseless™” single-coil pickups.  And more features, which add to the cost.

The only colors available for this FSR guitar are Olympic White and Sunburst.  I have an unexplained aversion to ‘bursts, and my EC Strat is Olympic White, so I dithered a bit before buying.  But the seller announced he was accepting offers on the OW, so I offered and we negotiated a price.  Deal!

So now I have two Olympic White Stratocasters.  They aren’t twins, however, as the photo below show.  The difference in neck color as well as the color of the pickguard (it’s listed as “3-ply eggshell,” but it looks Mint to me.  Perhaps when I remove the plastic protector? I consider them “brothers.”  The EC Strat is the older, the 12-string the younger.

Brothers. Eric Clapton Artist Series Stratocaster and FSR Stratocaster XII