This Silvertone SS-11/R Indonesian built Stratocaster knock-off clone was cheap enough, though I haven’t heard it play yet.

Sold for around $160 new online with amp, strap, instructional CD, crappy soft case, I got the guitar alone with bad strings but good frets for $60 USD at Denio’s flea market.

Cleaned it with damp microfiber cloths, then sprayed and wiped with Ernie Ball instrument polish again using clean microfiber cloths.

Fret board has some build-up but I’m not taking 0000 steel wool to it just yet.

Some chips on this flea market vet and some light scratches here and there naturally, but overall it’s shining like a National guitar.

This is not the old Silvertone, sold by Sears and often built by Danelectro or Harmony. This is the new revived Silvertone from Samick Instruments out of Indonesia via Gallatin, TN.

Rosewood fret board, maple neck, three single coil pickups like the real thing, 5-position switch (missing conical cap), one volume and two tone controls.

Straty looking headstock with attractive “Silvertone” logo in gold, tremolo (really vibrato) with bar I’ll never use-might take the bar off.

Classic Strat-style bullet streamlined recessed deck jack plate. Had to remove plate with phillips screwdriver and tighten loose jack with socket ratchet.

I like the logo.

I got strings and polish at Dimple Records on Roseville Square-new location. The polish worked well after cleaning.

Going to have to view vids before I tackle my first string install. Nut, fret board, frets and bridge look good.

Nothing succeeds like excess.

Next step is learning 2.5 more chords so I can play rock songs.

And I need an amp for it. I’m thinking of the DC battery-powered, venerable yet affordable pignose amp at about $90, so I can busk on street corners.

Or whatever plug-in amp the pawnshops offer. Need a case, stand and strap for it too. So far I have $72 in it not counting books.

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