Fernandes FST (mid-1980s)

This Fernandes FST, likely made in the mid-1980s, appears to have a body made of monkeypod or possibly koa, though its exact wood type remains unconfirmed.

When I first bought it, I assumed it was mahogany—mainly because of the large open pores in the grain. However, the color didn’t match. Mahogany, when left natural, tends to have a much redder tone, and this guitar’s hue is noticeably different.

My next guess was koa. Indeed, lower-grade koa can have an appearance similar to this, and for some time, I described it as a koa-bodied Strat. But something always felt off — the weight, grain texture, and density of tone didn’t align with koa. Koa has a lighter, more crystalline sound, whereas this guitar sounds heavier and denser — not koa-like at all.

At this point, my best conclusion is that the wood is monkeypod—the same species made famous in Hitachi’s commercial with the song “Kono Ki Nan no Ki, Ki ni Naru Ki.”
Fernandes was known to use monkeypod even in their mass-produced guitars, so this identification seems entirely plausible. Although I’ve never handled monkeypod lumber in person, the 1999 Fernandes catalog shows a guitar whose body wood looks remarkably similar to this one.

Aside from the body material, this guitar’s specifications are identical to the 1985 FST-135. According to Fernandes catalogs from that era, there was a semi-order system that allowed customers to change body woods or colors for an additional fee — so this guitar may well have been one of those special orders. Still, that remains speculation.

Judging by its tone, it would probably pair better with humbuckers than with EMG single coils.
(Updated August 21, 2016)