The Rok Ax stratocaster was sold by Fernandes Guitars from 1990 as an entry-level model. I can’t really find more about it on the internet.
I bought this one for only €10 in bad condition, but with potential because the wood was good. An hour of cleaning, polishing and removing ugly stickers already made a big difference in terms of appearance. This guitar had already been rebuilt and abused a number of times and deserved a second life.
It was very strange to see that the original screws everywhere had been replaced by ugly screws from the hardware shop. This has been modified.
The three single coil pickups are replaced with mid-’80s Aria Pro II pickups. This has given the guitar quite a bit more punch and power.
The old, defective 500k potentiometers are replaced with new 250k pots (as it should be with single coils). One volume and two tone controls (with .22 and .46 capacitors). The tone pots are placed in parallel for independent tone control. This gives more possibilities in tone control. The neck has been tuned, frets levelled and polished. The bridge has been adjusted and with a new set of 010 strings. And a new pickguard.
The guitar itself is still worth little. Due to the adjustments, repairs and adjustment, it has become a surprisingly well playable and excellent sounding strat. Includes reference to blues master Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Here’s the Rok Ax on the operating table…
guitarsalvage 