Thanks for the info about nuts, Nocaster - it's a huge field for research, obviously, this whole Fender spec business.

Midnight Wine - yes, I know. I've not seen this listed as such on any (Whole Note, MF, etc. etc.) spec sheets, and certainly not on the Squier website. Nor have I ever seen another Squier with that finish - nor a metallic purple one either, come to that. There were plenty of Sherwood Green, and Charcoal, metallic Squier Teles a couple of years ago in the shops locally. I remember seeing both in Poole Music Centre in maybe early 2002.

As far as mine is concerned, I bought it new (well, actually my wife Jan bought it for me!) for Christmas 2002, from Guitar Mania, Ashley Road, Parkstone, Dorset. Chris Farley, the proprietor, sold it to us personally. It was just one of those guitars that asks to be bought... I'd tried any number of Teles that day, MIA, MIM and Squier, and this was the one. Just sounded like the music I hear in my head, the neck was perfect for my hands (esp. the oiled finish), and I fell in love with the odd colour. I had an old cherry SG for a number of years, and while I don't especially like SGs, I always liked the finish - and this Squier kind of reminded me of that. A more purplish colour, to be sure.

Thinking about it, there is a very slight metallic sparkle under the finish - could this actually be what was called 'metallic purple', misidentified as Midnight Wine? Is MW a totally flat finish, or does it (as it appears to in the pics I've found on the web) have an underlying sparkle deep in the finish?