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Post subject: Unusual 1995 Bullet Series NC4 serial no. - looking for info
Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2016 10:23 am
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I recently bought an old Squier "Bullet Series" Stratocaster. The neck plate says "Made in China" and has an NC4***** serial number. The NC4 serial number indicates that the guitar was made in 1995 (according to Tony Bacon's Squier book). It's got a few unusual features and I was wondering if anyone knew how this model came into being.

Anyhow, it has features similar to a pre-CBS 60s strat such as the truss rod adjust being hidden at the heel of the neck, an 8-hole pickguard, and a rosewood fretboard with no skunk stripe yet, it has modern features such as a swimming pool route and 22 frets with the end of the fretboard overhanging the pickguard (see pictures below). I haven't verified the fretboard radius but it appears to be a modern 9.5".

Also, it's got the usual inexpensive Squier hardware and pickups (we've all seen them - so no pictures except for the lousy trapezoid tuners) but the body wood appears to be alder or poplar (see pictures below) instead of the expected plywood or basswood.

Another thing that is unusual is that the neck plate is in two pieces with a metal upper plate and a plastic lower plate.

No truss rod adjust at the headstock (note the short distance from the bottom tuner to the edge of the headstock - there's not enough room to upgrade to vintage or "f style" tuners)
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Two piece neckplate with NC4 serial number
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Truss rod adjust is only accessible with the neck removed from the body (this may be a good idea for a beginner's guitar!) and note the 22nd fret and overhanging fretboard
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Truss rod adjust is at heel of neck
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No markings on the back of the headstock and no skunk stripe (note the unreliable trapezoid type tuners)
Image


Last edited by Coemgen on Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:18 am, edited 4 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Unusual 1994 Bullet Series NC4 serial no. - looking for
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2016 1:47 am
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First, your pics don't show - not even if I do the "quote" and copy the address straight from your text.
Try this: How to post pics - Nutter's quick start guide

On the guitar, I think nobody can answer that "how this model came into being" question. At the time, FMIC expanded to many Asian countries, China being one of them. There were many models (even many Bullets), some of them considered to be better (solid wood, full size body) and some worse (thinner, plywood).

But let's see the pics, maybe they'll shed some more light on the guitar.


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Post subject: Re: Unusual 1994 Bullet Series NC4 serial no. - looking for
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2016 8:03 am
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jmattis,

Thanks for the image posting help link.

I thought I could host my pictures on dropbox but I realize now that only I can see them. I'll move them to another site tonight.

Also, I found a reference that indicates the 1994 Squier Bullet Series Stratocaster is a re-named Fender Sunn Mustang guitar. I'll post a link to that tonight too.


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Post subject: Re: Unusual 1994 Bullet Series NC4 serial no. - looking for
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2016 10:46 am
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Coemgen wrote:
I found a reference that indicates the 1994 Squier Bullet Series Stratocaster is a re-named Fender Sunn Mustang guitar.

I just don't buy that. I know there are internet rumors of Fender getting licence fees, or selling the same guitar under different names, but those are without support from any liable source - and that kind of business conduct would be almost opposite to FMIC's known policies.
I'm aware of Sunn Mustangs, though I've never seen (let alone played) one. But the who-copies-who goes into the opposite direction: Sunn of India copied Leo's Stratocaster, Sunn/China carried this on.
Squier Bullets are lineal descendants to Leo's Strats.

And the Sunn Musical Equipment Company is a totally different story... :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Unusual 1994 Bullet Series NC4 serial no. - looking for
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2016 6:57 pm
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I haven't found a reliable reference for a connection between Chinese Sunn Mustangs and the Squier Bullet Series but there are pictures of a Sunn by Fender Mustang at this link http://www.squier-talk.com/threads/ngd-sunn-mustang-by-fender.33155/#post-209174 that are reminiscent of my Squier Bullet Series stratocaster. Both guitars do not have a truss rod adjust at the headstock, both have 8 screw pickguards, and both have 22 frets.


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Post subject: Re: Unusual 1994 Bullet Series NC4 serial no. - looking for
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2016 8:34 pm
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The poster at this link http://www.squier-talk.com/threads/china-squiers-when-did-they-start.1640/page-2#post-276408 notes that he has a Sunn Mustang by Fender that is identical to mid-90s Squiers including having an NC4***** serial number.


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Post subject: Re: Unusual 1994 Bullet Series NC4 serial no. - looking for
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2016 3:32 am
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That "by Fender" sticker in the Sunn Mustang link you posted is interesting, never seen that before. Found another with a "By FMIC" sticker - totally different lettering on the whole headstock, though: ebay UK Sunn Mustang (Sidenoting: both of these with only one string tree.)

Anyway, the "Bullet" name has been used in Fenders since the eighties, so I'll keep my current opinions on the who-copied-who section, until maybe (don't hold your breath, even a lot of the MIJ's remain a mystery) some additional light can be shed on this.

Your guitar is rare, that's for sure. That "complicated truss rod adjustment" derives from the era when truss rod was very seldom adjusted - not many string gauges available, and often the necks were chunkier than in modern guitars. The glue job (neck/fretboard joint at the heel) looks horrible, check that it doesn't prevent the neck from sitting properly in the pocket.

Otherwise, enjoy the guitar. It only gets rarer in time...


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Post subject: Re: Unusual 1994 Bullet Series NC4 serial no. - looking for
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 8:29 pm
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Thanks - I am having fun with it: high action and unreliable 5-way switch notwithstanding. It certainly looks good with its alder(?) body and brazilian(?) rosewood finger board.

I wonder if Tony Bacon would be interested in writing a Sunn by Fender/FMIC book (or maybe a Sunn chapter in his Squier book)? I find it quite intriguing that the Chinese Sunn Mustang so closely matches the early Chinese Squier Bullet Series Stratocaster. I wonder if the Sunn factory and the Squier factory are one-in-the-same and is still in business churning out Squiers?

Anyhow, I thought I was buying a plywood MIK Squier with a known pedigree but instead found something much more interesting.


Last edited by Coemgen on Thu Mar 24, 2016 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Unusual 1994 Bullet Series NC4 serial no. - looking for
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 7:06 pm
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I'm thinking that the Bullet Series strat was shaped by a CNC machine set up for a 1962 strat with a few modifications such as the swimming pool route. That would explain the truss rod adjust at the heel of the neck and no skunk stripe.


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Post subject: Re: Unusual 1995 Bullet Series NC4 serial no. - looking for
Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 7:43 am
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On page 45 of Tony Bacon's Squier Electrics book he notes that Fender produced guitars in India under the Sunn brand name around 1988. There's no mention of Sunn China though.


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