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Post subject: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 2:38 am
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I am trying to ID a friends Strat. It is Cherry Red it has a factory number of 49326 on the neck plate at the back of the guitar. MY investigations have revealed that the number refers to the year 1962 but my problem is that the switches that control the pickups are not the same as any I have seen from similar guitars.

This Strat has 3 individual rocker switches to control the pickups but every Strat I have looked at has a slider instead. Any light that could be thrown on this puzzle would be greatly appreciated


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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:08 pm
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Need pictures... and something like this, plenty of them including the back of the pickguard and body cavities, before we can even make a guess.

Upload pics to a hosting site like Imgur and link to it from here using the IMG tags.

No Stratocaster ever came with toggle switches, and AFAIK, no Fender ever came with rockers. Some in the 90s came with pushbuttons.
But there were a lot of "Strat-like" guitars sold in the 70s that used rocker switches.

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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:05 pm
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I agree with, Rich. I’ve never seen a stock Fender with rocker switches. Never say never, but doubtful at best. I certainly don’t recall having seen or heard of one in 1962 or later. There are plenty of members here with a history of playing and/or collecting Fenders from the 50s and 60s both during those times and after. If rocker switch Fenders are out there, I’m betting someone here would have knowledge of such a thing.

One thing I do know, however, is that rocker switches and buttons on guitars came into the marketplace when accordions were losing popularity, and ‘61/‘62 to ‘65 were a hey day for electric guitar sales before a short slump occurred after ‘65.

German and especially Italian accordion manufacturers took notice of this trend, began to make electric guitars, and during the early ‘60s rocker switches were introduced on several brands including those from the UK, USA, Japan, and others. So without knowing how the Stratocaster in question is related, and what the guitar looks like, there is a possibility that the guitar is from 1962, assuming it is authentic. Whether it is a Fender remains to be seen. :wink:
FSB

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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 5:47 am
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Image Thank you for your interest. Here are some pictures for you to look at


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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 5:52 am
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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 5:53 am
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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 5:54 am
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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 8:00 am
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Long story short Smiggy the truss rod adjustment is questionable. All original truss rod adjustments on a 1954 to 1971 Stratocaster are done at the heel of the neck. On a 1962 Strat it is through a small notch in the pickguard between the top pickup and close to the heel of the neck. Only a minor adjustment was possible, and the truss rod adjustment only came to the headstock in 1971 with a bullet. Later you would see adjustment at the headstock with or without the bullet. Some current Strats (like the Elite) have a wheel adjustment at the heel.

Note: There weren’t many maple necks on ‘62 Strats as rosewood fret boards were the norm, and in those days often maple necks were sold for about $50.00 more based on availability. So if it were an authentic ‘62 maple neck it would be rarer but not necessarily more valuable. If the neck on this Strat in question was from ‘62 I’d expect to see a little more wear and tear, but maybe not. This axe looks to be a player

As far as the switching, and pickguard, without the notch as mentioned above for the truss rod, I would say the pickguard is incorrect for the year (unless of course it was intended that removal for truss adjustment was the intention which I doubt being that there is an adjustment at the headstock), and we’d have to see the neck cavity (neck removed) and the electronics under the pickguard for more information.

Hope this helps.

FSB

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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 8:42 am
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I'll agree with FSB; whatever that is, it's not a 1962 pre-CBS Fender.

If you want to investigate further, the neck pocket and heel might give something to go on.


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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 8:50 am
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You need to remove the neck, pickguard and trem cover. Check the date on the necks butt end, check the neck pocket and pup cavities, check the trem cavity. These areas will help confirm the date of any guitar.

IMO, the frets look like they have been replaced-minor chipping, the nut looks kinda old, the truss location is incorrect for a '62 and the surround is plastic black(guess it could be a repair) Skunk stripe present.
The scratch plate is 11 hole & customized switching, the bridge saddles are Fender-Fender. The pups are incorrect for 62.

Most likely not a '62.


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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 10:04 am
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Three toggles are common for Schecters.


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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 1:51 pm
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chromeface wrote:
Three toggles are common for Schecters.

yep, this body looks pretty similar (although it only has 2 knobs):

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From: Link


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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 4:38 pm
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Great find on that Schecter, Ghost. Smiggy’s is not likely a Schecter Frankenstein; but there are some quirks that could be considered.

Hard to tell with the original focus, a C/U seems to show different but similar switches. The only thing common would be the body. Really good reference though sfceric64 and ghost_of_strings. I’m hoping big money wasn't passed on for this mystery Strat incorrectly assuming it to be a ‘62.

Schecter began in 1976, the first guitar came out in ‘79, and parts were made throughout. Ownership changed several times with American and Asian connections, and there were many endorsements with artists. I was thinking perhaps this might be an artist axe that went astray; but, I doubt a Fender neck would have been used as is with the logo. A check of the pickups would certainly be useful too because cheap pickups would also rule out this possible connection; however, good pickups wouldn’t verify anything. Would an artist want this particular Strat? Hmmm? There have been stranger things. Anything is possible. It’s in the hands.

Hey, Ghost. Any information as to what year that Schecter you posted was? TIA

FSB

Note: Fender and Gibson did not use Schecter parts.

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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 7:02 pm
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The dot inlays are also more consistent with Squier or other Asian imports... spaced too far apart and a touch small.
The truss opening is interesting... I can't tell if it's black plastic, or if it has been painted black, I'm not seeing much thickness at the edge.
Pickguard is not a '62, and the chance that it is a genuine Fender PG is minimal.
While a '62 would have been 11-hole, it also would have been a 3-layer WBW (and yellow by now). The single-layer plastics did not have the 45 degree bevel (like the tremolo spring cover).
Those toggle switches (these aren't rockers) were fairly common in the late 70s and 80s. G&L used (uses) them on the S-500 to connect the bridge and neck pickup, Kramer used them for coil tap and phase but Fender used a more robust (appearing) toggle on the Lead series, with a larger nut and washer... I honestly think it had the same guts as the smaller switch.

Image

Overall, everything looks too new and too clean to be a '62, I think best case this may be a '90s Squier that was upgraded with the new switches and treated to a new decal.

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Post subject: Re: Help meeeeeeeeee....... Fender ID
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2018 2:48 am
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Thanks for all the help people. Defo not a fender


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