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Post subject: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 11:25 pm
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I tried searching the forums, but couldn't really find anything about the fender lead series at all.
Does anyone know what these guitars were made out of?
What would a Lead II body be worth these days?

I love the color, but the small size and short cutaways are kind of irritating. Also, unless I try to make a pick guard by hand, I'd have to pay around $60 to get one online.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:15 am
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Google is your friend :wink:

I read somewhere the first Lead II's were ash, the later ones alder - anyway, both woods were used.

Here's something to start with: Wikipage Fender Lead


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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 8:04 am
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Try an American Deluxe Stratocaster or Telecaster.
Or maybe one of the MIA Vintage RI Strats.
Or a '51 Nocaster.
You could also look at an R9 Les Paul or a PRS SingleCut HollowBody II.
Maybe one of them newfangled Taylor T3s with a quilted top?

Then maybe at least one of your guitars wouldn't suck so bad.

I think if you chase rare guitars that never really made a go of it in the market you might be plagued forever with your current state of dissatisfaction.

:idea:

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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:47 am
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I searched Google, but no one made mention of body woods or fair market value. The body was a gift from a friend so I'll probably just hang on to it I suppose.

Someday, when I'm not poor, I'd like to get a lightweight ash tele. For now my best guitars are a MIM Strat and a Chinese Tom Delonge Squire Body with a MIM neck.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 5:26 pm
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I owned one from 1980 (according to the serial# anyway) for a long time. I ended up selling it about 2 years ago for $650 (Australian Dollars = approx $550 USD). Here's a few old photos:

Here's one next to my 2012 usa special strat - showsyou the size difference aye?!

Image

Image

I'm not sure what type of wood the body is...probably alder...not 100% sure though. I remember showing it to this guy in a rare guitar shop in Auckland, New Zealand and he said that there weren't many made with the wide-ranging humbucker. Maybe I could've sold it for more than $650 now as the market seems better at the moment for older Fenders but oh well...at the time I was going travelling and needed the cash!
:-)

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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 8:03 pm
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This isn't official but . . .

http://www.answers.com/topic/fender-lead-series

Clapton's Lead II hanging at the original Hard Rock in London.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:23 pm
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Just get a black reproduction pickguard. It doesn't show it's lack of age as much and looks good on just about anything.

Get white trim.

I love the Lead series. I plan on owning a Lead II one day, probably after I get a Gibson S1 or GK-55.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:39 pm
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The Lead IIs were quite good little guitars,a guy I know who has a one man band outfit,played one for about 25 years of constant gigging until it was almost falling apart.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 4:17 am
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allmyguitarssuck wrote:
I tried searching the forums, but couldn't really find anything about the fender lead series at all.
Does anyone know what these guitars were made out of?
What would a Lead II body be worth these days?

I love the color, but the small size and short cutaways are kind of irritating. Also, unless I try to make a pick guard by hand, I'd have to pay around $60 to get one online.


As already pointed out -haven't you heard of Google you idiot punter?!

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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 12:20 pm
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Remembering a Keith Richards statement that I really liked. He was talking about his playing approach, and wanting to get away from being stylistically pigeon-holed.

He said something like: "I just play guitar. I mean, it's not like you can walk into a shop and ask for a lead guitar"

Evidently, that's not entirely true.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 12:42 pm
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Ever figure out what you think this Lead II body is worth to you?
I'm in the market for one....
I picked up a Lead II neck on a partscaster for basically free....


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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:13 pm
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Dan999 wrote:
... there weren't many made with the wide-ranging humbucker.


I hate to disappoint you but that's not a wide range humbucker.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 8:46 pm
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Ok. That's handy to know. Even though I've since sold that guitar, do you know what sort of pickup it was at all? Just curious?! Also, while I originally thought that the body was made from Alder, I've since read that the early ones were made from Ash. Since mine was a 1980 with a natural finish (as you can see in the previous pics) I'm thinking there's a good chance it was made of Ash. Do you happen to know?
Doesn't matter now really anyway I suppose if you don't!
Thanks anyway.
:D

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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 2:21 am
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I'm a little late folks, sorry, I definitely googled the hell out of this, I couldn't find what wood was used in the lead series. It seems that the body I have is a Lead III, the original pickups were basically two fender single coils squashed together. You can see where they were grinded or perhaps melted to fit together and have gone terribly microphonic. I tried potting them, but it didn't help at all on the neck pickup. I still unfortunately have no idea what this particular body is made out of, but I would assume Alder after reading the comments.

hudsonnh wrote:
Ever figure out what you think this Lead II body is worth to you?
I'm in the market for one....
I picked up a Lead II neck on a partscaster for basically free....

I don't think you'd want this body, honestly. The gentleman who gave it to the person that gifted it to me, decided to mangle the neck pocket in an attempt to put a tele neck on it.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Lead II Body
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 3:16 pm
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I had a lead II that I believe was ash. Same color as the above Clapton picture.That was my first Fender back in the day. Around 1980. They were string thru the body like a tele. The pickups sounded good,the neck one anyway.

I got into Van Halen I hacked it up. I put a Dimarzio duel sound humbucker and routed it out for a Floyd Rose.

That was a bone head move to route it out like that. I played the hell out of it. Some of those guitars had issues with the paint getting a haze look and peeling.

Mine did not but did ware like Strat type guitars do. I actually traded it for a first run Kramer Baretta.

I saw one on The Gear Page for sale of $450.

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