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Post subject: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 5:28 am
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Hi,

I'm new to this forum so thank you for having me.

I recently bought a Fender Voodoo Hendrix guitar. After taking it apart, I found, what looks like, a few modifications. Firstly, the bridge pickup is usually rotated for the voodoo guitars, and this one wasn't, but the body has been routed for another way round. Could it be that this is the right body and neck, but changed pickups? It looks like one of the pickups has been changed (the bridge one), so another possibility may be that the pickguard has been changed (as it is dated 2009 and the rest 2001), and the bridge pickup, but nothing else? The neck is definitely correct!

Any one got any ideas?

Would really appreciate some help on this so I could go back to the seller if needs be...

Cheers

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 8:56 pm
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Wow... Where to start.
The body appears to be correct, as the black paint revealing the factory routing for the bridge pickup is reversed (bass side of the pickup closer to the bridge), however, the body was at some point routed for a humbucker, and very sloppily drilled to clear the mounting screws and legs.

So that's good and bad news... you do appear to have the correct body, but the modifications are going to destroy any collector value.

More bad news. The bridge pickup is mismatched to the middle and neck. All do appear to be Alnico, but that's not the original configuration.
That is also not the original pickguard. The Hendrix pickguards, as with the original body route, reverse the tilt of the bridge pickup so the bass side is closer to the bridge and the treble side is farther away.
The original pickguard was probably misplaced (or sold) with the original bridge pickup while the humbucker lived there.
Unfortunately, the correct pickguard is not available as an OTC part through the Fender store. An authorized repair facility may be able to order one... IF the body part numbers and serial number matches up with a Hendrix model.

That mess with the orange and red wiring bugs the crap out of me too. I see better soldering work from teenage students.

Honestly, I would return this to the seller for a refund simply due to the permanently damaged body.
Even if you can replace the pickguard and pickups with the correct parts, it will never be worth much.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 9:14 pm
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Yes, I agree, return it. Along with the wonky wiring, wrong pickguard, wrong pups, as pointed out, it also appears that the rwrp pup is in the bridge position instead of the middle position.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2018 11:14 pm
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CB91710 wrote:
... That is also not the original pickguard. The Hendrix pickguards, as with the original body route, reverse the tilt of the bridge pickup so the bass side is closer to the bridge and the treble side is farther away.

Yeah ... I would think someone buying a Hendrix guitar would note that from a mile away. You did not notice?

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 12:10 am
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A “Voodoo” Strat in Sunburst? Made in 2000?

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:04 am
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shimmilou wrote:
A “Voodoo” Strat in Sunburst? Made in 2000?

Ya, a whole lot about that deal doesn't seem right.
But it is undeniable that the original body route at the bridge would be correct for a Hendrix model (I thought they were all Olympic White)... though the feathering of the conductive paint does look strange, like it was applied after the humbucker route was completed... yet there is no feathering around the holes hogged out to clear the humbucker's feet.
Not sure I'd put any faith in the "Voodoo" pencil marking.

Also, the bridge pickup being mismatched would seem to match up with a story of a Hendrix model converted to HSS, then back to SSS with incorrect replacement parts.

I dunno... Do you think it was originally a HSS model without shielding paint, then someone routed a slight relief to make it look like the humbucker routing was added, then painted with carbon?
The sides of the bridge route DO look incredibly clean considering how sloppy everything else is.

And again, that red/orange wiring mess bugs the crap out of me.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:11 am
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There it is.
I'm calling it a fake.
Small area where the paint was missed (the one at the rear looks missed as well, but benefit of the doubt, it may have been chipped out), and an area on top where the floor under the "original" pickup is not even.
I also don't think those channels down the middle and across to the control cavity look right, but I have seen them before. But there would have been no reason for it under the single coils, and it's painted so following the story, it would not have been gouged out to clear the 'bucker.

ALL edges of the painted area look like the shielding paint was applied after the humbucker routing and ugly recesses were hogged out.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:20 am
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lol, idk what the heck it is. Looks like we have another “1 post and never come back again”, so ..... :?:

But yeah, lots of pictures of the same areas of the guitar, no headstock pic, no full view pic, who knows.

I think that the Voodoo was offered in only black or white, but not 100% sure on that.

Oh yeah, good catch, that does seem to indicate some tampering.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:21 am
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The price list of Jan 3rd 2000 knows the sunburst version of a Voodoo (010-6602; in American Special Series, 1399.99$), the color options were 800/3TSB, 805/Olympic White and 806/Black.
The Jimi Hendrix Tribute Stratocaster (010-6822; in Artist Series, 1649.99$) was only available in 805/Olympic White.

But on the guitar of the topic, too much mess to my liking. Possibly a fake, but at least modded too much to have any voodoo left.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:29 am
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Good to know, thanks j.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:38 am
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Ya, it's crazy that the only thing in the bridge position that ISN'T a mess is the supposed modification.
The humbucker route is nicely done. The bridge single coil is uneven. The only "smooth" part of the bridge route is the perimeter of the single coil, but a proper template can make that impossible to screw up.

The only Voodoo in that body is maybe someone in Jamaica has a miniature version of it with pins sticking out of it.
:lol:

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 2:00 am
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shimmilou wrote:
lol, idk what the heck it is. Looks like we have another “1 post and never come back again”, so ..... :?:
.



+1


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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:12 am
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I don't know but have a theory that the original Voodoos may have had a rougher than normal bridge PUP cavity.

They were a limited run so, to maintain control of cost, would have been done the best necessary for the sort life of the run. If the bodies were CNCed at that time I doubt they would have the time or even internal skill set to change the programme for a short run shape so it may well have been done old school by hand with a jig. This jig would have been good enough rather than perfect as necessary in the old days to do all of the production.

The indication that the upper original cavity is also a cleaner shape than the bottom of the original cavity also suggests done by hand. The cavity would but cut with multiple plunges. The final plunge will be when there is the most chips about. If chips get between the guide pin and jig they make an uneven edge. It was the last plunge so may not have been spotted or didn't really matter.

Just supposition although based on running such a router close to 40 odd years ago.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 11:44 am
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Ya, but if they used standard CNC routing for the Hendrix pickup orientation, it would have made more sense to use an HSS route and leave it at that. Such bodies were made by Fender well back into the 90s.
I'm looking at the edge of the shielding paint. If it were factory, it would have covered everything.
If it were a factory reverse route, however rough, and someone added the humbucker cavity, the edge of the paint would have been clean.

From the edge of the paint line, it looks like the H route was factory, then the S route was done to drop that floor a few 64ths, then only the S area was painted, witnessed by the bleedover of the carbon paint.
That's hard wood... had the S route been factory and painted, the carbon paint would not have soaked into the wood around the perimeter of the pickup to be revealed when the H route was cut... that edge would have been clean.

Yet we can see evidence of clearcoat and a yellow-stained sticker in that bridge cavity.

I have no clue what "tool" made the hemispherical cuts to clear the humbucker legs... definitely not factory.
Almost like someone tried to use a 1/2" drill bit as if it were a mill.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Hendrix Voodoo Guitar AUTHENTICITY HELP
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 12:07 pm
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CB91710 wrote:
....From the edge of the paint line, it looks like the H route was factory, then the S route was done to drop that floor a few 64ths, then only the S area was painted, witnessed by the bleedover of the carbon paint...


That doesn't really make sense. Why would anyone do that?

If the S route was done in the factory but if the final plunge wasn't clean and exacty the same shape as the preceding plunges you would get the uneven edges at the bottom as seen. The S route would then have been painted.

Subsequently someone decided to fit an Hbucker and the H route wasn't as deep as the S route and actually just shy of the original final plunge, hence the rough edge of the original being evident.

I am thinking a second humbucker was fitted subsequent to the first requiring more depth and a bit of in situ clearance. I say a second humbucker as the first humbucker cavity is so neat that I cant believe the same person would have undertaken such butchery.

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