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Post subject: Identification help needed
Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 3:41 pm
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I bought this in the early 90's. According to the serial number this was made in japan in 1989-90. I believe it's a hot rod reissue but a reissue of what, i have no idea. Any help would be greatly appreciated, pics below, thanks!
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/195ka705Ban9PXwxQXPqnCclOTTqxocXp?usp=sharing


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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 12:30 am
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Well, the "Reissue" is highly debatable with the contoured heel and 22 frets etc. But with those, HSS and the Floyd it sure is hot-rodded. :wink:

Anyways, those came in 60's and 50's models; no specific year like on some other Japanese "Reissues".
Yours would be the 60's version (rosewood fretboard). Have you ever checked the neck end & neck pocket, those usually have the model stamp?

The guitar looks very nice & original. Did you know that the (interesting but unconfirmed) story tells these dropped out of production because they started to eat the sales numbers of the US-made Floyd Rose Strats..?


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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 9:44 am
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Wow that's amazing! Thanks for all the info! No, i haven't checked for the model stamp but i'll try finding it tonight.
thanks again!


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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:14 am
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Don't read anything into the "USA" bit on the neck plate - it was common to see Japanese Fenders with that neck plate.
They used the same plate on the HM Strats

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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 11:21 am
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Made in Japan neck with a USA body !
Look a part-o-caster

ImageCapture d’écran 2018-08-29 à 14.22.26 by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/137325788@N05/]


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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 11:25 am
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stratele52 wrote:
Made in Japan neck with a USA body !


Made In Japan neck and body.

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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 11:28 am
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stratmangler wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
Made in Japan neck with a USA body !


Made In Japan neck and body.



Why neck body / plate say USA ?


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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 11:34 am
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stratmangler wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
Made in Japan neck with a USA body !


Made In Japan neck and body.


I thought it was only US Strats that had the neck heal relief, so that would be my assumption.

It would be an easy check to see what screw holes are in the MiJ neck.

[edit] Now watched the video so it just goes to show there's nowt as strange as the world of Fender.

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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 1:12 pm
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John C pretty well covered the subject of contoured heel/neck plates back in 2011

John C wrote:
Ah, the contoured neck heel. It has really been around since the 1980s; it started on those "grey area" guitars from the late 1980s that could be MIJ or could be assembled in the USA from MIJ parts. I first saw the heel on the original HM Strats (the ones with 24 frets, the funky-looking "Strat" large script on a black headstock, and a Kahler Spyder trem). I believe these came out in 1988; here's some photos of one of these from the "Fender Stratocasters Made In Japan" page:

Front and back:
Image Image

Here's a rundown of the models I remember that have the contoured neck heel by dates:

1988: HM Strat Style 1 (made until 1992 or 1993) - these are the ones I described above. The photos are of an HSS version, but they also had a single H version.

1989: "Contemporary Strat" - 1-year version that had the hardware of the HM on a more standard Strat shape with a 22-fret neck. These have all the hallmarks and markings of an MIJ model but do not carry any country of origin at all.

1989: HRR Strat - these were made up until 1994/1995; these are MIJ, HSS Strats with 22 frets. They came as a '57 version with a maple fingerboard/1-ply pickguard and a '62 version with rosewood fingerboard/3-ply pickguard. They had Kahler Steeler trems to begin with but eventually had original Floyd Rose trems.

1991: HM Strat Style 2 - I believe these were 1-year models that had a Heartfield-style headstock but on a traditionally-shaped Strat body. These could have been HSS or HSH, and had either an original Floyd or a Floyd II (sorry, just don't remember).

1992: Ritchie Sambora Signature Strat version 1 - these were a USA-made version of the HRR Strat with other changes Sambora wanted - large star inlays, original Floyd Rose, 12 db mid boost. I think these were replaced by a more vintage-styled Sambora circa 1998.

Once these models were discontinued there wasn't a Fender with the contoured neck heel until the Jeff Beck was updated in 2001. Here are the rest of the models:

2001: Jeff Beck Signature version 2 - these came out in July 2001 if I'm remembering correctly; the model is still made this way.

2002: American Deluxe Strat version 1 - this was a late year change on the American Deluxes; I don't think that Fender even announced they were making this change; the American Deluxes just started showing up with the contoured heel circa November/December 2002.

2004: American Deluxe Strat version 2 (all veriations) - the contoured heel is now an "official" feature of the American Deluxe Strat. It is also added to the alder bodied American Deluxe Tele at
this time. This model is made through the end of 2009.

2010: American Deluxe Strat version 3 (all variations) - current model.

I may be leaving some things out.


I have one of the first batch of MiJ HM Strats to come to the UK - it was the first time I ever saw the contoured heel and reshaped neck plate.

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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 2:18 pm
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John Sims wrote:
stratmangler wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
Made in Japan neck with a USA body !


Made In Japan neck and body.


I thought it was only US Strats that had the neck heal relief, so that would be my assumption.

It would be an easy check to see what screw holes are in the MiJ neck.

[edit]


+1 US body


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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 2:34 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
+1 US body


It's not a partscaster, and the neck and body were made in Japan.
The model also came in Sunburst, as this old Reverb listing can attest https://reverb.com/au/item/972959-1989- ... -hrr-30094

I'd expect the OP's neck pocket to have the same detail as the one on the Reverb spread, but the only way to find out for definite is to whip the neck off and have a look.

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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 2:52 pm
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stratmangler wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
+1 US body


It's not a partscaster, and the neck and body were made in Japan.
The model also came in Sunburst, as this old Reverb listing can attest https://reverb.com/au/item/972959-1989- ... -hrr-30094

I'd expect the OP's neck pocket to have the same detail as the one on the Reverb spread, but the only way to find out for definite is to whip the neck off and have a look.



You look to be right , why USA neck plat ?


Last edited by stratele52 on Wed Aug 29, 2018 3:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 3:25 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
You lokk to be right , why USA neck plat ?


I don't know.
All I know is that the USA bit on the neck plate in this instance means nothing. It does not indicate where the guitar was made.

The curious thing is that there were no USA made Fender guitars using that shape neck plate at the time these guitars came out, nor had there been any beforehand.

Rob Schwartz might be able to shed some light ....

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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2018 12:01 am
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"The guitar looks very nice & original", like I wrote above. :wink:
Rob hasn't been posting in quite a while, which is a pity (Hi, Rob!), so I'll take a wild guess and say the neck plate is just a part which came from the US along with pickups, pots & other stuff. Note that it says "Fender U.S.A." - not "Fender Made In U.S.A."...

I don't like to disagree with wiser men than me, but AFAIK the HRR's were just 50's (maple freboard) and 60's (rosewood) models, not modeled after a specific year. Of course, I don't know if the 57 & 62 in the John C quote are based on the shape of contours or such. But the neck pocket stamp (guessing HRR-60) might clear this further.


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Post subject: Re: Identification help needed
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2018 8:56 am
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stratmangler wrote:
Don't read anything into the "USA" bit on the neck plate - it was common to see Japanese Fenders with that neck plate.
They used the same plate on the HM Strats


Oh the 80s and the stuff that came out back then.


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