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Post subject: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2019 5:24 am
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When my father wanted to sell his Fender Strat I told him I would buy it from him to keep it in the family. In my head I had a story he told me about the time when the only place you could buy a Fender Stratocaster was in the USA but at some point they started to be available in Germany. So he drove from Prague to Munich and bought one.

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So I dated it to be somewhere in the early 70's. I brought it from Czechia to the USA and at some point about 8 years ago I brought it to one of my co-workers who had appreciation for Vintage Fenders. He swooned over it and reconditioned it and told me that it was a 1974... at least that was my memory then.

Fast track to last weekend when I was in the middle of selling stuff I don't need and after I sold my Fender Blues Deluxe amp I realized I don't fully remember what year that Strat was. So, I tried to post a question here, but somehow it did not get posted, and then contacted a friend of mine who occasionally deals with vintage Fender paraphernalia. He asked me how many bolts on the neck plate. I told him 3 but I could not find a serial number on the neck plate. He asked me to take the neck off and photograph it and to take the front plate off and photograph the pickups.

I took the neck off and the number I found there did not look much like some of the numbers I saw on line, then I took the pickups plate off and photographed it and sent it to my friend and he said that that did not look authentic.

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I was puzzled so I contacted my father and asked what year did he buy the Strat. He says, when I was playing in Germany. (he had contracts there several times) I asked again what year? He said I don't know ... when I was in Bad Salzschlirt, I wanted a Strat so I traded my Gibson for a Strat.

At that point I remembered he was in Bad Salzschlirt around 1998 so 1970's it was not :-) - ooh I was disappointed and thought about what he got for that Gibson and now I realized he did not buy it new and so the guitar is some kind of mishmash of parts or a more recent strat.

Now I don't really know what I have. This forum probably gets inundated with question identifying a guitar but if anyone is a game to comment I would sincerely appreciate it. Thank You. :-)


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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2019 3:45 pm
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Electronic look not from American made Stratocaster; pickups, switch and pots . :(
All look from far east parts


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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2019 5:43 pm
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I think the neck and body is 1976 (based on the stamp)

I think best would be if I bought the proper vintage electronics and have someone replaced them


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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2019 6:43 pm
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Yup.
Somebody gutted all the electric parts.
Didn't do a very good job either.
What's with that way too short wire?

Body and neck seem to be period correct.

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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 1:04 am
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Yes unfortunately if the headstock does not have a serial it should then be on the neckplate.
The guitar may have a body and neck from different periods of the 70s.
Hard to tell but I assume it has a bullet truss rod.
Electronics definitely not from a USA strat from that period. :D


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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 1:29 am
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I enlarged the first pic, but the resolution is just too small to get any real info. Can't even say if it's a bullet truss rod nut. And there seems to be something at the headstock under the big Fender; that's one place where the serial could be.

Is there a date stamp at the end of the neck?

Anyways, I'll generally agree with the above:
Body and neck, likely seventies Fender made, but nothing guarantees they are originally from one guitar.
Electronics not original. Two ceramic and one AlNiCo (or the worse option, ceramic without the magnet bar) pickups. If the switch has a sticker saying "YM-50", the electronics could be from a made-in-Japan Strat (Squier or Fender).
Those sharp cut corners on the shielding look odd, Fender/Squier usually have rounder ones.

But the problem with selling the instrument is, there are too many open questions, too little confirmed info.

BTW. seventies for me is old but it's not vintage... :wink:


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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 4:26 am
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Yes, agreed: Body and neck look right, but vandalised with what looks to me like Squier electrics!

Whether you fancy paying quite a lot of money to get it back to authentic 70's spec (electrics-wise), I don't know, but the guitar certainly deserves better than this!

Cheers - Peter.


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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 4:32 am
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RenRen, ask to your father what he do with original electronics .
Or he bought a second hand guitar and previous owner put low budget electronics in ?


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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:07 pm
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RenRen wrote:
I think the neck and body is 1976 (based on the stamp)

I think best would be if I bought the proper vintage electronics and have someone replaced them

Early '76 would have the serial number stamped on the neck plate, numbered somewhere between 595000 and ~720000.
Later '76 would have a serial number on the headstock beginning "76xxxxx"

I can't see the impression of a serial number on the plate, which may mean that the plate itself was replaced at some time after 1976, but the body and neck do look correct for that era.

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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:24 pm
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Here's OP's at 400%.... definitely a bullet truss rod. The mark under the script looks like a patent number like the lower right below...
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For reference, upper left = 1979 (front and back), lower right = early 70s to early 1976, upper right = current MiM "Classic 70s"
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Here's the '76 with the serial number on the headstock... Note the lack of the "With Original Contour Body" decal on the ball end. Those went away when the serial numbers moved to the headstock.
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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 1:35 pm
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I bought '75 pickup set on ebay yesterday.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1975-Fender-St ... 2749.l2649



I'm committed to getting it done :-) This will be a fun project although I will not be the one doing the work. I will commission a reputable local store or maybe I'll get some better tips on who is a good candidate to do the work


Thanks for the advice and input. Much appreciated. I will report with news as it unfolds.


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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 6:19 pm
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I sure hope you like those pickups as much as you like the guitar....
That is a hefty price tag.


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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:27 am
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sfceric64 wrote:
...That is a hefty price tag.


I am inclined to agree. However, with a correct pick guard it would address all the issues with the guitar in one go which would be a result.

You also have to note this guitar has a great deal more value to the owner than what might be considered in the open market for an instrument of similar age.

With pre CBS Strats now at prices almost unattainable to most players 70's Strat values are only going to go one way; irrespective of how good they may or may not be. That being the case, ignoring the emotional value, in pure monetary terms the PUP purchase might be a sound investment in years to come. How many years remains to be seen.

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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 2:52 am
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With this guitar, I'd only concentrate on the emotional values, and from that viewpoint any amount of money one can afford is meaningless.

On the possible future resell value, this guitar is problematic. The production numbers in the seventies were big, so the big money makers are the confirmed, original, mint condition ones.
This one will always have the shadow of a possible partscaster, and it won't be original, so nobody retires to the Caribbeans with the profits.


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Post subject: Re: The story of identifying my father's guitar :-) :-(
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 10:41 am
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I’d love to hear what else I should be looking for to replace.

Pickguard (duly noted)

Anything else?


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