Is there a place i can find the specs on all years of MIM strat reissues? I have a 50's MIM from 2002 that believe it or not looks and sounds somewhere in between alder and ash ! It really does. I've owned numerous alder and ash strats and most of them were bursts or clear, and this thing sounds and looks like it could be either. So i need to find out what woods were used for various years or if they even used more than 1 wood type on this model.

Someone may correct me on this, but I'm pretty sure Fender used Poplar as well as Alder on some of their MIM Strats and Teles back in the 90s.

I might be mistaken (its a long time ago) but I'm pretty sure they were the 2 main woods being used back then (I bought an MIM Strat in 92).

Cheers.

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MIM Std Tele, MIM HSS Strat, Homemade Mongrel Tele, Blues Jr, Champ600, coupla pedals...sweeeet!

I'm positive they used poplar, but not on the RI's. they used it on the standards and from there on down. The MIM RI's have always been ash or alder. I'm just not sure if they were all alder or if some of the 50's models were ash. anyways, mine is either ash or alder but certainly not even close to polar in looks. It has a ton of grain like ash, yet the type of grain looks like it's in between ash and alder. It's quite unique actually, and i like it a lot. I'd just like to know what it is !

Can u post a pic? Would love to see it.

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MIM Std Tele, MIM HSS Strat, Homemade Mongrel Tele, Blues Jr, Champ600, coupla pedals...sweeeet!

Yeah, here ya go. To avoid confusion, it IS a MIM 50's RI body but i put a 60's RI neck on it and routed it for a HB.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like alder.

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Squier Classic Vibe thinline telecaster
Squier JM Black1 partscaster
Line 6 Pod XT Live
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Vox AC30 Amplug

Yes it is. It does however share some grain aspects with ash. the picture is the best i could do, but it doesn't do it justice in that regard. I have never seen alder that looks quite like it with those "streaks", or straight lines in the grain. (i really love it tho !!!)
But i did find out that they indeed used alder only for the 50's and 60's from start to now. I thought that was the case all along, but because this looked so in between to me i wanted to be sure because 50's strats were as we all know ash, so it would make sense they'd use ash for them. and as you probably know fender has often bounced back and fourth among different wood types on the same model many time in thier non USA lines.

My CP50's sunburst has the same streaks in the wood. Not as many as yours but they are there. The specs says that it is alder. If you look at a EJ sunburst you will see those same streaks. They kinda look like cracks. Beautiful wood in my opinion though.

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Squier Classic Vibe thinline telecaster
Squier JM Black1 partscaster
Line 6 Pod XT Live
Peavey VT Classic 212
Vox AC30 Amplug

I guess i just never noticed that before in alder bodies. At least not to such a degree or i'd have noticed i think. But yeah, it is beautiful like that. This guitar truly will be with me till the end of days. i've never had a strat that has both great looks and playability/tone all in one. something about the glow in the finish of this body and also in the equally as incredible flamed neck that came on it and that is awaiting a nice cream white body for it. Both has a sort of glow to them i never see on other fenders. that and the wood....just a very special guitar that is becomeing 2 special guitars now ! (once i get the maple neck on a new MIM RI body)