Hello fellow Strat-ians,
I purchased this loaded body awhile back. There are no markings, numbers or UPC codes anywhere on it. The only hints as to what it is may be the laminate top, hole in the neck pocket or stamped logo on the pots. Can anyone identify it?...Craig(Strato-newbie)[img]

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Hi strato-newbie: from the outside your body looks like a Fender Classic Series '50s Strat in Daphne Blue. But the innards are all wrong to my eye. I've never seen inside that particular Fender model, but surely it doesn't have wiring and a switch like this one. Don't know what to make of the pickups. And those cavities look horrible. I'd be most dismayed to open up a Fender and find those shapes inside.

Of course, I stand to be corrected on that - but that paintwork is telling a story. I presume the paint scraped off the side of the neck pocket was to do with getting a neck to fit in there properly. Not quite clear what's going on with the paint in the pickup cavities. Is that dark paint on top of the blue and the white primer? Or is it showing through from underneath?

Someone may have further knowledge on the shaping of the control cavity, but in any case, unless someone wants to say otherwise it surely can't be a Fender. Far eastern copy or a home-build project, perhaps?

BTW, you can make your pictures appear on these pages by putting the "img" tag around the code, as I've done below. Within which case it really helps if you shrink them to less than 600 pixels wide, so they stay within most people's screen settings...

Lastly, is that your credit card PIN written on the pink piece of paper? I suggest you change it quickly if it is.




Cheers - C

I have a 50's MIM in daphne blue and that isn't it. It'd have aged knobs/covers, and fewer pick guard screws. Looks like a Squier bullet imo.

_________________
-Classic 50's Strat.
-Std. Telecaster.
-Mike Dirnt P-bass.
-Custody of SE Strat.
-Peavey Predator/Dean Evo/Epiphone DR150/Gibson Slide (much older than me).

Rellik Productions Inc.

Hi Darkly Dreaming: thanks for confirming that it isn't the Classic '50s.

Mind you, I don't even think it's a Squier. The Squiers I've seen have far better routing than that. Look at those horrible shaped pickup cavities! Also, the round router holes at either end of those cavities. Forum user Nikininja was saying that is done to accommodate the pickup screws on bodies that are thinner than Fender spec, which sounds right to me.

And look at the way the shaping of the lower horn doesn't fit the pickguard. And the less than smooth buffing of the finish. And I've never seen a selector switch like that even on Squiers. Those pots are unfamiliar to me - but that means little. Never seen pickups like that, but again my opinion is not useful there.

If this is a Chinese fakocaster then it is a fantastically badly done one. Looking at the wiring my bet would be on this being a home-made body. I'd be very curious to know what it was sold as...

(I wonder if I've met this seller before! )

Apologies to strato-newbie: I'm being very rude about your guitar. I hope you didn't pay much for it. Anyhow: it looks OK with the lid on...

Cheers - C

Yea, I think you're right. The paint looks awful in that one shot. Squier's are a lot glossier. Not tryting to be rude, but you can see in that glare.

_________________
-Classic 50's Strat.
-Std. Telecaster.
-Mike Dirnt P-bass.
-Custody of SE Strat.
-Peavey Predator/Dean Evo/Epiphone DR150/Gibson Slide (much older than me).

Rellik Productions Inc.

it is a FENDER SQUIRE ,, the difference between a Squire by Fender and a Fender is SQUIRE STRATS ALL HAVE A HOLE IN THE NECK POCKET ,,..... i hope this helps you

Thanks for the input guys. By the way, how do you do that IMG thingy?...Craig

I couldn't find a photo to verify it, but this diagram (see page 2)
http://www.squierguitars.com/pdf/curren ... ervice.pdf

of a Bullet sure looks like that pickguard assembly photo.

_________________
Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

That's a great diagram. Don't be afraid of hurting my feelings. I have no emotional ties to this guitar and all of these are spectacular observations. This forum is great because of the diversity of knowledge. This yields loads of information. For instance, as Ceri noticed, the pick guard doesn't fit the shape of the body. I never would have picked up on this. Also, there are 11 screws on the pick guard. The Squier diagram shows 8. Single_songwriter also recognized that Squiers have the neck pocket hole. Maybe someone cannibalized a few guitars for their best parts then threw all the reject parts together to get rid of. ...or maybe it's just a cheap knock off...Craig (Strato-newbie)

Hi Craig: though that hole in the neck pocket is not unique to Squiers. That's a very common way amongst many manufacturers of suspending bodies whilst spraying the finish.

It's ultimately the irregular shaping of the pickup cavities that makes me feel it's homemade. If that was done from a proper routing template it was a horrendously badly made one. Obviously that theory can't be proved, however.

Squier bodies these days are routed on identical CNC machines to all other Fenders, whereever in the world they are made. Perhaps that one was made 20 years ago with a hand router by someone who was drunk at the time. Even then, it's hard to imagine how it got through QC. Squiers are the budget line, but they're a lot better than this one. I have a Squier body from the '80s. The routing's fine.

'Course, we can chase this one around forever, since with a body there can't necessarily be conclusive evidence.

Sounds like fun!

Cheers - C

PS Just click the quote button on my first post above and you'll see how the IMG tag works...

The pic's of the trem cavity may not tell us anything. I measured the body thickness of my MIM and it is 1.75" This one is only 1.5"! Peculiar!...Craig




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Not so peculiar. The Squier Affinity models have thinner than normal bodies. I don't know if the Bullets' have thinner bodies too, but your measurement seems to answer that question. Thanks.

_________________
Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

I've seen photos of the Affinity. Is that a partly hollow body?...Craig