New member: help me verify some authenticity

bjonesy77 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:03 am **Posts:** 8

I have aquired what seems to be a 1956 Fender Stratocaster guitar. I got it from a friend who inherited it a few years ago.

this is a snapshot of it with my cell phone. The serial number is 10xxx, just the 5 digits engraved on the silver neck plate. Its in great shape other than some dirty/rust in the screw heads and the piece of plastic is gone from the back. How can I verify the authenticity of this guitar?

nikininja · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:20 am

Without looking inside the guitar your best bet is to take it to a repectable vintage dealer and pay them to authenticate it. The going rate in the UK is £30. Its the work of about an hour to someone in the know.

If you choose to do it yourself you need to look at the neck heel and pocket markings. Pot markings, capacitor, switch, bridge and saddles, truss rod entry hole into the neck possition.

I must say that appears to be a tremendously clean example. I can see why you may question it based on that fact alone.

Nice guitar mate.

bjonesy77 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:03 am **Posts:** 8

Nevin1985 wrote:

I am 99.99 percent sure that is an Eric Johnson Stratocaster.

can I get that extra .01?

[img]

bjonesy77 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:03 am **Posts:** 8

Nevin1985 wrote:

See, it has a string tree hole, but no holes for the cover in the back.

Here is a real 56 strat to compare to.

http://www.provide.net/~cfh/56strat.html

The Eric Johnson stratocaster is based on a 1957 stratocaster.

would you mind pointing out the differences?

bjonesy77 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:03 am **Posts:** 8

Nevin1985 wrote:

See, it has a string tree hole, but no holes for the cover in the back.

Here is a real 56 strat to compare to.

http://www.provide.net/~cfh/56strat.html

The Eric Johnson stratocaster is based on a 1957 stratocaster.

would you mind pointing out the differences?

bjonesy77 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:03 am **Posts:** 8

Nevin1985 wrote:

If you were to take off the neck and pickguard, you would be able to tell 100 percent for sure.

The eric johnson stratocaster neck is marked, either stamped or written.

The body is also marked and barcoded specific to that model.
0068928 - 406

The pickups are marked to that model as well,

The pickguard has an assembled sticker on it detailing when it was made and tested.

I really don't want to take apart the guitar, as I don't really know what I'm doing. Espeically with putting it back together correctly. Is the pickguard easier to take off than the neck? That I think I could do.

bjonesy77 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:03 am **Posts:** 8

Nevin1985 wrote:

If you were to take off the neck and pickguard, you would be able to tell 100 percent for sure.

The eric johnson stratocaster neck is marked, either stamped or written.

The body is also marked and barcoded specific to that model.
0068928 - 406

The pickups are marked to that model as well,

The pickguard has an assembled sticker on it detailing when it was made and tested.

I really don't want to take apart the guitar, as I don't really know what I'm doing. Espeically with putting it back together correctly. Is the pickguard easier to take off than the neck? That I think I could do.

bjonesy77 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:03 am **Posts:** 8

Nevin1985 wrote:

These are the screws you would remove to take the pickguard off.

Do you know what I might be looking for if I took off the pick guard?

bjonesy77 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:03 am **Posts:** 8

Nevin1985 wrote:

If its an Eric Johnson Stratocaster, I already told you. It will have a sticker on the pickguard, as well as as sticker inside the body somewhere that looks like a barcode.

The pickups will be marked, they will say EJ NK. EJ MD, EJ on the bottom of the pickup.

Look for the shape of the capacitor on the electronics, what kind of position switch it has (does it have a 3 way or 5 way position switch?)

If your guitar is an EJ stratocaster, the wiring will be different from a vintage spec stratocaster. Do you have tone control over the bridge pickup? The middle pickup?

The EJ stratocaster is wired to have tone control over the bridge pickup, while the middle pickup has no tone control.

The EJ stroatcaster position switch is labled 51993 0514 with a little sticker on it.

sorry, I only have my blackberry for pictures. But the first picture was a sticker on the inside of the pickguard and the second is from the tone control which has 3 positions. So I guess it is an EJ Strat. How much is it worth then?

nikininja · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:15 am

Sorry mate thats a modern set of electrics and I suspect a modern guitar. The key is the sticker on the underside of the sctratchplate. Its not neccessarily a Johnson strat. I see nothing that points to it yet, infact the finish inside the trem cavity suggests its not.

If you could get a clear detailed picture of the bridge and saddles that would pretty much clear it up in my mind.

It also appears to have Shaller straplocks on it.

nikininja · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:00 pm

Well the hue of the burst is all wrong for one, that burst is far more in keeping with a old or relic'd guitar. The part number for that switch must be used on what 900,000 guitars a year. That sticker is on a pickguard I had on a mim strat from 95, its also on my 04 deluxe. A case is a case, you see em for sale from time to time. I strongly doubt the only time fender released that case was with the EJ.

nikininja · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:42 pm

So you resort to darkening the picture to a ridiculous degree. The lighting in your previous pictures was far nearer the OP's lighting conditions. The two bursts are very different. Its almost like honeyburst compared with desertburst.

[/quote]
The neck also has a far more vintage tint to it, non of the johnson anemia.

I'm sorry but the absence of backplate screwholes happens also. Particularly on aftermarket bodies for instance. Unless the innards have EJ marked on em theres no conclusive proof of the body being a EJ. It could quite as easily be a warmoth or allparts. Looking at the neckplate and the serial stamped on it, its obvious someone has been tinkering around with parts. I seriously doubt the OP has paid $30k for the guitar. Whats the point of misrepresenting a EJ as a 56 only to sell it for what a EJ's worth. That makes a lot of sense doesnt it?

Invader.CC · **Joined:** Sun Dec 28, 2008 11:10 am **Posts:** 413

Consider your self lucky if it is a real 56 you got one of the most sought after guitars ever made..If you have an Eric Johnson you have one of the most sought after guitars ever made..Either way you got a great guitar...

HNSFury · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:47 pm

I think all EJ strats have kokopelli on the neck plate.

orvilleowner · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 6:38 pm

Nevin1985 wrote:

How many other guitars that look like this can you name that are not drilled for a back trem cover?

You're right. If it's a Fender body, then it must be an EJ Model.

But as Niki pointed out, if it was a Warmoth body, it wouldn't have the holes drilled. Warmoth doesn't drill the other "small" holes either: pickguard, output jack, strap buttons ...

We would have to see the neck pocket to know for sure what it is.

It couldn't be very old. Is that a Feb 2006 date on the pickguard sticker? I believe a date is also on that switch: 0550 means the switch was made in the 50th week of 2005.

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