As the owner of 3 1980s MIJ Strats and 3 MIM Strats, I feel I can give you a little advice from experience.
The MIM Strats are easy to come by, and probably never become a true collectable due to several factors. That being said, the 3 I have are all very nice, sound great, play beautifully and were worth the money spent.
Now the E series MIJ Strat, these guitars are becoming sought after due to high quality, nice sound, and wonderful neck feel. They are truly comparable to MIA Strats from the same time period. Get a little fretwork done, and it should be a great player.
Just due to the fact that you can ALWAYS find a MIM Strat, I would go for the 1980s MIJ Strat. Another one may not come your way again.

for the last time back in 2006 the MIM strat whent under changes.
the alder and maple woods were the same woods used to craft the
body and necks of the MIM STRATOCASTERS are the same alder and maple woods that most MIA stratocasters are crafted from. the quality and craftmanship as far as the woods the MIM body's and necks are the same level as the american craftmanship strats period! if you a 2006 standard MIM crafted fender stratocaster you have brililiantly crafted body and neck along also with the jumbo frets the crafmanship is A+ AND BETTER THAN JACKSON FOR SHURE! THE MIA STRAT CRAFTMANSHIP AND THE MIM STRAT CRAFTMANSHIP FROM 2006 TO PRESENT THERES REALY VERY LITTLE DIFFERNCE!

Yeah right! The last time? Promise?

i dont know you but by reading your post i guess your retarded?

You know me and we ALL know ALL of you. Have a good one my friends!

Well guys, I ended up buying it last night. Unfortunately I had school work, therefore I wont be able to load the pictures until tonight.

If anyone knows anything about neck and neck pocket dating on japanese guitars, speak up! Or if anyone has a helpful link.

I didn't bring the serial numbers with me, but the neck pocket has STD which is pretty hard to read stamped in green. The neck itself has a large black Z, then ST and 4 numbers.

I may just stop perusing the info on it, as the headstock serial number reveals 84-87 production. In addition to that, I opened up the pick guard, and the pots have 250k and 84 stamped on them. So far that's the best indication of the date, so I'm calling it my 84 strat until better info arrives.

Overall I'm very happy with the guitar. The pickups are japanese made alnico magnets, but my tone sensitive brother says that they sounded just like his band mates american standard (around 2005). I really am impressed by the electronics, but I still plan on upgrading at some point. Also the tremolo was working well. It has the american style block in it. Even heavy tremolo use and it was staying in tune.

I believe the neck to be canadian maple, which has light flaming over the entire neck. Also anyone that says poly doesn't age well will have to see my neck. At the point where the neck meets the body and is not exposed to air, you can see the original finish next to the current color. The neck is dinged up a bit, but it doesn't effect the playability at all, and the frets are in good condition.

Like I said, this guitar is turning out to be a real gem. If anyone here was ever in the same boat I was, I would definitely acquire one if you have the means.

In addition the guitar is all original, so maybe it will be somewhat collectible by the time I have kids haha.

Oh, I'll have to post picts of the wiring when I open it up again, as I think someone added a wire that goes from the 5 way switch, to the volume, then tone pots. I don't know if this is standard or was done to help the buzz, but I think it was done to help the buzz as this guitar is completely silent. Also, there is mylar looking tape on the back of the pickguard around the controls. I don't think this is standard either. Originally I was going to shield the the entire cavity, but since it's already so silent I will wait to do it until needed. Also the body is the traditional 'worm' style routing, which I also think helps the buzz. Unfortunately that means I will not be able to put a humbucker in the bridge. I might go with one of those seymour duncan single coil humbucker deals for the sound.

On to the most important part... Pickguard color. As you'll see, it's black body, white pickguard, maple neck combo. I'm looking for a very sweet pickguard to go with it. If I can't find anything I like I'm just going to go red tortise shell. current leader is http://pickguards.us/images/145_tiramisu.jpg

Also I'm unsure of the body wood. I'm pretty sure it's basswood. Whatever it is, it's very resonate and sounds great unplugged. I looked the neck pocket, and it might be alder, but I don't really care.

Congratulations strat_tone!! I am sure you will be happy with that guitar. Enjoy my friend!! Looking forward to your pictures!!

Sure, the same alder, just more different pieces of it glued up:

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

Congrats! MIJ Strats are real pieces of work. My first electric guitar ever was a 1989 70s Reissue MIJ. I still own it and it's still my favorite strat.

That being said I did recently by the 2009 MIM Telecaster Standard, and after replacing the pickups with Bare Knuckles, the thing is a beast. I got a really good price on an American neck and almost replaced it but didn't. The neck plays great, I have no complaints.

Quick question while we're on the subject of MIJ strats -

Anyone know if a Callaham Vintage S bridge will go in my 70s reissue MIJ Strat from 1989?

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1992 MIJ 70s RI Stratocaster Natural w/CS69s
1996 CIJ Jazzmaster Sunburst w/Jason Lollars
2001 Hot Rod Deluxe
2008 Mustang Bass CIJ
2008 Precision Bass FSR Natural Ash w/DiMarzios
2009 Telecaster, Callaham bridge & Bare Knuckle Pickups

Note the date on that pallet of 3x2"s slap bang mid 06. Perhaps they ship the offcuts from corona to ensenada

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No no and no

Take a look at the "new" sunburst MIM bodies at "parts shops" like Pickers Parts.
You'll see evidence that the veneering still continues today.



The thing to look for is Black paint completely covering the back contour cutaway. The black is used to cover the wood underneath the veneer that's exposed by the contouring.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

So basicaly if you see a block coloured tummy cut on a sunburst your looking at a pieced/veneer'd body.

Thats a good rule of thumb that I hadnt considered before.

Here's that 57 from yonks ago. Note the amber extending into the tummy cut.


The roadworns dont suffer the problem


The mexican Fender Standard does though. If you look at this stratosphere ad on ebay the rear of the 09 standard strat is visible and shows a block colour on the tummy cut.
http://tinyurl.com/yldr6pv

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No no and no

Congrats on the new axe. post up some pics when you can

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Another thing, the wood showing in the trem spring cavity looks different than the surface wood (in both the picture I showed above and the one at niki's link).

The more expensive MIM models use a higher quality wood: bigger = less pieces in the body.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

Some MIM owners are so defensive

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"