hey guys, i recently acquired a guitar through a trade that has a tele body, and a strat neck. upon further inspection, the tele body is NOT made by fender, but i think the neck might be legit. i thiiiink it might be a 97'/98' deluxe american series or vintage series. the serial number is either X711142, or it could be XX711142, a bit of the finish flaked off right after the word "number", but it looks like the second X is an "N". so, i checked the product dating page on this site and it says that "N7 + 5 or 6 digits" could either be a 1997 U.S. Vintage Series, or a 1998 American Vintage Series.
what does it look like to you guys?
headstock: (says "Deluxe Series" on the round part of the headstock)

back of headstock:

serial number:

back of neck:

butt of neck: (looks like its been sanded down to fit the tele body)

neck:

Its a mexican deluxe series neck. The serial no has the MZ sanded off.

Found on a maple necked one of these.
http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0139300306

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No no and no

I would say its a 97 Mexican deluxe neck that has been altered at the heal to fit a tele. Look under the fender logo to see if any writing has been sanded off.

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Sorry on 2nd glance the logo looks fake. Or someone has painstakingly took the Made In Mexico lettering off from under the fender logo.

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No no and no

That's likely a MIM neck. The first two characters of the serial number have been removed so you don't see the leading M or the N. Could be a 1997 I suppose. I can't read the printing on the tuning machines but they look like Fender/Ping vintage tuners.

On the front of the headstock it should say Made In Mexico in very small letters right under the name Fender. See if it isn't also altered right there. Also sports the black truss bullet as a dead giveaway it's MIM not MIA. Looks like someone tried to alter it to pass it off as a MIA at one time or another.

Just passing along what I know as a MIM owner and what I've learned reading from the experts here.

edit: Thought I was going to be the first response. These guys are way too fast for me.

i don't think its an "MZ" thats been sanded off, there is a little bit of the second letter left and it looks more like the end of an "N" to me. the dating guide says "MN7+ 5 digits" would be 97-98, but my neck has 6 digits after the 7, not 5. so the only explanation would be if it was just N7111422 with a gap between the "serial number" words and the actual number, but i don't know, did fender ever leave a gap that big in between the two?
i looked under the fender logo, and it DOES look like a little bit of the finish has been taken off, but a very small section. i'll post an edited pic of where:

this is what makes me think its an "N":


and this is the small section where it looks like some of the finish has flaked off:

i'm thinking maybe somebody took one of those deluxe power strats that nikininja posted a link to, shaved off the "made in mexico", then put on vintage style tuners and shaved off the first two digits of the serial number to try and make it look like an american vintage series?

It can have more than six numerals. My MIM is MZ5XXXXXX. I'm positive that is a MIM neck.

Nah its definately mexican. I can guarantee you 100% that its not a american neck. Its a 2007 too or the whole things a fake. The mexican deluxe series wasnt around in 97, the nuts original and is too clean to be that old. They yellow before anything else.

Theres no chance its american deluxe. Theres a fret missing.

My MIM 95 is MN5XXXXXX

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No no and no

well see, this threw me off http://www.fender.com/support/mexican_instruments.php by just saying "+5 digits" whereas it says "+5 or 6 digits" in some other places, so i thought maybe it had to be only 5
i think i've got it figured out now though, thanks guys!

edit: oops, that makes it sound like i figured it out by myself.. thank you guys for basically figuring it out for me! haha

No worries were here to help.

If the neck was misrepresented to you, you have a legal right to get your money back. Should you wish.

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There are MIM serial numbers that go MN+7 digits.

Since the Mid 80's, American Strat's have 22, this one has 21. No doubt its Mexican. No one in they're right mind would sand down an American Strat neck to fit a tele-copy body. Mexican, probably.

Quickist way to spot American versus Mexican is counting fret wires past the last marker. 2 fret wires- 22 fret American; 1 fret wire- 21 fret Mexican

Dude- you just got beaned over by Mexican!

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ahh, i had no idea about the U.S. = 22 frets, MIM = 21, thanks dude
and really, its still ok, for what i traded i think i still came out on top

If it looks good, plays good, and you like it? Its all good then. $400 isn't bad, a little high for a Mexi strat, but still pretty darn good.

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Hey as long as your happy with it, thats all that matters. Seriously thats the upmost priority. Dont let anyone else tell you otherwise. If you could see my favourite neck. Its off a 95 bottom of the barrel series strat, that no one else gives a 2nd glance to. Not so bad in itself, but I fovour it to my customshop guitar.

The big giveaway on the origin of the neck is the black truss access hole surround. American guitars have walnut, or no hole at all with 60's reissues. The truss rod adjusting nut being at the other end of the neck. 50's reissue guitars have the truss adjuster in the same place but have a walnut billet on the headstock completely filling the hole. Both of those necks have 21 frets as opposed to 22.

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No no and no