I concur.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Thanks for your help! Went to the other forum and Mike thinks its good! thanks again!

A few telltale signs it is legit, the serial # can be checked by zooming in to the neck screw plate, The case still has the protective poly on the latches. The sellers feedback is at 100%, that is also a clue this is on the level.

My only gripe would be it is not going to join my CS 56 NOS

Good Luck, hope you get it, sweet looking CS.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Here's a good example of a fake.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Stratocaster-Sunburst-Lance-Sensor-Pickups-/150530712327?pt=Guitar&hash=item230c546307

To the seller credit, he does state is may not be all fender, and he is asking only 390.00 for it. But it still a 100.00 guitar.
But it is plane to see it is a Chinese or Indonesian made neck, the paint it and body shape it all wrong and so on.

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Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

Thank you...great information.
When I got back into guitars a year ago, I went to the best recognized shop in St. Louis and ended up with a used 2004 strat with the 50th Anniv. neck plate. When I left the shop I figured that I probably paid a lot for it, but at least I can trust them if anything goes wrong with it. A year later I realize I got a very good deal on the guitar, and they took the time to coach me. What I'm saying is that if you have any doubt, don't hesitate to support your local dealer. It pays in the long run for all of us.

Absolutely, the smaller shops may be a bit pricey, but if you have ever tried to chase someone down who is a thousand or more miles away because of a misrepresentation then that extra $100 or $200 is insignificant.
In addition, some shops will not touch a guitar bought second hand online, be that because of the potential liability or because of the contract with their supply lines, it is not pleasant to realize that the guitar you just bought at a bargain is going to cost you in travel to a far away repair.

Where instruments are concerned, I prefer to see, touch and hear, any discrepancy can then be addressed immediately with the seller. ( unless the party is a reputable shop and stands behind the sale and return 100%.)

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

I have to tell you a story that pretty much says it all about fake products. My mother once brought back a fake Rolex for me when she went to Mexico. I was showing it to one of our friends and she said, "That really looks nice. How do you tell a real one from a fake?". My wife said, "by the person wearing it".

lomitus... thanks so much for starting this thread

Has produced a lot of great information which I think everyone can find useful
Since I am constantly looking at Fenders online, I will be sure to refer to this thread often

Thanks again!

This thread should be stickied. It is by far the best guide on spotting fake strats Ive managed to dig up online.

The OP mentioned Veneered bodies. Fender did indeed produce MiA strats in the early nineties that were built in this way, so this shouldnt be an indication of a fake unless its a really bad plywood job or the serial number on the neck indicates other production years.

For reference, veneered MiA strats were made between 90'-95'. Please correct me if Im wrong.

Hi, i want to know is my fender fake or original. Please help. Photos:

I loved your posting. There are two things that have caught my attention over the past 4 years on this site.

1. People who buy Custom Shop guitars without the paperwork. If I'm buying a Custom Shop guitar I want to see its papers. With the internet these days it’s way too easy to fake a Custom shop guitar without paperwork. For about $1K I could make a Custom shop Strat copy that would feel just about anyone. The problem with Fender is that all the parts are interchangeable. This is a blessing and a curse. Without the paperwork a person is just asking for trouble.

2. When you find out you have a fake the question I have is did you buy the guitar because it's got the Fender name on it or did you buy the guitar because it's a great guitar? There are a lot of great copies out there. I own one of them. I also built it so I don't feel cheated. I knew what I was getting into in the first place.

I'm not an expert, but the neck looks legitimate. The only thing that stands out wit te neck is that Fender web site says that the S/N should be MZ4+5 digits.

The body could be legitimate. I know that during the '90s Fender used a veneer top and back for their sunburst guitars. You can tell by the way the back has been painted at the top where the arm goes over the top of guitar. Non-veneer body Strats (Older and I believe current) the sunburst followed closer to the contour of the body. Strats from the '90s look like yours. Having said all of that I'm sure that Fender didn't do that for the vintage reissues or Custom Shop guitars. I'm pretty sure started in the 80's, but I'm not sure when it stopped.

Lomitus, please correct me if I’m at all off base on this. Like I said I'm not an expert, but the guitar over all looks legitimate.

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1975 Sunburst Stratocaster rosewood finger board
1979 Stratocaster with roseowood finder board
2001 Candy Green Clapton Stratocaster
2007 Andy Summers Inspired Telecaster
2007 '51 P-Bass
2012 Taylor 110
2015 Mystic Ice Blue Deluxe Stratocaster Plus

Thanks for info

You get mexican serial no's with the year then six digits. I've two Mexican guitars with long serials. Both bought new from reputable chains.
MN5XXXXXX
MZ8XXXXXX

What worries me more about that neck is the 12th fret dots being so close together. That don't look right to me.

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No no and no

No, i don't think so. they're exactly the same with other strats. look: