No not all strats. They are like 68-76 strats, but the headstock is the wrong shape for it to be a 67-79 strat.

Look



Mexican



American Deluxe



57 Hotrod



Mexican Telecaster.

On all of them the 12th fret markers are bisected by the A and B strings. The only Fender I've ever seen as close together as yours are the 67-79 CBS guitars and those with block inlays.

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No no and no

hey! so great post.. iwas actually about to guy buy a MIM strat from this dude and after reading this got a bit hesitant.. can a few of you "veterans" help me figure out of this is a fake or not.. if its not too much to ask, this is gonna be my first strat..

Body, pickups, hardware looks fenderous ^^

It's looks Fenderian to me

"MiM" on the front headstock?

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'78 Fender Stratocaster
Epi USA Texan '64 RI signed by Paul McCartney
'73 Fender Mustang
Gibson LP Deluxe RI '69
Fender Active Jazz Bass
Guild GADm20e Acoustic Guitar
Epi Casino RI
Gretsch Pro Jet w/Bigsby
And My Frankenstein-O-Caster

This Strat is currently for sale on eBay. There are so many things odd about this guitar (beginning with the color) that I just don't know where to start, but it looks FAKE to me:

http://tinyurl.com/4w5g8vs

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Stratocasters: 1989 American, 1994 40th Anniversary American, 1997 American Sunburst, 2005 American Standard Olympic White, 2010 American Standard FSR Vintage White, 2010 Limited Edition American Standard - Ivory. Plus lots of Gibsons.

Im thinking about buying this strat (it will be my 1st), but I cannot tell if its a fake or not. I read the great article by lomitus and some of the other really useful threads and most of the guitar seems good to me except the headstock decals are wrong. The seller has helpfully uploaded some high quality photos but there is no 'original contour body' or 'with synchronised tremelo' and the serial is on the back! I'm no expert and I really need some help!!

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/688/dsc2663c.jpg/

it's a MIM strat and as far as the serial number, it is in the correct place, back of the headstock.
The layout of decals have been changed by Fender numerous times and I believe that "original contour body " as well as " with synchronised tremolo is part of the MIA series not the MIM's.

There seems to be an allen screw missing from the E string Saddle but clearly is stamped fender on the saddles. Cosmetically it is road-worn but if the price is right, I don't see anything wrong with this particular guitar.
But playing it is the ultimate decision maker.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

hello guys..im new here..sorry but im not rally good with fender guitars..maybe you can help me..somebody wants to trade me his fender fsr thin skin guitar.he said its a 57 reiisue or something like that..he gave me some pictures..im not sure how much its worth and if im getting the real deal.hope somebody can help me..thanks..!!!
here are the pics..

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=28def179 ... &sc=photos

thanks guys..

Fender did produce a shell pink Strat. The guitar look ligit to me, but I would need a closer look at it to be sure.

If you are having misgivings then I wouldn't waist my time and money on it.

Unable to view photo's without registering / login in . Difficult time to back click out.
Sorry...Please paste actual photo's here on the thread.
I'm unwilling to be on another website and another log in.
Especially a Microsoft Windows based program.

If everytime a new poster comes onboard to this Forum, asking about wether this guitar or that guitar is real or not and only leaves a link to a website that we must register to view the particular guitar, then before long there are a dozen and counting new user ID's / Password's that we must remember. More often than not, the new poster never reappears after the initial question is answered, but leaves us with a new membership which now must be deleted even though our info is forever linked to that site.

Welcome to the Forum,
But this Forum is a community and there has to be an equivocal participation. We are all more than happy to answer questions from new members but there has to be effort from the new OP.
One cannot expect to post a question with a link and for the Forum members to go and research for the OP. That is not polite as well as no one on this Forum can be assumed to be at another's service.
This Forum and it's members is one of the better Forum's I have the privilege of being a member of and it works simply because everyone expects that the other person will do the necessary homework needed to clarify the posted question...

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

hello again .im sorry about that..i think i type in the wrong link..and im having a hard time posting some picture..i tried copy and paste but it doesnt work..hope this time the link will work.if not im really sorry and thanks..

[url][/url]
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=28def179 ... 1199&sff=1

hi again i got one more question.ahm he send me this info that he ask the fender company about the serial number of the guitar.he gave me this specs.but then i asked him wheres the case and the certificate.he said he ot it like that "no case nor certificate" so im not sure now if i should do the deal. he emailed me this

Model Name: FSR 2006 Wildwood ‘57 Stratocaster®

Model Number: 017-0053-(803)

Series: American Vintage Series

Body: Comfort Contoured Alder Body

Neck: Maple, “C” Shape,

(Gloss Light Tint Nitro-Cellulose Lacquer Finish)

Fingerboard: Maple, 9.5” Radius (241 mm)

No. of Frets: 21 Dunlop® 6105 Narrow Jumbo Frets

Scale Length: 25.5” (648 mm)

Width @ Nut: 1.650” (42 mm)

Hardware: Nickel/Chrome

Machine Heads: Fender®/Gotoh® Vintage Style Tuning Machines

Bridge: American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo with “Ash Tray” Bridge Cover

Pickguard: 1-Ply White

Pickups: 3 American Vintage ‘57 Strat® Single-Coil Pickups with Aged Covers

Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade:

Position 1. Bridge Pickup

Position 2. Middle Pickup

Position 3. Neck Pickup

(5-Way Switch Included in Kit)

Controls: Master Volume,

Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),

Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)

Colors: (803) 2-Color Sunburst,

(Thin Skin Nitro-Cellulose Lacquer)

Strings: Fender Super 250R, Nickel Plated Steel,

Gauges: (.010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046),

p/n 073-0250-006

Unique Features: Limited Edition Serialized Neckplate,

FSR Certificate,

Dunlop® 6105 Narrow Jumbo Frets,

Aged Knobs and Switch Tip,

White Dot Position Inlays

Source: U.S. Custom Shop

Accessories: Deluxe Tweed Hardshell Case, Strap, Cable, Meguiar’s Mist and Wipe Kit

U.S. MSRP: $2,049.99

Specs: Product Prices, Features, Specifications and Availability Are Subject To Change Without Notice

INTRODUCED: 2006

DISCONTINUED:

DISCONTINUED COLORS:

COMMENTS: Uses Case P/N 0023637000

WRENCH SIZES: .050” Saddle Height Adjustment Wrench, pn# 0018531000

the info and the guitar doesnt even much up..so hoping that you can help me out please.thanks!!!and if it is legit..will i be able to get a new certificate from fender.thanks again..!!! peace!

As far as the certificate, you will have to ask Mike Eldred on his column if that is possible to have a new one.
But the no case would give me red flags and I would pass.
I cannot imagine buying $2000+ Strat without a case and/or a certificate if it is supposedly a CS
strat.

I would cover all the bases but if it was me, I would pass on this guitar, too many if's.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

I've had Stratocasters for 40 years. I own 13 of them.

Bottom line...I still often don't know what's legit and what's not. Err on the side of caution and common sense. The guys in China are not bumpkins...they use sophisticated tooling machines and make corrections as necessary.

A couple weeks ago I saw a Gibson Les Paul Custom...fake...that was near perfect. No different from a legit Custom than two legit Customs from each other (at least to me). All the 'differences' pointed out a couple years ago had been corrected. A guitar tech who works on a lot of Gibsons would find internal differences but I've never taken a guitar apart before buying it.

Fake Strats. Not so much the whole guitar but more an issue of partscasters. What's legit on the guitar and what's not? there's a 150 so pieces and where's the tipping point where my 71 Strat is 'sort of' a 71 Strat. I still have the original body and neck but the rest of it has been replaced a couple times over.

One thing I shy away from on an American Strat is 'no original case'. An older Strat I can understand but anything a decade or less old and it's a 'no no'. I don't care 'why' there is no case...the alarm bells go off and I don't need to pursue it further.

Found this one on craigslist (sales pitch below -- note, seller doubts that it's a Fender)... He remarks that "there is no serial number on the back" but there is a serial number on the neck plate (61597) which suggests it's a 1960/61 -- doubtful. Anyone got a clue/opinion as to authenticity? Thanks!

Seller: "I don't know much about this guitar. I bought it four or five years ago on eBay. I played it for a few years and lost interest after my amp blew out. I don't think it's a real Fender, since there is no serial number on the back. It seems to be very well made though."