http://img709.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=deluxea.png
1) Logo - I've thought that deluxe should look like chrome, without (R) symbol
2) Contour body decal ?
3) Frets(could been polished by luthier)

It's described as Fender Strat Deluxe V-neck Relic...

Hi wiorys, welcome to the Forum.

I'm hardly the last word on the subject, but if the serial number is real then http://www.guitardaterproject.org/fender.aspx says it's a 2005 Am Deluxe.

To the best of my (faulty) knowledge therefore that date means it should indeed have the chrome logo you mention - but I wouldn't rely on that. Someone else may have better information.

Is the neck for sale? If so, ask for pix of the back of the heel. The screw postions will confirm or deny the American Deluxe ID more accurately.

Cheers - C

No, it's whole guitar (for sale), I've just posted headstock photos because it's the only suspicious part of this guitar. I'm not even interested in buying it, but there are many fakes in my country so I feel that I need to 'investigate'

Ooo - well then show us the rest of the pix, please! We love to investigate guitars round here.

And which is your country? I'd love to know of a country that isn't awash with fakes - sadly.

Cheers - C

http://img641.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=952650485.jpg
Looks good to me, but this headstock is really weird

I'm from Poland...

Oh, pickups are seymour duncan SSL, knobs are different, but the original ones are included too

Hi again wiorys: well, I can't see anything to question in that guitar. The abalone dot markers on the neck fit with the heel and everything else to signal it as a Deluxe. And those are difficult features to bother to alter if you're making a fake. (Odd bit of wear on the back of the neck near the heel, but not a worry, in itself...)

Come to that, I'm sure we see far fewer fake Am Deluxes round here than other models - no doubt for those very reasons.

All of this leads me to conclude that my thoughts on the chrome logo must be wrong. I expect the one we see there is probably all right on a 2005 after all.

But we need someone else's input on that: we've reached the outer limit of my not considerable knowledge on American Deluxes...

Best regards from London to Poland!

Cheers - C

Not a Deluxe logo, at all. Looking at this picture, I would suspect it is not a deluxe neck.


Far more likely to be some other neck thats had a poor lacquer strip to change the markers to abalone. I cant see for sure but the 12th fret dots look a little too close. It's hard to be sure with abalone on maple from a distance.
Also the pickups are not original to a deluxe neither is the wiring.

I'm far too cynical, but I'd steer clear based on the above.

_________________
No no and no

No S1 switching either that I can tell.

OK, thanks for your answers, but the question is:
were there non-chrome fender deluxe v-neck logos in 2005?
or some kind of deluxe special edition guitars with the old logo?

No and no. I have a 2005 Fender catalog at home somewhere. I'll double check.

_________________
Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

So it has no S-1 and no micro tilt?

Ha - eagle eyes!

I didn't notice that there's nothing lying beneath the neck-tilt hole in the plate. How interesting!

So presuming everyone's right and it should indeed be a chrome logo on the headstock - what is it we have here? A DIY fake Deluxe? If so, does that mean the contoured neck heel is homemade? And have the abalone dot markers been likewise added later?

Man, that's some effort to go to just to wring a few extra bucks out of an unsuspecting buyer.

At the very least I'd be hoping wiorys now puts some searching questions to the seller. And comes back here to tell us the answers he gets! Fascinating.

Cheers - C

I thought the V neck on the deluxe was a very recent addition. Past two years or so.

What I find intresting is the way the wood where the microtilt hole should be is bare. Why is that? Don't Warmoth make bodies with contoured heels and offer a painting service?
Thats what I think it is now. Up until now I thought the only legit thing on it was the body.

_________________
No no and no

No string trees on my Deluxe and a 2005 should be chrome.The silver logo began in 2004, when SCN's were the new pickup along with S1 switching . Niki, are those SCN's in his photo, I'm not sure............ Mike

_________________
The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

The seller feels little offended by me, and to be honest I can understand him. I've told him about my _suspicions_ and asked him to send response to my email and told that I would inform other people about my thoughts if he won't state his clearly opinion about his guitar (if he's sure thats original guitar or not).
I know it doesn't look good but to me it looks too suspicious to act slowly (it was the buy-it-now auction)
Anyway, the seller thinks it's an special, relic model.
Luckily he wants to know the truth about his guitar too. He sent me these photos :
http://img412.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=p3090341.jpg
http://img6.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=p3090354.jpg
He says there is micro-mechanism for neck tilt.
Anyway I think that 6 holes is a little too much for neck, but maybe Fender just do deluxe necks like that

And these are Seymour Duncan SSL pickups, knobs are different too

String trees? These small things on headstock? I think they are NOT mounted on HSS models