I recently bought a 6 month old, 21-fret, Noisless pickups, sunburst Stratocaster "Made In U.S.A" according to the headstock. I noticed right away that there was no serial number on the back of the headstock or anywhere else on the guitar, for that matter. I removed the neck and checked to see if there was anything inscribed on the connection point, but the only thing there was a "5" hand-written on the end of the neck. This makes me curious. The tuning machines and neckplate all have the Fender logo on them...which I know doesn't officially make it a true Fender. Anyways, I wish I could post pictures on here, but I was wondering if there was any other indications to look for to determine it's legitimacy. Thanks.

How much was it and what condition was it sold as

I bought it from someone here in Korea for $160 and he bought it here new for $250. The condition is pretty mint, with a little use and a small paint chip where a belt buckle would hit while playing.

Then it's a high chance you got ripped off.

Stratocasters made in the United States can usually be from 600 at least to 1k or up depending on the model, pick ups etc.

It may be a Squier Stratocaster since Fender does own Squier if i am right but there would be a Squier logo on the headstock.

The 5 might be and indicator of how high it is in some length, which if it is then it would make it more obvious it's a fake since Fender doesn't label their guitars with numbers, but the 5 could have just been written on by the owner.

Hope I helped!
You could also go to a guitar store and ask for help there

Yeah, that's what I figured. As soon as he told me how much he bought it for....NEW....I knew something wasn't right. At least I didn't spend more than I did. But as far as the Squire possibility, it "looks" like a true Fender logo on the headstock, with the whole "Fender Stratocastor" decal and everything. Anyways, I appreciate your help. Just wanted a second opinion on it. When I get back to the states I'm gonna get it looked at.

AFAIK the only 21 fret USA Fenders are the vintage reissues and Artist series, and those have the serial on the neck plate

Sadly logos can be copied just as easy as every other detail on a counterfeit/fake guitar.

You should take some quality photos of it and post them here so we can see to make 100% sure.

However It sounds like from what your saying its a fake. Unless you want to keep it give it back to your friend and get a refund.

Their are two problems when you bring it to the States. First is its illegal as its a fake. Second is if you try to sell it you will have to tell them that your passing them a fake. If anyone sees you post an advert for a fake they will probably get you to remove it or make a complaint.

Probably a small chance of getting caught but unless your in love with the guitar its not worth the hassle.

Here are some pictures of it. Hope this helps. Sorry about all the fingerprints.

Hi DABrault, welcome to the Forum.

On the headstock: "ORIGINAL Eanlaun Badu" - what's that meant to be?

I dunno, that's ringing warning bells somewhere in my mind...

Seriously. One of the things I was hoping to see in your pics was the trussrod entry hole. Unfortunately it is covered by your pick - but in this particular case I don't think it matters. I think we know what we're looking at here...

Sorry.

Anyhow. If you decide to bring it home be sure to have a convincing receipt to show, cos if at Customs they think it's real they are going to charge you duty based on the price of a US Strat in America. And if you manage to convince them it's a fake - they might have views on that, too.

Tricky...

Let us know how the story turns out, huh?

Good luck - C

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Here's the picture of the truss rod. Yeah, that weird marking on the headstock....I have no clue. Either way, the guitar sounds good and I didn't pay much for it. It's no big loss to me.

I do believe its malay- according to google. I dont know what it means though... Translate says it means "New Allowance" if you change badu to baru.

So "Original New Allowance" eh...

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So in a way, it's a rare find! J/K It's alright though. I just needed something to mess around with and learn on.

Hi again DABrault: OK, the trussrod entry hole tells us what we suspected. There is no walnut surround to the hole, so beyond the shadow of a doubt it is not an American Strat. And there is no black plastic lining to the hole either, so it is not a Mexican or Korean Fender.

"Nude" holes like that have appeared on Squier guitars at least since the '90s Chinese made ones. To this day that style of trussrod entry is to be found on the Affinity Strat. Here's a pic of the big headstock version of that:



So what you might have there is a Squier or Affinity with a fake logo and some aftermarket pickups. Or maybe it is just an out-and-out fake from some unidentifiable source.

Supposing it is one of the former then I guess you got it a bit cheaper than it would have cost new in the States. Not a fabulous bargain, but it'll be fine to learn on. So many of us started out on Squiers and the like: nuttin' wrong with that.

Enjoy!

Cheers - C

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Another dead giveaway that it's a fake is that the screws in the back plate are parallel to each other,on a real Strat the middle screws are not side by side but off center.Anyway the pups are probably legit so you didn't do too bad for yourself.BTW if you ever go to sell it remove the Fender decal or you could get into trouble for misrepresentation.The fact that it doesn't have a serial number almost guarantees the fact that it's MIC.A few years ago my daughter worked in the Gibson plant here and they used to get factory seconds from other manufacturers come in and she got me an MIC Strat type guitar with no brand name or serial No.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Yeah, I noticed the backplate difference earlier while comparing mine to real Strats. I really appreciate the info, guys. I have learned so much from this experience. And I noticed, if the pickups are true Noisless brand, those run $200 a set. So maybe I didn't make out so bad paying $160 for the thing.