i was browsing these ads when i came across this.

http://kitchener.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-se ... 200418467#

Looks fake. like a squier with some neck bolted on with fake logo.

anybody want to confirm this?

What interested me was that its labled at having "tex-mex" pickups installed. is there any way to verify if these are legit from those pictures.
the pickup covers looked cheap, and the poles look like that off a squier. but the usual two bar magnets on the bottom are not there.

The guy only wants 150 bucks for it. and around here that's cheap even for a knockoff Strat.

just looking for some information.

Thanks.

It looks like a Squier with a Fender Decal on the headstock.

I don't think it's a Fender anything.

Look at the heel on that neck -- nearly square (like a Telecaster)

As well, the 12th fret dot spacing is incorrect for a Squier.

And those pickups are definitely NOT Tex-Mex from the CS accessory line.

I smell "Samick"......

Arjay

I don't know ... I wouldn't buy it.

Look at the Fender sign on the head ... it's not completely parallel to the edge and it has no (R) sign. If nothing else, this is suspicious to me.

Look at the switch , it is cheap and pots too. The pickups are cheap and they look to be screw in the pickgard with metal or wood screws.

Run away... far and fast.

_________________
You're only as strong as
the drinks you pour,
the tables you dance on,
and the friends you roll with.

Well, to answer a few of the OP's specific questions here, yes as others have said, this instrument certainly looks to be a fake. No inlay around the truss rod adjuster there is a dead give away on the neck. I will say that the logo does in fact look pretty decent though...I'm sure it's a fake but I've seen some that just look -really- bad. The bridge certainly screams "cheap knock off".

Also I have to say that while it's a bit hard to be certain from those pictures, it's unlikely those pickups are actually Tex-Mex pickups for one reason: if I'm not terribly mistaken, the TexMex pickups have staggered pole pieces and the pickups in those pictures do NOT look staggered (although those aren't exactly great pictures).

-If- you are looking for a genuine Fender Strat, then as other's have suggested, don't buy it...it ain't real. However the real question here seems more to be "Is it worth $150?"...and that kind of depends. The thing to remember here is that in most cities here in the US at least, for that same $150 you can get a decent used Squier Affinity or even a used Squier Standard...and despite the ever ongoing debate, for $150 a Squier Standard is a damn good guitar.

Now with the guitar we're looking at here, right off the bat I would suggest that the trem is going to need to be replaced...I'd be willing to bet it's probably just a pot metal piece of crap. You should be able (after getting some good measurements) to find a suitable replacement on Ebay for around $50 to $70. The tuners on this guitar look decent but you can't really tell that by a picture...either way that's only about $20 if you need them. The pickups...that's another issue. Again I doubt they are "TexMex"...at least not Fender TexMex. Again you can't really tell how they're going to sound by a picture so it's hard to be objective but I'd suspect the pickups are going to be lacking as well and will probably need to be replaced.

Here's the thing...there are some very good knock offs out there. I recently got to play a Galveston knock off of a Gibson ES-335 and I was really blown away by just how nice this guitar really was. I'm sure the guy only payed $300 or so for it but the fit and finish of this instrument was just lovely to say the least. Even the pickups had a very nice sound to them...very vintage like tone really. Yes, the guitar did need a good setup (it's owner asked "What's intonation?" LOL) but otherwise the guitar was very nice indeed. There are some brands like Johnson and even Indiana that also have also made some decent knock offs...for the price. I've played a couple of $200 Johnson Strats that were actually pretty nice instruments. Are they as nice as a $1000 American? No...of course not. Are they as nice as a $500 MIM? Eh...not really. But for $200 they really weren't all that bad either...with a little work and a little tinkering, they could actually be pretty sweet little players. That said, if you're looking for a "decent used guitar", for $150, some of these really aren't bad at all. For that matter, take a look at some of those instruments coming from Guitar Fetish. With their Strat style guitars, we're talking between $170 and $190 new...but look at those specs! Graphite nut, the more expensive models have ash bodys and I know that a lot of people (including myself) have been most impressed with the GFS pickups. If you got one of these used for $150, I suspect that would be a -really- good guitar (again for the money).

The problem is that there is also -a lot- of junk out there too...necks and bodies that are really little more than firewood and hardware that wouldn't even make a decent paper weight...and when just looking at pictures, it's really hard to tell which is which. With a brand even such as Squier, you -know- there is a certain degree of quality with something like an Affinity or a Standard...chances are it's going to have a decent neck, reasonable body (as apposed to a really cheap laminate...unless you're talking about a Bullet that is) and chances are there is a certain degree of quality control there. Yea, you're probably going to want better pickups and the bridge could be better but it's not complete garbage either. In other words, you -know- what to expect. With an unknown clone however, unless you can play it first, you just don't know what to expect...it's a craps shoot.

So here's what we come down to here...-if- you can play this instrument ahead of time and find out how it sounds and feels to -you-, then yes...it might be worth $150. If the neck has a good feel and even though they're not TexMex, if the pickups do indeed sound decent enough, then $150 probably isn't too bad at all. If on the other hand you're unable to actually check this guitar out in person before buying, then I'd be forced to say no because there's too many unknown variables there. Again for the same price, you can get a decent used Squier Affinity or Squier Standard which with a bit of work can be very decent instruments to say the least. I have an '08 Squire Standard and yes, I'd like to get a better bridge for it and yes, I'm still looking for the "right" pickups for her but for the $200 I payed new, she is an incredible instrument...wonderful neck, incredible finish, very good workmanship, etc., etc.. Now I've seen Squier Standards going used for around $100 or so and honestly between that and spending $150 on an unknown make with unknown sound, personally I'd take the Squier.

Just my $.02 worth,
Jim

$.02 or $2?

$20

It's crap. Bad relic job to boot. JMHO-N

Without a doubt, the worst relic job I have ever seen.

I don't think the seller is out right saying it is a Fender Road worn model. He is stating so that people read into it what they want to think. He is saying that its a heavy relic road worn fender and letting you inter pit what you want.

_________________
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

alright thanks everybody.

I want really thinking about buying it. i was just curious. and liked to see what you all thought.

usually the stuff for sale around where i am is legit. but then there's stuff like this...