I can't believe that someone is trying to pass this off as an original!

http://london.craigslist.co.uk/msg/1830690455.html

I'll give it a go....

The headstock is the 70's style large, right?

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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.

Hi Brian

Ive got it, the veiw from the back shows the guitar standing up by itself, it be magic seriously the pics are so bad its hard to see, is it that it has a 5 way switch ??

... Al

It is hard to tell by the pictures, but I'm suspicious about the lack of clear photos and information. But, from what I can see it looks like the correct headstock shape and size, the correct "transition" logo, correct 11-hole pick guard, for a 66 Strat. Maybe the twelfth fret dot spacing is wrong, I can't remember when CBS changed the spacing, but it was changed during the CBS years. The body shape looks strange, more like a Squier, but CBS changed a lot of things (for the worse). I can't tell from the pics, but I think that there should be a backwards F on the neck plate also.

What do you see that looks wrong?

The price is also a dead giveaway. About 4000.00 US for an all original 66 Strat? Should be three times that much. Bad pics. Sure would like to see the decal and if it has the five patent numbers.................Neck plate looks wrong.......... Mike

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

For me it was a combination of the price and the neck plate. Anyway I've asked him for some better photos just to satisfy my curiosity.

Believe it or not guys, but a 66 Strat is one of the least collectible Strats out there. No where near the value of a 64 or before, as most of the CBS era guitars aren't very sought after. I would want to see more pictures of the underneath side of the pick guard, the pickup routing area, the neck heel, the neck pocket and the neck plate before I would consider buying. But, if it is real the price is about right, it maybe even a little high. $4000 US?

Cheapest 67 here is 11,000.00 http://www.gbase.com/stores/gear/gearli ... ratocaster 4000.00 is way off............ Mike

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

Is it the headstock where it meets the neck it looks out of proportion and the curve near the low E is wrong? Blurry photo.

Also the sunburst looks a bit funny.

I noticed the picture on the right side looks like its been cropped at the 6th fret.

Wow, looks like I was way off, sorry. I thought that I had seen 66 Strats going for around 4 grand or less, maybe I was thinking about a Custom Shop reissue. I had better call it quits for awhile and get some sleep.

I wonder if the guitar in question could be a Reissue, American or Japanese?

I have no experience with vintage guitars. I just googled images of 1966 Strats and I can't tell anything is wrong from the pictures in the ad. They're too small for me to make out much detail, but the 10,000 foot view seems to look like the real deal.

I would definitely demand better pics and have an expert thoroughly check out the guitar before I plunked down $4000 though - whether or not that is a good price it would be a lot of cash for me to spend on a guitar.

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It's all good.......... Mike

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

I'm certainly no expert, but no alarm bells are ringing for me. The body shot that looks a little distorted could simply be an artifact of the digital camera that took the shot. More detailed photos would definitely help you decide for sure.

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

Well, it's hard to tell 'cause the photos are blurry, but it looks like it could be authentic.

Here is a photo of close-ups of what looks to be an actual 1966..



BTW, I have a friend who owns a guitar shop here in the "D" who has an all original 1966 sunburst for sale. The cost $25K.

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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

Well, it's hard to tell 'cause the photos are blurry, but it looks like it could be authentic.

Here is a photo of close-ups of what looks to be an actual 1966..



BTW, I have a friend who owns a guitar shop here in the "D" who has an all original 1966 sunburst for sale. The cost $25K.

_________________
'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