hello everybody im new here and i want to ask about a Fender Stratocaster with stars inlay. here's some pictures of it:









i want to buy this guitar but i'm not really sure, what type is this? i'm still wondering about the unique pick-ups, is this guitar fake or a really rare one? because i saw '89 Richie Sambora Stratocaster also has stars inlay on its fretboard. hope you guys can help me about this guitar, thank you very much before

Hi tonyrahman, welcome to the Forum.

Dunno if it's just my computer, but I'm not seeing any pictures in your post, just placeholders. Which makes it hard to comment further.

Broken link or something, perhaps?

Try again and we'll take another look.

Cheers - C

I believe the only Strat with the star inlays is the Sambora model. So you may want to verify the specs of your guitar compared to the Sambora specs for that year. Good luck.

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aw.. the pictures show up here, and in my friend's computer, too. by the way i have re-uploaded the pictures to imageshack. hope it works




i saw the Sambora model got HSS pickups, and this one has 3 single-coils. so, what do you think?

Interesting guitar, but don't think it's a Ritchie Sambora model because three things jump right out at me: Fender never made a Sambora Strat (or anything else) in that color, no signature on the headstock, and there is no locking nut.

Actually it looks like a partscaster and not even a real Fender. Those aren't genuine Fender pickup covers and the black single-ply pickguard looks suspect. The thick Gibson style nut isn't something Fender would use. The decals on the headstock look a little fishy to me too. Anybody notice the extra large "MADE IN USA" decal? Is that correct for an 80's Strat?

Here are some pics and details about the Sambora Strat for comparison:
http://picasaweb.google.com/teocampa/SO ... Signature#

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Sambora

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en ... art=0&sa=N

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

Houston - We have a problem ...

The first year of issue was 1991 for the Sambora. The SN of your guitar infers an '84 ... some 7 years too soon. Unless you can iron down the real background of this guitar, I would not touch it ...

_________________
Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

This guitar looks as phony as a $3 bill.

I urge you to pass.

_________________
'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

Looks like a Partscaster to me, I would pass, unless it plays well and was cheap.

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At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

that guitar screams fake...

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I am going to agree with the general consensus here. The nut is quite obviously not anything close to any fender nut I have ever seen.

Hi again tonyrahman: it's working for me now, so thank you for that.

First thing. Does anyone think those tuner keys look strangely non-Fender in shape?

Next. I don't know the history of the model well enough to add much to what others have said. But one thing is curious. By the look of the shaping of the wood behind the nut that neck has previously carried a locking nut as the Sambora Strat requires. It has then clearly been removed and replaced with that non-Fender sized bone/plastic nut, done that way because there is no slot there for a regular Fender type nut.



So whatever this guitar really is it was once closer to the real thing than it is now. Be interested to know if the seller has anything to say about that?

Far as being a fakocaster goes - well that's interesting to contemplate. Those star inlays are available from luthiers' suppliers - but it would be a heck of a skilled job to install them after the fact. Not the kind of mod just any old kid could do. Then again, some aftermarket makers offer necks with those stars as an option - but I'm not so sure that has been going on forever. I wonder if it was available back when this guitar was made? I sort of doubt it.

Which all leaves me speculating whether this guitar indeed left a factory (somewhere) as a kosha(-ish) Sambora Sig and has then been modded a bit by an owner (the nut, for starters). Bear in mind, all kinds of strange and wonderful things come out of the Japanese factory that we don't see much of in the west. And serial numbers are not always the last word in verifying them.

...But I don't have answers: just questions and speculations.

For the very little it's worth.

Cheers - C

PS Last thing: it doesn't add to the discussion here, but this thread on Mike Eldred's forum has a few interesting nuggets of info about Sambora sig guitars over the years:

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... 5496b67e50

...Oh, one more thing. If you do a Google search there's several other "Fenders" out there with the same serial number. That's always... suggestive. Isn't it?

Cheers - C

Sorry, but this guitar is just so fake in every way possible. I would absolutely give this one a miss if I were you.

Looks like it came free with a happy meal;

Headstock shape wrong
Tuners wrong
Nut wrong
Pickups wrong
Body contours angular...wrong
Pick guard does not fit (around neck)...wrong
Bridge wrong.

I think that pretty much sums it up, more or less everything that could be wrong, is . Steer clear of that one!

Russ

I agree with everything Mr. Ceri has said. That nut looks like a mod to replace a locking nut. So it could be something approximating the real thing at least as far as the neck goes. But that logo is a dead giveaway – it’s just not authentic, which begs the question – why, if it’s the real thing.

The guitar would be kinda “Franken-cool” if the owner had not set out to deceive with that bogus Fender decal…

_________________
'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

Many of Richie's Strats & Teles were built by Todd Krause.

I recalled a picture of him with an all-black Custom Shop signature Stratocaster with the same MOP star inlays, active circuit and Floyd Rose system, but with a rosewood fingerboard instead of maple.