Found it via classifieds but starting to have a few doubts/cold feet.

I first started doubting its authenticity when i couldn't find its colour in any of the recent MIM catalogues. The only close ones I found on the net were this MIA one and a MIM graffiti yellow with this sparkly scaly shiny pickguard.

A couple of other things then jumped out at me:

1. The head piece is the old-school MIA style, not the MIM style.
2. The Serial's really hard to read. (I asked him for better pics and the serial, but he's at work so I guess I have to wait til he gets home)
3. The metal piece at the back of the guitar has a horizontal Fender on it, and I can't find another Fender with that feature.
4. Why is there a super bullets strings sticker on the back? I found a picture of another fake guitar with this sticker slapped on too. And I got like :S...
5. He hasn't replied back since I asked him for the serial (though he did say he was at work) but earlier in the day he was replying hella fast.

What should I be looking for to authenticate this? (Assuming it's a pretty recent low end MIM strat)

HEEEEELP y'all experts. Please and thank you. Joe.

Do you have any idea what year it was made?

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2010 Fender Standard Stratocaster (Brown Burst)
Marshall Class 5

It looks american, I think the reason he hasn't given you a serial number is that there doesn't seem to be one in any of the usual spots, unless its blocked by the light in the shot of the back of the headstock.
Try and get a look at it in person.

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Rated "M" for meaty.

He said it was 1 year old.

But I asked for the date along with the serial and he hasn't gotten back to me yet.

Yea I plan on meeting him tmr.

Can you suggest some things to look for? Like where the serial should be, how the logos should look/orient.

I'm kind of a guitar noob. This would be my 2nd, my first being one of those starter packages from epiphone lol.

I reckon it should be on the back of the headstock, can't tell you much else though, I'm not extremely clued in on strats.

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Rated "M" for meaty.

Hi yijiao,

Looks like a Squier to me. The twelfth fret dot spacing, the pick guard screw locations, the tuners, the black spacer behind the neck plate, the lack of serial numbers on headstock all say it is definitely not a US, Mex or Japanese Strat. The neck could be something other than a Fender neck also. I wouldn't buy it unless it was really cheap.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Its a fake.

Things Wrong:

*No Serial on the Front or back of headstock
*Wrong tuners
*Butterfly string trees are in odd positions and are too fat
* Not a 1 piece maple neck with skunk stripe down back
* No walnut/black plastic plug in truss rod hole
*Wrong logo

Steer away from this one!

Oi I was afraid of this

Thanks guys

Hey yijiao, it does look like it has noiseless pickups, hard to tell in the pics. If you look at it in person, and it sounds good and feels good to you, it can still be a good guitar. It would have to be cheap though (maybe less than $200 ?), as it isn't what it is represented as, namely not a real Strat.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

but moooooooom i want a real straaaaaaaat :'(

i was gonna buy it for $280 CAD, which would be insanely cheap for a real one i know

I'll probably end up getting a new one for $500 plus a buttload of canadian taxes

Yeah, it would be nice if you knew someone in the US that you could have your new one shipped to, then pick it up yourself. I have had a few Canadian eBay customers do that. Save on stupid import duties. What was NAFTA all about if we have to pay import duties? I thought the the FT stood for Free Trade! Good luck.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

hey everyone

he says the serial is MZ6091923, so '06-'07 right?

does that change anything?

Sorry, but having a period correct serial number doesn't change any of the other concerns.
it's one of those things that is a dead giveaway when incorrect, but is one of the easiest things to fabricate.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

It looks like a Chinese counterfeit to me.

No skunk stripe on the back of the neck ... does that mean that it has a maple fingerboard?!?

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.