i came across nice 1965 strat for a good price. need to know if its bridge saddles which are stamped FENDER/FENDER can be regardered as non-original, or they also can be found on guitars of that period, alongside with traditional FENDER/pat. pend ones ?
many thanks

Hi mufasail,

According to a Fender book that I have, the Fender/Pat Pending saddles were used until 1971, and the Fender/Fender saddles were used on reissues. I am not an expert, so hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in too.

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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.

They are not original to the instrument. All vintage Fender saddles featured the "PATENT PENDING" inscription right up until FMI changed from stamped-steel construction to the cast pot-metal versions in the early '70s.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

thank you. it helped. can you also advice if there ever was a topic devoted to japanese or no names bodies in this forum? i havnt found it so far, and i also have strong feeling that this 65th body is also not original... so ineed an expert advice

Hi mufasail,

Your best bet for help in identifying bodies, saddles or guitars is to post pictures. To post pictures on this forum, the pictures need to be on a publicly available website such as PhotoBucket, like many here use. The pictures on PhotoBucket have links called "image tags" (img), with [img]at%20the%20beginning%20and[/img] at the end. If you copy and paste the img link here, the picture will be viewable here as if it were a part of your post. The following link has info on posting pictures, "Showing images in posts", and other useful info about posting.

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/faq.php?mode=bbcode#9

_________________
---> "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.

You haven't indicated what the "good price" for this alleged '65 Strat actually is but I can tell you that even in today's market a legitimate instrument of this vintage would command at least $8500 if in reasonable condition. The fact that the saddles are replacements and you suspect something very wonky with the body are clues that should impel you to walk away. A true Strat body made in Fullerton in 1965 will made from three pieces of alder (possibly two), have the tell-tale nail holes in very strategic places beneath the pickguard and jack ferrule, a paint-stick mark in the neck pocket, and some specific routing anomalies in the pickup/control cavities. Neophytes are easily and often duped in the vintage guitar business -- be wary.

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I sold a '65 Strat some years back for $6000,wish I could buy it back from the guy for that price,last time we talked he told me $11,000.
It was original in every way except the pickups,but I had the originals,since my dad bought it for me in '65.
I look at '64s and '65s at Guitar Center and others places for $35,000 and it makes me very sick.

wau! i was wondering through guitarcenter vintage department site and i would tell that it is something incredible for America. i am not an expert but when i see prices on some items higher than in Moscow... well all i can say it is nonsense!

Retroverbial! thanks again for your help. good price is 7k but i has already made it 6k. still if the body is non-original i dont want to deal with it! i wish i could show you the pics they sent but they are only on my hard drive so i dont know how to attach them here(

sorry everybody, i am not a good english speacker, so it is very difficult for me to understand the rules of posting images here.
here you are the link at the rapidshare with pics and even what the seeler has been saying about it. i will really apriciate if anybody could judge wether its original or not (except refin of course)
http://rapidshare.com/files/419707464/STRAT.rar

I looked at those pictures.

The pickguard is wrong. By 1965, when Fender switched to a white plastic (one that would not turn minty green), the one mounting screw had been moved closer to the middle pickup. That guard has the hole in the early-60's position of in between the middle and neck pickups. The full size shield doesn't look quite right.

I'd want to see up-close pictures of the headstock and the body routing.

Of course, if I were trying to buy a vintage Fender guitar, I'd want to see the thing in person and take it apart myself. That's because it's easy to find pictures of real vintage guitar parts to send to people. For example, your pictures seem to have been taken by two different cameras (check the properties of the files) and have different kinds of file names. So I wouldn't be surprised if the two sets (the closeups of parts and the others) are from different guitars.

IMHO one should study the following website and buy a few books on the history of the Strat before attempting to enter the vintage guitar market.

http://home.provide.net/~cfh/fender.html

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

Isnt the headstock too big for a 65?

This is one on Provide


The one you linked looked more like a 68's headstock.

Also the laminate of the fretboard looks like it's uneven.
This one is the same thickness all the way through, following round the maple of the neck. The one in the picture you linked seems to get thinner in the middle.



It could be nothing. It could be that a previous owner re-radiused the fretboard to a flatter shape.

All in all mate, I'd be walking away.

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No no and no

Hi orvilleowner
there are really 2 diff fotosets: external view is taken from the site of the dealler and close ups were sent me persanaly by him once they opened the guitar. the dealer is quite big with reputation (deffenetly not a guitarcenter)) and i had purchased their1978 jaazz bass the same way, and it came without any problems... the bass is all-original, clear, in very good condition...so, no reasons not to trust them, so far... of course i wish i could fly to America in order at list to listen this and other ones but its not that easy. all i want is a good sounding strat. i mean REAL GOOD sounding one and i know the ones of even late 60th are generally better than those of the 70th.

the headstock like this - big but with the transition logo is normal for the gtrs of late 65, and that one is of december 65, as you can see on the neck picture

Okay.

You are right that the headstock is correct for a late '65. The one nikininja showed us is an early '65.

But this guitar does not have the right bridge and does not have the right pickguard. I haven't seen the tuners or the routing of the body. If half of the hardware isn't original, I'd bet none is (that's IMO).

They claim it's a refinish and refretted. That knocks 50% of the vintage value off ...

Be careful ... good luck ...

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.