Looks ok to me. Like a old neck on a newer deluxe body.

The Fender logo itself looks right but a lot of it is missing. Maybe it was re-logo'd. Fender will send out replacement logos for authorized repair people to apply. In certain circumstances. Perhaps this is a ammendment of that logo to suit someones tastes in the long ago of the guitars life?

Ideally we need to see the underside of the heel end of the neck.
Also the pickups could be anything without seeing the underside of the pickguard.

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Hi, I have a 1998 fender deluxe strat & 2004. The tuners should be locking tuners on the deluxe series. the neck looks authenic with the inlays and the logo fender should be raised on the deluxe series as shown but you are missing the word stratocaster in smaller writing after the word fender that should be also raised (may have been taken off) . the body is a deluxe body but not that year due to the bolt plate- the 1998 plate was still square on the back and later changed to the curved plate. I cant tell in the picture but the bridge saddles should by polished steel (looking like polished chrome). In 1998 they did not have the push pull switch. I would think that the guitar was assembled with authentic parts from different guitars or combined ordered parts. Hope this helps

I'll concur that this is what you were sold - a parts guitar assembled from mostly Fender parts.

As others have said, the American Deluxes have the raised silver logo. I had a very early 1998 American Deluxe and there was a noted issue that the logos were at the time applied over the finish and tended to rub off if you wiped the headstock down. Fender switched to putting finish over the decals to prevent this rub-off pretty early in the run; certainly by the Fall of 1998 they were doing this.

The tuners look like some type of Fender sealed tuners; an American Deluxe from 1998 should have had chrome Fender/Schaller locking tuners (these have plain chrome locking wheels)

From what I've read the beveled neck plate came in on the American Deluxes sometime in 2002. Since the body has been refinished (as well as reliced) it could be from any time after mid-to-late 2002.

The bridge does look like an American Deluxe bridge; it should have a snap-in trem arm as well.

I'm not sure about the pickups. It could just be the angle of your photos, but the pickups appear to have straight polepieces and they should have beveled polepieces. I had a CS '69 NOS Strat for a while (great Strat but I didn't get along with the neck shape) and it had beveled polepieces. They do have a black back without any markings (my guitar was a 2006; by that point they weren't using the "signed by Abby Yabbara" pickups, just pickups wound to her specs). Make sure you check for that.

That logo looks a little like a Lite Ash Strat's logo. It does look genuine.

To take the neck off it is, completely unscrew neck plate. Lay the guitar flat, lift the headstock end of the neck to lever the ting out. Keep a eye out for any shims used. Try your hardest to make sure they go back in the neck pocket in the same position.
When you put the neck back on, don't over tighten the screws. All it will do is strip the maple of the neck. I, and a few others screw them in then go round them in a diagonal pattern tightening them. Like you would putting a wheel on a car.
Make sure your strings are slackend right off before you take a screwdriver to the neck.

Also if you put a capo on the first fret you don't have to completely remove the strings, just slacken em right off.

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No no and no

Looks nice.. However most importantly is how does it play and sound??

IMHO I believe we are going too far in this quest of is it real??
Leo Fender designed the Stratocaster as well as the Telecaster so that a musician could replace, swap out or repair any of the parts.
Seriously, if it is "Vintage" and that to me means 1950's or 1960's then OK it is a concern if the parts are not original, but even vintage strats were often assembled from bodies,necks and hardware from separate years.

Had I seen your guitar in my corner of the world, I would have snapped it up.

My 2001 MIM strat is a hybrid, began as a Deluxe Players Strat, vintage hardware changed to Sperzel locking tuners, noiseless Pups changed to SCN's and super switching deleted. Back plate and pickguard changed to red tortoise and knobs changed to gold with abalone inlay. The previous owner swapped out the bridge trem to a solid brass.
Sound wise it is now a clear/clean strat, as well as a unusual look.

But on my CS 56 NOS I would not swap out parts, some strats if not most of the recent configurations 1990's to today are candidates for customising according to the players needs and in the process becomes a bit more personal.
The trick is to do it right, enhance if need be but not destroy.
The singular Fender logo on your strat is novel and gives it it's own identity

ENJOY...

The decal looks okay to me - from what I remember my '98 and my '04 looking like It's likely that in the parting-out process part of the "Stratocaster" got rubbed of so they just took all of it off the neck but left the "Fender".

The Fender/Schaller sealed tuners and the Fender/Schaller locking tuners do have the same footprint.

Until the Road Worns no production-line Fender was reliced, and the relicing process removes the finish; there wouldn't be any finish over the worn areas.

Sounds like the bridge was also "assembled" - since it has a screw-in arm it is probably an American Standard/American Series bridge (from 1986-2007, not the "new" American Standard bridge) with the American Deluxe chrome plated saddles.

The pickups may be Fender - the 1982-1997 American Vintage Strat pickups did not have beveled polepieces but I can't remember what the backs looked like. They are not CS-69s since they don't have beveled polepieces.

@ nikininja & John C

thanks for the extra input

@ 53 magnatone

I understand what you are getting at here ... if it looks good, feels good, sounds good it is good etc ... I just wanted someone more knowledgeable than I to give me extra info / advice


btw ... I forgot to say how much I paid for it ...

£350 UK (approx $550 US)

... and a 30 mile round trip in the car

A bargain??

Well I am happy with it so I guess it is ...

That's the exact same decal that is on my Fender Custom Shop set neck USA Showmaster that Fender built for me a few years ago. Nothing else is on the front of the headstock of mine.

Yes it's a bargain.
You cant get a used Deluxe in the uk for £350, thats pretty much what it is.

Here's the Lite Ash Strat I mentioned earlier.



Different logo and truss access hole surround.

Bring the thing to me, I'll give it a once over in person.

I just want a chance to play other guitars really.

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@ 2 many strats ... that's interesting too ... meaning it could be American Deluxe or could be Custom SHop ... either way it's a decent neck from a decent guitar


@ nikininja ... the more I learn the more I realise what a bargain it is ...

Most of my questions and concerns / issues have now been addressed ... the pickups remain an unknown factor ... I was told they are Custom Shop 69s ... here are some pics of the underside of the pickguard and the pickups ... maybe you good, knowledgeable folk know what to look for ...












Thanks.

fine looking fiddle. i wouldnt worry if your happy with it.
looks like you got what you paid for, a nice guitar

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

@ way cool jr

thanks dude

she looks, feels, plays just sweet