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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 4:24 pm
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I have 3 MIJ Fender Strats from the 1980s, and they all have info on the neck end and neck pocket on the body. Yank off that neck (carefully) and see what you see. My 1985-86 Contemporary Strat # A039XXX has neck pocket #ST-555EX and neck # ST-555, which research confirms it is MIJ.
Very nice guitar for the money.

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A bunch of guitars, a few amps, some pedals and some other stuff that makes noise.


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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 12:26 am
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mullyman wrote:
The neck could be a Warmoth. If it is you make out like a bandit. Warmoth has good stuff. I have 2 Warmoth Strats that I swear by.


Mullyman, you nailed it! It is a Warmoth neck! It also has a Seymour Duncan humbucker. The only thing about the Warmoth neck, however, is that it's not a perfect fit in Fender's neck pocket. There's a fair gap on one side. I can do the setup and the wiring, but when it comes to filling and finishing and all that jazz.... yeah, out of my league. I might not bother though. It feels good, it plays good, it sounds good... it's a total score for a free guitar. I took a bunch of detailed photos of the guts of it but I'll post them later when I've got more time. Cheers!


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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 3:13 am
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paisley strat wrote:
I have 3 MIJ Fender Strats from the 1980s, and they all have info on the neck end and neck pocket on the body. Yank off that neck (carefully) and see what you see. My 1985-86 Contemporary Strat # A039XXX has neck pocket #ST-555EX and neck # ST-555, which research confirms it is MIJ.
Very nice guitar for the money.


Mine has a Fender logo in the neck pocket and is stamped as a 551EX which does make it a Japanese-made Contemporary Stratocaster. Thanks for the tip!


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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 7:14 am
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Zendocon wrote:
mullyman wrote:
The neck could be a Warmoth. If it is you make out like a bandit. Warmoth has good stuff. I have 2 Warmoth Strats that I swear by.


Mullyman, you nailed it! It is a Warmoth neck! It also has a Seymour Duncan humbucker. The only thing about the Warmoth neck, however, is that it's not a perfect fit in Fender's neck pocket. There's a fair gap on one side. I can do the setup and the wiring, but when it comes to filling and finishing and all that jazz.... yeah, out of my league. I might not bother though. It feels good, it plays good, it sounds good... it's a total score for a free guitar. I took a bunch of detailed photos of the guts of it but I'll post them later when I've got more time. Cheers!


Well, Warmoth necks are supposed to be perfect drop in replacements for Fenders, but with that said, your guitar is older and God only knows how old that Warmoth neck is. Anyway, no need for filling, sanding, painting etc... You can jury rig that little gap with a few pieces of paper or a matchbook cover etc... You get the picture, just to keep it from moving on you.

Hope you like that guitar. I grew up in the 80's so that looks really cool to me. hehe!
MULLY


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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 12:55 pm
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mullyman wrote:
Hope you like that guitar. I grew up in the 80's so that looks really cool to me. hehe!
MULLY


You know, when I initially saw the photos I wasn't sure. Now that I've got it in my hands and I've cleaned it all up and properly set it up, it feels pretty damn good. I think I'm going to really like it. Hey, the 80's are cool again anyway. ;)


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Post subject: Re: Contemporary Stratocaster Club
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 2:27 am
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Location: Mumbai, India
This was (and still is) one of the guitars I'm trying to hunt down. I'm particularly interested in one that has two humbuckers. These guitars are really hard to find, and some of them are sold at Custom Shop prices- and the variants that I want are even harder. Apparently, there are different variants with twin humbuckers. I like it that it's more or less a regular Strat, but also has two humbuckers with a coil splitter, a double locking two-way trem and at least 22 frets.

To help me in the hunt-
  1. Which model is worth buying? Maybe one with the right bridge?
  2. What's the body wood used? Plenty of ambiguity on that, and there may be some basswood models floating around.
  3. Can we fit in original Floyd/Schaller bridges?
  4. Where can I get the exact model? The hunt almost becomes a daily pastime, but some folks know better.
  5. If I'm buying on eBay, it's a buy-without-trying guess. I've got no eBaying experience. What should I check, and what work may be needed once it lands here?
There's a very enticing option on eBay, but it's got a whole lot of cracks and chips. Otherwise, plenty of SSS/HSS variants, but I want an HH variant. It's hard to GAS for something so hard to find- then it's no GAS, it's a treasure hunt!

Or maybe I'm better off getting one built like that?


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Post subject: Re: Contemporary Stratocaster Club
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:43 pm
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I totally want to be a part of this club. I got my Contemporary Strat in 1988, my dad bought it for me. I love it, anyone that comes in contact with it, wether it be techs or friends who play it, love it. It's Gunmetal gray with an HSS config. I have been wanting to upgrade the pickups to an EMG 81/SA/SA set. I also was thinking about changing the System 1 Trem to a FLoyd. (I think it's a System1) I would only do it if it didn't change the original integrity of the body. If anyone has has done this, I would like to hear about it.


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Post subject: Re: Contemporary Stratocaster Club
Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:16 pm
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Figured id join the forum as i have a contemporary strat HH that id like to learn more about


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Post subject: Re: Contemporary Stratocaster Club
Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 4:56 pm
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Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2012 8:51 am
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I picked up a 1985-86 Fender contemporary Stratocaster,model number 27-4200,system one trem,one tolume control,one tone control,three way selector switch,made in Japan,i think the color is brownish...anyway its all original and i luv it..


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Post subject: Re: Contemporary Stratocaster Club
Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 4:58 pm
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oh i forgot its got two humbuckers thanx all


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