I'm having concerns about this practice that we see on many posts of the OP asking is this genuine?
More to the point the complete disassembly of quite common MIA and MIM strats.
As a woodworker every time one unscrews and rescrews parts, necks, bridges, etc...etc..
you are inadvertently enlarging the screw holes ever so slightly and after multiple dis and reassemblies, parts will not fit as tightly as they once did. As well as the smaller the size of the fastener ( or screw ) the easier it is to strip the screw holes and worse
Not to mention that often times the seller will just grab a power tool and zip.. it's apart !
An old coffee table with bolt on/screw on removable legs is a perfect example.

I do not believe it is necessary to do this to a $300 or to even a $1200 guitar.
Detailed photo's and serial # should be sufficient as usually suspect parts removal and additions to these guitars are fairly obvious. If in doubt as to all original, ( which is not what Leo Fender had in mind when designing Strat's and Tele's but rather the ability to replace any or all ( moot point ) less than ideal or worn parts.) Then a renegotiation as to the price point is in order.

I do not include Custom Shop instruments in this as they are quite another matter altogether.

Any one else have thoughts on this topic ??

Ceri Niki ZZ Doc

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

I agree with your point, in theory (or at the very least, in an honest world) it does not seem necessary, and with repeated screwing and unscrewing there is probably a level of damage that occurs.

Then I take notice of posts related to fake this and counterfeit that... and I believe that there is some of that going on in the marketplace (I'd suspect mostly on ebay and CL but perhaps pawn shops and maybe even small, disreputable music shops) Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your intended use of such items, custom stamped neck plates with serial number and high quality water decals are pretty easy to get your hands on... so in some cases, taking a look under the pickguard or at a neck stamp is necessary to know what you're getting. Say nothing of the 1000's of honest do it yourselfers who have replaced pickups, pots, switches, etc with no intent of misleading anyone but when these used instruments end up in the marketplace, who knows what's been done to them? What looks like a perfectly fine MIM std could have been someone's soldering experiment under the hood...yeah it's only a $300 guitar but most folks would like to know they're getting a unmolested guitar.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this; so long as there are dishonest people selling instruments, it's best to know exactly what you're getting when buying used, and sometimes photos of the assembled instrument aren't enough.

Been playing for 26 years and have turned every screw on a guitar. I have not had any problem on the guitars I have bought new, because I do not over tighten the screws, and I do not cross thread the holes when re-inserting screws. As for the heel adjust truss rods, I have a 60's reissue strat that needs a tweak every couple of months for the last 7 years, and the neck bolt holes are still pristine. I think it all comes down to how careful the person turning the screwdriver is. I have owned used guitars that had nearly all the screws stripped! But even this can be easily repaired. When buying a vintage guitar, you have to know what is under the pickguard. Any additional routing or replaced electronic components can decrease the value of the instrument. As for removing the neck, it does allow you to get a close date for the guitar on older Fender's, but I think it is pretty easy to tell if the neck looks right for the year/model if you know what to look for.

Never had a problem, except as a kid overtightening a neck screw.

These days I put beeswax on the neckscrews before I put them back in. Just as a natural weak sealant that won't hurt anything.

It's really not the end of the world if you do strip a hole anyway. Just plug and re-drill.

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No no and no