First off, hello everybody. Im new here, although Im not exactly that new to guitars and to strats in general.

I recently purchased a U.S. made Fender Strat that is according to the serial number made in USA in either 93' or 94'. The guitar is in mint condition, it was practically never played and I got it for a great price from a trusted friend. All in all it looks and feels and most importantly sounds great...BUT...

After purchasing the guitar I found out that a lot of the early 90's strats were venereed and used a combination of poplar and alder. Most of the info I got from this site. Its a three color burst, and yes on the back of the guitar the contours are painted all black.

My question is this. How do I find out for sure whether the guitar is veneered or not without actually chipping at the paintjob? Would Customer Service answer this question if I called them with the serial number?

I know I shouldnt nitpick, since the guitar sounds so great. I should mention Im not from the states actually, but that the original owned purchased the guitar in the US years ago. (it still has the shop sticker on the back of the headstock)

You could try removing the neck, and checking to see if the neck pocket is mostly free of paint. Looking at the bare wood walls of the neck pocket may give you a peek at what is under the finish........but why worry? Does it really make a difference to you if you have a laminated body? If you have never removed a neck before, and are not proficient with guitar setup, may be best to leave the neck alone You may be able to see in the pickups routs under the pickguard, but this area is usually coated pretty thick in poly !

True it doesnt really matter, since the guitar sounds pretty good. I would like to know though, as a matter of personal curiosity. I like to know everything there is to know about the instrument Im playing, and obviously the value of the guitar is also affected.

Im kind of adverse to removing the neck unless I absolutely have to. So Ill ask again would Fender's customer service help me with this? Would they answer the question if I gave them the call? The reason I ask here first is because I live overseas in Europe and long distance is not exactly cheap

Hi VB.

Sounds like a great guitar you have there.
You could remove the pickguard and look at the pick up wells to see if it's got a cap as well as pulling the tremolo cover off the back as well.

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Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

Thanks Jeffy, Im doing a string change today in any case so Ill take a look under the "hood" and check if the wood shows anywhere. Ill post my results here.

It may be possible to see what you have under the pickguard or trem cavity. But my experience, especially with solid colors, these areas are coated thick with finish. The neck usually wont have finish on the walls of the neck pocket. Try this.....Hold the guitar near bright light, and look at the top and back surfaces of the guitar while tilting it. If you can see the seams where wood was joined, then you probably do not have a veneer top or back.

You answered your own question. It has a veneer. You say the guitar sounds good, so don't worry about the veneer. it's just cosmetic.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

Agreed there Steve, if you have a solid color guitar you would not be able to see much, but he has a 3 color sunbrust model, so it should be strait forward on this guitar.

_________________
Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

Yeah the finish is applied to the cavities, so no clue there. Where exactly should I look for seams? Where the top and back join together? There is an obvious seam running from the trem block straight down the middle of the guitar towards the back. The Alder looks to be bookmatched as it is figured on one part and that same figure is mirrored on the other side. Would that be a clue?

*edit*

Ill try to borrow a good digital camera and upload some pics.

Just a guess here,but if the top is bookmatched,I would say it's a veneer,usually the grain won't match on a Strat with a 2 or 3 piece body.

I agree. The black contour means it veneer.

Does the grain on the front match the grain on the back?
Does the grain in the cavities match either the front or the back?

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My other guitar is a Strat.