Hi! new here so hi everyone!
I recently came across this neck and its a bit of a weird one.
right basically its a one piece maple stratocaster neck with the 'synchronized tremelo' on it under the logo (black with gold trim) with the patent numbers underneath.
its got 2 patent numbers which to my knowledge date it to between 68-69.

however its got a skinny headstock instead of the fat cbs ones from that period. it's also got no stamp on the end and the trust rod isn't positioned with a screw at the end of the neck.

the decal on the headstock is definitly not a sticker and the maple looks old but not tarnished, the tuner spacing is definitly for a fender 'F' tuners and theres zero fret wear on this thing.

basically it almost seems to good to be true cos I got it for like €60. I'm just concerned it's a fake or something due to the size of the headstock and the fact that its quite untarnished for a 40 year old neck.

Any help?

Hi Nico_D'Amour, welcome to the Forum.

Am I seeing it right - it looks like you have a black plastic insert in the trussrod entry hole? That would make it either a Mexican or a Korean Fender, and therefore a reissue, not a 40 year old neck.

I don't know the model Strat it would come from though, and I can't explain the absence of a date stamp on the end of the neck. Any ideas, anyone?

Cheers - C

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My theory is its a good fake, cos if it was a resissue it would say it on the back of the headstock right?

Several clues seem to indicate a "Smith era" Strat from the early '80s. But I think those should have a serial number decal below the logo and a walnut plug on the headstock.

Weird!

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

Well, that obviously crossed my mind. But though I can't be catagorical I don't remember seeing a fake with the black plastic trussrod insert. Not saying it's never happened, but it's not what you usually see.

I guess someone could have taken a regular Mexican neck, sanded the lacquer off to extent the date stamp was lost (though why do that?), and redecalled it during the refinish process so that it looked like a real one. Many of us here know how to do that - and we also know it would be a total waste of time, on an economic basis.

Either way, from the marks on the back of the headstock I'm sure it's never been fitted with anything other than '70s style tuners.

I'd pursue Retroverbial's suggestion instead. That sounds much more convincing to me. Or an early MIM or MIK reissue model. That's my private fancy on this one.

Cheers - C

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My guess is it is a re-decaled Mexican or Korean neck. The truss rod adjustment at the headstock is what makes me think that this has had a new decal along with it seems to have been buffed out a bit...if I am seeing the photos right.

FWIW

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

Yeah I thought about the redetailing a neck thing but came to the same conclusion that it would just be stupid economically, I've looked up loads of reissues and they all either have the brand of reissue on the back or have the serial number up there, tis an oddity to be sure. its quite a nice neck at any rate. might just get some f tuners and set it up.

Indeed!

Go for it.

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

The headstock does look to be off-shape. Like some of the Smith era Strats.

Also looking at the rear of the headstock, very typical of CBS and not so much FMIC's 70's style strats



Notice how out of line the tuners were, from the imprint they've left.

Could it be that someone has re-shaped a 70's headstock to make it look like a small headstock. It would explain the lack of serial no', wouldn't it?
The black truss surround is a puzzler. I can only recall one US guitar to use it, the Floyd Rose Strat. Could it be that the guitar had a bullet trussrod and a owner swapped it for a allen nut end. Left with a bare hole, put the truss surround in?

Whatever it is, glad you like it.

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No no and no

I had a mighty mite neck that had a black truss rod plug like that, and that round plug at the end of the skunk stripe looked a lot like that too, but it was stamped mighty mite on it.

Good call Jason. Now it's been pointed out, I can't see anything else being the case.

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No no and no