Hey Guys,

Bit of a strange one here. I picked up a 1991 Fender USA Lefthanded Strat the other week. Checked out the serial numbers and dates for neck and body- all seemed to be legit.

Got it home, plays ok, but a couple of things didnt add up. Ive just had it setup and the guitar tech thinks that the body may actually be Japanese, hardware possibly mexican, and neck may not be Fender at all? Either way, its not the USA Strat I thought I was getting,

Luckily im in touch with the guy I bought this from and am getting in the process of my money back, but im intrigued as to why someone would put in so much effort to fake a guitar? All of the hardware looks at least Fender Mexican, and pickups sound not too far away from those on my Mexican Strat.

Ive uploaded a bunch of good photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/13281027@N00/

Give away to the guitar tech was the truss-rod - apparently this definitely not Fender! Any feedback on the other pics is much appreciated! Ive spotted that they have drilled extra holes for the back plate, guitar tech thinks logos have been added on to the neck manually, and they look almost like labels when the light catches them!

Anyway, im just after a second opinion as to what the various parts of this guitar actually are!

Thanks guys!

As to why someone would go to the trouble, well, some people have more time and some skill and use that time and skill to falsely increase the value of a guitar to sell it to someone who wouldn't know the difference.

As much as I praise Fender's customer relations for giving me all kinds of information on the guitars I've bought, if I had that as an app on my phone, I could use the information to reduce my costs. I've bought several guitars where it left the factory with a single ply pickguard and I'm looking at a tripple ply.....and another that left as a fat strat with white pick guard and I'm looking at black tripple ply SSS. I'm learning that I really have a lot to learn, but even with what I do know, even honest upgrades and modifications become unknowns 2 owners later.... buyer beware

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2002 mim Telecaster
Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
Mexican HSS Stratocaster
6 non-fender guitars
2 kids (not for sale)
1 wife (uh....no comment)

I'm thinking it's just various parts from various sources - the tuners and the bridge look Fender - likely from an MIM. What do the pickups look like on the back?

The headstock is definitely faked - a 1991 would have a different headstock decal - the modern "Fender" with the serial number on the front of the headstock like this:



They didn't go back to the "vintage" headstock decal with the serial number on the back of the headstock until sometime in 1995.

sorry you got faked,there are a ton of a-holes out there faking stuff.
I may be a little late on this post, but that is def a made in mexico, judging by the finish, & markings, the headstock has a water-slide decal wrong for the neck.
at least its not a starcaster, you could still get $200- 300 for it on ebay, or take it back & bust some knee caps with it

contact Fender customer support they should be willing to take a look at it and give you their opinion.
they are just as willing as we are to keep people from the fooled by fake Fender guitars.
if it's a legit s/n they should be able to run it and give you the exact specs.
hope you find out and get your money back if it's a fake.
Mike

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1985 Fender Squier Bullet
1987 Kramer Striker
1983 Fender Strat Elite
1995 Fender Strat Plus
2001 Carvin DC127
1999 G&L Legacy
2002 Melancon Classic Artist
2009 Paul Reed Smith SE Singlecut
2010 Fender Deluxe American Strat
2006 Fender MIM Fat Strat

Looks like a Parts-O-Caster to me.

_________________
"It's about sound and sound alone. Looks are irrelevant. You can have the best-looking guitar on earth, but if the sound isn't there it is nothing more than a beautiful piece of trash. The sound it makes is the soul of any guitar."

One of the best ways to tell an American guitar from a fake is to look for the 2 point tremolo. If it doesn't have one, that should be a dead giveaway. Look for a skunk stripe on a 62 reissue, that would also be a dead giveaway. One of the first things you should do before you pull out the wallet is to look on Fender's website for a similar model and see if there are any glaring differences. Then do a search of ebay in the same year range for a dated model, such as a '91.