can anyone tell me what kind of strat is this..... i picked it up at my local shop.. i liked the relic it has and the flame maple neck..... i know its a 60s model but thats all i know... and besides that back plate i didnt find any other date/numbers on the guitar... thanks in advance....

Removing the neck and pickguard may provide some clues as to your guitar's pedigree. The pickguard itself doesn't seem to match the instrument's other vintage appointments. OTOH, the string tree is in correct position (most of Fender's re-issues whether MIA or MIM locate it too far towards the end of the headstock). I'm seeing a replacement volume knob as well.

Interesting guitar!

HTH

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

1961 Fender utilized the following serial numbers--50000-70000 with no prefix. The serial number on your guitar indicates that it is a 1961 although the neck material does not comply. I have never come seen flamed maple used on a 61 strat, mostly used were regular hard maple slab board necks without a skunk stripe. The guitar needs to be taken appart to examine the electronics/pickups and other markings on the body and neck cavity.

Can you please send a picture of guitar turned on its side (showing the top of the guitar as if its sitting in the playing possition).

From everything I can tell it looks good. The volume knob has been replaced.

Paris

As I was looking at the picture I noticed that the top horn of the guitar appears to be too flat to be an original '61 or vintage reissue Strat.

Paris

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1975 Sunburst Stratocaster rosewood finger board
1979 Stratocaster with roseowood finder board
2001 Candy Green Clapton Stratocaster
2007 Andy Summers Inspired Telecaster
2007 '51 P-Bass
2012 Taylor 110
2015 Mystic Ice Blue Deluxe Stratocaster Plus

so... i took apart all the guitar... i did a little search on it.. thats all the numbers besides the neck plate i found... it also appears that the guitar was red and it was repainted... i ll post more pics of it tonight... heres the one of the neck..

Do you have a pic of the front of the body, with the pickguard removed?

Arjay

_________________
"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

i play a 2007 strat and know nothing of true vintage but that guitar is a beuty. damn shes nice. hold on to the guitar.

here's the rest of the pics... sorry if they are too many..

It seems as though a period-correct '62 type pickguard was once installed on the guitar. I'm curious about that mish-mash of bridge saddles -- it definitely looks pretty wonky. This guitar is a skillfully assembled relic-type replica IMO. On a vintage instrument the tuners would be single-line Klusons and the headstock decal would feature three patent numbers below the "WITH SYNCHRONIZED TREMOLO". Likewise the fretboard would have clay dot position markers. I'm not seeing the characteristic nail holes that would be present in a actual vintage body either. I can't rightly say what those pickups are but they don't look like any I've seen in an early '60s instrument. Whoever built the guitar did a pretty nice job but overlooked some critical details. Put it back together and play it for what it is -- a nice Strat.

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 electronics / pickups are not original and appear to be current and not fender usa. Dont hold me to this but I believe tha pre cbs the wiring was cloth.

I honestly think that neck is legit, I've seen several late 50s/early 60s necks that have very strong flame (dealers occasionally would get batches of guitars with high-grade woods, which could be sold at a higher price - one example being Hank Marvin's red strat) pickups look current, due to lack of cloth wire like someone else pointed out. the pickguard (judging by the body markings from where it was) looks like it has been on this body for a long time. then again that could just be more relic work!

the bridge looks like a mismatch of newer and vintage saddles. tuners are definitely replacements. those dots look like clay to me, but I can't say for sure from the pics here...

bottom line - definitly some sort of partscaster, of modern and possibly vintage parts.

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May I ask, what did the shop say it was?

If they didn't say at the time, why don't you call them and ask now?

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My other guitar is a Strat.

its a local store, they sell musical instruments but they focus more in school bands and live sound.... i think i know more about guitars than them..

not much help.. but thanks anyways guys..