Hello , hope you can help with a question ?

I have the opportunity to buy a 1962 strat , there have been a few mods , new bridge saddles , 5 way switch , nothing too radical.

The body and neck are supposedly all original but I am slightly concerned about the neck , it looks like really nice birdseye maple , lots of swirls , it's a rosewwod board , not had the chance to take it apart and see if it is a slab or a veneer yet , my concern is about the birdseye swirls , I've never seen a strat neck with these before , is it unusual ?

Thanks in advance

A '62 Strat will have a slab fretboard of Brazilian rosewood. No need to disassemble the instrument to determine that -- merely look at the exposed rosewood either on the headstock beyond the nut or at the heel end of the neck. If the rosewood looks like an arched piece of veneer then it's a lam-board and definitely not from 1962.

Birds-eye and other figuring in the maple is not uncommon but it's usually the exception rather than the rule.

Replacing the missing "PATENT PENDING" bridge saddles will cost upwards of $500 -- substantially less if repros are acceptable to you. Google "Crazy Parts" and take a look at what they offer.

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

A 62 original neck and body that have not been altered in any way should be priced around 4,000-5,000 just as a reference-dont what what your paying for the whole guitar.
62 necks generally do not have skunk stripe and are slab board (meaning that the rosewood board has thickness to it and has its own shape rather then a thin laminated piece which follows the radius of the neck). I have never seen birdseye maple being used for this particular year (dosnt mean it doesnt exist) although fender custom shop uses it for current models. Before you purchase this guitar you should post some pictures of it especially of the neck heal, body routes and electronics/pickups

got a better look at the guitar last night , the neck is a slab , end date 2JUN62B , I'm pretty sure it's genuine.

issues : neck has been refinished , logo is a replica , no patent numbers
body refinished fiesta red , looks like a good job though
complete new bridge , vintage saddles with fender pat pending
5 position switch fitted but neck pick up does not work and pots
not working correctly , wiriing , pots and pickups look original so
maybe 10 minutes with a soldering iron would sort it.

good points : guitar is lovely , very light , plays well , has original case

bearing all the above would you buy it ? at what price ££ sterling

thanks for your input

Link to photos :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brucemillers/

I forgot to post earlier that another issue is the foil sheild under the scratchplate is missing and has been replaced by sticky foil sheilding onto what I think is the original scratch plate

all opinions very welcome

WOW! love the figuring on that neck. this is a perfect example of what I was talking about in another thread about small batches of late 50s/early 60s necks having high grade figured woods like Flame or Birdseye maple.

looks legit to me!

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Is the decal necessarily a replacement?
The patent numbers started in 1961, but Leo was well known for not wasting anything, and patentless decals may have still been being used up in 1962.

so , after seeing the photo's and considering the issues what price would you buy this at ?

Very nice indeed. Got to love that neck..Cheers..From..Aus...