I just bought this guitar, its supposed to be a USA Standard strat from 1999. The neck is dated 1999 and has a sticker on it that is slightly visible when the neck and body are bolted together. The body is dated 200(?). The neck says 'made in USA' as it should, but how do I find if the body is a genuine USA one, and if the hardware is genuine too.
Many thanks.


Photos at;

http://s1151.photobucket.com/albums/o634/malamuteman1/

It looks legit. When did you buy it? Was it new or used? Worse case scenario is that someone bolted a '99 neck to an '00 body, but at least they look like genuine Fender parts to me.

Thanks 93greenstrat, I bought it 2 days ago from a guy on EBAY. cost US$900. Do you think the body is USA trio, & the hardware?
I searched the internet but can find no info on how to identify where a strat body is made??

It looks good to me. It has the micro-tilt adjustment on the back plate where it should be and everything else looks to be fine. The non-US Fender made bodies do not have the micro-tilt adjustment.

I wouldn't worry about this Guitar and enjoy it.

_________________
2012 Fender American Standard Stratocaster
2013 Fender Pure Vintage 65 Stratocaster
2003 Gibson ES-355
2015 Gibson Les Paul Traditional
2002 Gretsch Duo Jet
1980 Rickenbacker 360/12 Fireglo
2014 Martin 000X1AE
2014 Fender Blues Junior III

It's definitely as USA Strat, but I would email your serial number to Fender's Consumer Relations team (consumerrelations@fender.com) to see what they say about the specs and when it was actually shipped out to a dealer.

At first I thought it was unlikely that a 1999 American Standard neck would hang around the "work in process" inventory that long, but since the guitar is a lefty that is certainly possible that the parts could be dated that far apart. Even if it does wind up being a "best bits" guitar it is certainly all Fender parts (like Clapton's famous original Blackie was assembled from the best parts of 3 Strats).

Don't forget that 2000 was the transition year between the American Standard and the American Series - that change-over happened circa July of that year (there were some guitars that had the Am Std. neck but Am Series body, and a few more that had the Am Series neck but the Am Std body). Does your guitar have staggered-height polepieces on the pickups or flat polepieces? After mid-2000 they should have staggered-height polepieces - but since it's a lefty I'm not sure when they made the transition.

I see no reason why it wouldn't be real. The saddles, tremolo, number of frets, tuners... all look to be correct. Remember some neck may have been produced but not used right away. It could of been made in November or December, but not used until a body was made the following January or so...

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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It's legit. Nice strat! The date stamps all look normal. I have seen necks on bodies with dates a year apart.

Guys, many, many thanks for your views on this, I think I can rest easy now! I have been after a USA standard strat in this colour for 6 years now, its really, really rare in lefty, particularly with a rosewood fingerboard. I have emailed the photos to Fender Customer Relations for the original spec as suggested. You Rock!
Mal

It looks like an American Series Strat. It may just have an older S/N left over from the '90s. Fender will use up all the old S/N before they start using the news one.

To conferm this I have a few questions:
1. Are the tops of the tuning keys staggard?
2. Are the edges of the neck rolled (more rounded off like an older guitar)?
3. Are the pole pieces staggard?
4. Is the pickup cavety (under the pickguard) a big open hole or these pickup shaped holes?
5. Also I onticed that the body contours are more rounded off then the Am. Std. Strats from the '90s.

If the answer is yes to all of these questions, then you have an American Series Strat. The Am. Series Strats were the update (and better from my perspective) than the Am. Stds, which were all by themselves great guitars.

Personally I think the new Am. Stds (which updated the Am. Series) are even better.

_________________
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