I recently picked up a Strat for my dad as a gift which I initially thought was part of the the '89-'90 Deluxe American Standard series documented here: http://xhefriguitars.com/page2.html

Everything matched in terms of an E4xxxxx serial, gun metal blue, gold lace pickups, no roller nut (string trees) and no locking tuners. However, the neck is dated 2/16/88 which would predate the production run by quite a bit.

Does anybody have an idea of the inconsistency of the neck date?

I have a number of those guitars from that period, and the numbers on the stamps are all over the place. Not uncommon for the neck stamp to be way out compared to the serial number. I guess it's whatever someone grabbed out of the bin during assembly. I even have a couple (both gunmetal blue, coincidentally) that are genuine Fenders with the stamps of the assembly crew on the neck and body but they didn't stamp a date on them at all in the haste of assembly. You could put some photos on Photobucket to share with us, but it's probably the real thing.

Fender could use "old "part sometimes , they don't trow away anything. You probably find some parts dating 89 or 90, like the code on potentiometers. Look at them.

If you bought the guitar off Jeff (Xhefri) you bought from a man of impeccable character and vast, excessive knowledge of guitars from that era.

I'd rather buy off Jeff than a dealership.

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No no and no

Sounds like the OP used Jeff's site as a reference, not that he bought the guitar from him.

That's correct. I only used Jeff's site as a reference. The Strat was purchased locally in Boston.

The neck and body are dated 2/16/88 and Feb 10 88 respectively (pictures below), but it sounds like older parts are not unusual which makes it hard to date the guitar. The potentiometer is a good idea. I might have to take a look at those.

Thanks for the kind remarks. Honest, I did change the date on the neck!!!! Truth is between 1987 and 1990 Fender had some weird things going on. Like with a lot of 1989 guitars they were using E8 and E9 serial numbers, BUT on some of the DX American Standards and the new DX Strat Plus, some came out with E4 serial numbers, as well as E8, and E9. So this could be an American Standard that was speical ordered with Lace Sensors (as that was the only differentiation between an American Standard and the DX American Standard.) OR, they had orders for some DX American Standards and grabbed an older production American Standard Strat that was in the factory, swapped out the pickups, and shipped it in early 89.

The other odd thing, while we are talking about odd things..... why was it that by late 1988 the Wilkinson split but was gone on the Strat Plus, being replaced with the full type Wilkinson nut, but when the new Strat Plus DX was introduced in July of 1989 the first ones were shipped with a split nut? Weird eh? I have one of the 1st Strat Plus Deluxe with an E81xxxx serial number. Since the Strat Plus Deluxe Series, introduced in July of 1989, means it should have a E9 serial number, not a E8. This one has the split nut; Silver, Silver, Blue Lace Sensors. It was made in USA, sold in Milan, Italy in 1989. Taken by the owner to Costa Rica in 1990. I bought it and now it is back in the USA. The guitar rarely left the case is is like new. Be around the world and rarely left the case.

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com