Hi, I Just made another strat purchase from a local guitar shop tonight.In which currently is on layaway.It peaked my interest because I believe it is rare.It is an Usa Strat with an original floyd rose.I have not seen an american made one like this before and the neck itself it does not say made in usa and in fact the serial was strangely found slightly above the lower part of the neck just right above the neckplate and It started with the Letter K.The only id it is american is the neckplate stating it is made in usa.I hope it's not a partscaster as this place is legit as they have $3k fenders there as well.I got 10 percent off due to some paint missing by the right neck pocket not too big a deal but it looks like possibly a small crack but it maybe just the paint.I cant complain either way for $580 tax included.Please share your thoughts and Id this please.Thanks and all the best!

That is where the serial number is located on Japanese guitars. Easy enough to change the neck plate. If a Japanese, a serial number of; K + 6 digits was made 1990-1991.

For further ID, post a pic or two,.... and delete your other thread (double-post), by clicking the "x" at the bottom of that post.

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We need photos but it sounds like it could be one of the MIJ HRR Strats from that early 1990s era. These had the contoured neck heel and the neck plate that said "Fender U.S.A." but they were MIJ guitars (and that neck plate was also used on MIJ HM Strats and a few other odd MIJ models from the late 80s-early 90s). Not sure why this one doesn't have "Made in Japan" on it near the serial number; there are a few other Fender models from that era that just scream "MIJ" due to features (serial number format and placement, Gotoh tuners, other visual cues) but do not have the words "Made in Japan" on them.

Again - photos would be helpful to figure out what you have.

Thanks alot for the info John C.I will post pictures but I do not have it right now as it is still on layaway.But You pretty much summed it up.It has a neck contour and it's odd that it has a made in usa neckplate but its reassuring that they did that and its not a partscaster.Yes, there was no mij anywhere just a k serial above the neck pocket.I knew that there are some usa fr fenders out there somewhere and I thought this was it.I have no guitar to compare this to so I suppose I have succeded in finding a rare strat which is my purpose of buying it.Thanks!

Freddy - I've heard two stories about these "MIJ but don't say they are MIJ" Fenders - and frankly both stories could be urban legend:

1. These were not originally going to leave Japan so when they were exported a small foil sticker saying "Made in Japan" was added to the back of the headstock over the finish. These stickers were easily removed or perhaps just fell off over the years.

2. These were assembled in the USA from parts shipped over from Fender Japan.

I have no idea what the real story is, but several models fall under this gray area including the HM Strats (some are clearly marked "Made In Japan" directly above the neck plate that says "Fender U.S.A.") and one or two models of the "Contemporary Strat" that were made toward the end of their run circa 1989/1990. This is the first I've heard of what sounds like the HRR showing up without the "Made in Japan" actually being on the neck with the serial number.

John C, I've seen a few HRRs that had the "Made in Japan" sanded off, but you are right, they were manufactured with "Made in Japan" directly above the serial number. The pic below is an example of one.



Like most people, the first time I saw this model I thought it was a partscaster. But, I became suspicious after I saw several of these. After doing some research on the web, I learned they came stock with a USA neck plate.

I know this model well. I have three of them.



Also, you forgot the third myth...which is, they were Made in Japan with some Made in USA components. I think this myth is more likely, since the body is made of basswood, and this is a common MIJ guitar body material.

Does the neck plate say "Fender USA" or "Made in USA"?

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Axeman - nice collection of these. I don't believe that the third option is a "myth" for the HRRs; I believe that is the truth: Fender shipped over the USA components like pickups (didn't these have DiMarzios originally), the neck plates, and the bridges (Kahler Steeler or Original Floyd Rose depending on the year).

I've always seen the HMs as a "gray area" guitar - originally MIJ with some USA components that were shipped over, then who knows. Then there were a couple of real oddballs - the "Contemporary Standard" Strats mostly had "Made in Japan" on the headstock - these were the SSS models that originally had the Fender System 1 trems, then they had a Kahler fulcrum trem, then the final version had the Kahler Spyder trem (like the original HM Strats). There have been a few of the final version posted here that for some reason did not have the "Made in Japan" on the front of the headstock.

Then there was another model that was out for about a year - the year before the HRRs if I'm remembering correctly - that was like a "Contemporary Standard Deluxe" (I have no idea what it was really called) that had a maple veneer top, HSS pickups, a single TBX, a coil splitter switch where the second tone control would normally be found, the beveled neck plate, and the Kahler Spyder trem. These have the serial number up on the headstock but it is the MIJ gray text and font, not the USA black text and font. Essentially this guitar was like a regular-sized, regular-scale-length HM Strat with an added maple top. They are usually "E" series but Xhefri has had one in his hands with an "EE" serial number. They have all the features/look/whatever you want to call it of an MIJ Fender but they have no country of origin on them anywhere. These are the ones that I feel either had the "Made in Japan" foil sticker slapped on over the finish or were maybe assembled in the USA - most likely they had the foil sticker that either fell off or was removed by someone along the way.

Fender USA, not "MADE".

Ok, thanks for all the info shared axeman +the pic!!!The guitar I have is similar with an sss configuration.But I also do not believe in Myth#3. As it does state fender usa on the plate.Id like to tell people/purists that the body was asembled/made in the usa by parts speced up to the japanese counterparts, or shipped?.The neck may or may not be japanese but it has similar traits.SO What to call it is still in question.Becasue is it true, that many an american strat were made from mexican parts or elsewhere??SO the debate continues..I'm pretty happy though..ALso who on here would consider fixing the small paint issue on it??It is in damn near perfect condition however, by the right neck pocket have about a coin sized quarter area of paint missing and what looks like a nail impression as by axeman's pic you see it has a contour neck so I can see the owner digging his nail in that area while playing a solo.Thanks to all again for contributing!!!

Well the HRRs came with a stock Dimarzio humbucker. There is a sure way to know. HRRs are stamped eitherHRR50FO or HRR60FO on both the neck and neck pocket.

Part of the problem was Fender's use of that beveled "Fender U.S.A." neck plate on guitars built in other countries. Of course, they weren't doing anything that other companies weren't doing in the 1980s.

Jackson/Charvel used neck plates on the MIJ Charvels that clearly read:

Charvel
PO Box 2344
Fort Worth, TX
U.S.A.

See this link (the site won't let me copy the just the photo):
http://audiozone.dk/index-filer/charvel-japan-import-guitars.php

There is a photo of a 1987 neck plate that also clearly shows the added foil "Made in Japan" sticker that was easily removed - you will have to scroll about half-way down the page. By 1990 they removed the "PO Box 2344, Fort Worth, TX, U.S.A." part from the neck plate but were still using the "Made in Japan" stickers.

Kramer did the same thing; regardless of where they were built their neck plates used between 1986 and 1991 (when they went bankrupt) read:

Kramer
Neptune, NJ
USA

All I can say is that was a fairly confusing time - so many companies and models were coming into the market, and so many different countries were building very good guitars that it was hard to keep track of everything.