I was given a Strat that was said to be a 1976, but the serial number puts it in the '74 range. Strange, but for some reason, the butt of the neck has all the identifying numbers sanded off? It's a natural finish with a white pick guard. I thought the pickguards in the '76 era where black? Can anyone confirm that, and if you can point me to any other spec's, it would be great to do a restoration if it's not 100% original.

Thank you!

All combinations are possible for a 1976 Stratocaster. Some had white pickguards.
Could you please post some fotos?

Cheers,
Robin

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http://www.youtube.com/robinstrower
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+1

The mid '70s were a transition era for the Strat's plastic parts. Your body should be ash.

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

Yep, it's Ash, Maple neck. I'll post once I get some pics

Is the serial number on the headstock or on the neck plate?

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

It's on the neck plate. It falls under the 74 range. The body does have the worm route and I can also see the two little dowel indents on the front. I just got a complete 76 pick guard assembly with no broken solder, all pot date codes match, that I just installed. I also learned the term bridge on these CBS Strats are all molded as one piece. My Saddles are also the block type, not like the vintage saddles we see now days. So all in all, I'm about as complete as I will do on this one. I've very pleased with the results, and as close to a complete 74-76 as I can get.