The staining pattern does seem unusual......

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

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.......My '57VHR as well. I don't understand Fender. I've been comparing the quality of their cases to those PRS has built for their line and doing so pretty much since the Lounge came into existence. You'd think by now FMIC'd have gotten the point and stopped issuing such shoddy looking product.

Back to seconding you're point...there's certainly is documentation begging in this matter particularly if the OP is an original buyer because the Custom Care provisions and warrantees are in his favor here, howeve, he will need the proper evidence to support his purchase.

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Guys, you are all amazing! Thank you all so much for sharing your knowledge and helping me! This comes to show that paying a lot of money at a certified dealer isn't always the safest way unfortunately.

I've google'd the time machine fender, and is does indeed looks alot like it! (The receipt only shows: "fender custom shop strat.".

Here are some pictures you requested and some extra!

Everything I got with the guitar; Some extra springs and a 5-way switch (now equipped with a 3 way)




Headstock: nothing weird here i guess, it isn't a sticker "on top" of the paint


Serial no.



Custom shop logo



And some case markings:



Also, the bottom of the case is a bit dented. It stood upright in the case, and because of the slight angle the pressure was on the position where these stripes are. This doesn't explain why it are stripes and why it's not an orange area, but the position is kind of logic.

Thank you all again for all of your help, I'll contact the dealer ASAP (this will probably take till Thursday, unfortunately.)

You should summarize this for Mike Eldred and post it on his Forum. Make it brief to the effect that you were sold an apparently damaged CS guitar with all the case candy but no COA. Include: 1 photo of the entire guitar, all the photos of the stains, the headstock back, the neck plate, if this was an original purchase, and tell him you'll send him the name of the vendor via PM if so desires. Title subject: MIKE: Problem w/CS guitar purchase. Need your input. Tell the dealer you've been in touch with the Forum and the Custom Shop.

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I'll echo ZZDoc again on that suggestion to post it in the "Ask Mike Eldred" forum.

The case candy you got looks more like what comes with an AV than what comes with a CS except for the strap (AV's usually come with a "vintage-style" thin leather strap with a 2" wide shoulder pad); if that is black strap that is webbing on one side and thin leather on the other side then its the style that normally comes with an American Deluxe.

I had a CS '69 NOS Time Machine for a while but I got it used in a trade and I just don't remember what kind of strap was in the case. I'm pretty sure the cable was not the gray vintage-style cable but was a black Fender CS modern-style cable.

Yep... Definitely the same case and case candy I got with my FSR Am. Vntg. '57.

Got me worrying about dye bleed on my CAR.

Can't see anything yet. Maybe a longterm storage issue..??

cheers!

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'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele

Was this sold to you as a new guitar. If it was did you sign up for the Custom Care Program?

It was/is a new guitar, and i've tried signing up for this, haven't received a conformation email yet. One other problem, the receipt only shows: "Fender Custom Shop Strat."
Should I go back and ask for an other receipt showing the serial no.?

Also, I will send a message to Mike, thanks all!

(And is does seem like it stood a long long time in the store)

Thank you all again guys, send a message to Mike Eldred.

But look what I found, It looks like my guitar in the same case!
http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar-85227-Fender-Custom-Shop-Time-Machine-Series-69-Stratocaster

That guitar is R38799. Yours is R38758. The comments abou the stress marks are interesting. These guitars may have been done in the same run, and perhaps something about the finish is at issue here.

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My white Strat has similar marks. I don't believe these are caused by the case lining. I have orange/brown marks, but the case lining is maroon.
To me it looks like the stain come from within. Maybe undercoat, glue or sap?
Goodonya ...Mark.

Suggest ya'll get over to ME's Forum. It picks up from there. Mike thinks it may be from the rubber on a guitar stand.

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OK cool. I hope Mike sorts it out. I won't go on ME's forum and argue my point but I do have similar marks to the OP's. It's not a CS, in fact it's an old MIJ Strat with a white Poly finish. The stains appear on the ends of the grain and are not caused by contact with anything foreign. The stain is prominent inside the upper horn for example, where it is rarely touched by even my hand. I have never used a rubber coated stand. I still think that something underneath is bleeding through.
In my case though it's not a problem. I may feel differently if it were a new CS.
Good Luck.
Goodonya ...Mark.

Hey guys,

I've just contacted the store, and here's the update.

The stains/stripes are indeed caused by a rubber guitar stand, it didn't have anything to do with the wrong guitar case. The store salesman didn't know these marks were there on the guitar.

But as he said it; there's a reason the guitar didn't sell, and was only sold with an "going out of business" sale price. Just take it or leave it.

About the case; this will probably have to do with the missing certificate. Someone took the wrong case and it isn't there anymore. Just like with the paint damage; can't do anything about it, all of this was included in the sale price.
(although he didn't know about any of this.)

As for the certificate: He will apply for a new one. This will come cost-free for me. Yeey!

And the receipt not showing a serial number wasn't a problem, the warranty will still be valid without the serial number mentioned on it.

So now the big question; did I got screwed? The advised retail price of the CS '69 Time Machine in the store was €3,799,- (that's $4,923,-) and I got it for €1,715 ($2,222)
It's a shame it didn't come with all the goodies, right case, and damaged paint, but it plays like a dream and sounds so good... I don't feel like I got conned, but what do you think?

Also, what are your opinions about upgrading it with the 5-way switch? Should I go for the bigger sound range, or should I keep it original?

Thank you all so much for helping me and thinking with me on this subject, as it turns out the stains weren't caused by the case after all!

As I see it, you purchased at a street price of little over 50% off list which is a great deal for a Custom Shop guitar, case and candy not-withstanding. The bad taste comes from this so-called top dealer not protecting a nitro-finished guitar and assuring that all the components received from FMIC were delivered intact. [In my own experience, in 1997, I was once given a "Plus Series" case for an American Standard I purchased new because, for some inexplicable reason, the vendor didn't have the case the guitar was shipped in. ]
Prior comments from ME regarding reissuing a COA in a situation such as yours seem limited to the fact that the original date of completion of the guitar will NOT be on the certificate. It will show the new date of issue. Being an original purchase of new, with documentation to that effect, I don't expect any difficulty registering the guitar with the Custom Care Program for all benefits thereof, but doubt they can/will do anything about the discolorations. Bottom line: If you love it, and you are not a collector mired in the details, do with the guitar what you bought it for. As for swapping out the switch....why not do what us 'old guys' used to do back in the day?? Learn to find that 'sweet spot' at the two and four positions, by feel, and the leave the guitar stock. This will not be your first Stratocaster, I have no doubt. There's a five position switch in your future, on another guitar you will love. We all suffer from a little GAS now and then. Rock on, bro'

Doc

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