Guys, I just want to ask for the model of my Start. Is this a '57?
Here's the picture.



I want to change my pickguard to pearl white like this:
http://www.darrenriley.com/shop/cart.ph ... tail&p=159
but I'm not so sure if this one will fit perfectly to my strat although having the same 8 holes. Can I use any of the 50's pickguard with 8 holes?

Thanks in advance & cheers!

Hi steveivan: we can't tell from that one photo. It could be a MIJ'57 with the bridge pickup changed and the wrong stringtree installed. But then it could be a Mighty Mite neck with a bogus decal on a Squier body, or it could be a total fake.

However, you can probably find out for youself. If you remove the neck and look at its heel and inside the neck pocket you will probably find stamps that say ST-57, or similar. Like this (not my photo) :



(Though in fact that's not always reliable: it happens that my own CIJ'57 is currently in pieces on the table beside me and the stamp in the pocket is so faint you can't read it, and the heel and pickup cavity only have DOM stamps on them.)

Also, as you see in that pic, it should say Made In Japan or Crafted In Japan along with a serial number either close to the neck heel or somewhere on the headstock. Though people sometimes used to scrape that off, for no good reason.

Further, if it helps, you might want to compare your guitar's electronics with those of my Japanese '57:



That get you anywhere closer?

Regarding the pickguard: it'll fit if it fits. Nothing for it but try it for size and see if the screw holes line up.

Cheers - C

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The strats with round string trees like yours is supposed to be more of a 54 style. I have 3 guitars like that, 1 black and 2 two-tone. The bridge pickup isn't original, but the rest looks ok as far as I can tell.

Got a pictures of my strat before I change the bridge pickup to Di Marzio
here it is:





Actually this guitar was purchased by my brother in one of the fender authorized music store. I checked the serial no from this site ..http://www.guitardaterproject.org/fender.aspx and the result was:

Guitar Info
Your guitar was made at the
Fuji-gen Plant (for Fender Japan), Japan
in the Year(s): 1994 - 1995..

Mine look about the same on the inside, my 2 two tones are from 93 and 96.