Hi,

I just got my hands on this Strat and I'm not really familiar with the subject but would like to appraise it. Maybe you guys can help?



Along with the attached pics, this is the only info I have:

It seems to be "made in USA", missing the tremolo thingie, has two (!!) Fender-Lace pickups and was originally purchased for around 800 Euro.

I cannot find a serial number anywhere (possibly decal has been removed by previous owner?) so I'm not sure what model/year strat I'm looking at here. But some sources indicate the serial should be on a decal on the back of the headstock and cannot be removed, same as the front decal (the Fender Stratocaster logo). So this would indicate a fake?

It also has a small drill hole between the second and third string - any ideas?



Many thanks!

Surely an all-parts guitar. Two Gold Lace Sensors, modern American 2-point bridge, large headstock, this guitar has a hint of Blackmore flavours, except Ritchie's own guitar uses a 22-fret set-neck maple neck with a rosewood fretboard.

Sorry I'm not a native speaker... what do you mean by "all-parts guitar"?

And what about the missing serial number? Thanks!

That means that this is not a Fender-built guitar, it was assembled by someone out of various parts - some of which could be from Fender, some could be from other manufacturers. Sorry, from the photos I can't quite tell if the body and neck are indeed Fender parts or if that is a neck from some other source with a Fender decal on it.

That is why the guitar does not have a serial number.

The small hole in the headstock near the A string post means it likely had a second string tree at some point.

The headstock is odd-ish - don't see may big headstocks without a truss rod adjustment as well. Implies a late 60's neck but those didn't say MADE IN U.S.A.

More pics are needed.
Backside of the headstock to show tuners
backside of the body
better pic of the bridge would be nice too- hard to tell if that's an "actual" American 2 point or one of the replacement aftermarket versions, or even one of the Squiers.

Ok here goes more pics:







Can you maybe tell me what a good asking price would be for this instrument? Thanks!

A genuine Fender neck should have a serial number on the headstock, otherwise it might be considered as either a fake counterfeit or Fender-licensed.

The neck is not a genuine Fender, possibly a Warmoth or MightyMite.

I really can't say. The bridge doesn't look like an American 2 point. The "tabs" outside the posts are much thicker on a proper Fender - as is the bridge plate steel itself (take a look at a few pics online) there's also no notch behind the trem arm hole on a Fender bridge. However it's always possible it's an aftermarket bridge - I don't know anything about those

If you really want to know, you may have to disassemble and post pics of the electronics, body end of the neck, and routes on both sides of the body

Well thanks for your help so far, I guess I may also keep the guitar if it turns out it can be set up to intonate well (which it currently does not). However I doubt it, seeing as the truss rod is actually hidden at the foot of the neck.

Anyways, can you please recommend a good setup guide for Strats?

I'd put money on it being made from parts - and I would be surprised if the body is a real fender body.

I say this because the picture of the back of the body clearly shows that the neck plate is not square (in other words, does not line up parallel to) the underside of the neck pocket. There's also just too much wood surrounding it - Fender neck plates are usually much closer to the edge of the body.

This is a different neck plate, might not even be a real Fender body, but it will give you a better idea of what I mean:



p.s. apologies to whoever took the pic I linked to - I'll claim the education exemption for now, and find something else it you want me to!

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The headstock is a 70's era Fender. However, there should be a truss rod adjustment at the nut, with a "bullet" shaped nut. The hole is an extra string tee. Pull the neck off and see what's stamped there if its not that. Also with the 70's Stratocaster, the neck plate should be a three screw plate, not four. You have what's know as a Parts0caster. Its a guitar assembled for various parts, either original authentic or replica. In this case, I see nothing that indicates its produced from any genuine Fender parts....

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Hi, I've already pulled the neck off and there was no S/N there, just the truss rod adjustment.

Anyone venture to recommend a good asking price for this instrument?

Not necessarily.

Early 1970's Strats were shipped with a 4-bolt neckplate. The 3-bolt neck fixing didn't came into the scene until 1972.

The 4-bolt neck attachment returned with the introduction of the 25th Anniversary models of 1979.

Okay, I just did some digging around on Gbase looking at Strats from '68 (start of the large style decals) through '77 (firmly into the era of having the s/n on the headstock instead of the neck plate) to examine the headstock decal for details and to see when "Made in USA" first appeared. Of course since this neck doesn't have the bullet truss rod adjuster for it to be legit it would have to be from mid-1968 at the earliest to mid/late 1971 at the latest.

Sorry Golbalist but I firmly believe that is a fake decal on you're headstock. First off regardless of year the "Fender" portion had a faint gold outline; it could be your photos but I'm not seeing that on this headstock. During the pre-bullet truss rod era the decals only had small patent numbers on them underneath the "Fender"; there was no "Made in USA" on them until they moved the serial numbers to the headstock in 1976 (which of course is well after they moved to the bullet truss rod/3-bolt neck). From what I found the "With Synchronized Tremolo" and the "Made in USA" were mutually exclusive. I'm thinking that it's a replacement neck with Fender tuners and a fake decal.

Here's a real 1970 headstock - you can see the patent numbers and no "Made in USA":