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Post subject: Requesting help with date and origin of my Stratocaster
Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 10:21 am
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I have a black Stratocaster with maple neck which appears to have conflicting information....namely the serial number is H035402, which according to the Fender website would indicate a late 80's Japanese made model. However, at bottom of the neck, it clearly has "MADE in USA" stamped into the wood. Does this mean a U.S. made neck was shipped to Japan where the guitar was assembled?
This is puzzling! Thanks


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Post subject: Re: Requesting help with date and origin of my Stratocaster
Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 10:33 am
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MrNatural...Pretty sure Fender does not use MIA parts for assemble elsewhere...then it would be MIA. Pics would help tremendously in helping you to ascertain the bonefides on your guitar.

T2

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Post subject: Re: Requesting help with date and origin of my Stratocaster
Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:23 pm
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You are the first person I've run into anywhere who owns one of these guitars. I saw a bunch of them back 1993 in VA and I was really baffled. At the time all US Fender guitars had "Made in USA" on the front of the head stock. I'm not sure where they were made, but I do know they were around in '93.

I'm guessing that that these guitars had parts made in Mexico and assembled in the United States. This is only an educated guess.


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Post subject: Re: Requesting help with date and origin of my Stratocaster
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:26 am
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This is, as always, just my own personal opinion...please use it for what it's worth.

With Fender being a "global company", it's not totally unheard of for parts to "migrate" from one plant to another as the need calls for. For example I have a recently acquired '94 Fender "Squier Series" that's labeled "Made in Mexico". The problem is that according to rumor, the Mexican plant had a fire back around that time and wasn't producing bodies or necks and that these were actually brought in from the US plant. To further complicate things, this particular series does NOT have traditional Mexican hardware...the tuners, bridge and pickups, etc, are clearly the Asian imports. Also, it's my understanding that particularly in the late 80's/early 90's that Fender had a somewhat unfortunate tendency to try and use up left over headstock decals and such...and they didn't always keep the best records to indicate what was what.

So that said, as others have already indicated pics would most certainly help! Get some shots posted of the guitar as a whole, a close up of the headstock, the body cavities/neck pocket and the heal of the neck, etc...this should give the folks here something more to help you identify your instrument.

Peace,
Jim


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