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Post subject: Identify this
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 9:35 am
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Headstock tells me Squier Bullet:

Image

Body says otherwise:

Image

What gives?


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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 9:53 am
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How goes it,
How long have you had it? Can you tell what the body is made off? Are the electronics Am or Korean? What about the routes? Old Squiers some had plywood bodies. Just some thoughts.
:?: 8)


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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 11:20 am
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Partscaster.

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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 6:27 am
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It's a Squire "Bullet" series Strat made in Japan in the '80s.


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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:39 am
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paris wrote:
It's a Squire "Bullet" series Strat made in Japan in the '80s.


The Bullets I believe were made in Korea. The Squire Strats were made in Japan, but not the bullets. I had a Squire MIJ Strat from the mid 80's and this guitar is not one of those.

It does appear that this neck and body don't belong to each other. We really need more photos of this guitar to be more certain...like back the the neck, neck plate area, close up of the bridge, inside the tremelo cavity. I am thinking it is a parts guitar as I have never seen that bullet neck on a Strat body set up like that before.

Hopefully the OP will post some more pics...didn't see any serial number, and we all know if it ain't got one, it is probably a partscaster at best.

FWIW

T2

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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:28 pm
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I don't know too much regarding origin and such about this particular line...according to the almighty Wikipedia, these early models were in fact made in Japan. That said, the info on Wiki regarding Bullet's in general is also incomplete. I can say that these early "Bullets" were NOT the same bargain basement models you see in stores today. The few that I've played have in fact been VERY decent instruments to say the least. I could be wrong but I suspect if you measure it, it likely has vintage spacing and such and the neck probably has something close to a 60's profile such as the ST-362 necks found on the mid 80 MIJ E-series.

While it's hard to tell from those two pics (more pics and more detail pics would be helpful) and I'm not sure about the color, I suspect that body may in fact original as well...although I'd check for body stamps and such if possible just to be sure.

Again these particular instruments should not be confused with the current Bullet line selling for $120...these early Bullets were typically very decent and some serious players.

Just my $.02 worth,
Jim


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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 11:31 pm
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paris wrote:
It's a Squire "Bullet" series Strat made in Japan in the '80s.


That's what it looks like to me also. The walnut truss rod plug in the headstock of some Japanese Strats differ in location/shape from the American Strats. Also it's so like the Japanese to have an early 60s style pick guard with a 50s style neck. As mentioned, more pictures might help to better identify this particular guitar. It looks all original, but I'm not sure if the split-post tuners are original, maybe?

Nice looking guitar though. :)

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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:05 am
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shimmilou wrote:
paris wrote:
It's a Squire "Bullet" series Strat made in Japan in the '80s.


That's what it looks like to me also. The walnut truss rod plug in the headstock of some Japanese Strats differ in location/shape from the American Strats. Also it's so like the Japanese to have an early 60s style pick guard with a 50s style neck. As mentioned, more pictures might help to better identify this particular guitar. It looks all original, but I'm not sure if the split-post tuners are original, maybe?

Nice looking guitar though. :)


Remember that the Japanese companies had been making really good copies of Fender guitars for a bit, and then Fender made a "Hand shake" deal with them to produce Fender guitar legally in Japan. In fact, just after the CBS sale of Fender to its current owners, the only Fender guitars being made were in Japan. The sale from Fender was for parts, tools and the name; not the factory. Fender needed to find a new place to make guitars.


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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:53 am
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Yep, this guitar is a far cry from the more recent made cheap Chinese Squiers.

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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 8:09 am
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T2Stratman wrote:
...didn't see any serial number, and we all know if it ain't got one, it is probably a partscaster at best.


except for the vast number of Squier strats, including the SEs and variants, which had the serial numbers on stickers... and which are almost invariably missing

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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 10:41 am
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Nobby1974 wrote:
T2Stratman wrote:
...didn't see any serial number, and we all know if it ain't got one, it is probably a partscaster at best.


except for the vast number of Squier strats, including the SEs and variants, which had the serial numbers on stickers... and which are almost invariably missing


I have to fully agree here...just because it doesn't have a serial number on the front of the headstock in no way indicates that it MUST be a partscaster. MANY Strats, both Squier and Fender have the serial on the back of the headstock. Since the OP didn't include a pic of the back of the headstock or the back of the guitar, there's no reason to assume that it doesn't have a serial number! And certainly there have been a number of them that indeed have no serial number at all...doesn't mean it's a partscaser by ANY stretch of the imagination. For that matter even many classic Fender's don't have any serial number on the headstock as it was stamped on the neck plate!

So -no-...sorry but just because there's no serial number or no visible serial number in those pics, there's no reason to assume that it's "probably a partscaster at best".

Jim


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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:27 pm
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lomitus wrote:
Nobby1974 wrote:
T2Stratman wrote:
...didn't see any serial number, and we all know if it ain't got one, it is probably a partscaster at best.


except for the vast number of Squier strats, including the SEs and variants, which had the serial numbers on stickers... and which are almost invariably missing


I have to fully agree here...just because it doesn't have a serial number on the front of the headstock in no way indicates that it MUST be a partscaster. MANY Strats, both Squier and Fender have the serial on the back of the headstock. Since the OP didn't include a pic of the back of the headstock or the back of the guitar, there's no reason to assume that it doesn't have a serial number! And certainly there have been a number of them that indeed have no serial number at all...doesn't mean it's a partscaser by ANY stretch of the imagination. For that matter even many classic Fender's don't have any serial number on the headstock as it was stamped on the neck plate!

So -no-...sorry but just because there's no serial number or no visible serial number in those pics, there's no reason to assume that it's "probably a partscaster at best".

Jim


I concour with my coleques. I would also add that way back in the day there was no set standard from Fender as to where the S/N would go. I've seen them placed at the heal, on the neck plate, on the front and back of the headstock, on the Tele bridge plate, and with the earliest Strats, on the back trem cover, which covers the springs.

Other than a S/N we don't see, the guitar looks ligit. I remember seeing dozens of these guitars in the '80s, and I can't imagine anyone wanting to make an exact copy of one.


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Post subject: Re: Identify this
Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:02 pm
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I have a guitar collecting buddy who is nuts about the Japanese made Bullets and he owns about a dozen. He also has Korean made Bullets and Bullets made in Korea using the last of the Japanese parts, thus hybrid Bullets. He loves them all and won't part with a single one.

Yours is legit. Enjoy it or sell it to me, your choice! :lol:

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