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Post subject: 90's Traditional Series Strat with strange electronics
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 3:03 am
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Hey guys.

I have this guitar in my shop, it's a Traditional MIA Strat from the 90's, serial N904375, S/S/S, 5-way. It's from a good friend of mine and his complaint was it was too bright. I removed the pickguard and found D500k small diameter pots and a megaswitch, which is completely opposite to the original Fender's blade switch and big 250k pots. It almost looks like Squiers are usually wired up, even pups have two bars on the bottom. See picture please.

Anyone knows anything about these? I am going to throw in 250k pots and see how it goes, but I am very frustrated with it right now. I am positive he never replaced anything, there's not a single tempered solder joint. And I cannot decypher what year it says on the pickguard's insepction sticker either.

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Post subject: Re: 90's Traditional Series Strat with strange electronics
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 3:29 am
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It is all cheap parts , pickups , pots an switch . All import Asian parts .

It is a Made In America Stratocaster ?? Are you sure ?


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Post subject: Re: 90's Traditional Series Strat with strange electronics
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 3:53 am
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stratele52 wrote:
It is all cheap parts , pickups , pots an switch . All import Asian parts .

It is a Made In America Stratocaster ?? Are you sure ?


+1!

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: 90's Traditional Series Strat with strange electronics
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 4:29 am
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The headstock says it's a MIA Fender Strat but then again could be a Frankenstrat too, AFAIK he didn't buy it new, but he has it for the past 15+ years.

Could be that someone just swapped pickguards. Or just popped a genuine Strat neck to a cheapo body. Later on I am going to separate the neck from body and look for some time-stamps.

More pics below. It has flimsy chrome bridge saddles and skinny tremolo block too just like a Squier so it might just be a genuine neck without the extras. Tuners are Fender die-cast machines, just like the ones they put on 2000's Standard and American series models.

http://shrani.si/f/8/RB/3edLsozK/imag0479.jpg
http://shrani.si/f/3m/Yz/2S0CnjMW/imag0485.jpg
http://shrani.si/f/2h/hi/3KoSNtkT/imag0483.jpg


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Post subject: Re: 90's Traditional Series Strat with strange electronics
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 4:56 am
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The decal and very small part of the neck you show look American made neck. ( not sure, need some more photo)

All of other parts are import cheap parts.


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Post subject: Re: 90's Traditional Series Strat with strange electronics
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 5:06 am
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I think this is it:

viewtopic.php?p=9556


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Post subject: Re: 90's Traditional Series Strat with strange electronics
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 5:49 am
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I think you just found what you are looking for. I remember these strats were made in the late 90's and there are other models similar to this, intended for an interim solution for the MIM models while production in mexico for reasons I don't know temporarily stopped.

They were also documented in frontline magazine too from what I recall. There have been a couple of similar strats like these although not 'traditional series' popping up on this forum lately, however some people are absolutely closed off to the idea that there were models other than 'American Standard' made in the corona plant and just don't believe that any other models exist. Besides, I once owned a 'Squire Series' Strat that was branded Fender that was made in Mexico circa '93- so anything is possible.

As for the pickguard.. Can't speak for it. However I doubt this line had American Standard spec components anyway. This guitar line would have had a tight margin to sell so at any rate cheap hardware would have been used.

As always, Google is your friend.

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Post subject: Re: 90's Traditional Series Strat with strange electronics
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 6:18 am
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Maybe the owner before him had some really nice electronics in his Strat and decided to keep them. It's a snap to swap them out with other stuff from a cheaper version.


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Post subject: Re: 90's Traditional Series Strat with strange electronics
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:10 am
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Also I don't think that those "American Traditional" models were supposed to be sold in the USA - it was a way to charge a higher USA price overseas for something that was closer to an MIM Standard or MIJ Standard-level instrument.


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Post subject: Re: 90's Traditional Series Strat with strange electronics
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 6:12 am
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Actually looking at the rear of the pickguard.. The inspection sticker is in English (or American English, American- you choose lol) and also the date format is in mm/dd/yyyy which is used in America. So as to the whereabouts of production, ... :wink:

...which also matches the serial number date, no? :D

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