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Post subject: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 8:53 am
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Hi everyone, just started playing guitar (I did get a few lessons when I was about 8, but that was 20 years ago). Really enjoying playing using the justinguitar youtube vids, going well three days in.

Got a great deal on a secondhand fender (I think as I don't know much about guitars) and some new kit. I got a 1990 MIM Fender Strat that seems in pretty good condition, with an eastcoast 20 watt amp (it was pretty cheap but as much as I could afford for now), two fender leads, a boss TU-80 tuner, a nice leather strap, a spare set of springs, a spring type capo and some picks and a stand for £285 (the guitar was up for £159). I know this is an American site, but does that sound pretty good to you guys?

Just want some help identifying what it has/should have had as I don't think it's particularly standard but the it is almost as old as I am. For one it only has one pickup at the bridge (and it's some type of humbucker but I don't know which) instead of the normal three. Also it has the vintage type tremolo instead of a two point pivot from what I understand. And then there's only one control instead of the more common three and 5 way switch. I'm guessing I need the strip the scratch plate off or possibly more to work out if maybe it's a genuine head on a different body.

All help and tips as a noob greatly appreciated. Oh and yes that's an R1 engine on my coffee table currently undergoing heart surgery.

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 8:53 am
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a couple more pics of the new lady.

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 9:21 am
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I want to say that's a heavily modified MIM Standard Strat, but I'd check with Fender Customer Service. There a couple of minor headstock details that aren't correct which makes me think that it's an aftermarket neck with a silver logo applied.


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 9:32 am
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Thanks for the reply, just saw another post on here I think it was, that said customer services only have details on serial numbers going back to 93 on MIM's as that would've been my first port of call.

So what are these details you think aren't right on the headstock then out of interest?


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 10:52 am
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The solid wooden truss rod plug (MIM's should have a plastic plug with an access hole for the truss rod) is one.

The tuners may have been swapped out. MIM Standards have used Ping tuners of a design similar to the Schallers used on the American Standards.

The string EZ-Glider string tree is a modification, but MIM Standards use two string trees. Even if you remove one, you'd still expect to see the mounting hole for it unless it had been filled in.


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 11:22 am
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MIM Standards and Deluxes employ a single "butterfly" string guide.


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 12:46 pm
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Seems like there was a lot of variation in the early days of Mexican production having read this thread on another site just now.

http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/stratoc ... strat.html

I don't want to have paid out good money for a knock off, but then it does seem like it's not a bad guitar as it is.

I'm not entirely sure but I'm pretty confident I have a Mexican Fender neck, but not so sure about the body of it now as the middle screw holes for the tremolo plate on the back are inline and not offset as they should be. However the chap with the Mexican in the thread above has exactly the same as I do (in fact it could be the same guitar with a different pick guard almost) which seems like too much of a coincidence to me.

Think I need to pull the neck and pick guard off and see what is underneath.


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 12:56 pm
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Yeah, the neck looks to be legit and would be in line with production variables of an early MIM. The body is probably legit too, but I guess once you take the neck off there should be some date stampings in the pocket. Are you going to it as-is, or do you think you'll change it back to a more traditional Strat (HSS or SSS) configuration?


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 1:18 pm
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That looks like a Straight Six Stratocaster they were a factory special run of 731. Problem is yours looks like a shiny finish and Straight Six's are flat black no poly coat white pick guard. Could just be the pic looks shiny and someone change a Straight six pick guard though.

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 1:57 pm
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Think I'm going to leave the neck on for now, as I'm new to all of this (even though I can work on cars and bikes with no issues) and as I understand it guitars are funny things and can get upset by not being reassembled exactly right (and I'm yet to know what that would be).

As for the body, it looks like black poly coat to me sadly, it would have been nice to have something a bit different. Hey ho.

For now I'm just going to play it although I'm not keen on the colour of the pick guard, I'm going to get my skills up together before I spend much money on anything else and start playing around with different pickups. I'm quite into smashing pumpkins/violent femmes/nirvana/thin lizzy/seether/bob dylan etc and guess that's where I'll be headed eventually, but I gather I should be fine for that sort of thing with what I have for now (yes I know that's a bit of a mix).

Colour wise (assuming I keep it) though I'm thinking red tortoise or red pearl effect pick guard (a nice blood red) to go with the strap and maybe replace the bridge and output for black instead of chrome. Or heading completely another way and stripping the black off the body and going to bare wood with all black fittings where possible, probably with a black pick guard too. Whats the wood likely to be like under the black?


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying guitar and hardware?
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 4:44 pm
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I enjoy my Straight Six a lot with just volume knob and Hum Bucker running thru the peddle board is fun.

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