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Post subject: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 5:48 am
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Hi,

I'm new here :) I have a couple of questions.
I've been playing for about 7 years now, and my uncle gave me his Fender stratocaster like 3-4 years ago.

I was just wondering what kind of strat it is, and it's worth. :)

Serial NR: E848577
Your guitar was made at the
Corona Plant (Fender), USA
in the Year(s): 1988 - 1989

The guitar has got a Khaler Spyder tremolo/bridge.
I believe the color is Olympic White, and it has a maple neck.

Here are some pics:
Imgur album: http://imgur.com/a/8qbI5
Imgur album 2: http://imgur.com/BEvBACB,rs5Emk7,ZEnHPCy,gm5i0jv,QJiuWur

Thanks in advance! :)


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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:03 am
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Not an American Strat.

This guitar is a MIJ Contemporary from 1985 as suggested by the photos. It also sports a rosewood fretboard glued into a 2-piece maple neck.

Image

MIA Contemporary Stratocasters didn't surface until 1995.

Here's a MIA Contemporary Strat for a comparison:

Image

Both guitars have their own unique persona.


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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:07 am
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hmm okay, strange that GuitarDaterProject says its a US strat.
I did some research before and found out that it might be a Japanese Strat.

I really dont know so thats why i asked here ;)
Thanks for the NFO btw.

What does "MIJ Contemporary" really mean?


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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:13 am
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MIJ = Made In Japan.

Here's the wiki article about the Japanese Contemporary series, hope you'll find this documentation interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Con ... ster_Japan


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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:12 am
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LAtol - welcome to the forum. Those are really interesting models in that they appear to be 100% MIJ but lack a "Made in Japan" decal on them anywhere. We have been discussing them here on the forum in a thread called "Eighties Stratocaster Identity Crisis"; lots of details and our best guesses about this particular model here:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50058

Guitar Dater project just lets you know that a serial number is in the "proper format" for a given year; it can't verify a specific guitar. For Fender serial numbers it also relies on you to input where the guitar was built; Fender used serial numbers that started with an "E" for both USA and MIJ models at points during the 1980s - while you would "read" the first two digits of a USA Fender (so "E8xxxxx" translates to "E" for "Eighties" and "8" making it "1988") on the MIJs only the first letter means anything - and an MIJ with an "E" was supposed to be made between 1984-1987 (also the USA models use a black typeface for the serial number while MIJs use the gray typeface). That being said the model you have is from 1989-ish which indicates that Fender Japan continued to use those serial numbers beyond 1987 - all part of the mystery of these models. Unfortunately Fender can't track these like they can USA and MIM models built in 1993 or later.


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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:39 am
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Welcome to the Forums. It's always valuable to source the origins of these things not only for one's own personal edification. We appreciate being included in the search as it contributes to our knowledge base and now we have your guitar in Forum archives as well. Bottom line...if it plays well...its a keeper. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:40 pm
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LAtol,

I own two of that particular series, and wouldn't trade them for anything. The build quality is unreal. They play better than my American Deluxe and Highway One Strats, and sound as good.

I believe the extra heavy Kahler Spyder (a giant chunk of metal if ever there was one) imparts more sustain to the guitar as well.

Popular conscensus is that they are Japanese. HOWEVER, I bought one of mine new in 1988 from a large chhain store in the Northeast. I bought it from the store manager who sold it to me as "American". What's that worth? No idea. It came in a USA case as well.

Since the CA plant was allegedly not fully up and running, I have been told that parts were sent over from the Fujigen plant in Japan, and assembled and set up in the U.S., hence a decision to leave off a country of origin sticker or waterslide.

What's it worth? In great shape, and because no one really KNOWS what they are (Fujigen won't say because of confidentiality agreements with Fender, and Fender nolonger has records), I'd say no more than $600.00.

I expect this to become a minor rarity in years to come. My belief is that prices will rise at that time. Not to stupid levels, but to the level of the "same-age" fully-USA counterparts.

That's just my opinion. I've been wrong before though,.....once.


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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:44 pm
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LAtol wrote:
hmm okay, strange that GuitarDaterProject says its a US strat....


Not strange at all, considering that the guitar dater project is dated, incomplete, and quite lame. It is unreliable at best, and should be taken off of the internet.

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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 4:14 pm
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With the modifications, about $700 - $900


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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 5:14 pm
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What mods? Those guitars came just like that...


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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 5:43 pm
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Geckochameleon wrote:
What mods? Those guitars came just like that...


I wasn't aware that Fender used Khaler Spyder tremolo/bridges. I see the photos. Thought that the guitar was an American Standard, which came with the two point system. I'd need more information about the guitar (which model) to give an accurate value, accoriding to the Vintage Guitar Price Guide.

I'll do some more research.


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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:44 pm
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Geckochameleon wrote:
LAtol,

I own two of that particular series, and wouldn't trade them for anything. The build quality is unreal. They play better than my American Deluxe and Highway One Strats, and sound as good.

I believe the extra heavy Kahler Spyder (a giant chunk of metal if ever there was one) imparts more sustain to the guitar as well.

Popular conscensus is that they are Japanese. HOWEVER, I bought one of mine new in 1988 from a large chhain store in the Northeast. I bought it from the store manager who sold it to me as "American". What's that worth? No idea. It came in a USA case as well.

Since the CA plant was allegedly not fully up and running, I have been told that parts were sent over from the Fujigen plant in Japan, and assembled and set up in the U.S., hence a decision to leave off a country of origin sticker or waterslide.

What's it worth? In great shape, and because no one really KNOWS what they are (Fujigen won't say because of confidentiality agreements with Fender, and Fender nolonger has records), I'd say no more than $600.00.

I expect this to become a minor rarity in years to come. My belief is that prices will rise at that time. Not to stupid levels, but to the level of the "same-age" fully-USA counterparts.

That's just my opinion. I've been wrong before though,.....once.


I pretty much agree with your post - except for the factory. From what I've read about Corona it had been completing at least 150 instruments per day by the middle of 1987 - at least a year before these models with the Kahler Spyder came out. I'm basing that on a quote in "The Stratocaster Chronicles" from Fender executives at that time that they went from about 10 instruments per day when they actually started shipping guitars from Corona (circa October-December 1985) to completing 150 per day 18 months later - which would be say April-July 1987.

I think that Fender was using this model to fill a slot in the lineup that they didn't have - an SSS Strat with a locking tremolo. Now whether these were MIJ but for some reason missing add-on "Made in Japan" stickers or they were assembled in the USA from FujiGen bodies, necks and other hardware like the HM Strats we'll probably never know since all those involved in that decision at FMIC are gone.


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Post subject: Re: Worth/What kind of Strat?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:47 pm
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paris wrote:
Geckochameleon wrote:
What mods? Those guitars came just like that...


I wasn't aware that Fender used Khaler Spyder tremolo/bridges. I see the photos. Thought that the guitar was an American Standard, which came with the two point system. I'd need more information about the guitar (which model) to give an accurate value, accoriding to the Vintage Guitar Price Guide.

I'll do some more research.


Paris - almost all of the HM Strats also had the Spyder trem; they didn't switch to the Floyd Rose Original until 1992 or so (which I believe was the last year for the HM series). There is another "no country of origin" Fender model that has the Spyder trem - it's an HSS model with a slightly figured maple veneer top.


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