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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:19 pm
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Buxom wrote:
Look up "I series Stratocaster" that SN begins with an I, not a 1.

They were USA made for export only.


Right. From what I can tell, it looks legit. No guarantees, of course.
But the writing on the neck - if matching other I-series guitars - should be a date in English, so my guess is "Agost 1" was meant to be "August 1", and written by someone who didn't speak English too well.


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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 4:17 pm
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From my years of experience with Fenders I can tell one thing for sure. That small hole in the center of the neck pocket typically indicates an import (China, Japan etc) so although the body might not be a "fake" Fender, it is definitely not a USA version. Some Mexican bodies have that as well but does not look quite the same, usually larger like the USA that have it. Now as far as the neck there are a couple of red flags. Whenever the tuners have that one screw on the diagonal....it is import, not USA.As well the "made in USA" stamp as far as I know was never used by Fender in that location..only on the Japan crafted or built models. As well the bridge saddles do not seem correct for a 20+ year old supposed USA version.

So we can conclude it is certainly not a USA..but is it even a real Fender is still in question. The fact that the finish in the neck chipped and took the logo with it is kind of suspect.

Can you unscrew the pickguard and let us have a peek at the electronics? Also a pic of the neck heal....if it is thinner it would be a squier granted some older squiers in certain models did have the thicker heel but were still made of basswood rather then alder or swamp ash. I am thinking this is a real Fender, just not a USA model and not a very common one.

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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 5:37 pm
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Everyone is so quick to say "fake" when they see something like these "I series" models, but this is that 0.5% instance where something that looks 100% fake is really 100% a real Fender. What is isn't is a tru USA Fender; it could be considered the third model in that "80s Stratocaster Identity Crisis" series. However, these "I series" guitars were the lowest-end MIJ models that had no "country of origin" sticker on them. They were stamped "Made in USA" on the neck above the heel and shipped overseas as "export only" models.

Those tuners, the light gray serial number, all of those things are earmarks of 1980s MIJ Fenders.

If you do a search on "I Series Stratocasters" and you'll find a long thread on these models. It's a real Fender, but I wouldn't consider it a real USA Fender, just one of the crazy oddball models that came out in the late 1980s/early 1990s.


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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:48 pm
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John C wrote:
What is isn't is a tru USA Fender; these "I series" guitars were the lowest-end MIJ models that had no "country of origin" sticker on them. They were stamped "Made in USA" on the neck above the heel and shipped overseas as "export only" models.


The question I have is who stamped them? I doubt that happened in either the Japanese factory or in Corona. The importer, perhaps?

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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:04 pm
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orvilleowner wrote:
John C wrote:
What is isn't is a tru USA Fender; these "I series" guitars were the lowest-end MIJ models that had no "country of origin" sticker on them. They were stamped "Made in USA" on the neck above the heel and shipped overseas as "export only" models.


The question I have is who stamped them? I doubt that happened in either the Japanese factory or in Corona. The importer, perhaps?


Another Fender mystery. If I were a gambling man I would say it was stamped "made in USA" by someone in Mexico. From a little research it seems these "l" series were kind of the preamble to the MIM's. But as far as the body and what hardware we can see from the pics thus far, this is a Japan-ish/import-ish strat with an early Mexican bridge. I would be very curious to view the electronics and body routes. That may tell more of the story.

It seems if the writing on the neck heel means anything it was made august in 1990...like right around when the MIMs started. So Fender was in some kind of "transitional phase" at the time. I also am curious if it is normal for the headstock logo to break off like that because of a chip. That would seem to imply they put a finish on first, then the logo. Not sure of their normal headstock logo application but I would think the logo would go on before the finish on a 1990 strat. I still think this is an authentic strat but a total curiosity and rarity that needs to have questions answered that probably never will be to our satisfaction.

EDIT: On another forum an owner of one of these series strats claims they are indeed japan made for international export and the European distributors are the ones that stamped the "made in USA" on it. Also claimed is the bodies are painted in Mexico. So take that all with a grain of salt granted from all I know from the pics that is a Japan strat.

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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:24 am
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Buxom wrote:
Look up "I series Stratocaster" that SN begins with an I, not a 1.

They were USA made for export only.


Hells bells you know something you're right - on very close inspection (it's actually easier to see in the photo than on the actual headstock it is serial number i001219. Some googling has found this little puppy

I(XXXXXXX) A limited number of these “I” series guitars were made in 1989 and 1990. They were made for the export market and have “Made in USA” stamped on the neck heel.

More pics:

Image

You can see date on this of 13 / 11 / 90

Image

Image


Image


Image

So I am starting to think this is real! There's a very angry Frenchman somewhere!

Thanks for all your help


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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:55 am
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I'm still saying fake. That routing shape, the cheap plastic-enclosed switch, the pickups with bar magnets on the bottom, none of that screams Fender to me. Even the pots look cheap.

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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:15 am
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A lot of 'experts' posting in this thread. :roll:

IMO, it is very difficult to tell authenticity with Fender guitars. Your best bet is to reach out to Fender and ask if they can help authenticate the guitar.

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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:51 am
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GilgaFrank wrote:
I'm still saying fake. That routing shape, the cheap plastic-enclosed switch, the pickups with bar magnets on the bottom, none of that screams Fender to me. Even the pots look cheap.


From what I've pieced together on these they were more or less "Squier" grade components - if you were to line up the Fender models they would be just below the MIJ Standard models of the day. This would have been about a year before Fender opened the Ensenada plant and moved production of the "Standard" model to Mexico.

ebaysux has a good point - no one at Fender can remember who exactly stamped these as "Made in USA" on the neck heel. It's just another one of those oddball things from that particular era of Fender history - like the HM Strats, those Kahler Spyder Strats we talk about in the "1980s Stratocaster Identity Crisis" thread, and finally a model that looks 100% MIM but was instead marked "Made in USA" and sold for export only (these were a few years after these "I Series" Strats). And don't forget the Prodigy guitars - look 100% MIM but marked "Made in USA" also.


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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 7:03 am
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ebaysux wrote:
EDIT: On another forum an owner of one of these series strats claims they are indeed japan made for international export and the European distributors are the ones that stamped the "made in USA" on it. Also claimed is the bodies are painted in Mexico. So take that all with a grain of salt granted from all I know from the pics that is a Japan strat.


I doubt the Mexican painting part, but the rest of that I can believe/accept.
Not an American part on any of these I've seen over the years. Fender Japan all the way.

Fender USA never used stamps like that for serial numbers or "MIA." (Gibson did, of course.) Fender did stamp codes into some bodies, in unseen spots, but a used much larger font.

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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 7:59 am
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Well who to believe? I am now believing it's genuine! I can account for 20 years of it's life and at the end of the day, I'm not selling it so I guess what I believe is all that really matters!!!


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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:12 am
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Nobby001 wrote:
Well who to believe?

strings10927 wrote:
reach out to Fender and ask if they can help authenticate the guitar.

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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:27 am
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Nobby001 wrote:
Well who to believe? I am now believing it's genuine!


If "genuine" is your question, you CAN believe that it is a real Fender Strat!

Are you in Europe?

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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:32 am
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Nobby001 wrote:
[

There's a very angry Frenchman somewhere!




:lol: :lol: :lol:

I you talk about me , I'm the only to insist to have more pictures to help you


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Post subject: Re: What is my Strat? Fake???
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:44 am
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stratele52 wrote:
Nobby001 wrote:
[

There's a very angry Frenchman somewhere!




:lol: :lol: :lol:

I you talk about me , I'm the only to insist to have more pictures to help you



No, I think he meant his Father bought it from a Frenchman who sold it cheap because he thought it was a fake.

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