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Post subject: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 1:23 pm
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I have a back stratocaster with a white pickguard and a rosewood fingerboard. It was given to me as a wedding gift back in the late 80's. It is left handed and only says "Fender" on the headstock. The serial number is E852xxx. What model would this be and where do you think it was made. My wife bought it brand new for me at a local music shop and she does not know. Thanks!!!


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 1:36 pm
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Hi gplracer,

You need to post some pictures for a more positive ID. Otherwise we can only guess. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 1:38 pm
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shimmilou wrote:
Hi gplracer,

You need to post some pictures for a more positive ID. Otherwise we can only guess. :wink:


+1

You could also send the full serial number to Fender and see what they have to say.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 1:40 pm
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According to the dater service (you don't need the entire serial number but just the first few).....Your guitar was made at the
Fuji-gen Plant (for Fender Japan), Japan
in the Year(s): 1984 - 1987

EDIT:..... OR Your guitar was made at the
Corona Plant (Fender), USA
in the Year(s): 1988 - 1989

So it depends on if it is a made in MIA or MIJ. Does it specify anywhere on the guitar? Generally if it was MIJ it will be stamped on the bottom back of the neck granted more then a few people remove that but unless the neck was refinished you would see the sanding marks and signs something was once there. However some Japans of those era also put it on the headstock under the stratocaster logo. Made in USA on an 88-9 E series should always say made in USA under the "stratocaster" logo on the headstock. However since yours is a lefty it makes sense why they would leave it out. If you are still unsure post some pics, preferably under the pick guard and we will know in seconds if it is a USA or Japan.

Another clue could be how the serial number is laid out. On the Japan it would have the "E"...then the numbers right next to it. On the USA the "E" is spaced a distance away such as this.... Image

However being a lefty I can not confirm anything they might have done different but the clues should lead in the right direction.

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:42 pm
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Here you go! I do not see any made in Japan indications anywhere. It has never been sanded or even played much.
Image
Image
Image


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:47 pm
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It is really hard to to tell by those pics as this is a "vintage" style and has the truss rod at the bottom as well as the vintage bridge saddles. I know Japan made a really nice one back then but if there is nothing to indicate the only way to get more clues is to look in the neck pocket, neck heal and under the "hood", or under the pickguard so to speak. Also a peak at the tuners even though on the quality reissues there would be no way to tell, the Japans typically use a different style tuner unless they are the vintage "Kluson" type. Either way it seems like a real, real nice one.

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:58 pm
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It looks to be a MIJ "Contemporary Strat" made by Fuji-Gen.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 3:47 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
It looks to be a MIJ "Contemporary Strat" made by Fuji-Gen.

Arjay


...looks a bit 'traditional' to be 'contemporary'. Don't those feature some variation of Fender's locking tremolo?


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 4:17 pm
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The Contemporary's were a mix of features -- diecast tuners and dual string trees but with traditional pre-64 dot spacing at the 12th fret, '63 style pickguard. I think the bridge was a 6-screw vintage-style with 2-7/32" spacing.

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:04 pm
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I am also thinking that it is Japanese. We would have to see under the hood to know for sure.

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:50 pm
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Early MIJ Standard maybe? I think that they had vintage-style truss rods for at least a few years.


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:23 pm
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John C wrote:
Early MIJ Standard maybe? I think that they had vintage-style truss rods for at least a few years.


It is possible. Heck even the Japan squiers were using the vintage necks..but it seems mostly on 1985s and 1986s. I know because I bought every one that was on ebay...well used to. Now that they are fetching over $200 a piece I stopped buying them.

So if this strat is indeed a Japan it works in the year. However if it is a USA then it might be some kind of a reissue. I am hoping the poster lets us see the tuners and under the pick guard..and even under the neck. The marking, and holes and routes..as well as electronics should give it away. Even if it is a japan 62 reissue in those years it will have the 62 style route but it won't have the wire route under the bridge pickup and the routes will be noticeably deeper then a USA. I know this because I also grabbed a bunch of mid 80s Japan reissue bodies lol......make it stop !

Anyhoo, this would have been much easier to identify at least from the headstock had in not been a lefty. It seems on the rightys they always put Made in USA or Made in Japan under the "Stratocaster" those years but since they did not have specific lefty decals at the time it seems they just used a right "Fender", stuck the serial # under that, and left the rest off so we can have fun guessing.

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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:19 pm
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The fender support pages say "Japanese instruments, E+6 digits -> 1984-1987", so guessing...
This one? Strat Standard MIJ


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:53 am
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gplracer wrote:
I do not see any made in Japan indications anywhere. It has never been sanded or even played much.


I find it hard to believe that it never had a "STRATOCASTER" decal, nor the country of origin. My guess is that the "STRATOCASTER" decal also said "Made in Japan", and was removed for that reason.
Which is a shame, because there's nothing wrong with it being made in Japan.

Anyhow, if there's no stamp on the back of the neck right above the heel either, you can use a pair of calipers to measure the heel width. Unless I'm mistaken, it will be a metric 54 mm for Japanese strats, and 2 3/16" (or about 55.5 mm) for US models. That difference is not huge, but still discernable.


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Post subject: Re: Help identifying a stratocaster
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 9:39 am
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arth1 wrote:
gplracer wrote:
I do not see any made in Japan indications anywhere. It has never been sanded or even played much.


I find it hard to believe that it never had a "STRATOCASTER" decal, nor the country of origin. My guess is that the "STRATOCASTER" decal also said "Made in Japan", and was removed for that reason.
Which is a shame, because there's nothing wrong with it being made in Japan.

Anyhow, if there's no stamp on the back of the neck right above the heel either, you can use a pair of calipers to measure the heel width. Unless I'm mistaken, it will be a metric 54 mm for Japanese strats, and 2 3/16" (or about 55.5 mm) for US models. That difference is not huge, but still discernable.


You are correct; the "Made in Japan" would have been under the "Stratocaster" part of the decal. However, since this is a lefty that part of the decal was removed so the "Fender" part and the serial number part would be in the right place. Later they started making complete lefty decals.

You should see some of the mid to late 70s leftys - with the "Fender" part of the decal relocated to the ball end of the headstock.


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