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Post subject: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 2:01 pm
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Dated 1982
I'm concerned about the middle pickup
There is extra wood removed after painting to fit the jack input
The nut is wrong.
Fullerton body shape
Is the neck shim original?
Thanks for any help...
Loads more photos here: http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/col32 ... Strat%2082
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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 3:30 am
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Some vague comments to get the topic rolling, very much IMHO:

A 1982 guitar that's been played would probably have needed a new nut at some point, so that's no biggie. Only the ones grandma kept in the box can be in real mint condition.

The neck looks real but the body leaves me wondering - the jack "route" and the speleothen like paint in the cavity bottoms in particular.
Is the paint in general a refin job? Someone could have also painted the cavities with shielding paint while the brush was wet...
Anyway, wait for confirmation (either way) from the real forum wizards.

On the pickups; it seems weird that the neck and bridge pups have the 016730 but the middle one doesn't. At first glance I'd call the middle pup a mod, considering also the soldering on the vol pot; apparently non-Fullerton.

The shim; original or not, it probably has no effect on value. I'd say that's an aftermarket shim - just because the wrong end of the shim is at the body end of the neck pocket :wink:


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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 4:10 am
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I was thinking along the lines of it being a refinish too.
The only thing that jumps out at me as being odd is the position of the strap button on the top horn. That, and the tuners not being on straight.

The tuners not being straight is just ironic observation on my part - it's something that Dan Smith was there to make sure didn't happen :wink:

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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:28 pm
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The material of the shim looks correct for the period, the crooked tuners are typical of this time. Fender was probably still using up spare tuners, I have seem many of these crooked all through the late 70's up until the change in 83 to Schallers.

It does appear to have a refinish, but it appears it was the same color based on the neck pocket and bottom of the input jack. The cavities back then were not nearly as neat as they are today.

The middle pickup does not appear to be original, it should have the part #016730. By 1980 Fender began using black plastic bobbins with above part number, but could be left over parts because they look like the right type of material but the part #s are missing or hard to read. Maybe the OP could tell us the numbers that appear. The rear pickup looks like it might be the hotter X1. The soldering is certainly not production in appearance so all the pickups might not be original to the guitar.

That's all I got from the pics and my experience.

HTH

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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:41 pm
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Great info!
The neck and bridge pick-ups have the number 016730 on them. Nothing on the middle pick-up.

Which aspects of the guitar suggest that it has had a respray?


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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 4:43 am
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bad_strat wrote:
Which aspects of the guitar suggest that it has had a respray?


The painted over stickers in the pickup routs.

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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 9:32 am
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stratmangler wrote:
bad_strat wrote:
Which aspects of the guitar suggest that it has had a respray?


The painted over stickers in the pickup routs.


+1 as well as the fact that the finish looks like it has very little swirl marks in it, especially for a guitar that is that old and had the nut replaced. There are also two spots (Inside the input jack cavity just below the rim and what appears to be a section inside the spring cavity) looks like it was sanded after finishing, don't think Fender sanded after finishing. It might not be but those signs altogether kind of lead you there.

Still a fine guitar. And glad to help out with the pickups #s at least two of the three are definitely original.

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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 3:12 am
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so I want to replace the mid pickup as it sounds pretty bad. Can I use any pickup with a black and white lead with the bobbin number 016730 to get the correct sound? ie, are all the early eighties pickups from "The Strat", the 2 knob strats and the Dan Smith strats the same?

Bridge saddles have no number on the bottom so these are after market.

And I'm thinking it could be a factory respray so I will try to take some photos to show why I think this is possible.

Anyone have a wiring diagram for this strat? The tone knobs are completely different to my late 80's strats.


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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 12:04 pm
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bad_strat wrote:
so I want to replace the mid pickup as it sounds pretty bad. Can I use any pickup with a black and white lead with the bobbin number 016730 to get the correct sound? ie, are all the early eighties pickups from "The Strat", the 2 knob strats and the Dan Smith strats the same?

Bridge saddles have no number on the bottom so these are after market.

And I'm thinking it could be a factory respray so I will try to take some photos to show why I think this is possible.

Anyone have a wiring diagram for this strat? The tone knobs are completely different to my late 80's strats.


Yes I think you can use any pickup with those numbers. Those pickups lasted until 85/86 when they switched to a true out of phase middle pickup. In '83 they did changed to a lowered value cap on the volume control.

It could be a factory refin, but refined it is.

I think you might want to get the book "The Fender Stratocaster" by A. R. Duchossoir, it is a great source of info and IIRC it has wiring diagrams (along with some great photography and close ups).

T2

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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 10:30 pm
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stratmangler wrote:
...it's something that Dan Smith was there to make sure didn't happen :wink:


He couldn't even get the headstock shape correct....... IMO, these "Dan Smith" Strats are junk. :roll:

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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 11:09 pm
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Shimmilou is right
I remember seeing an article about when he was at the helm and he boasts "We changed the headstock back to the RIGHT shape "

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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 2:19 am
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Now that you guys have brought up the headstock shape up I've had a thought.
Go look at the headstock of a 25th Anniversary Strat, and compare it to the one in the photos above.
I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the first run of Dan Smith Strats had the same headstock as the 25th Anniversary model, and had a visit to see Doctor Bandsaw.

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Post subject: Re: How genuine is this Dan Smith Strat?
Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 7:30 pm
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shimmilou wrote:
stratmangler wrote:
...it's something that Dan Smith was there to make sure didn't happen :wink:


He couldn't even get the headstock shape correct....... IMO, these "Dan Smith" Strats are junk. :roll:


The headstock was much closer to what it had been, but could not be done exactly right as the routing machines being used could not make the cut at the pocket of the start of the ball portion tight enough. But Smith did bring the Strat back closer to spec. He started the company back on the road to success and if it wasn't for him, there probably wouldn't be a Fender Company.

As for "Junk" everyone of the true Smith Strats (Not the two knob jobs) I have played over the years were very good guitars. The best ever? No, but still a big improvement over what the company had been putting out.

T2

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