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Post subject: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 4:50 am
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I bought a Telecaster recently from an individual. I was told it was a 1992 USA-made Standard Tele. I was skeptical, about the details, but had just retired, and used to play a 1960’s Tele in a band in the 80’s; and wanted to start playing again. So I bought it. It plays and sounds like a Tele. I really like it.

But…once I started examining and researching the guitar, I confirmed that it was probably not USA made (it has only 21 frets; no micro-tilt adjustment). Then, as I looked around further, I could find no registration number and weirdly, a small ½ inch-sized decal on the top of the body, next to the top strap button that says “Made in Canada” and “Fabrique au Canada” with a tiny maple leaf.

Is this guitar even a Fender? Please help.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada? Photos
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 2:54 pm
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Please check out the photos on Google Drive:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qzdp3e ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dQbhq3 ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cIwyBL ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1reYYns ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YBmC1q ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10kxTpr ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k624Yt ... sp=sharing

Trevor


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 5:49 pm
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Fender does not make anything in Canada. That sticker was put on by a previous owner.
There is no serial number. An American Tele would have, depending on the style and year, the serial number on the face of the headstock, back of the headstock, heel of the neck visible above the body, neck plate, or the bridge.

Lacking any of those, I'd say this is a Partscaster made using some Fender parts.
If you remove the neck, are there any markings on the heel of the neck or in the pocket in the body?
What does it look like under the pickguard?

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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 6:16 am
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The destroyer of the serial number also destroyed most of the chances of verifying that a legit Fender - except for the one-in-a-quintillion chance that there are appropriate markings in the neck heel & pocket, and those mach each other.

Not a bad looking guitar, though. (I get a very slight Japan vibe from the neck, but the logo is wrong for the models I think about…)


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 7:52 am
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jmattis wrote:
The destroyer of the serial number also destroyed most of the chances of verifying that a legit Fender - except for the one-in-a-quintillion chance that there are appropriate markings in the neck heel & pocket, and those mach each other.

Not a bad looking guitar, though. (I get a very slight Japan vibe from the neck, but the logo is wrong for the models I think about…)


On the money as always.

A really sweet looking 50's style Tele, even down to the slotted screws. If only there had been a Serial Nº on the bridge plate. The neck pocket contour isn't 100% for a reissue from what I can see but otherwise sweet.

If it plays as well as it looks then I should think it is a great guitar.

Whether you actually bought what you thought you were buying would be difficult to tell. A full strip down might get much closer - if you really want to go there.

The made in Canada sticker is an irrelevance and was probably just applied, in an idle moment, by a previous owner when he happened to find it on something when the guitar was hung round his neck. It oozes Mojo as a result. ;-)

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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 7:37 am
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Thanks so much for your replies. This is very helpful.

I may take off the neck and pick guard and look for markings the next time I change strings.

Trevor


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 12:28 pm
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Nice looking guitar either way! If it sounds good than it shouldn’t be an issue. Unless, you paid him a pretty penny and then I’d probably want to punch the dude in the face.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2019 7:32 pm
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I posted photos of a Telecaster I bought recently. I found no serial numbers and wondered if it was a fake or a "Partscaster."

I took off the neck and found some identifying marks: the neck had the word "Servin" written on it and a date of June 1992.

The body exposed when the neck was removed had "A. Chavez," April 1992, and 52TELE written on it.

There was no serial number.

Is it reasonable to assume that this is a 1992 Fender Telecaster 1952 Reissue: either American Vintage or made in Mexico?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17M9_-j ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18Lp3ay ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1piGNIC ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uqWxzV ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dYZt0x ... sp=sharing


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2019 12:39 pm
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Both Servin and Chavez are names of Fender workers from that era, so nothing odd there.

Otherwise, my first impression is I'd believe that to be a legit (edit: I of course mean US Vintage series, not from the 1950's...) 52 US Telecaster.

All pics are detail pics (neck pocket & neck end), so the originality of pickups, wiring, tuners etc. remain unclear.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 6:25 am
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If the Tele I own was built in 1992, in Ensenada, Baja Mexico, imitating the 1952 Tele model, is it considered a Fender Series Classic 50's model, and not an American Vintage Series model?


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 8:08 am
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tcraig777 wrote:
If the Tele I own was built in 1992, in Ensenada, Baja Mexico, imitating the 1952 Tele model, is it considered a Fender Series Classic 50's model, and not an American Vintage Series model?


I stand to be corrected but I would think it unlikely to be a '92 MiM Tele. As I understand this would put it in the very earliest years of MiM production and I don't think they had started creating the MiM Classic models at that time.

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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 8:32 am
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John Sims wrote:
tcraig777 wrote:
If the Tele I own was built in 1992, in Ensenada, Baja Mexico, imitating the 1952 Tele model, is it considered a Fender Series Classic 50's model, and not an American Vintage Series model?


I stand to be corrected but I would think it unlikely to be a '92 MiM Tele. As I understand this would put it in the very earliest years of MiM production and I don't think they had started creating the MiM Classic models at that time.


I have looked through the price lists and there was certainly a Reissue series of guitars which was half the price of the "US Vintage" series and indeed cheaper than the "American Standard" series so this would suggest to me MiM.

I have a MiM of this period being what I assume they list as the "Standard" series. This would perhaps make it comparable to a Squire today.

If yours is indeed a 1992 50's Telecaster from the "Reissue" Series it would have been $569.99 new. An "American Standard Telecaster" was $839.99

That might account for the removal of the Serial Number and other indication of origin. :-(

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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:39 am
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As I said, I'm going on first impressions of those pics only - they are good, but show only the neck end and pocket. Pics of the whole guitar and details of the bridge, neck plate, headstock both sides plus electronics & wiring would help the ID'ing further.

The serial number of a US 52 Tele would be on the bridge, so if that has been replaced, the serial is gone. Not all modders keep the original part with the guitar...

But I'm leaning ever so slightly towards a US made guitar - here's what I'm thinking:
No Mickey Mouse ears…
Servin & Chavez don't point only (or even mainly) to Mexico - remember that a lot of Fender workers in the US factories have/had names with a hispanic origin. Besides that, both those names can be found in nineties US made guitars through the decade. Further, worker names on a guitar are/were typical to MIA's, not MIM's.
And a MIM would not be a "52"; the MIM's had only a 60's and a 50's decade model, no specific year models like the US (or Japanese) "reissues".
Even the date stamped on the neck end is "period correct". (On a newer AV, I'd expect a penciled date.)

Naturally, I can be wrong altogether - I only give opinions, not pure proven facts.
So, mo' pics, please - and post straight on the forum, that awakens answers better than links.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 9:50 am
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To jmattis and John Simms:

Thanks for your responses. They are helpful.

I had placed several more photos of the guitar on an earlier post (February 8th) if you would be willing to look at them. (I used Google drive because I have not yet figured out how to post photos to the forum!)

Trevor


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster Real or Fake. Made in Canada?
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 6:27 pm
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It's a shame the serial number has been lost, because it really is a beautiful instrument.
Made in Canada? Maybe depending on perspective... where was the maple and alder sourced? ;)
Have you had a chance to pull the neck and see what is stamped/written in the pocket and on the heel?

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