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Post subject: Help!! What year is this tele?
Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:43 pm
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Hello!

I am new to the forums but would love some help or wisdom on a telecaster i'm looking to buy. So, the guy told me it was an 1988 telecaster American made. It looks like in good condition so I asked him to send me the serial number. He told me it started with an E3 and after some research I found that it should mean it is from 1983 (or 1983-1985. I relaid this info to him and he is not exactly sure. He told me a guy at a guitar shop had also thought it was a 1983 but when they took the "neck" off it was stamped 1988. I'm not sure what all this means and am confused on what year it is. I read its difficult to pinpoint there year prior to 1991. Any input would be much appreciated. Also it has a custom "humbucker in the neck" and he is asking 650. Would it be more or less valuable if it was a 1983 vrs a 1988?

Here is a photo here
http://images.craigslist.org/00Z0Z_jTAc ... 00x450.jpg

Thanks so much!!


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Post subject: Re: Help!! What year is this tele?
Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2014 3:24 pm
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Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:31 am
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Location: Province de Québec, Canada
E 3 could be 1983 to 1985

http://www.fender.com/support/articles/ ... ct-dating/

Without seeing by yourself the body date how can we be sure . I can't say if it is a original Fender

$650 seem a good price for 1983 or 88 , Check the frets because a fret job cost $$$


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Post subject: Re: Help!! What year is this tele?
Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2014 6:37 pm
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Based on the photos it's most likely a modded American Standard Tele - the bridge is correct for that model, but they didn't have a version a neck humbucker until the 1990s. If the neck date is 1988, then it's a 1988. To verify the body without taking the neck off check the back - there should be a hole in the neck plate and in the body for the micro-tilt mechanism. You should be able to see the screw for the micro-tilt up in the hole. If that isn't present, then it is most likely some other kind of body with the American Standard neck and other hardware.

Here's the story on the serial numbers: CBS made up a big batch of headstock decals with both the "E3" (1983) and "E4" (1984) serial number prefix. The top-loader "Standard" Tele and the Elite Tele from that era weren't really big sellers, so when CBS sold the company to FMIC in February 1985 there were still stacks of these left over and included in the parts bins.

When FMIC put the American Standard models into production in 1987 they made the decision to use up those left-over decals. There were evidently more "E3" Telecaster decals then there were "E3" Stratocaster decals as I've seen a lot more "E3" American Standard Teles than Strats. Another issue - Fender put the Strats into production first; they really didn't have capacity to do full runs of the Teles until fairly late in 1987, so it is certainly within the realm of possibility that E3 Teles were made well into 1988 while almost all the E3 Strats were built out in 1987.


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Post subject: Re: Help!! What year is this tele?
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 9:18 pm
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John C wrote:
they didn't have a version with a neck humbucker until the 1990s.


+1

The first American Standard Telecaster with a neck humbucker didn't come into surface until 1998.


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