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Post subject: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 8:29 am
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Hi all!

So, the store a work for recently got a Fender Bullet that everyone seems to tell us isn't real. I think this is real, but a couple of things don't match. From what I can tell, the serial number dates it at 1981, but the body is possibly a 1982. Rosewood fretboard, two single coils, "Fender Bullet 1" On the headstock. Can anyone shed some light? Is this a real Bullet?

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Serial E107316


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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 10:19 am
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Hi Nick,
It does look like one of the first Bullets that we did in or around 81/82. Hard to see the bridge from the picture, but the first ones had a metal pickguard that doubled as a bridge-- like this : Image

Plenty of pics and stuff online though. Another "tell" is the nut (if its original) was made of a pretty porous material as i remember literally cutting through my first one like butter with the nut saw.

at any rate....from here....looks real.
All the best,
rob

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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 2:55 pm
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I have a friend who is nuts about collecting Bullets of this era and he has a number with the one-piece pickguard bridge assembly and this one looks just like his. I'd grab the darn thing!

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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 12:30 pm
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Its real ok, a look here will confirm, these guys seem to know everything.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/guitar-owner ... -club.html


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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 4:45 pm
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Hi from the Bullet owners club TDPRI.
In 1981 Fender introduced the tele shaped Bullet, available in ivory & red only, with rosewood or maple neck "The Bullet" = alloy guard (black or white) all in one bridge/tailpiece, "Bullet Deluxe" = string thru body 3 ply plastic guard, rosewood or maple neck with walnut skunk - both 2 single coil pickups, kluson tuners, some later guitars had Schaller F type tuners, mainly maple neck versions, kluson went out of business & kluson stock was used up.

1982/83 USA Fender Bullet range revamped, body shape changed to strat shape, 5 models all with one piece maple necks with a maple skunk stripe to distinguish the Bullet range from other Fender guitars, some maple necks with walnut skunks were used on the early models - no rosewood neck option to keep cost down, tuners were Schaller F type or tele deluxe 2 prong type, kluson had gone out of business by this time.
"The Bullet" (2 single coil) retained the all in one alloy guard ( white only ) as did "The Bullet H1" (1 humbucker) both only available in ivory or red only.The 3 other models were deluxe versions with either 3 ply or single ply guards stamped with the model ie; S2, these were The S2 ( 2single coil) The S3 ( 3 single coil) The H2 ( 2 humbuckers) all available as standard colours ivory or red, with Brown sunburst or Walnut as extra cost options, Black was also an extra cost option but never advertised.

Other info : pots were dated, some pickups were dated, most of the 1st version tele shaped Bullet necks were not dated apart from the maple necks. most of the 2nd version strat shaped Bullet maple necks were dated. Fender's E1 prefix on the serial numbers lasted well into the mid 80's, not just 81, some early guitars had no E prefix, this was just a follow on from serials from the late 70's & 80's serial numbers.

Conclusion - yes this guitar is real, but the body is from the 2nd version 82/83 & the neck from the 1st version 81/82, no big deal it will play & sound nice but may not be the guitar for those looking for a USA Fender Bullet in original condition.


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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 4:50 pm
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1982 Fender Bullet catalogue : First paragraph states " all Bullet guitars feature Fender's one-peice hard rock maple neck.

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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 4:55 pm
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Hey royston-lee ,
Thanks for coming over with the good stuff!
Cheers,
rob

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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:26 pm
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Thanks for the pictures. I had never seen that bridge close up before.

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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 9:42 am
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Thanks everyone for the insight! I'd figured it was a newer body probably with a leftover neck. I knew that sort of thing was common back then. Well, here is the link to the listing itself if you guys want some more detailed pictures! Thanks again!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RK:MESE:IT

- Nick


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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2013 12:36 am
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NickH93 wrote:
Thanks everyone for the insight! I'd figured it was a newer body probably with a leftover neck. I knew that sort of thing was common back then.


During transition periods, Fender often created "different" mixtures of features. The Strat in 1959 is the classic example of that.

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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 6:20 pm
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Early Fender Bullet History

Fender Musical Instruments, to compete with the oversea markets, planned on producing the Bullet 1 Guitars outside the United States to lower production cost, but the foreign made parts were below John Page’s standards, and production was moved back to the United States; causing the early 1981 to 1983 Bullet 1 Guitars to be made and assembled with Fender USA craftsmanship in Fullerton, California.

The Fender Bullet 1 was John Page’s first Fender Guitar design in 1981, and the Bullet’s unique one-piece alloy bridge-pickguard combination was John’s first US patent; the bridge-pickguard cut cost by combining the bridge, pickguard, and providing electronic shielding in a single component. Because the original Bullet 1 was made for a limited period, many of the parts are hard to find.

The History of the Fender Bullet 1 spans over 35 years, beginning in the early 80’s when Fender Musical Instruments was looking to produce inexpensive guitars, to counter the cheap, foreign, starter guitars. The Original Fender Bullet 1’s were hybrids of the Fender Telecaster, Stratocaster, and the Mustang guitars; John Page cut cost by capitalizing on readymade, unused Fender Guitar parts, the guitar was designed to reduce manufacturing cost.

All Bullet Headstock decals show the words Fender Bullet and have a silver star with the number 1 inside the star. The serial numbers located on the headstock, typically begin with E0 or E1, (E designating the 1980’s) but sometimes the serial number doesn’t start with a letter prefix. Some decals contain the words Made in U.S.A., and other decals do not contain the words.

In the Early 80’s, the thin C-Profile, maple necks on the first Bullets were Fender Telecaster necks, and in 1981 were only offered with a rosewood fretboard; and in 1982, and onwards, offered either in rosewood or solid maple fretboards.

The 1981 Bullets had Kluson tuners, which were changed in 1982 to the 1970’s style Fender F tuners when Kluson Manufacturing went out of business in ’81, and finally replaced in 1983 by sealed Fender tuners, once the supply of F-style tuners ran out. This was a transitional time at Fender Instruments, cost was being scrutinized, and waste circumvented when possible.

The 1981 Fender Bullet 1 bodies were smaller, highly contoured, Telecaster bodies, which were produced for one year, but utilized in guitar production for both 1981 and 1982. And in 1982 a smaller, highly contoured Stratocaster Bullet 1 body replaced the Telecaster Bullet 1 body in production. The first Bullet 1 bodies were limited to a cream (ivory) or red color. In 1982 sunburst and walnut were added to the color line up on the new Bullet Strats.

The First Bullet 1 Pickups were single coil, Fender Mustang Pickups with the pickup positioning the same as the Fender Duo Sonic, with one bridge pickup parallel to the bridge, and one neck pickup positioned at an angle to the neck.

The First Bullets had a 3-way pickup switch for tone control, and a single volume and a single tone pot. The Stratocaster Switchcraft jack socket is positioned on the front plate like the Telecaster.

The First Bullets are sought after by collectors, and reasonably priced 1981-1983 Bullets can be seen in 2018 from $650 USD to $750 USD on E bay. The sound is often compared as a mixture of the Telecaster Treble sound produced from the bridge pickup, and the depth and power of the Stratocaster sound from the neck pickup.

In early 1983 the Fender Bullet line was moved to Japan, and marketed under the Squire label utilizing a laminated Stratocaster-like body and housing Stratocaster-like 3 single-coil pickups. In 1984 John Page started designing and building instruments with Michael Stevens in the Fender Custom Shop, Corona, California.

Identifying Fender Bullet 1 Guitars can be tricky. The serial number prefixes E000000 through E199999 designates 1979 to 1982, and the prefixes E110000 through E129999 designates 1980 to 1983, producing overlapping years.

A Fender Guitar with serial number E113xxx is listed as having production dates 1979 through 1982 and 1980 through 1983. The possibilities with the serial number E113xxx is 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983. But the first Fender Bullets weren’t produced until 1981, therefore even with an E0xxxxx serial number, the Bullet 1 wasn’t produced before 1981, and for serial number E1xxxxx, the Bullet 1 wasn’t produced after 1983.

Bullet 1 Serial Number Examples:
(1) A cream, Fender Bullet w/Stratocaster-style body, a blond neck w/serial number E102xxx.
(2) A red, Fender Bullet w/Telecaster-style body, a blond neck w/serial number E111xxx.
(3) A red, Fender Bullet w/Telecaster-style body, a blond neck w/serial number E112xxx.
(4) A sunburst, Fender Bullet w/Stratocaster-style body/pickups, a blond neck, w/serial number E112xxx.
(5) A cream, Fender Bullet w/Stratocaster-style body, a blond neck w/serial number E113xxx.
(6) A red, Fender Bullet w/Stratocaster-style body/pickups, a blond neck w/serial number E113xxx.
(7) A red, Fender Bullet w/Telecaster-style body, a rosewood neck w/serial number E114xxx.
(8) A red, Fender Bullet w/Stratocaster-style body, a blond neck w/serial number E115xxx.

There’s No Set Order in the serial numbered early Fender Bullet 1 body or neck productions; to keep cost down, the parts used were the parts available at the time of build. A sunburst 1983 Bullet 1 with a Strat-style body, pickguard, and pickups was offered in the showroom in early 1983, with a blond-maple 1982 production year neck.

The Original Fender Bullets were partly made from leftover Fender Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Mustang parts, and fashioned after the Duo Sonic, and Musicmaster to save on cost. Initially John Page planned to save cost by having the Bullet guitar parts made overseas, and then having the parts shipped and assembled in the U.S., but due to poor craftsmanship, John Page decided to use parts, many already on hand, from the Fullerton, California Plant.

Because Original Fender Bullets were partly put together with leftover Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Mustang parts, in different chronological sequences, it makes it difficult to date the 1981 to 1983 Fender Bullets. A Fender Bullet 1, Telecaster-style body, can be marked 1981, and the Volume and Tone Pots can be marked 1982, and the neck can be marked 1983. The oldest date mark can be either 1981, 1982, or 1983. The production dates are typically stamped or written on the body, neck, pots, and sometimes the pickups.

The Main Bullet 1 Design differences in 1981 a Telecaster-style body, Kluson tuners, and a rosewood fretboard was the only options offered, and in 1982 a Stratocaster-style body, and blond maple fretboard was introduced, alongside a Bullet 1 with a Telecaster-style body and one-piece solid maple fretboard. In 1982 Fender used the remaining supply of Fender F style tuners on their Bullet 1 guitars, and in 1983 Fender replaced the F tuners on the Strat-style Bullets (the only Bullet 1 body style remaining in production after 1982) with sealed Fender tuners, which are still used on high-end instruments today; and in early 1983 Fender closed up shop in Fullerton after the run of supplies came to an end.

Dating Fender Guitars can be difficult when the parts are often produced over a span of time. Fender was able to capture the music market in a brief time, due to their guitars being of high quality, and the various parts being constructed at the same time, on an assembly line. The necks, bodies, and electronics could all be built by different luthiers, at the same time, increasing productivity, and lowering cost.

Many Fender Guitars through the years were built with parts spanning over time, and pin pointing the day an early 80’s Fender Bullet 1 was built is often impossible when the various production years can span 3 years.

Caution should be used when dating used vintage guitars. Even guitar shops blunder when dating the production year of an early 80’s Bullet. Sellers will often use the visible serial number (on the neck) to date the instrument, when the body may be from 1982 Strat-style stock, with the new 1982 brown-sunburst coloring, and the neck may be rosewood from 1981 stock. And sellers will often date a Fender Bullet 1 using the body style, and date a Telecaster-style Bullet 1 (original red or cream color) as a 1981 production, when the instrument has a blond-maple neck from 1982 stock. Bullets are often called “Mutts” for a reason.


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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 10:38 pm
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After reading the wealth of knowledge on this topic, I knew I had made the right choice in where to ask about this..
Having cut my teeth on a Fender and loving everything about them, It would not be too much to say when I play one, it feels like home.
That being said, would someone shed some light on what I'm pretty sure is an 80's era Squire Bullet 1(full sized headstock, Squire logo, silver star with a 1 in it). Due to circumstances I could not control, I am looking for one to buy or build from parts and need specs . The only kicker is the guitar design in particular I am looking for has what I have found to be uber elusive..an HSH pickup configuration and a five way switch. Can someone please help point me in the right direction?
My mom sold "Wild Thing" thinking I wouldn't want it anymore. In all fairness she sat in a closet for a few years and since my eventual growing to be a responsible adult having purchased a few high end guitars which include a Mexican made Strat which I set up and modded myself , a PRS , an Epiphone with book matched flamed maple top LP(moms favorite) among others.
All are pretty to look at, sound and play beautifully...but they will never compare with the "Swiss army guitar" qualities of that particular model with the control and the sheer projection/volume I got out of it. I have yet to have found even 1 other with an HSH and full headstock. Not one. If anyone can shed some light on what I had or the specs for someone looking to recreate this beast..better yet one for sale somewhere, even if it needs work. That would be Fantastic. Hope someone can help me out.


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Post subject: Re: Shed some light on this Bullet please?
Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 12:02 pm
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Hey all, new to the forums here... and relatively new to playing music at all, having started 11 months ago at age 60. Having a blast with my '17 P-bass Am Pro! And I just picked up an early Bullet Deluxe, serial number is E000005. Should I be excited about having a Bullet with this low of a serial number, and what year was it produced? I am assuming it's 1979 but I'm getting conflicting information from various sources online. Could it be anywhere from '79 to '81? My brother-in-law thinks it's very possible that with such a low serial number that it may have been issued originally as a sales rep guitar which may have been built with the best pieces possible at the time.

I'll post pics next week, but in the meantime, just interested in any additional information that someone might have. Love the guitar, looks great (cream color), and sounds pretty damn good, too. Thanks all! 8)


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