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Post subject: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 12:39 pm
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Can somebody tell me more about made in USA Standard Stratocasters made an EE digit in front of the serialnumbers.
What does the EE mean, in wich year where they made?
Is it true that these Strat's where made when CBS pulled the plug, and Fender USA didn't produce guitars for about one year, in order to restart Fender USA like we now it today, except for a very low number of guitars made by the people who are now the Fender Custom Shop, or is that just one of these stories that goes allong with Stratocaster that begin to get colletable, just to spice them a little up?

I did came across one once, and it had one of the most beautifull flamed necks I ever seen on a Standard Stratocaster yet, a flamed neck you only find now on Custom Shop guitars. This Stratocaster sounded heavenly, and played immediately like I had been owning this guitar for ever, great feeling great guitar.

Thank's for your reply.


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 2:58 pm
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Dude, from what I can tell, the rumours have something to them,

I own a white strat with an EE serial number, made in 1987-88. The EE means they were made for the Export Market, mine in particular was made in the USA for export to the UK.

The weird thing is, it is absolutely as bought, and is completely custom shop parts. I don't know whether it was assembled there, but the neck, tuners and bridge are all as used in the custom shop.

It isn't a particularly flamed neck, but aside from the Clapton and Buddy Guy V-Necks, the best I have ever played.

http://s1090.photobucket.com/albums/i36 ... atocaster/


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 4:51 pm
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I have an EE as well, and Fender customer service IDd it as a 1987, supposed to have gone to Europe. It is a basic American Standard, Gun-metal blue, rosewood neck, no Custom Shop parts on this one. Plays beautifully! Congrats on getting such a nice one!


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:26 am
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Thank you very much for your reply,
Mine is a gun metal blue 1987, with a rosewood neck, it looks the neck is made out of hard rock maple with a most beutifull grain in it. Its made in the Usa as indicated on the headstock but I don't know where it was exported to originally, because I bought it second hand.
The pups sound amazing, nothing compared to another standard Strat, louder, yet surely that Fender Strat vintage sound, and the neck is smooth as silk.

So I think whe own something special here, was 1987 not the year that Fender produced almost no guitars in the USA because CBS pulled the plug, and just a handfull Custom shop craftsman stayed and produced our guitars or is this a legend?

Many thanks for your replies.


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 3:31 am
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Correct me, but I think 85-86 were the dry years for Fender production, and by 87 they were back in business. Whatever, they were producing fine guitars in 1987.


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:03 am
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That's the problem, I suppose it is '87 but with a EE digit guitar is it difficult to get an exact year of birth because it starts with EE and then the numberdigits, with other standarts its easy to get an approximate date of birth.
Thank you very much.


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:16 am
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That's why I ran the number by Fender, and they said 1987. No real way to tell from the six digit number otherwise.

Another interesting thing I found is when the neck and pick guard were taken off there are not many markings inside. It is most definitely a Fender and not a fake, but the normal markings and stamps are not there. One sticker with a name on it of a builder, but not the normal markings and stamps we see now. Perhaps they were in such a hurry to get the product out there as the company started back up?

It would be interesting to know how many of these were made, and how many really were exported. I bought mine just for the novelty of the serial alone, but it is a fine sounding guitar and gets picked up a lot.


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 1:05 pm
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Hello there,

I also own a EE105xxx white strat, bought it brand new in July 1988, in France, but it is definitely an American standard.
Great quality guitar, I love the neck. Built like a tank. Probably made in 1987.


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:56 am
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Edised, my EE is a 105xxx number as well. Maybe they came off the finish line at about the same time!


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 4:44 am
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Hi all,
If it helps my fender is EE 105240 and my packing slip shows it was inspected by Hector Sandoval in July 1988 which should help confirm your theories.


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 5:28 am
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I believe that was a transition year where as Fender didn't have a factory and there were only a handful of strats being made a day. Those guys went on to become the custom shop folks we all know today. A friend had an '88 AVRI strat that was stamped by one of the custom shop before it was actually a custom shop. That year of USA strat are often sought after because they have Custom shop quality at factory prices.

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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:40 am
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willydoit wrote:
Hi all,
If it helps my fender is EE 105240 and my packing slip shows it was inspected by Hector Sandoval in July 1988 which should help confirm your theories.



Mine is EE105234. They must have been sitting almost side-by-side in the paint shop! Now I REALLY wonder how many of these were set aside for export. We may never know for sure.


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 12:21 pm
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DetroitBlues wrote:
I believe that was a transition year where as Fender didn't have a factory and there were only a handful of strats being made a day. Those guys went on to become the custom shop folks we all know today. A friend had an '88 AVRI strat that was stamped by one of the custom shop before it was actually a custom shop. That year of USA strat are often sought after because they have Custom shop quality at factory prices.


Actually the transition year was 1985 - CBS sold Fender to FMIC (Bill Schultz and his management team) in early 1985. They were back producing a handful of the reissues by the end of 1985 - a few months ago someone posted a few shots of their 1985 RI with dates from around October 1985, which is the earliest I've ever seen.

Of course you're correct that some of the empolyees who were building Fenders when the FMIC factory opened did go on to become the first employees of the Custom Shop when it was started in 1987.

These EE serial number guitars are odd birds - weren't they supposedly made for export markets but wound up being sold here in the USA as well?


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:40 am
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I bought mine in July '88 in France.
So it probably has been manufactured in '87 or early '88
It has been may main guitar for the last 24 years!
The earliest EE number I've seen was something like EE100xxx, So we can assume that at least 5000 have been made..


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Post subject: Re: Fender EE digit made in USA standard Stratocaster.
Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 1:05 pm
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Mine is from 86/87. EE are export only models. Made in USA.

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