fake decal?

[gliderider22]

Maybe we should go back to discussing what the OP had questions about. This back and forth although entertaining is a bit sophomoric.

Originally Posted by Diocletian

I think that's one of the nicest things anyone ever said to me.
Thanks.

[Diocletian]

Originally Posted by gliderider22

Maybe we should go back to discussing what the OP had questions about. This back and forth although entertaining is a bit sophmoric.

Sophmoric? Is that a real word?

Sophmoric - Definition from the Merri...ine Dictionary

I love it when people try to be smart and fail miserably.

Considering you're telling us to keep on topic, you do it in an off topic way which is just as bad as what me and pesky were doing.

Next time, do it via PM if you're that bothered.

[gliderider22]

Sophomoric is a word.

I believe that the Op's decal is the real deal.

[Diocletian]

Originally Posted by gliderider22

Sophmoric is a word.

I believe that the Op's decal is the real deal.

Soph-o-moric.

Iron-ic.

[thaus]

I'll jump in here to tell you guys to stay on topic. The topic is NOT whether it's ok to put a Fender decal on a guitar or not but whether the OP's pic shows a real decal or not. Stick to the topic. It's unfair to the OP to have to read post after post about non-related issues..........FWIW, I think the decal looks real.

[EGrier65]

The decal is the real deal. I have an '88 MIJ standard strat with the same decal and the same string trees. (The blue one in my avatar)

[erock]

well I got it today.. now I'm doubting the body..the bridge is an aftermarket with 4 screws..and the pick guard has less screws than other ones I see on ebay from this era...fml gonna try and take it into to a shop today..

[Kyri]

Please can you post some pictures? Neck heel, and electrics and body routings under the pickguard, would be very interesting to see.

[gliderider22]

Take that sucker apart and snap some photos!

[erock]

still at work... =(

[jonnys]

Originally Posted by erock

well I got it today.. now I'm doubting the body..the bridge is an aftermarket with 4 screws..and the pick guard has less screws than other ones I see on ebay from this era...fml gonna try and take it into to a shop today..

8 screws through the scratchplate instead of 11 can be OK.

When you take the neck off I would expect to see ST-357 or ST-362 stamped into the wood on the neck and the body. ST-357 I think is more likely with 8 scratchplate screws but I am not the expert on this.

I don't know what is going on with the bridge though but if the guitar is more than 20 years old there is going to have been some wear and tear.

[67Strat]

My advice is the same as others here, take the neck and pick guard off of it and have a look. this would be a great time to familiarize yourself with stuff like that if you haven't already, it's not tough to do and comes in handy when looking at guitar purchases in the future. Look for the identifying stamps and get 'er done. Taking it into a shop may or may not answer your questions, just as many ignorant shop keeps as there are sellers. That and some don't value honesty and may prey on your fears, talking you into selling or trading something if you appear desperate. Get a screwdriver and take it apart, it takes a few seconds, it takes longer to restring it than anything.

[Kyri]

Most likely it will look like this:
1985 MIJ Fender Strat Rosewood Strato... 02:42:51 GMT)

[erock]

ya I'm confident now the neck is real.. (has the same tuners as that one too)

but now onto the body..will update in a couple of hours with pictures

[erock]

well neck looks legit:


but the body a fake? no stamps...









someone confirm this so I can rip into this guy.

[67Strat]

Looks like a Fender neck on some funky S-copy body to me. Better pic of the bridge and trem routs?

[gliderider22]

The body is not legit Fender in my opinion. The routing is strange and no marking on the pocket. What kind of 5 way switch?

Let's see what the others think.

[erock]

its 4 screws, inside its painted black obviously aftermarket, im not gonna take it apart again..

but with no stamp in the body, and the HSH configuration...?

[67Strat]

No need to take anything apart, shoot a pic of the front and back of the body.

[erock]

[67Strat]

I've never seen a bridge like that on a Fender but it doesn't mean it they never did it. Some of that import stuff was pretty strange and despite the wealth of information out there there were some unexplainable oddballs. Still nothing about it looks Fender to me but not necessarily in a bad way, the body doesn't appear to be plywood or anything. I can't remember what you paid for it but if it was cheap enough I wouldn't care. The neck is worth a bit and the body config is pretty cool with the HSH. But it's likely not a Fender body, the paint in the neck rout looks like it was home sprayed, probably someones old project partscaster.

[erock]

wow this guy is being an *******...he wont refund my money..what should I do?

[gliderider22]

Where did you buy it? Did you pay a lot?

[erock]

ebay,1986 Fender Strat Stratocaster MIJ Tr... 10:22:59 PST)

[thaus]

That's a Squier bridge.

[gliderider22]

If you got it on Ebay and paid with Paypal just dispute it and report the seller. Have you left feedback?

[erock]

nope..but he is saying the pics dont prove anything...

[thaus]

Could be a Squier body too........I would demand a refund or if the guitar plays well, at least a better deal than $482 USD! I paid $500 CAD for a 100% legit MIJ 62 Stratocaster a couple of years ago and at the time I went $100 more than I wanted because I wanted the sonic blue!

[gliderider22]

Also, those saddles are definitely not from a 80's MIJ Fender.

Originally Posted by thaus

That's a Squier bridge.

[erock]

is that neck pocket then not legit being as there is no markings?

[thaus]

My MIJ 62 Stratocaster has the model # stamped in the neck pocket (like your neck does). My neck has a penciled in date on the end as does my MIJ Telecaster. The pocket doesn't look like the culprit as much as the bridge. That just looks exactly what the bridge on an Affinity or Bullet by Squier would look like...........the saddles should look like the regular Fender vintage style saddles.

[67Strat]

Paypal dispute is the way to go. The winning bid is too much for a guitar listed to be something it's not.

[corosith]

Mmm I wouldn't be so quick to rip in to the guy that you bought it from, that routing looks very familiar to me, in fact it looks exacly the same as one of my black MIJ squiers. From what I have experienced, *** bodies don't seem to be marked as much if at all compared to say US strats and they also greatly vary in routing designs. I've even had a *** strat with routing for electronics and 9volt battery, but ordinary hardware! Likewise with the pots and ceramic bar pickups - looks like all standard *** stuff to me (I have ripped the same pickup/pot combinations out of a few *** strats in the past to replace with upgraded gear).

Also in the second last photo checkout the difference in colour of the paintwork from the section under the pickguard, the paint has aged/yellowed significantly indicating that it is most likely has quite a few years old as the serial suggests is a 86-87 model versus being some backyard job.

From what I have experienced, a lot of components were shared between both squier and fender models - also between *** and korean models. I have a really nice korean made squier with *** marked neck and original *** stamped pots and bridge (backing up the assumption that the koreans used left over *** fender parts). So in general, what you can buy can be a lucky dip at times - you can have nice fender marked saddles, only to find you have a small block on the tremolo, great necks but at times crappy tuners, or you might have a pearler of a neck only to find the body is not solid timber - all questions you have to ask the seller if purchasing one of these guitars.

The only anomaly I can see here is the bridge, can't say I've even seen one like that before, but then again *** fenders were fitted with all sorts of bridges in the 80's (Kahlers, big block, small block, fender saddles, non branded cast saddles, etc etc) Are there 4 or 6 screwholes under the tremolo?

I'd be happy if that was my purchase, everything points towards a nice 86-87'
Japanese Strat to me - but I'd be really tempted to drop in a big block vintage *** trem if you can find one.

[erock]

well he said you forum geeks have no credibility..haha..

"7 days after the buyer receives it
Money Back
Items sold as is. Will not take returns for cosmetic reasons. Buyer is required to read decription carefully and ask all questions before bidding and/or buying."

you'd think he would be a little more understanding..because I could start up a dispute with paypal...

the tremolo does have 6 screw slots underneath the 4 screws.....

[peskypesky]

Originally Posted by thaus

That's a Squier bridge.

there are 4-screw Squier bridges?

[Razorc195]

If the seller is a high trader, with a good (say 100%) rating. and has been dealing guitars a lot, I would tend to trust them, especily if they are offering the usual refund period.... like several here have said, take the neck off and inspect it for the usual markings, there are several collector sites on the internet that list the things to look for in the neck pockets and in the pickup and trem spring pockets for the different years and mfgr locations. Its hard to tell from pictures, If that nut is sloppy, I'd change it to a nice aged bone, if you end up keeping the guitar...

But, all said, it looks like you have a real late 80's MIJ strat. and a nice one too. See how it sets up and plays. You may be very pleased with what you have purchased. And if not send it back.

[corosith]

If there are six screw holes, then it is likely the original bridge was replaced with a generic unit - could be for any reason (i.e. snapped trem arm, cracked cast block etc). If it were me I'd source a used fender stamped Japanese bridge from ebay or something.

I think it is fair with what he said in his listing, if you are serious about sourcing a vintage japanese strat then you must do some sort of homework on what you are after and also be prepared to ask the seller questions on anything you might feel is a bit suspect. It gets a bit annoying when you are a seller and try to provide an accurate description and clear photos, only to have the buyer jump in and make a purchase without asking any questions. This usually results in the buyer demanding a refund over something that could have been easily cleared up with some good communication. I'm not saying that's what happended in this case, just talking from experience from when I am looking for something specific to buy.

Who knows, the seller may have originally bought the guitar in its current format so he may be none the wiser.

My question to the seller usually relate to what hardware is fitted, especially regarding the types of bridges, tuners, electronics and pickups and their condition.

Good luck with whatever happens anyway!

[StratmanR2S]

It doesn't look right to me without a head type truss rod adjustment.

[67Strat]

Originally Posted by erock

well he said you forum geeks have no credibility..haha..

the tremolo does have 6 screw slots underneath the 4 screws.....

This changes things a bit. I don't have a bunch of experience with that particular type of MIJ Strat but as mentioned it the six holes in the body indicate the bridge was likely chaged at some point. The quality of the body appears to be pretty good, looks nice and solid, clean routs etc.

Personally I think you paid too much even if it was an 100% verifiably original 80's MIJ Strat, which it appears not to be. But that's not the sellers fault, that guitar got 25 bids to sell for what it did. Strange because there are likely cheaper ones on eBay with a buy it now price. Like I said I've never owned one but I see those Strat's around frequently, the funky string trees are the tell, we had one on craigslist last week for $300 and it didn't interest me.

If things don't go your way it's still and nice neck and body. Finding a replacement bridge will be easy enough and you'll have the guitar you bid on. Knowing how Paypal works you could probably force the seller the refund your money since his policy appears to be jumbled. I don't think he's a blatant scammer or anything but he certainly doesn't make things about his auction clear by saying "sold as is and 7 day return" in listing, especially when he asks buyers to look at his listings carefully.

Either way there is a lesson to be learned here and you'll need to be more careful in the future. Those guitars are a dime a dozen and can be bought cheaper than that any day. If the guitar was exactly what you thought it was, and most of it appears to be, it's not the sellers fault you got excited and clicked in your bids beyond what the guitar is really worth.

[erock]

well I told him I was done...he had to have the last word and saying how he believes it is all original hardware, and my coworker and "internet dweebs" don't know everything blah blah blah. didn't comment on the nut job or can't explain body or bridge, even the pick guard had different sized screws..

lesson learned I guess, ask questions before hand..and if they can't answer then don't bid. my fault for taking it for granted.

thanks for everyones replies.