Help! Japanese or American 62?

Ooooh, a "relic" Looks like a Titanic RI..lol

 

And that's all that ever matters.

 

Given the current trend for making completely good guitars look like they've been abused, OP can probably sell the screwed components, replace it with new stuff, and turn a profit.

Depends if the aim of this into a as-new-as-possible instrument, or restore it. Both are options.

 

A pic of under the pickguard would help too as well as the neck pocket (assuming it's not all painted over). I'll go out on a limb and say that people (in general) are less likely to "fiddle" with a U.S. guitar than an MIJ guitar. Very rarely does someone remove the country of origin decals if it's already an MIA & most are less likely to relic, refinish or burn them either. It's not that it never happens, it just happens less often. You know the neck was sanded and refinished or assume it was because there's nothing written on it at the heel?

Remove a tuner as well to see what marking are on them.

 

Looks like an American Reissue 62
Congratulations

 

I've never owned an MIA Fender 62 but I've owned a few MIJ's and they do say Japan on the tuners. Of course for me it's a guess but I doubt the MIA 62s have Japan tuners. If it's a Japanese 62 then it's odd that the back of the neck is not refinished but doesn't have the Made in Japan with serial on the neck.

The whole thing could be a Partscaster or as Guitarmaggeden said maybe not even Fender.

What we'd be looking for in the neck pocket if not all painted over is of course any stamps but also try to guess what kind of wood the body is.

Basswood is popular with the MIJ's & it's fairly soft (you can dent it with your thumbnail) with very little grains.

 

This may sound arrogant to a newcomer but it is 100% true. It never fails to amaze me how much some of these folks know

 

The position of the 12th fret markers points to a US 62 reissue, as they are too close together, whereas they were the correct distance apart on the Japanese ones. (Believe it or not!)

 

The serial brings back a AVRI 62 on the registration page but you will have to contact fender direct to get better specs like the color of the body

 

It does kind of seem to be an American 62 neck doesn't it? Right spacing, serial on the plate & nothing on the neck at the heel.

 

So far I'd say the neck, tuners and neck plate are original US reissue.

Nothing so far says the rest isn't likewise.

 

Hi @Guitarmageddon - I think @MIJ1988 may be mostly correct.
The AV series from 1982 until about 2012/13 had the string tree between the A & D tuners, while the more recent ones tend to have the tree directly under the A string tuner- to more accurately mimic the pre-CBS era.I can't say off the top of my head where the round string trees were positioned, so my observation only applies to the butterfly string tree.
Of course, I am not saying there aren't exceptions, but that is the standard for the AV series.

As for the MIJ, CIJ, I defer to your expertise. I have however noticed many of the 1980s MIJs had the string tree directly under the A string tuner, more accurate to the pre-CBS era, but again, I defer to you expertise for the MIJ/CIJs.

 

It's not Japanese. Replacement tuners do not a partscaster make. How the headstock and bridge came to be in the state they are in is another matter.

And for your further information, not all basswood is soft, nor can it be dented with your thumb nail. Stop believing and repeating all the rubbish you read on the internet.

 

Like we said at the top of the thread, without pictures all is speculation, which is what has happened.