Jimbo99
Senior Stratmaster
I'd approach Fender 1st to authenticate it. Carefully dismantle the neck from the body taking photos (maybe even a video) of the neck heel & neck pocket of the body. The issue I have with the "experts" as 3rd party, they only go with what photos you send anyway and Fender won't acknowledge/recognize any 3rd parties COA, just like Gibson or anyone else wouldn't. And they'll put together a nice pdf/printed book of a report if that makes their expert assessment any more credible, it's just a 2022 documentation of what the guitar is in 2022 as an opinion, not really fact as being there in 1962 by anyone. If a 3rd party expert is anything like the Pawn Shop videos, that expert does that and still can't say with 100% certainty. What I see that others pointed out in another thread is that the serial number is kind of imperfectly stamped on the neck plate. And that could be any Fender or fake Fender neck plate that was used after the original guitar was bought. The body has wear & tear, so it was played. I doubt anyone chases down a bridge plate/saddle cover for a strat that shows the wear & tear that I see in the photos for that part. The fretboard dots are the cool clay colored markers and look like they are discolored & worn. The translucent finish of the body, is it possible it's a Mary Kay Strat 1962 model with chrome silver & not gold hardware, whether replaced or OEM ?
I am no expert myself, but I'm not charging $ 75-?,??? for an appraisal. Heck I'm not even interested in buying the guitar or flipping it thru an auction to profit from a couple of resales or an estate auction. What I find strange is the alignment of the tremolo cavity cover. It's definitely one of those that has individual string holes, but from the angle, the E & A string ports seem misaligned with a quick restring that the whole purpose of having a rectangular cutout or individual ports to eliminate the need to remove the plastic to restring it. The pickguard is mint green, the trem cover plate is white. That much isn't original or at least I wouldn't think Fender would mismatch. For example, Squier did that with my 2016 Affinity, white pickguard/black Trem cover. Don't get me wrong, I'm not challenging the authenticity or anyone's integrity. Just commenting on what I see from limited photos. I have a gut feel any 3rd party expert is going to see that too and either convince themselves to believe it's authentic or not. And they won't be any more certain than you, I or anyone else.
The further the guitar deviates from OEM & even perfect condition as stored in a case or rarely to never played. I'd say your Dad probably bought it preowned just the same. Does your Mom recall when it showed up around the house. Was your Dad in a band or still have friends from back then that are still alive & may recall the day he bought it or about that time frame as a memory of a special time they recall from their lives ? Heck one of them might even be the original owner new or preowned.
With the photo of you and the guitar, the fact that he left you that specifically ? That must've been something in his head that he cherished. While you may not have any attachments to the object, he did have that in his head at the time, enough to capture the photo with he technology of the day and to me that's a priceless heirloom is my point. Everyone has a different perspective & memory of a loved one.
I am no expert myself, but I'm not charging $ 75-?,??? for an appraisal. Heck I'm not even interested in buying the guitar or flipping it thru an auction to profit from a couple of resales or an estate auction. What I find strange is the alignment of the tremolo cavity cover. It's definitely one of those that has individual string holes, but from the angle, the E & A string ports seem misaligned with a quick restring that the whole purpose of having a rectangular cutout or individual ports to eliminate the need to remove the plastic to restring it. The pickguard is mint green, the trem cover plate is white. That much isn't original or at least I wouldn't think Fender would mismatch. For example, Squier did that with my 2016 Affinity, white pickguard/black Trem cover. Don't get me wrong, I'm not challenging the authenticity or anyone's integrity. Just commenting on what I see from limited photos. I have a gut feel any 3rd party expert is going to see that too and either convince themselves to believe it's authentic or not. And they won't be any more certain than you, I or anyone else.
The further the guitar deviates from OEM & even perfect condition as stored in a case or rarely to never played. I'd say your Dad probably bought it preowned just the same. Does your Mom recall when it showed up around the house. Was your Dad in a band or still have friends from back then that are still alive & may recall the day he bought it or about that time frame as a memory of a special time they recall from their lives ? Heck one of them might even be the original owner new or preowned.
With the photo of you and the guitar, the fact that he left you that specifically ? That must've been something in his head that he cherished. While you may not have any attachments to the object, he did have that in his head at the time, enough to capture the photo with he technology of the day and to me that's a priceless heirloom is my point. Everyone has a different perspective & memory of a loved one.
Last edited:
