Help -Selling a 1962 Olympic white

[Intune]

I’ve never in my life come across a vintage strat being sold with verification by fender. Paperwork or a COA from fender would strike me as odd and actually question the authenticity because of Fenders involvement.

Most people spending loads of cash on a vintage instrument know what they are looking at. Probably more then the staff at fender.

@Jimbo99 you’re just adding doubt where there shouldn’t be any. Nothing funny going on with this one at all. No one is faking this kind of patina, not even close. The pickguard pulling away from the screws, you can’t fake that.

 

[Jimbo99]

“sUrE siGn”… THEY WERE MADE LIKE THAT… HOLY. Why are you blatantly spreading misinformation like this, I don’t understand?

Here's a 1954 Strat for $ 83K, the pickguard & trem cover, brace yourself, are you sitting down, it's almost shocking that they actually match. Do you want to tell me they were made in 1954 as well ? Maybe someone over at Gruhn's or Carter's can give you a COA that carries more weight than a Fender COA on that too ? Disinformation/Misinformation, please stop it already ?

Fender Stratocaster 1954 | Reverb

As the year that started it all, Stratocasters from 1954 are extremely collectible and prized instruments. Full production on the Stratocaster did not start until October of that year, so earlier examples exhibit a great deal of variation and are generally considered prototypes. It was ...

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Some of these 1962's support different color plastics, but some of those the pickguard is so ragged out that the trem cover look like newer plastic. The pickguard might be 1962, but the Trem cover most likely is newer plastic.

Fender Stratocaster 1962 | Reverb

By 1962 the Stratocaster had found its way into virtually all styles of popular music, and Fender sales were going strong. Little changed about the Strat in '62 from the previous couple years. The 3-ply pickguard was now standard as was the Rosewood fingerboard. One change that did occur late in ...

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A 1962 Fiesta Red with matching plastics. Care to tell me both are vintage 1962 plastic ? Better run that by the experts too.

Fender Stratocaster 1962 Slab Fiesta Red One Owner | Reverb

From our Private Collection, "One Owner Guitars" Wanted to share this piece of Fender history! This is an original 1962 Slab Board Fiesta Red, this guitar belonged it's whole life to one person, it includes all case candy and paper work. Owner was an acoustic guitar player so never got aroun...

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[Jimbo99]

you’re just adding doubt where there shouldn’t be any. Nothing funny going on with this one at all. No one is faking this kind of patina, not even close. The pickguard pulling away from the screws, you can’t fake that.

I never said it was a fake, never said anyone was pulling a fast one. As for doubt, not introducing any more uncertainty than any other guitar on the planet has ever had for the true age of any part on it. Anyone here want to tell me those are the original saddles & tuners. How about the original output jack ? The OP isn't listing the guitar for sale here. She wanted opinions, I'm giving her the reality of even having any expert looking at the guitar is going to have to process in their head before blurting out their number or price range on a valuation.

 

[mattier303]

Man that’s a a gem. I’d say I agree go with Gruhn find any cool pics, pieces parts, whatever. have them take pics while it’s apart, they know how to do. You’ll get a chunk for that.

 

[Bazz Jass]

Can I just remind everyone that the OP has lost her Dad - I think it's totally inappropriate to turn this thread into a fist fight. She's had some good advice, and she's contacting the right people who will help her with this. Let's wish her all the best and hope selling the guitar makes a positive difference to her life.

Goodnight all.

 

[Jimbo99]

Okay, now Im convinced you’re just trolling and have never gone through the process of buying or selling a pre-cbs yourself. We’ve reached a dead-end Jimbo, fare the well

As often as plastics are swapped by anyone on this forum, you mean to tell me there's an expert in Nashville that can authenticate that the plastics were made in a given year over the last 1/2 century ? I'm astonished & amazed at that really. I mean bakelight is period correct to a time period before a more modern plastic replaced it, evolution of plastics too because those formulations change. This has nothing to do with whether you ever bought or sold a 2nd/3rd or whatever hand pre-CBS with no documentation whatsover beyond what is written or stamped in the hidden crevices of this instrument, it's not cut & dried, there is uncertainty in any evaluation. Yes we are at a dead end. That a Fender COA is somehow less credible. I think if she had the Fender COA, there would be no need to mention anyone else to verify that paper document, even there you would go to Fender ? If you're going to Gruhn over Fender to verify the paperwork Fender issued, then there's no hope for you, I can't help you on that one either ? One thing I learned getting an accounting degree, that a CPA audit is a 3rd party OPINION, it's not an ironclad guarantee that fraud & abuse may or may not be present. I think one would need Lloyd's of London to issue an insurance policy to guarantee authenticity of the guitar to collect on any claim it was a fake ? I'm just saying, a pristine 1 owner 1962 is more likely to be original than a guitar that has been used as a daily player for the better part of the last 50 years.

I still don't believe someone advised not to disassemble the neck from the body to self-discover more about the guitar ? WTF, it's 4 screws that Leo Fender went out of his way to design in a modular instrument that was intended to be dismantled. I get that someone would advise to be cautious in doing that, but to advise against it. Maybe there's a disclaimer to the effect if you don't know what you're doing regarding string tension, etc. But it's not hard to figure out for a full grown adult.

 

[Bazz Jass]

Please guys..

 

[Jimbo99]

I’ve never in my life come across a vintage strat being sold with verification by fender. Paperwork or a COA from fender would strike me as odd and actually question the authenticity because of Fenders involvement.

You mean in 50 years if someone inherited & wanted to sell a 2022 Fender Custom Shop as vintage 2022 in 2072 that if you were still alive, would question that COA ? Fender makes the guitars, Fender issues the COA, they are the defacto final word on anything Fender. Independent 3rd parties are only witnesses to those facts.

'61 Strat® Heavy Relic® | Stratocaster Electric Guitars | Fender® Guitars

The official Fender® '61 Strat® Heavy Relic® product details, reviews and authorized dealer information.

www.fendercustomshop.com

The ’61 Strat Heavy Relic takes you back to a special time during the evolution of the venerable model when Leo Fender was constantly modifying, progressing, innovating and perfecting. 1961 was the final year of the round-lam or “slab” rosewood fingerboard, ushering in a new era of ’60s Strats along with many other changes and upgrades. On this model, a two-piece select alder body wears a well-worn Heavy Relic lacquer finish, and the quartersawn maple neck has a ’60s-style “oval C” profile, 9.5”-radius flat-lam rosewood fingerboard, and 21 Jumbo (6100) frets for classic feel and gigantic bends.

Custom Shop hand-wound Texas Special™ pickups provide extra output and are hooked up to Vintage Modified #2 wiring with Tone-Saver bleed circuitry and five-way switching, all on a three-ply mint green pickguard. Other features include a Custom Shop vintage synchronized tremolo, vintage-style tuning machines, bone nut, and wing string tree with tall metal spacer. Also includes deluxe hardshell case, strap and certificate of authenticity.