authenticity of fender strats

[redname]

hi,
is there any ways to look from appearance on whether the guitar is the real stuff or fake?

i need urgent help here as i've spotted a 80's US strat gng for a relatively low price and i'm pretty interested in buying it but i'm quite afraid as my fren informed me tht the shop does have records of selling fake stuff.

really appreciate ur help, thanks

 

[relinquish69]

woo, I love this topic!

basically right, you have to be super familiar with fender bodies. different years have different routings. the most significant difference should be how the worm hole is routed but that usually applies on vintage stratocasters. it took me months to make sure my strat was 100% original before laying down the bomb.

look at the back of the neck and the neck pocket of the stratocaster. does it have a name there? usually those made in the late 80s and early 90s have. for USA fenders, they are usually equipped with alder bodies.do you have pictures of the guitar? cos you have to take note of the saddles, pickups etc etc.

what strat is it? if its something like american standard or something, its value is not going up that high. early reissues however.... thats another story.

 

[taypeng81]

hi,
is there any ways to look from appearance on whether the guitar is the real stuff or fake?

i need urgent help here as i've spotted a 80's US strat gng for a relatively low price and i'm pretty interested in buying it but i'm quite afraid as my fren informed me tht the shop does have records of selling fake stuff.

really appreciate ur help, thanks

if the shop has records of selling fake stuff, my advice bro, play safe. if you buy a china-made fake its not even worth the price of a squier.

im guessing you saw it online. post the link here for the other softies to have a look.
otherwise, just ask lots of questions, weight of the guitar, serial no. request for a pic of the pickups and wiring.

 

[celahircelebrindal]

post the link here for the other softies to have a look.
otherwise, just ask lots of questions, weight of the guitar, serial no. request for a pic of the pickups and wiring.

Yeah dude...post the link here.Fellow softies dont mind helping and sniffing out fakes for you....but rule of thumb if its too good to be true its most probably fake....


Or you want more verification you can post the link at Fender.com Fender@Lounge Forum....get Matt Frampton to help you out.

 

[redname]

i saw it in a shop actually. so no links available

 

[celahircelebrindal]

otherwise, just ask lots of questions, weight of the guitar, serial no. request for a pic of the pickups and wiring.

Then i suggest if you're really interested i suggest you do those mentioned by taypeng81.......pics of the neck heel, the neck pocket and the pickup wiring plus the serial number are important.Check the serial number in the web for verification....such as Guitar Dater Project.

 

[taypeng81]

i saw it in a shop actually. so no links available

since its in a shop it will be much easier
just go play with it. feel the weight - if its lighter than usual (i played with my friends MIA strat its btw 2-3kg) thats the first telltale sign of a fake.

check the workmanship e.g the neck - are the edges hand-rolled, is there a radius on the fretboard - or just flat like the MIC squiers.

lastly of course the tone, go play with a real MIA strat and compare.

 

[subversion]

alternatively, you can post a pic of it here, if it's within your means...

 

[Impromptu]

hi,
is there any ways to look from appearance on whether the guitar is the real stuff or fake?

i need urgent help here as i've spotted a 80's US strat gng for a relatively low price and i'm pretty interested in buying it but i'm quite afraid as my fren informed me tht the shop does have records of selling fake stuff.

really appreciate ur help, thanks

get the serial number from the headstock of the strats. 80's strat should already have a serial number. Send this number to fender to validate. They will be gladly answer your query. They even will be able to tell you the year batch of the production, the original factory and original color of the body it attached to when shiped from the shop. Pretty scary, yeah? I emailed them once to verify a strat before.
Sorry, can't help with the valid email address, I got it from one of the guy in fender forum.

If you can't get the serial number from the guitar, maybe Fender will be interested to know which shop is that

 

[MrE]

My advice is, if you aren't completely familiar with vintage Fender specs and how to spot fakes, don't even consider acquiring one for yourself, no matter what the price. I think the smarter dealers will even put a hefty price tag on a fake to reinforce the perception that it is legit.

The vintage market is well known to be full of scams, even locally. On that note, I have a hunch as to which shop you saw it at.

 

[Phanto]

I think its a custom made strat, using high quality us parts which may not be fender licensed. but with a fender water-slide decal on its headstock.

I think i know which shop, and which guitars u are talking about, is it the pink or the green one?

 

[Impromptu]

I think its a custom made strat, using high quality us parts which may not be fender licensed. but with a fender water-slide decal on its headstock.

in other words, it's a fake Fender?