Author Topic: MIJ Fender Stratocaster question. (Read 9570 times)

Scotty477 · « **on:** January 17, 2008, 12:18:13 PM »

I got a MIJ Strat, from ebay a few months ago and have only got round to refurbishing it now. It's serial number indicates it was built between '83 and '87.

I took it into my local tech to get it set up, as I know zip about Strats. When I went back to get it, the guitar looked brilliant and now plays like a dream.

The tech told me that he'd taken the neck off to adjust the truss rod and had found the letter 'V' stamped at the end of the neck, instead of a year stamp that he expected to find.

Does anyone know what the 'V' means?

I don't have a pic of the stamp and haven't seen it myself.

Twinfan · « **Reply #1 on:** January 17, 2008, 12:26:08 PM »

Vintage? Is it a reissue style MIJ strat?

Scotty477 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 17, 2008, 12:31:08 PM »

To be honest I don't know if it's a reissue.

You could write down everything I know about strats on the back of fag packet, I'm afraid.

When I get home I'll take some pics of the guitar and supply the serial number.

Twinfan · « **Reply #3 on:** January 17, 2008, 01:31:32 PM »

That'll help ;)

Elliot · « **Reply #4 on:** January 17, 2008, 01:37:56 PM »

Is its serial number Exxxxxx? Does it have a spaghetti logo? If so V normally means vintage neck.

Scotty477 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 17, 2008, 03:17:56 PM »

From memory it does have an E serial number, although I'm not sure what you mean by spaghetti logo?

It certainly has another difference to other MIJ strats that the tech had seen, in that the Gotoh tuners have a stylised 'F' on each tuner - although not a Fender 'F', if that makes sense.

Jonny · « **Reply #6 on:** January 17, 2008, 03:59:09 PM »

The 'spaghetti' is the standard font of the Fender logo on the headstock.

But that's what I thought, apparently there are different version since Elliot said is there one, so there must be other types.

Scotty477 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 17, 2008, 05:34:22 PM »

The serial number is E953575, giving it a 1984-1987 production year.

Scotty477 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 17, 2008, 11:36:32 PM »

I'm having a little trouble getting pics of the Strat on the site.

I can't seem to enable HTML, which I need to do. In my profile the setting for HTML is on but I can see that my HTML option is still showing as off.

Can anyone assist?

Elliot · « **Reply #9 on:** January 17, 2008, 11:37:15 PM »

As to Fender logo -

There is the Spaghetti logo (Leo era), the Transition logo (from Leo to CBS that is) and the big Black logo (70s)

http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender.html about 1/4 away down.

Does your strat have a big black 70s style logo on a big headstock? If so the Gotohs indicate its a 70 re-issue.

Scotty477 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 17, 2008, 11:53:42 PM »

The logo is the transition logo. It has a black outline with silver insert.

The headstock isn't the large 70's style.

I have all the pics on my PC but I can't enable HTML in my profile to get the images from photobucket to here :oops:

Scotty477 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 17, 2008, 11:57:13 PM »

It seems I can post links to images at photobucket.

I have these 4 at the moment. I'll upload a couple more shortly.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee245/Cobra_999/Stratfull1.jpg?t=1200612327

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee245/Cobra_999/StratHead1.jpg?t=1200614282

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee245/Cobra_999/Stratrear1.jpg?t=1200614542

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee245/Cobra_999/Strathead2.jpg?t=1200614773

Elliot · « **Reply #12 on:** January 18, 2008, 12:11:49 AM »

Its definitely a Jap Standard Strat - the main strat of the day (usa didn't have the tooling to build strats in any quantities at the time) - made vintage, but no particular year. My neighbour has an E serial number very similar.

Dunno what the v stands for - It could be a vintage neck that made its way to a standard - such things were known to happen.

Scotty477 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 18, 2008, 12:19:57 AM »

It could well be, although I'm not sure what the difference is between a vintage and a standard neck?

Elliot · « **Reply #14 on:** January 18, 2008, 08:23:58 AM »

I must say its a fine looking guitar - just right for some Slow Hands

As a reference that may help - I looked at John Blackman's Japanese Fender site:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.blackman4/standard.htm

He says:

'Two string guides (which may be either the butterfly type or as seen here) and modern gotoh tuners are obvious signs of a Standard model.'