Vintage Strat help

[Woody Sound]

I am by no means knowledgeable about Fenders, so I am asking the collective here, is this the real deal? Besides the replaced pickups, it just looks kinda funny.

https://buffalo.craigslist.org/msg/d...124088764.html

[John A.]

I'm far from expert, so grains of salt, but it does not look legit to me.

- Finish looks like a failed attempt to fake a faded sunburst on a non-burst guitar, or poorly executed attempt to strip and overspray a burst
o No black pigment left anywhere on the guitar
o No marks, dings or divots anywhere
o Finish is even and glossy overall, which makes me think it has a new coat of clear lacquer
- Back of the neck has weird swirl marks, but with even gloss, also suggestive of fake aging and re-spray.
- Non-original pickups, pickguard (real one would be yellowed), and backplate (ditto)
- Ad says nothing about the obviously non-original features, and calls the guitar "original", which raises red flags about the seller

Might be old, might be great, but it's not an original '64 Strat. Caveat mucho emptor. If it really is a 64, but with a bad refinish and non-original parts I don't know what the value would be, but certainly much less than $19k.

John

[skykomishone]

I saw Jimmy Hendricks live, when I was a teenager, and he was playing a strat. Purple Haze, Hey Joe, and the whole nine yards! Never forget that. Late '60s. My older brother had one and let me play it. Didn't look like that.

[hot ford coupe]

The Fender decal on the headstock looks off too. There were a lot more things in that decal and there is no residue other than the Fender name which makes me very suspicious. It looks like a refinish to me. That by itself doesn't make it a bad guitar but that 19gs price is way out of line.

[pauln]

The neck plate serial number looks like L45313.

"Your guitar was made at the
Fullerton Plant (Fender - Pre CBS Era), USA
in 1964
Production Number: 45313"

per the lookup at this site...
The Guitar Dater Project - Fender Serial Number Decoder

Who knows if the neck plate is authentic or if that is the guitar on which it was originally placed? Not everything on a played guitar (real or forgery) may be original, especially an old one; for example the single ply pick guard is not original and wrong for a '64 Strat. Also, I would expect 11 rather than 12 pick guard screws (but what do I know?).

Sometimes things are altered early in a guitar's life long before anyone becomes concerned about diminishing the value of a vintage instrument. People also make fakes so you can't discount that this one might be a forgery.

Bottom line is that you should not be going by forum member casual opinions; if you are interested in the guitar, get some professional involvement before handing someone $19K.

[Cunamara]

If you're serious about it, would be worth having Gruhn or someone do an appraisal.

[Phil59]

I am far from an expert. But not only does the headstock look funny. Look at the pickups!!! Did they make lace sensors in 1964? Hard to believe. And the bridge pickup looks like a CC knock-off.

[Jonathan0996]

I'm not an expert either, but I had a '62 strat years ago. The neck and the bridge look like the real deal. If the body is real it's probably been refinished. The pickups are definitely not original. Lace Sensors didn't exist until the mid '80s. It could still be a nice guitar, but $19,000 is crazy, imo.

[Mecena]

Without real pickups, not even worth 3000$.

[Monkeybrains]

Vintage guitars are a minefield some things are easy to spot. Others are very difficult if you've not had a lot of experience (which I havent)
Case and pickups definitly non original.
Refinished im 99% sure.
Not enough pics of under the pickguard to make an informed decision. 19k though, yikes

[Monkeybrains]

Saddles also non orignal

[icr]

Looks like some poor attempt at a fake.

[Mecena]

Dave Simpson from YT has paid his Black 62-63 Strat, around 4500 British Pounds.
Got all original parts, changed saddles and tuners cause of chorosion.
Pickups are original.
All parts also original.
So 19 000$ is a ..... walking meme. XD

[rolijen]

Craigslist? I don’t think so. One potential hypothesis: an uninformed person came into possession of what they’ve been told is an ‘original’ vintage Strat. They googled a bit and probably thought grandpa’s ratty old guitar is worth $20k-$25k. But, to sell it quick, they decided to not be greedy and offer it for only $19k. So, naturally, they posted it where you post vintage guitars...

I wouldn't touch this with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.

[Mecena]

I'm soo glad that I don't get any GAS on 50s and 60s guitar.
But the custom made on other hand ... XD

[Mecena]

Btw body looks like it's from 3 pieces. xD
I doubt 1960s guitar for 19 000$ would have a 3 piece body badly painted. xD

[Woody Sound]

Btw body looks like it's from 3 pieces. xD
I doubt 1960s guitar for 19 000$ would have a 3 piece body badly painted. xD

When I did the OP and said it looked "funny," I meant the body. Even the shape on the upper horn looks off, BICBW.

[Mecena]

Yamaha Pacifica for 300$ has 3 piece body if you have luck. xD

[Cunamara]

When I did the OP and said it looked "funny," I meant the body. Even the shape on the upper horn looks off, BICBW.

Yeah, I see what you mean, but the shape of the Strat body changed several times over the course of production since 1954 and I'm not necessarily sure where those points are in the timeline. This might be helpful, although naming himself and "expert" does put me off a little bit. If you have to tell me that you're an expert, you probably aren't.

Fender Stratocaster History: The evolution of an icon

But at the very least an awful lot of the original guitar has been replaced. Even if the body and neck are correct, the scratch plate, pick ups, backplate have all been replaced. It seems likely that the body has been refinished; if it is a three-piece body, as it appears, it might've originally been a solid color that got stripped and finished as a burst. While Gibson bursts are prone to fading, Fender bursts seem more stable based on the photographs of vintage guitars that I've seen. I would not expect a Fender burst to fade like that. And in that vintage it would've been a three color burst. As someone else pointed out, the decal on the headstock work thank you; in addition to the center logo, there would have been a "Stratocaster" name on it as well as the little circular decal in the "knob" at the end of the headstock. Since that finish is still more or less intact, it seems very strange that the decal is not there.

so, either the seller just doesn't know much about these instruments and is selling it in the belief that it's the real thing or it's a con.

[archtopeddy]

Con or not, it doesn't really matter. This thing isn't worth $19k. You can pick up a 65 Strat with all the correct parts in correct condition for that level of money. The fact the pickups have been replaced is the ultimate deal killer. It's like getting an original 59 Les Paul Standard with replacement DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups.

[Mecena]

For 19k $.
For sure I would get 2 PRS Private Stocks. XD
And not half faked 60s Strat ..... xD

[whiskey02]

I am an expert in common sense and I can tell you in no uncertain terms that when it comes to buying anything, be it instruments, art, diamonds or dining on blowfish, if you need an expert to confirm something for you, you should not buy said object.