vintage fender strat ID

[jdg]

hey guys, can someone help me ID this guitar? (pics below)
i don't know about this strat.
the seller says its a 74.
based on these blurrrrrrry fotos, that headstock is all wrong.
the serial number is kinda right.. probably a 75..
anyone give me any more clues?

thx thumbsup

[octatonic]

It was made between 1974 and 1976.
Probably 74 from the serial.
Headstock looks fine- it changed in '77.

[popmann]

http://www.fender.com/support/dating..._us_dating.php

[kats]

Yeah the closeup makes it look a bit small, but the case picture the headstock looks about right.

One of my friends owned the exact same model/year, I have to say it's one of my least favorite eras of strats.

[jdg]

i googled plenty already.
my question is, why does the head stock look so diff then other 74s i've seen.. such as this one: http://www.stratcollector.com/scn/base/74.html

[CherryFive]

You can see the outline of the decal in the photographs.

That makes me a little nervous.
I've had plently of 70s Ps, Js, Strats and other various old fenders and have always looked closely at the decals. I've never once seen the outline of the decal. It was always a seamless transition, under any light and in any photograph.

[chadd]

The headstock shape and logo look like a '66 or '67, but the truss rod nut and string trees are more like a '74. Hmm.

[jdg]

Originally Posted by chadd

The headstock shape and logo look like a '66 or '67, but the truss rod nut and string trees are more like a '74. Hmm.

thats exactly my thinking!
its too weird.

thx alot for the tips so far doods.

[mhartman]

I would pass on it. The decal outline is interesting, my '79 doesn't have that. Have him take the neck off and check the neck pocket dating and the neck dating. Also, take off the pickguard to check the dates on the pickups. If you are nervious at all about it move on and pay a few bucks more for a sure thing. Fender decals used to sell like mad on ebay, it is so easy to make up a clone that looks real.

Mike

[baikonour]

Originally Posted by chadd

The headstock shape and logo look like a '66 or '67, but the truss rod nut and string trees are more like a '74. Hmm.

It's a mid 70's headstock: 2 string trees, bullet trussrod, mid 70's tuners...also from the rest of the guitar it's definitely a mid 70's guitar: 3 bolts neck plate, black pickguard and pickups etc... i would say it's 75/76...

[marchhare]

That's definitely not real. The '70's ones had about two inches of laquer/urethane
covering them. You would never see the outline of the decal on a real '70s's Strat.
The headstock does look like a copy of a '67, except for the bullet truss rod, which
came later.

[marchhare]

I just looked again. It's also got the wrong tuners on it.

[AmekGuy]

It looks like someone put another neck on it and slapped on a decal. It could be MIM classic 70s neck or an aftermarket product, but it definately is not reminiscent to the heavy poly finish of the 1970s. I personally would not touch it.

[Jim Williams]

Fender was manufacturing a lot of crap back in the mid 70's. Cookie cutter guitars.
Best part was California Jam with Deep Purple. Richie Blackmore had about 20 of these turkeys with the original Fender tags on the tuners. He would smash one about every song. He even wacked a $50,000 TV camera with one and broke the lens off. That's about all these Fenders were good for.

When someone refers to these as "vintage", I know I'm getting too old, or "vintage".

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[jdg]

u guys rock!
thx for the tips

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

Fender was manufacturing a lot of crap back in the mid 70's. Cookie cutter guitars.
Best part was California Jam with Deep Purple. Richie Blackmore had about 20 of these turkeys with the original Fender tags on the tuners. He would smash one about every song. He even wacked a $50,000 TV camera with one and broke the lens off. That's about all these Fenders were good for.

When someone refers to these as "vintage", I know I'm getting too old, or "vintage".

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

70's gibsons and fenders were not considered good guitars, whenever I see the bullet truss rod or the heel on the back of a 70's Les Paul I still twitch. However a collector friend of mine bought an early 70's 335 that actually was a nice guitar. In my opinion paying alot for these guitars is complete insanity. There are plenty of strats that are fine that are cheap and should be.

[SnakeCained]

Ask the seller what it says on the end of the neck when removed.

This will be the big clues.

[jackinthebox]

Originally Posted by jdg

i googled plenty already.
my question is, why does the head stock look so diff then other 74s i've seen.. such as this one: http://www.stratcollector.com/scn/base/74.html

The rest of the guitar looks right to me. Black pickups and pickguard is mid seventies as is the three bolt micro adjuster neck. I'd say it's had the neck refinished and vintage style tuners put on it at some point. I don't know any other guitar that had a three bolt neck like that. It's not the sort of thing that anybody would bother faking IMO. Take the neck off and check on the end of the neck or in the pocket. Their numbers went a bit wierd in the seventies but from the mid seventies on their numbers were easy to read ie S6... would be a 76.

[DannyDay]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

Fender was manufacturing a lot of crap back in the mid 70's. Cookie cutter guitars.
Best part was California Jam with Deep Purple. Richie Blackmore had about 20 of these turkeys with the original Fender tags on the tuners. He would smash one about every song. He even wacked a $50,000 TV camera with one and broke the lens off. That's about all these Fenders were good for.

When someone refers to these as "vintage", I know I'm getting too old, or "vintage".

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

No joke. When did 70's Fenders become cool to own?

DD.

[Jay Kahrs]

Can the seller get you some close up pictures of the body & back of the headstock?

Ask him to put it on a scale too...find out what it weighs...some of those '70s guitars are stoopidly heavy....9 or 10 pounds for a Stat isn't uncommon and really, that's Les Paul weight!

It could be real, I don't know why anyone would bother faking a 70's Strat...

It takes JUST AS MUCH effort to fake a 50's or early 60's axe & they're worth a hell of a lot more!

Also, if it WAS a 70's reissue neck attached it'll have an serial number that starts with "MN_____" on the backside of the headstock.

[jdg]

passed on the offer.

u guys still give up the info tho..