How do I know if a fender stratocaster (MIM) is original?
There are a few ways you can check, but it's going to require a tiny bit of "dismantling your guitar".If you pull the neck off of a MIM Strat you'll probably find a date stamp on the end of the neck (the portion that rests in the pocket). This will tell you if the neck was indeed made in Fender's storied Mexico plant. It might look something like this:The "ENE" in the middle there gives it away as a Mexican made Strat (Enero is January in Spanish). The same kind of stamp holds true for the pocket of the body as well. It'll look like this:Now, identifying those marks as legit Fender maaayyyy be a chore, as Fender has changed it's stamping processes over the years. However, the chances of someone going through the trouble of trying to counterfeit a MIM Strat by fake stamping the neck and body, rather than trying to pull off a full blown American Fender Strat is highly unlikely.Now, whether those neck and pocket stamps being of the same month and year signifies that, that particular neck being married to that particular body on that date therefore being completely original is beyond me. You'd have to call in the big boys at Fender to help you out with that. I've seen brand new Fenders with different months or years...or both different pieces.So, as for your dilemma; for all intents and purposes, if you find those markings on your parts...it's probably legit and original.I hope this helps.
Is the fender stratocaster good for grunge?
Yep. That's what I use. Kurt DID used Stratocasters during live performances and to my knowledge, used Fender Mustangs in the studio. With his Strats, he installed humbucker pickups in them and took out the single coils. I'm pretty sure it was the bridge pickup. It's not just the guitar though, you need to have the right amp and pedals. Kurt used a Fender Twin Reverb and a BOSS DS-1 Distortion pedal. Yes, Strats are perfect for beginners, intermediate, AND advanced players.
How much would a 1956 Stratocaster guitar be worth if the neck were replaced with an '85 Stratocaster?
Well, if you had the original neck with it (not necessarily attached, but it went with the sale) and the body was verified by an outside evaluation AND Fender, you might be looking at a good chunk of change.The prices (ranges more like it) below are for a ’56 with all of it’s original anatomy. The harder it’s been played…the lower the price goes. The more parts replaced (hardware, body, neck, etc.)…the lower that price goes. Repainted?…the lower the price goes. So, it would really depend on an outside, expert opinion.Lump in the fall of vintage instrument prices as of late, and you get what you get.Mint condition: $ 60,000Excellent + condition: $45,000Excellent condition: $35,000Very good +: $25,000Very good: $19,000Good: $15,000When dealing with vintage, like a car, the more original…less changed, the better. Anything drastic will cause a price dip. The severity of the dip is related to the parts and amount of changes made.The most coveted are the electronics, as most other pieces can…as you know, be replaced. Often, the replacement can be a custom shop piece made with as close to the original process as possible. However, the original wiring, pickups and the like are harder, as the way they were made and the unique qualities of the process have been refined to be very exact nowadays, as well as hard to source materials used in the process. So, a lot of what made those particular parts unique can’t readily be replicated without exorbitant cost and inconvenience.So, I would say that, with the minimal information given, it would definitely be south of $15k. If not authenticated and without all the original parts included…way, way, way south of $15k.I hope this helps.
Electric Guitar: Which one should I buy? A Fender Stratocaster or an Ibanez RGT42? Feel free to write any other recommendations.
It really just depends on your musical tastes. The Strat has single coil pickups and is good for light distortion and clean sounding tones. You can get a little twang out of them too. If you really like the design you could get a strat with one humbucker (square looking pickup) so that way you could have more versatility and maybe do some mild distortion. The ibanez would mainly be good for metal, but you can coax a decent clean tone out of ‘em.Either way your tone will be more shaped from your amp and possible effects.Humbuckers= classic rock, metal, less buzz.Single coil- more of a rounded, twangy tone. Think like ZZ top(Personally id go with a strat with a combo of single coil and humbuckers for versatility.)If you buy anything with a licensed floyd rose or tremelo that is under like 500 new, expect your guitar to be constantly out of tune.
Stratocaster vs jazzmaster for lead playing?
yeah I'm not into surf music at all, not sure iuf that tone would be usefull to me, oh and I've played strat copy for 11 years now, so changin to a jazzmaster wouldn't be wise right before finally hitting the stage right? but I guess it boils down to playing them first, I just wanted to research a bit before getting to the store...
Distance between pickups on Fender Telecaster?
Do keep in mind that the bridge pickup on the Tele is slanted. Therefore, I gave you three measurements and a closeup photo to show this slant. From the centers of the pole pieces on the low e string (the big one) it measures 4 1/4" or 107.95mm. On the high e (the smallest string) it measures 4 15/16" or 125.4125mm. And down the very center it measures 4 9/16" or 115.8875mm. Hope that helps. Here is a closeup of the slanted pickup of which I alluded to earlier. http://elderly.com/images/fmic/30N/FNAST... Edit: I think I may have misinterpreted your question. If your wanting to know the distance between the pole pieces side by each then they measure as follows. Neck pickup 10mm Bridge pickup varied from 11mm to 12 (I have four Teles and measure them all).
What do people think of the Fender Mexican Stratocaster guitar?
I own an American Standard Strat, and I can tell you in my opinion there is a big difference in the sound quality between an American Standard and any of the foreign made strats. Judge for yourelf by doing this simple test: pick an American standard and say a Mexican strat of the same neck and pick up configuration (i.e. both rosewood fingerboard or not, both single coil pickups, etc.) at a store that has both. Have them both by your side. Pick out any amp you like - doesn't really matter much. Play clean, and A/B compare the two guitars. Play one into the amp, imediately switch the input cord to the other and play the same chords. When I do this I am amazed at how obviously superior the American Strat sounds. Since I can't speak for others ears and brains I have no idea if this is as obvious to others, but I believe they would easily notice. You get what you pay for, and in my opinion it is mostly the sound quality that costs. Great guitar tone starts first with the guitar.
Making a strat-lespaul Hybrid?
Hello there, Generally mixing Gibson and Fender parts is not easy. They used so many different dimensions. Scale. Yes you have a problem. Fender uses a 25 1/2 inch scale and Gibson uses a 24 3/4 inch scale. So putting a Strat neck on a Gibson body puts the bridge at the wrong spot for the neck. You could measure down from the nut 25 1/2 inches That is were the saddles should be. You can either move the Gibson bridge or put a Fender hardtail bridge on. The bridge plate of the Fender may cover the old holes from the Gibson bridge. Not sure, I have not tried. But I would think the bridge plate is big enough to cover the holes. I like this idea better because of the string spacing. Gibson uses a wider string spacing that Fender uses. So the Gibson bridge may have put the outside strings too close the edge of the neck to be playable. Pickups. Now you have the pickup problem. Gibson string spacing vs Fender string spacing. If you use the Gibson bridge and a Strat pickup, the strings may not be centered over the poles of the pickup. If you put a Fender bridge on, the string may not be centered over the poles of the Gibson rear pickup. So you would have to swap that out for a Fender spaced humbucker. They make an adapter ring. to replace the pickup ring at the neck. The ring has the same outer dimensions so it screws to the body ok. The center has a single coil cut out that accepts Fender pickup mounting screws. Those are only a few bucks. That gets you the pickups. There is a simpler way to do this. Get a neck with 24 3/4 scale that has a Strat headstock. I picked one up once. I know Fender Japan made a Strat (Heartfield name I think) that was 24 3/4 inch scale. Others make those necks. I think some Harmony necks are 24 3/4 inch scale. If you can find a neck like that, but a Gibson nut on it. You have a Strat style neck on a Gibson body and you did not have to move the bridge. Then for the pickups, put a 4 wire conductor humbucker at the neck. You can coil tap to get a single coil tone. Put in push/pull pot so you don't have to swap out the toggle. I think you can wire that arrangement up all right. Later,
Why doesn't my Fender Starcaster have a model number on it to identify it?
The serial (not model) number was put on the instrument before it was finally put together, stringed and tuned and thus, sort of hidden (unlike a Gibson where it is printed on the back of the head). There could be several markings. If it says a FENDER on the headstock you can look for them the next time you change strings or have them done for you. You may find markings on or under the neck plate, or in the body’s “socket” where they place the neck before installing the plate and screws. But most likeky you will find information, like the original date, at the base of the neck where it joins the body printed on either side of the truss rod adjustment.Taking your instrument apart is easy. Putting it back together may seem easy, but it’s not. Remember when/if you took a watch apart? It probably never worked again. Not getting your guitar together rightly can leave it buzzing or not intonated correctly. You don’t want that.Next time you think the strings need changed, pay someone qualified to do it at a music store, preferably one familiar with Fenders. Tell him you’d like to be present when they get to any numbers and that is your main intent on why you’re paying them (not just to change strings). Find a camera or cell phone with a camera then ask to take images of any numbers, names or signatures either written, printed or stamped into the wood or metal and save the images somewhere, not with the guitar. Having them could be useful if you need to ID it after a theft.