'Stratocaster' ID

Hey All,

Sorry about the terrible photos here, I will get better ones this evening.

So I have this guitar coming in to have some work done. I know the owner has tried to ID it previously with no luck - so i thought it was worth asking this community. I've a feeling its a copy or a partscaster.. but you never know. The bridge and nut are a bit weird. Has anyone seen anything like this before?

I'll see if I can find a serial number on it when I have it on the bench.

Had to use the forum uploader as Imgur is having a spack attack - hopefully some clearer stuff coming later.

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Looks like it has had a nasty nut replacement by someone wearing a blue and white apron, apart from that who knows

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking- that ain't right.

I'm not going to get to see it in person until some time over the weekend, but I'll follow up with what I find.

It seems like it might be an '88 Japanese build, with the bridge possibly being fitted after market. That looks like it might come from a very brief run of CBS 'Elite' Stratocasters.

I don't really know, I'm not an expert at all so its just going off what I can google from those pics.... stay tuned

Can we have a pic of the whole guitar?

Looks like it probably had a locking nut fitted at some time, maybe original, maybe later.

Yes, I will get some much better detailed pics when he brings it around. I hadn't thought of that, but maybe. It certainly looks like its been messed around with.

OK, I think the neck (at least) is probably a Fender MIJ Contemporary Strat from between 1985-1987. The bridge looks like a Fender system II bridge (you can just see the 'F' logo stamp on the back) but with Graph-Tech string-saver saddles fitted instead of the original. It was made by Schaller in Germany.

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The nut may have been a roller nut to start out with (maybe a Fender LSR), which has since been fitted with a standard one.

I'm finding it very hard to find a photo of a Strat fitted with a Series II trem. They probably didn't sell that many of them, with the rockers going for the Contemporary Strats with Series I or III locking trems, and the more conservative sticking with the standard Strat models with the normal trem and natural headstock.

Awesome Simon. I had also deduced that the bridge seemed to be a combo of two different ones. Namely the ‘STRAT’ from the early 80’s and possibly an elite? I’m looking forward to physically inspecting it as it’s a fun riddle.

The System II was used both on some Contemporaries and the Elites made at that time. The Elite had strange looking pickups with no polepieces showing through the plastic cover, also individual push-button pickup selection.

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So it's possibly a Contemporary neck with an Elite body, but more likely all Contemporary.

I like the Graphtec saddles, they will be better than the originals.

I'd agree with Simon re the age, my 1987 fender Japan Jazz bass special has exactly the same headstock decal and black front face.

Cheers Andy. The guy is doing his standard ‘flakey musician’ act and still hasn’t brought it around so no new pics yet. But based on Simons info and some googling I’m sure that’s what it is.

Mid 80's Fender Japanese "E" serial strat for sure.. but a bit of a bastard child maybe as the bridge doesn't look right, id say the saddles have been replaced.
The bridges on the contemporary models were more like a Floyd rose (cause 80s and dive bombs obviously) and had "Fender" on it, not just "F"

are the pickups the lace sensor style or does it have the exposed pole pieces? how many fret neck? and does it have the TBX tone control pot?

They only made the Elites (with that style trem) for a couple of years... but the Japanese made them for a year or two, so It could be a 84.

Pretty sure it has the full Fender script on the bridge from memory - its been some time since I've held this particular guitar in person. And yep it's definitely been fiddled with. I will see how we go catching up this weekend.