Please help ID this neck... pics inside.

[moritz]

Hey folks! New member here. Have been snooping for a while and now it's finally time to post.

Anyway, on to matters at hand.... I won this strat neck off ebay not long ago to use in a parts-o-caster project and am wondering if there are any experts out there who can help me ID it?




From what I can tell, it's either a Fender or a Squire. The decal has been sanded off but someone has scratched the serial number into the back of the headstock: M020109, which would make it Japanese made from 1992/3. Also scratched into the back of the headstock is the following: "K.H.S 93/45", if that makes any sense to anyone? Apart from that, it looks pretty much exactly like the neck in the following auction... same headstock profle, one string tree hole, black plastic truss-rod surround at headstock end, and it has that metal "button" at the base of the skunk stripe (which is different to a micro-tilt plate I believe, as in it looks different and is not as 'far back' as the micro-tilt plates)...

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....link:middle:au



Anyway, I have a Japanese Squier also from '92/93 (silver series) but won't have access to it for a while so I can't compare the two. Basically, I'm wondering if there's any way to tell the difference between the Japanese Squire and Fender necks from this era without going by the decal? Any help much appreciated! Thanks!

[Wilko]

That is a bog standard fender neck from the 90s on.

That metal is the piece at the end of the truss rod.

[Gravity Jim]

Serial numbers that start with "M" indicate Mexican factory origin. If that's the actual serial number, that would make it an MIM from 2002, right?

[Marcondo]

DATING MEXICAN MADE FENDER INSTRUMENTS
SERIAL NUMBERS CIRCA
MN0+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 1990-1991
MN1+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 1991-1992
MN2+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 1992-1993
MN3+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 1993-1994
MN4+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 1994-1995
MN5+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 1995-1996
MN6+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 1996-1997
MN7+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 1997-1998
MN8+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 1998-1999
MN9+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 1999-2000
MZ0+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 2000-2001
MZ1+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 2001-2002
MZ2+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 2002-2003
MZ3+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 2003-2004
MZ4+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS 2004-2005
MZ5+ 5 OR 6 DIGITS

DATING JAPANESE MADE FENDER INSTRUMENTS
SERIAL NUMBERS CIRCA
JV+ 5 DIGITS 1982-1984
SQ + 5 DIGITS 1983-1984
E + 6 DIGITS 1984-1987
A + 6 DIGITS 1985-1986
B + 6 DIGITS 1985-1986
C + 6 DIGITS 1985-1986
F + 6 DIGITS 1986-1987
G + 6 DIGITS 1987-1988
H + 6 DIGITS 1988-1989
I + 6 DIGITS 1989-1990
J + 6 DIGITS 1989-1990
K + 6 DIGITS 1990-1991
L + 6 DIGITS 1991-1992
M + 6 DIGITS 1992-1993
N + 6 DIGITS 1993-1994
O + 6 DIGITS 1993-1994
P + 6 DIGITS 1993-1994
Q + 6 DIGITS 1993-1994
S + 6 DIGITS 1994-1995
T + 6 DIGITS 1994-1995
U + 6 DIGITS 1995-1996
N + 5 DIGITS 1995-1996
V + 6 DIGITS 1996-1997
Crafted in Japan A + 6 DIGITS 1997-1998
Crafted in Japan O + 5 DIGITS 1997-2000
Crafted in Japan P + 5 DIGITS 1999-2002
Crafted in Japan Q + 5 DIGITS 2002-2004
Crafted in Japan R + 5 DIGITS 2004-2005

Id say the M is a MIJ from 93. The KHS 93/45 could mean 1993 and it cost 45000 yen back then. ST-45 model Strat.

[moritz]

Thanks for the input guys! Yeah, I've pretty much figured it's a '92/'93 MIJ... but what I'm wondering is how to tell whether it's an actual Fender or a Squier, considering that the decal has been removed?

Marcondo,
Thanks -I had a feeling the 93/45 may have stood for "1993", but I didn't even consider the "ST-45"... seems plausible I guess.

[Wilko]

well, you got no decal, so whether it's fender or squier makes no difference.

I'd guess that it's not Squier because by that time Squiers were coming from Korea. Japan is all the good stuff.

Also, being Japan from that time is as good or better than the USA or MIM stuff. Really they're all the same at that time.

[moritz]

I actually have a Silver Series Squier, which is also MIJ and dated to '92/'93 (also has an Mxxxxxx serial number), but I think these were the only Squiers coming from Japan at the time (they were made from 1992-94).
Anyway, thanks for the help guys. Now I just have to clean this thing up... bone nut... nitro... and whack it onto a body!