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Thread: Fender Squier Strat date/country of origin!

  1. #1
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    Fender Squier Strat date/country of origin!

    I just got a Fender Squier Strat very cheap! It does not have any serial number anywhere on it (looked on the front/back of neck, under pickguard, and under the neck joint). I have some closeups of the neck removed from the body. The only markings on it are found on the back of the neck as seen in the photos.
    My question is, where is this guitar made? What year is it?
    Thank you very much!

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  2. #2
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Fender Squier Strat date/country of origin!

    First off, welcome to the forum! I'm sure you'll like it here!

    About your Strat, my guess is that it's probably one of those Squiers that come in a "player's pack", meaning an amp, the guitar, strings and a strap. I've read that those usually have no serial numbers.

    Anyway, it is really nice to see that we're living in a time when it is possible to get a pretty DECENT guitar (like yours), well built, shielded, playable as any other, for a fair price.

    I own a $100 and something Washburn acoustic that is just the same... A very good guitar for a couple of bucks.

    What you got there is not only a nice strat, but also a potential mod platform which can become virtually anything you want it to become...

    Cheers!

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    Re: Fender Squier Strat date/country of origin!


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    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Fender Squier Strat date/country of origin!

    Bingo

  5. #5
    Forum Member DanTheBluesMan's Avatar
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    Re: Fender Squier Strat date/country of origin!

    there are code numbers on the pots (usually) that can help to get an approximation of when the guitar was built.

    as far as country of origin, it's hard to say but if I had to throw a dart and guess I'd say Indonesia.

    and yes, the availability of well made entry level guitars today is light-years beyond what was around when I was starting out circa '70-'72-ish, let's call it 1971

    My Squier CV50 tele cost me just under 300 in 2010, today they're just under 400 new. In 1971 my Squier would have been about $48.28. I can assure you that there were NO, as in ABSOLUTELY ZERO, guitars of today's quality caliber available for under 50 dollars new back then. My Squier is a better guitar than my brand new '74 Stratocaster ever was, the 444 dollars it cost me in 1974 is equivalent to almost 2400 dollars today. Yes, I will concede that there is a good chance that a 2400 dollar fender today may be better than my Squier, but 8 times better? Mmm, I dunno.

  6. #6
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Fender Squier Strat date/country of origin!

    It's a real crapshoot with a Squier sometimes. They bid them out in batches and there is no Squier factory, per se. Some of them were built by Cortek and are really nice. Some of the early ones form Japan rivaled the USA ones for fit and finish, upgrade the hardware and electronics and you have a sweet axe. Some of the others I've seen were clearly built by the lowest bidder and are virtually unplayable.

    So, the quality is all over the map. If you find a good one you get a great deal on a guitar.

    Chuck
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

  7. #7
    Forum Member DanTheBluesMan's Avatar
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    Re: Fender Squier Strat date/country of origin!

    Usually the CV line are of reputable build. I've picked up some Affinity Squiers and they were, well, you had to look at a lot of them to find a good one. The Vintage Mod or VM line appears to be of good quality although I don't always jibe with the choices of appointments and features. I did play a VM Fender VI back in the beginning of last year that had me figuring what I had to do to acquire it. Apart from a Strat or a Tele, and the P and the J basses, the Fender VI is probably the last of the bolt neck single coil models that I want in my stable.

  8. #8
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Fender Squier Strat date/country of origin!

    Quote Originally Posted by Offshore Angler View Post
    It's a real crapshoot with a Squier sometimes. They bid them out in batches and there is no Squier factory, per se. Some of them were built by Cortek and are really nice. Some of the early ones form Japan rivaled the USA ones for fit and finish, upgrade the hardware and electronics and you have a sweet axe. Some of the others I've seen were clearly built by the lowest bidder and are virtually unplayable.

    So, the quality is all over the map. If you find a good one you get a great deal on a guitar.

    Chuck


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