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ok, i just bought a strat body in pewter off ebay which was listed as a MIM body...i also paid a very low MIM price for it...but after looking at pics of it again and pics of other MIM bodies...i think i got a USA made body at a MIM price and the seller didn't know it. ok, first off the body is pewter and to my knowledge fender never made a pewter MIM strat asside from the powerhouse and this is not a powerhouse body obviously. also the screw spacing for the vintage trem he listed as 2-3/32 from center of the first screw to the center of the last...if i'm not mistaken MIM vintage trem bodies have a 2-1/8 mounting hole spacing. next up is the routing, this is routed H-S-H when all the MIM bodies i have seen are routed not quite HUM size in the neck-S-H. this also has only one extra routing hole below the main route when MIM bodies have 3 holes there. next up is the grounding screw inside the bridge pickup area...i've only seen this on USA made bodies, never a MIM. also it has a green circle sticker in the route which i have only seen on US bodies not MIM. finally it is stamped with a full date (sept 07 XXXX) in the neck pocket not just a serial number like the MIM bodies i have seen. am i correct in thinking this is a US made body or is it some sort of MIM reissue? either way i don't mind since i paid a MIM price for it and was happy to buy it! here it is, let me know what you guys think it is and what model strat it could have come from...
-Mike

MIM bridge mounting holes are spaced 2 1/16quot; center to center. My guess is that if they don't measure that way, it's not an MIM body.

That's a killer body by the way.

Here's the body I used, MIM.
see your pic shows the difference...3 holes vs one under the pickup routing...and mine has a full hum route in the neck where the MIM is smaller than a full size hum but yet not a single size. plus mine has the screw in the bridge PU area...all signs point to USA so far but who knows.

yeah he said the spacing was 2-3/32 which is odd since i thought USA vintage trems are drilled 2-7/32 but he could have made a typo or measuring error...who knows, i guess i'll wait 'til it gets here and see unless someone knows for sure...either way i love the body since it matches my tele. if it's USA made even better!! now i just need to find a trem. that fits it.

-Mike

Either way, that looks awesome. From everything you said, it sounds like it's MIA.

Fender has so many different things going on right now it's gonna be hard to tell for sure...Im guessing it's MIA...either way it's a cool colour!

do something good with it!


Originally Posted by the guy who invented fireFender has so many different things going on right now it's gonna be hard to tell for sure...Im guessing it's MIA...either way it's a cool colour!

do something good with it!

after all my research i'm leaning towards MIA also but either way i'm happy, the price and color were right for me! as for doing something good with it, i'm making a twin to my main pewter tele...same pickguard color neck wood etc etc...i think even electronics will be the same.

-Mike


Originally Posted by XSSIVEafter all my research i'm leaning towards MIA also but either way i'm happy, the price and color were right for me! as for doing something good with it, i'm making a twin to my main pewter tele...same pickguard color neck wood etc etc...i think even electronics will be the same.

-Mike

If I remember right the tele had a mini bucker in the neck and a hot rails in the bridge...is that right? No middle pickup???


Originally Posted by XSSIVEyeah he said the spacing was 2-3/32 which is odd since i thought USA vintage trems are drilled 2-7/32 but he could have made a typo or measuring error...who knows, i guess i'll wait 'til it gets here and see unless someone knows for sure...either way i love the body since it matches my tele. if it's USA made even better!! now i just need to find a trem. that fits it.

-MikeWith those measurements being uncertain right now, definitely wait until you get the body in and measure the spacing yourself before you buy a trem . You should have plenty of options, what are you thinking about right now?


Originally Posted by the guy who invented fireIf I remember right the tele had a mini bucker in the neck and a hot rails in the bridge...is that right? No middle pickup???

yup this is gonna be an odd strat hehe...i have a regular strat with 3 pickups 3 knobs and a 5 way already so this one will be...one volume, one tone, (piston knobs also like the tele) 3 way switch...min hum in the neck (sm-2 though, the tele has an sm-1) and a hot rails in the bridge (actually a modified tele hotrails to fit the 2 strat mounting points). the tele is in getting custom inlay work now and when i get the maple neck for this i'll have the same inlays done on that also. so i'll have 2 identical twins just one strat one tele..i just thought it would be something cool to have since that tele is my favorite guitar.here is the tele so you can see what i mean (before inlay work)...
-Mike


Originally Posted by FretFireWith those measurements being uncertain right now, definitely wait until you get the body in and measure the spacing yourself before you buy a trem . You should have plenty of options, what are you thinking about right now?

i'm just going to go with a vintage style trem with a calaham block if needed...unless a US vintage trem fits then i'll just use that block...and graphtech ferra glide saddles to get a close match to the tele.

-Mike


Originally Posted by XSSIVEyup this is gonna be an odd strat hehe...i have a regular strat with 3 pickups 3 knobs and a 5 way already so this one will be...one volume, one tone, (piston knobs also like the tele) 3 way switch...min hum in the neck (sm-2 though, the tele has an sm-1) and a hot rails in the bridge (actually a modified tele hotrails to fit the 2 strat mounting points). the tele is in getting custom inlay work now and when i get the maple neck for this i'll have the same inlays done on that also. so i'll have 2 identical twins just one strat one tele..i just thought it would be something cool to have since that tele is my favorite guitar.here is the tele so you can see what i mean (before inlay work)...
-MikeYou mentioned the inlay work once before...what are you having done???

why do strat bodies usually have one to 3 holes cut out below the picking routed area?

Dude, that is a sharp Tele!
Definitely make the Strat match.


Originally Posted by proxywhy do strat bodies usually have one to 3 holes cut out below the picking routed area?My guess is for possible mini-switches for wiring mods, but I'm not positive.

ok guys, i got a new pic of the neck pocket from the seller and now i have no clue what this thing is from...any ideas?
i also did some searching and found that he bought it off another ebay seller who had it listed as a MIM body but the MIM standards never came in pewter so it's not that. anyone know what models came in pewter from the higher end MIMs series (deluxe perhaps?)...also the mounting hole spacing is odd at 2 3/32 so that makes me know it's not a regular MIM standard body since they have 2 1/16 spacing and MIA bodies tend to have 2 7/32...i guess it was some for of reissue or something but i have no clue.

what is his thing lol

-Mike

the first thing that occurred to me was 'fraud'

i hope i am wrong ... the solid color paint job, the facts that dont add up and the non standard spacing all seem fishy ... as if a guy bought a body blank trying to do a home brew then screwed up and decided to unload it

good luck
t4d

i'm 100% sure it's real fender due to all the markings on the body, typical of fender and for someone to do that would be nuts. plus all the knock off strat bodies never have that extra hole under the pickup routing in them, that's a typical fender thing. and the neck pocket routing is typical fender also...all the fakes have very smooth neck pockets and real fenders have the two dips in them on the right and left making the pocket not 100% square. also the body was first sold by a guy on ebay that only sells real fender parts with 100% positive feedback, so i know it's real fender for sure. i just have no clue what it came from. plus i paid less than a solid color WD, warmoth, or USCG body would have cost me anyway so i got a good deal on it.

-Mike

ok, did more digging and i think it's off of a deluxe model H/S/S or H/H fat strat since these are the only strats that came in pewter asside from the clapton and the powerhouse and it's not a powerhouse since i own one and they have extra routing in them like the clapton...i'm pretty much 99% sure about this...either way i'm happy, it's solid alder and matches my tele with the pewter finish!

edit*

ok i did even more searching and this IS 100% a deluxe fender strat body off a H/S/S or H/H strat...i searched the origional sellers auctions for around the date this sold and the day before this sold a deluxe rosewood/maple strat neck sold via buy it now....case closed i guess. that also, explains the odd string spacing since the deluxe models like my powerhouse don't use regular cheap MIM vintage trems they use the better MIJ/MIM style reissue trems with the larger trem block. works for me since i paid so little for it and less than the orgional buyer paid also.

-Mike

glad i was wrong
enjoy!

cheers
t4d