Info on a Fernandes Stratocaster

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Chum

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Hi to All!!!

I recently bought this Fernandes stratocaster...... The body looks to be 3 piece solid wood, am not sure if it is Alder......

Fernandes1.jpg


Fernandes2.jpg


The headstock logo just says "Fernandes" and ""Electric Sound Research Group"..... This guitar does not have a Serial Number, only the brand "FERNANDES" stamped on the back neckplate...... the headstock has the modern Fernandes cut, not a Fender headstock.......

Fernandes3.jpg


Fernandes4.jpg


Fernandes5.jpg


The pickguard is a single ply, 8 hole one...... As you can see from the pic, it has aged very nicely, ditto the pickup covers....

Fernandes6.jpg


I would appreciate any info you guys may have on this guitar...... What model, and where it was made, especially......

Thanks in advance.....

Chum
 
At http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:KvFevftfypkJ:cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-1983-FERNANDES-BURNY-THE-REVIVAL-MIJ-RARE_W0QQitemZ230097437092QQihZ013QQcategoryZ2384QQcmdZViewItem+%22Fernandes%22+%22Electric+Sound+Research+Group%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=au

there are images of where to find the serial number.
I don't know if it applies to your model.
I'm not sure when Fernandes changed the headstock shape maybe late 1980's.

Have a look at the Fernandes catalogues at http://www.fernandes.co.jp

It looks like Alder to me or might be grainy basswood.
I've got a 1985 Fender Japan Strat and have the same sort of grain and I think mine is Alder.

http://www.guitarscanada.com/Guitar_Woods.htm
 
LE series with a altered headstock..... Not sure if a LE-1 or a LE-2
This LE series were for import and were avalaible after mid 90?s.....in USA were avalaible at 91/92 because legal things....I guess they were realeased i n japan too afther The Revival series(2nd era).Be caretull as far as I ?ve seen some "cheesy" ones...low end quality.
Never tyried one.

I guess cmguitar (Chet is his name I guess)would be able to give more info on this...
 
Thanks for the thumbs up luis.
You got a 90s LE2C . You can tell by the sunburst finish and the vintage tuners. And the gold lettering on decal that was used 90-97
They changed the head stock in 90.
I used to own one just like it.
you will not find a SN because they used a paper sticker and put it on the head stock. You can get the year buy taking the neck off and it will be stamped on the butt of the neck But if it set up i wouldn't do it.
It is a good Guitar. I own another LE2 and a LE1.
 
Its alder wood. Be careful of the electronics also they used cheap pots and switches in a lot of the LE and TE series guitars You may be changing them sooner than you would like. But the Body and Necks are well built.
Of my 2 one is still stock the other I rewired.
 
Hi guys, thanks a whole lot for your replies.....

I kind of suspected this was a 1990s guitar, thanks for confirming this, cmguitar.... by the way, would you know where these models were made? The guy i got it from said they shipped this guitar together with a few other guitars and amps straight from Japan in a container..... I will try to take off the neck for a better look.....

So far, the electronics look to be of good quality, not those little bitty potentiometers that come with other Asian guitars....... I might change the Tremolo/bridge and the pickups though, when i find some suitable ones.....

So this is an alder body...... it does feel kind of heavy, as compared to my Tokai Springysound......

Thanks again!!!

Chum
 
Any guitar that uses small 16mm pots is open to a Korean or Chinese assembly theory IMO.
The manufactures would likely use local parts for the pots pointing to the assembly country of origin.
Usually the pots are not a selling feature of a guitar.
How many people go to a music store with a screwdriver and ask the staff if it's ok to take a look at the pots.
So there is really no need for a manufacturer to use imported pots.
What's around locally will do.
Interestingly from another post a CIJ Fender has small pots but my 1985 MIJ Fender from Fujigen has large pots and the K Orvilles that some people think come from Korea (because of the sticker) also have large pots.
I would say your model is Japanese made and assembled probably by FujiGen as they had most of the bolt on neck contracts, making the Ibanez Japan and Fender Japan models in the late 1980's/early 1990's.
 
all my 80s FJs have full size pots and steel switches. at some point they decided to go with the smaller pots and plastic switches though lots of guys say the electronics used on Japanese Fenders these days seem to work fine...and I mean on the regular production models excluding the DiMarzio series some custom editions, ExTrads and shop orders... which could be ordered with anything.
your assembled outside Japan theory is something I`ve not heard before.
 
The small pots theory is really only for when guitars first started coming out of Korea in a big way in the late 1980's/ early 1990's.
A lot of Korean guitars from that period used the small pots.
It's only a rough guide anyway.
This Korean Squire page is interesting.
Some of the Squires look pretty good.
The Korean Pro Tone from 1998 and made by Cort is using large pots with Cor-Tek (Cort) stamped on them and has a Crafted in Korea logo.
So here is a Korean guitar using large pots.

http://www.squierjv.info/theprotonepage.htm
 
thats the best site I`ve found yet on squires, JVs　ａｎｄ even some non Fender MIJs. I`ve linked a lot of guys to that site...very informative and light years ahead of the Blackman site.
 
Chum, mine was and my other LE2 is MIJ It does have the small pots. but the sound is fine. My 90s LE1 the Electronics did not hold up.
I rewired it with a Guitar Fetish handwired Assy.W/ Texas premium grey bottoms. Does great $135 usd. wired w/ Alpha pots, HD switch and a orange drop. My only regret is i should of gotten the Vintage pups instead. GFS Texas premiums are a little too brite for my taste. Even brighter than Fenders Texas Spls.
I would leave it untill I have trouble Mine sounds great. :D The LE2 I had like yours sounded and played great too. The only reason I got rid of it was I run across a 2002 Strat I really like and I needed to get rid of some guitars that just set around so I swaped 3 for 1. I had to used the LE2 to finish the deal.
 
Hi there Chet.....

I was finally able to take the neck off the guitar..... I didn't find anything stamped on the neck itself, but I found this serial number stamped in ink in the neck pocket itself......

Fernandes7.jpg


Fernandes8.jpg


Its a 5 digit serial number, but if you look closely at the pics, you can see that there are a couple of small holes beside it, and one of the holes seems to have been drilled through what looks like a last digit of the serial number...... So i'm not sure if this originally had a 5 digit or 6 digit serial......

Anyway, I hope you can further enlighten me here......

Cheers!!!!

Chum
 
Yours is MIJ Early 90s I suspect All the LE series are MIJ up to 97 when they switched production to Korea and China. And stopped production on TE and LE series. Early 90s LE also has SN in pocket and all of mine are 5 digits.
Even the 2000-03 Reissues are MIJ. The bad thing they made them with great necks and bodys and crappy electronics. The 00-03 models have a black modern logo w/sn on the front.
 

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