Fender crafted in Japan ST62 Strat

[Omiewise65]

I’m looking at a very nice Strat with rosewood board at a reasonable price point . Problem is , I‘m not sure if this one has a basswood body which I‘m not a friend of …
Can someone confirm this is alder by looking at the pics ?
Thanks , Michael

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

I'm not into MIJ Fenders but it could be either. Maybe you understand why it's impossible to tell this from these 2 pics and without the full model name ("ST-62-nn") if you look at the catalog:

https://vintagejapanguitars.com/fender-japan-1996-catalogue/
Only pictures showing the wood and/or the pickups (Texas Specials vs. Japanese) could help telling ST62-53 (basswood) and ST62-70 (alder) apart.

 

[Omiewise65]

I did some research but cannot find a single one with a V serial

 

[Omiewise65]

The ST 62s

 

[Sigmania]

I am no Fender expert, but I do know that they used multiple mfrs.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

I did some research but cannot find a single one with a V serial

Serials are not relevant in this context (other than finding the right catalog) but CIJ V0 serials are consistent with 1996/97.

 

[Sigmania]

EX apparently means export model?

"No the ex is export the extrad had a particular logo visible without taking the guitar apart"

MIJ ST-62 questions

 

[settebello]

Answer 4 says basswood.
https://www.strat-talk.com/threads/st62-mij-strat-specs.580063/

 

[Omiewise65]

Thanks a lot so far , still waiting for more and significant pics from under the trem cover and pickup cavity . Hopefully they 'll show up in the evening.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Well "ST62-DEX2" is not a model designator, just neck joint markings with mostly guesswork explanations (D=Domestic, EX=Export with confusion about the relation to EXTRAD and the red EX stamp formerly used etc., whatever the '2' means...). Since it likely relates more to target markets than models the higher -70 or -115 models may or may not have had the same stamps, so you're still on square one what model that could be and there's no way to find out without inspecting the whole guitar.

That being said, models Fender officially allowed to leave Japan are more often than not basswood (at least nowadays), likely to keep a distance to their western product lines and incentive to buy that. In other words, hunting for cool MIJ Fenders is best done in Japan (where they're usually sold stating the model number).

 

[settebello]

They say D stands for the neck profile and EX for export.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

They say D stands for the neck profile and ex for export.

That's what "they" say. Much like the Tokai stamps, there is no "official" resource explaining them it seems, so I can't wager a guess what they mean.

 

[settebello]

 

[Sigmania]

Nice looking wood on that fretboard.

 

[Omiewise65]

That‘s what I‘ve got ! No cavity stamps no nothing to see inside . Smells fishy to me . That neck may be legit , but I guess that’s all .

 

[Sigmania]

If someone wants to sell a Strat they have to be willing to take the neck off and share pictures.

There’s no picture of the neck pocket even though he took the neck off. Maybe he just forgot to send it to you?

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

That‘s what I‘ve got ! No cavity stamps no nothing to see inside . Smells fishy to me . That neck may be legit , but I guess that’s all .

The stamps would be in the neck pocket but the pics (almost) tell you what you need to know: These are not cloth-wired US or TX pickups = ST62-53 = basswood. What the pickups are is hard to tell, the red wire on the middle PU seems odd (not typical for the Japan AlNiCos which have usually identical b/w PVC wires). Not sure if this model in this year was to be shipped with the ceramic PUs but they may have been replaced by something random then.

 

[Sigmania]

1995 catalog

 

[Sigmania]

1998 catalog

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

1995:


1996: