56 NOS strat model stamp *HELP*

[leddo]

Just to add to what David stated, Fender stamped all these bodies with relic to prevent them being passed off as originals. I recall John Page, who was Mr Custom Shop at the time this all started, saying they had to take this step because some of the first new relics they produced were so convincing that some experts were fooled by them.
I would be more concerned about the missing CoA. Any Custom Shop guitar I have owned has always had the CoA living in the case. If there is no original case or CoA then I would walk away.

[stephen]

Hmmmm........
Don't know whether I'd 'walk away' just because the CoA was missing or just a photocopy, if everything else checks out OK.

About 12 years ago, I bought (s/h) one of the numbered, 1954 40th Anniversary, two-tone sunburst Stratocasters from the Coda Music stand at the London Music Show at Wembley.

These 1954 guitars were mooted to be Custom Shop quality, if not exact origin and were priced accordingly........ie not cheap! I wouldn't dispute that. It's a beautifully put together, looking & sounding instrument and undoubtedly, the 'best' Strat. that I own.

Anyway, this mint guitar came with everything ( moulded case, repro. 'thermometer' case, repro. 1950's Fender catalogue, tags etc.) EXCEPT it's numbered CoA! It would have been nice to have this one missing piece, but I certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to buy the guitar, because of this. Quite frankly, just who would be bothered to go to the trouble of 'forging' everything else APART from the CoA, in order to pass it off as genuine? It'd be daft, wouldn't it.........?

Similarly, given the price of the average, s/h NOS Custom Shop Fender, I doubt whether the unscrupulous guitar forger is bothering to fake these yet. There just isn't sufficient return to be made when weighed up against the effort involved.............I think that they'll be sticking to 'vintage' pieces for a while yet!
Stephen.

[leddo]

If the guitar you bought was a 1994 40th anniversary Strat then it predated the Custom Shop and there would be no Certificate of Authenticity. The clue is in the wording Stephen.
You can buy a genuine Custom Shop Strat neck for about £400 and then slap it onto an ordinary Strat body (which cost you £500 say) then sell the "Custom Shop guitar" for £1500 to £2000, netting yourself a cool £750 profit. It has been done and people still do it.
As stated previously, any CS guitars I have ever owned always had the original CoA in the original case. If either of these is not present then I walk away. If you pay £1500 for what you think it a CS Strat and then find out it is a fake worth £600 then you have lost out very badly. The purpose of the CoA is to authenticate that your guitar is the real deal and not a partsocaster. That is why Fender issue them.
I don't really understand why someone would have a photocopy of a CoA and not the real thing. That would set my alarm bells ringing.
What is that old saying about a deal being too good to be true.

[stephen]

Actually Phil., the 40th Anniversary guitars WERE supplied with a certificate authenticating their specific number within the run of 1954 and this number was also on a decal on the reverse of the headstock. I don't want to be contradictory, but I think you will find that the Fender Custom Shop was established in 1987 at the new Corona plant. Initially, the numbered 1954 guitars were intended to be a Custom Shop project. In the end, the Custom Shop just produced a 40 guitar run that was designated the Custom Shop Concert Edition. I suppose that we could argue about the semantics of whether the certificate for my guitar is the same as the CoA under discussion here, but speaking personally, life is too short................

As a general comment regarding this issue, it would seem that once again, obsessiveness & paranoia still stalk this site. Still, I suppose that pondering the merits & value of a CoA/possible fake, makes something of a change from the endless mutterings about Fiesta Red or which style of underpants Hank was wearing when he recorded Apache and if they contributed to 'That Sound'.

[Mark Burton]

If the guitar you bought was a 1994 40th anniversary Strat then it predated the Custom Shop and there would be no Certificate of Authenticity. The clue is in the wording Stephen.
You can buy a genuine Custom Shop Strat neck for about £400 and then slap it onto an ordinary Strat body (which cost you £500 say) then sell the "Custom Shop guitar" for £1500 to £2000, netting yourself a cool £750 profit. It has been done and people still do it.
As stated previously, any CS guitars I have ever owned always had the original CoA in the original case. If either of these is not present then I walk away. If you pay £1500 for what you think it a CS Strat and then find out it is a fake worth £600 then you have lost out very badly. The purpose of the CoA is to authenticate that your guitar is the real deal and not a partsocaster. That is why Fender issue them.
I don't really understand why someone would have a photocopy of a CoA and not the real thing. That would set my alarm bells ringing.
What is that old saying about a deal being too good to be true.

Can you please let me know where I can buy a genuine C/S neck please
thanks
Mark.

[stephen]

...............and if you find out Mark, do let me know as well, as I quite fancy a nicely figured one to graft onto my Mexican '50s Strat. I could then stamp 'Relic' in the pick-up rout, knock off a decent facsimile of a CoA and be quids in when I sell it to a Shads. fanatic with Custom Shop aspirations, down the pub. Jobs a good 'un............!

Stephen.

[leddo]

I stand corrected over the CS dates of operation. In that case if your guitar was made by the Custom Shop it should have had a CoA nad have CS markings on it. If not then it isn't a CS guitar.
I am not looking to get dragged into any lengthy debate either, especially about male underpants or their contents. I was hoping to steer the member who asked the original question in the right direction by pointing out the dangers of buying a so-called Custom Shop guitar that does not have its CoA.
Fender Custom Shop guitar parts are widely available out there if you know where to look.

[keithmantle]

Thanks to everyone sorry it started up a 'small' hornets nest, I certainly learn't a little bit more. Keith

[dave robinson]

Apart from my recently sold Masterbuilt 54 reissue, I haven't played a Custom Shop or NOS model that I have felt comfortable with soundwise, the ones I have tried seem to be fitted with CS54 pickups and sound thin to my ears. That said they play well enough.
My latest guitar is an Eric Johnson Strat, which is the reason that I parted with the Masterbuilt 54, simply because I like the feel of a flatter radius neck these days, but the pickups sound identical on the EJ to those on the Masterbult, so it's happy days at half the price.
I would recommend the warmer sounding 62 Vintage Reissue over the NOS every time for great authentic Shads sounds -You don't have to take my word alone, just listen to Colin Price Jones of The Rapiers.

[stephen]

Phil,
I think that you've gone off at a bit of a tangent here. In the first instance, I wasn't claiming that my 1954 40th Anniversary Stratocaster was a product of the Custom Shop, only that these guitars were originally supplied with a certificate attesting to their authenticity and the lack of one with my guitar didn't give me palpitations that it was a fake. Custom Shop product is not exclusive in having certification.
You should also take into account that not everyone is that particular about keeping every scrap of paper/tags etc. that may have accompanied their guitar. Things get lost or mislaid, especially if a guitar has been bought by someone that takes it out and plays it and is more meticulous about their playing than the paperwork that came with the guitar. The lack of a certificate/tags/box/original sellotape etc., doesn't have to mean that someone's out to con you.

However, I'm one of those people that DO tend to keep everything intact, but I do appreciate that not everyone is like me and do make appropriate allowances for those that don't........

Stephen.