Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

[Detroitblues]

Ok Fender Guitar fanatics....

Need some help.

Found a sweet black 76 Strat with a good weight and neck feel.

However, I’m trying to determine it’s authentic or not and it’s value.

Here’s what I found.

Tuning machine heads swapped with Schaller.

Neck pickup is a Lace Sensor

Five Way Switch

Lacquer checking on the body (thought poly didn’t do that?)

Middle and neck pickups pole are clean, no rust and they aren’t rounded. Supposedly original but they also have cream/aged parchment covers.

Bridge saddles are not stamped with Fender.

Pick guard is white.

They want much less than market value.

I’m concerned the body isn’t real and the electronics have no original parts.

Does include OHSC.

I asked them for pics of the neck pocket, neck heel, and backside of the pickguard.

What should I be looking for?

I’ve always wanted a guitar from the year I was born. This might be my one chance at something affordable.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

A couple things to consider.

Fender went to Schaller made “F” tuners in ‘76, so they could be correct.

Finish was poly, and it can check with age. Modern catalyst finishes are much tougher.

The bridge should be a single cast base with block “ish” saddles (no Fender stamped on them).

Unless it is 100% mint original, there is no collector value. Only consider it if you like the feel and sound.

Correct money for mid ‘70’s strats (unless exceptional) is around $1000, but that can vary with weight, color, neck fit, etc.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

We need pix to get a better idea.

Right now I can say that the switch is likely not original (should be a 3-way), the guard is likely not original (though it could be, because there was some carryover of white guards up to 1977). And obviously the neck pickup is not original.

The F-stamped tuners the time were made by Schaller, but IIRC, you wouldn't see the maker's name unless you pulled them off. If you are saying they are Schaller, I'm assuming they're the sealed aftermarket variety with the blocky looking buttons – i.e. not original either.

Far more often than you'd think, lacquer was used in what are generally though to be the poly years. For instance, the sunbursts were sprayed in lacquer, then clear coated in poly. Peghead faces were still done in lacquer all through the poly years. My and my boss's Musicmaster Basses have all lacquer finishes, on the necks and the bodies (his is an early blue model and mine is a later white model, and they were also available in black and red). And I stripped my bandmate's black Fender Lead I (1980), which 100% certainly had a lacquer finish, as it sloughed right off with one application of paint stripper, leaving nothing but the synthetic Fullerplast behind. So it's very possible that the guitar does actually have a black lacquer finish. But even if it doesn't, poly can develop splits over time.

Again, pix would give us a better idea. Get in-focus, high-resolution pix with the guard off and the neck off.

 

[silvertonebetty]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

I say 100% fake send it to me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Detroitblues]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

Spoke to the shop owner.

He was very adminate about stating this is a player guitar, not a collectors piece.

I told him, I plan on playing it. Couldn't afford it otherwise!

Here's what he told me on the backstory.

Guitar was from an estate sale.
Neck pickup was lost in a few boxes, so he used a spare Lace Sensor lying around.
Body was routed for HSH configuration.
Pickguard was replaced
Tuners were replaced
Nut was replaced with a Graphtech
Neck was refinished (except the headstock)

They sent me some pictures yesterday.
Pots and neck date to 1976.
Bridge and Middle Pickups seem right.

Serial number is interesting on the neck plate.

Take a look:

 

[Discharged]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

Pass.

/Peter

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

A neck refin and body routs pretty much kill its "collectible" value. Because a '76 Strat's collectible value is already relatively low, and a proper restoration would cost even more money, it makes it a bit ridiculous to fully restore it to original specs. Thus it should be priced based on its feel and tone strictly as a player. If you really love it, I would say $600 to $800. I mean if you reeeeeeeeeeally love it, totally as is, and feel you need to do nothing to it. Personally, sight unseen, I'd probably pay $500 maximum (even that's a bit of a stretch), I'd restore the guard, pickup, switch, nut, and tuners, and then I'd play it as it slowly appreciated over the years. It will never be at full 1976 Strat value, but it will actually appreciate over time, if those few minimal efforts are taken to at least make it look and behave stock (i.e. restore a couple original parts, but don't worry about the neck refin or the humbucker routs).

 

[jeremy]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

if you like it, it plays ok and stays in tune, id pay $500 for it. maybe $600 but probably not more

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

My dad has a late 70’s Strat. It’s a boat anchor and has microscopic frets. I haven’t borrowed it since I learned to set guitars up well, but without a refret, it’d be hard for me to love. Considering I paid $400 for my ‘87 and it’s my favorite electric ever, I’d have a hard time going above that.

If that one really knocked my socks off, I’d easily pay what the guys above are saying. More, if I could afford it.

 

[AxlOz]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

I think its hard to find an original spec 70's strat these days. And if you did, you may not like it anyway.. A lot of the design choices made for this era were not really in the player's best interest. The 3-bolt neck is the first one, narrow neck at the nut end, and as mentioned above, at some point they had really small frets..
All that said, I'd love to get a '79 strat for the same reason as you - the year I was born. But I don't think I'd bother if it didn't play well, or if it needed a lot of work to get it up to spec.

Here in Australia people are asking 1500-3000 (Aussie pesos) for them, which is in the territory of a brand new American pro or even elite level Fender. And all the 70's ones are of questionable quality in my mind - the big things I think of are:
1. Are the frets ok or does it need a refret? and
2. Does the truss rod still work or is it borked?

Most (all) I've seen have new pickups and electronics. And most are not in a condition to bother calling it collectable. Max value is really about $1k AUD = $750USD - give or take.

 

[AxlOz]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

I should add - re the OP's potential strat:
1. the frets look quite pitted = fret crowning, or refret time
2. the refinish looks a bit sloppy
3. whats with the random extra hole in the neck pocket..?
4. the electronics are not original and the plate is an allparts (good quality) reproduction, not original.
5. in the pic of the scratch plate, whats the gouge in the body wood..?

 

[Adieu]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

What body wood is that? Looks kinda iffy

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

What body wood is that? Looks kinda iffy

Just typical 70's...and that is ash.....normally they weigh twice the amount a POS Norlin Gibson
Would not pay a penny over 500....and if it needs too much work 400...
And they don't really have any value...the 70's was like the start of the 80's bad years....

You're lucky that it is not heavy, most of them if used as an anchor could hold a supertanker in check in bad weather....
And you could park your car in the neckpocket as well.
Looks like it still has those small bumps for frets

 

[Adieu]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

Sure that's ash? Looks kinda piney

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

Yeah that is ash...lowgrade crap too...

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

Not a thing wrong with three bolt

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

You guys are a bit hard on it. Its already 42 years old ...

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

Yeah and it is still a POS...in 42 years it will still be disgused firewood....
:earl:

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

Not a thing wrong with three bolt

Hehe now that is also quite different quality wise!

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Need Help authenticating 1976 Strat

That is a $500 guitar.