NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

[Adieu]

Here's what 20 bucks got me:

*Fernandes strat neck, seems alright, though some blockhead filed off the decals almost entirely (why?!? it's a real brand with some cool stuff)
*SUPER light strat body (maybe 2-3 times lighter than Basswood Fender MIJ), solid wood, shows signs of home routing to fit a humbucker that wouldn't quite go in and neck pocket alteration to fit the Fernandes



Neck: scale matches up perfectly to a real Fender MIJ, does NOT quite match up to the unknown body. has date stamp that looks kinda Japanese (?) to me, all sticker on back removed, Fernandes name almost fully filed off. Drilled for unknown tuners, does NOT accomodate shaller lockers (too narrow main holes, fixators posts on wrong end, and main tuner whole is, uh, ribbed???)

Body: scale matches up with a MIM TELECASTER neck, pocket isn't quite right for it, but then again it's already been altered once. Real wood, strange trans green-brown finish, shows wood pattern. Somewhat sloppy-ish routing that appears to have started out as HSH, crappy small block trem, level of polished-ness looks about Korean. Not a single ding, wood seems hard and resilient though light. Resonates properly to the "knock on wood" test.

Wood type - UNKNOWN. anyone have a clue?


So... if anyone can positively ID that Fernandes date stamp as a MIJ, suggest tuners for it or where to dig up a proper-looking Fernandes decal, thx. And ANY info on what that body might be would be real cool, especially wood type and where the hell it came from.

Thx, all!

 

[Adieu]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

MORE PICS, didn't fit 1st post limit:


Btw, neck screw holes don't match up across the board... but the dark unID'd body's screw holes and scale DO match an unidentified chunky big-headstock non-Fender all-maple neck with the remnants of a fake F decal, which UTTERLY misses scale and pocket sizes for real Fender bodies... though the dark body's neck pocket is a bit wide for it, but nothing shimming won't fix.

Pic limit reached again, in next post. lol sorry.

PS yes that date stamp is the Fernandes and what makes me think MIJ... amirite?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Wood type - UNKNOWN. anyone have a clue?

Pine.

Should have bought a Gibson instead of going dumpster diving. :laugh2:

[referencing]
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/sho...coming-through-my-amp-using-1-specific-guitar

 

[Adieu]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Pics:
Strange unID'd neck that matches the new weird body, and also a discovery as to why it's so light - TOTALLY different body contours, much thinner than real Fender MIJ. Sooo - which neck, which body do you guys think?

WAS gonna sand down the tele neck to fit the blue MIJ, and it looks bloody GORGEOUS together, but... The Fernandes seems a better fit, all it needs is new holes and a slightly cut-down pickguard. As for the unID'd body, Tele neck and singles?

OR - weird body + weird 70s-style neck, drop in that zebra Super 70 in the bridge, and make it a Frankenstrat copy??? If so, maple MIM Tele or rosewood suspect-MIJ-Fernandes for the blue MIJ? Tele neck's soooo much more gorgeous-looking, but it's kinda a pity now, cuz I'd have no use for the Fernandes, and it's a nearly perfect fit for the blue... Plus, MIJ and MIJ is probably a better mix - IF it's MIJ, that is...

View attachment 41235View attachment 41236View attachment 41237

Pine.

Should have bought a Gibson instead of going dumpster diving. :laugh2:

Hmm... kinda thought so too. Oh well, still not ply at least... And though the seller threw in the neck as the sweetener, I was sorta viewing the Fernandes as the main course, and the body as the freebie addition here. Cuz, even if it isn't MIJ, I still don't recall EVER seeing a cheapo Fernandes guitar. Not once. They pretty much sit in the $500-1k range new for the guitar, from expensive Korea to mid-level Japan, so any straight Fernandes neck should easily be worth 20 bucks right???

 

[pzaxtl]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Can't tell you much about the neck, but the body looks like poplar to me. Does the wood have a greenish, cream cast to it?

 

[Adieu]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Hmmm, maybe a bit greenish... hard to tell, what with the dark green transparent finish on it. and what body wood doesn't have a cream cast lol?

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Looks like pine to me.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Around that time, production of many models was making its way to Taiwan/China, so, there's a small chance they are Mandarin Chinese characters, but I'm 99% sure those are Japanese characters on the neck. Any language experts?

The tuners, however, were probably cheapies like these: LINK

The body, if abnormally light, may very well be made of a wood called Paulownia, although pine and other woods could fit the bill, as well.

 

[Adieu]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Thx for the tuner link (hate em lol, but that's almost 100% certainly exactly what they were). Oh well, can always drill stuff WIDER, hehe.

Yeah, I'm 99% sure it looks like proper Japanese and that most 90's Fernandes axes were MIJ... but the whole kanji=hanji thing does leave a certain margin for error. Lol.

Do Chinese manufacturers stamp neck heels with dates, inspector stamps, or other stuff like Japan Mexico and USA? Or are they like the Koreans who prefer nothing?


as to the body, I'm resigned to it being off-brand crap, I'm just wondering if solid pine/pawlonia/whatever the heck is gonna at least outperform plywood? Cuz the light weight's nice, and it seems to resonate a bit from being knocked. Plus, for ONCE, the finish is entirely intact (on parts not covered by the pickguard) and almost pretty. Oh btw, pickguard screws: REAL fender matches up a maximum of one hole, never two; ProLine Korean-made Fender guard manages to cover any two holes, but never 3... lol.

 

[DankStar]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Weird he'd file off the logo. I always liked their logo font, and it's a nice brand.

 

[Adieu]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Weird he'd file off the logo. I always liked their logo font, and it's a nice brand.

...Even weirder considering that he was apparently altering a noname body to fit a decent-brand neck, most people in those cases just looove having higher-end-looking necks than the rest of the guitar, and pass off the entire package as a brand-name product.

Then again, it's already weird he'd sell it for $20 when it's structurally intact straight and even the frets seem perfectly even and with quite some life left... Lotsa stuff in life is weird. Oh well, at least he didn't break the nut like on the other 2 necks (how do people even ACCOMPLISH that??? I've got like 3 broken-nut-necks and have nooo clue how anybody even breaks the dang things in the first place), or try to fit an incorrectly sized one as on the tele...

Any idea how to restore the logo - outside of permanent marker/nail polish/buying a decal? Was thinking if I knew how to mask around it properly first, spray in some colour, and then mask over that and do a matching headstock to whatever body I use, but I have NOOO clue how people manage to get those things done neatly. Surely not masking tape and ninja skillz with an x-acto knife, right???

 

[Adieu]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Hey just found this online:
"
Date Style Date Example
American December 12, 1996
ISO 8601 1996-12-12
Japanese, western digits 1996年12月12日
"

...while Chinese is supposedly "1996年 12月 12号". Day symbol looks Japanese (日) not Chinese (号) then? Count for a positive ID as '96 MIJ Fernandes strat neck considering trace of Japanese-owned brand decal??

If so, what's the verdict? More fitting pairing for an MIJ Fender body than a MIM Tele neck??

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

I was going to say Poplar for the body but that would not fit with the low weight.

Transparent black is a known Fernandes finish.

The diamond back machineheads suggest a lower price Fernandes model, not necessarily of Stratocaster body outline.

I am wondering whether the OP guitar is a cut 'n' shut of two different Fernandes instruments. Those might be the "unwanted" parts, crudely re-assembled to flip for cash.

 

[Adieu]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

They weren't assembled though... seems like something someone wanted to do, but gave up on.

Getting rid of something for $20 sounds more like failure, not profit, from where I'm standing


Colour's not black. It's a clear green-brown under sunlight. I'm fairly sure the body's an unrelated brand or a no-brand replacement, since it took some visible coaxing and cutting on someone's part to get the Fernandes neck to SORT OF match up. And the neck seems to be off a strat alright, since it matches up with a real strat body well and the scale lines up.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Fernandes used to make a 24 fret model called Dragonfly that came in that swampy translucent colour (amongst others).

On budget Fernandes models, the fit of some of their parts was not wonderful. For example, on the cheap version of the Sustainiac Revolver, the Sustainiac was far and away the most valuable component.

EDIT - Another guitar that was available in a translucent black that looked "greenish-brown" was the Sunn Mustang. Made in India, Strat-alike with Lace S100 pickups and a terrible six point fulcrum vibrato.

 

[Adieu]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Well aren't you a fountain of positivity... before you waste any more time listing all your grudges with Korean Fernandes models: neck is MIJ, body is god-knows-what but NOT Fernandes, because:
a) it wouldn't be (seller would say so otherwise... and ask more cash),
b) it shouldn't be (no good reason whatsoever to expect Fernandes here, and Fernandes market share makes randomly pairing of different Fernandes parts unwittingly less likely than 1% times 1%, aka somewhere around 1 in the 10 000s), and
c) it couldn't be (home routing to fit a Fernandes neck, which unlike the body is built to fit Fender)

...this all makes the neck alone worth it, and the body just a free gift to screw around with. Think spraypaint, experimenting with using a drill to rout, mounting crazy crap that does not belong on a strat body and never did, and otherwise saving some other, proper strat body from defacement.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

CYT.

 

[GoldenVulture]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Well aren't you a fountain of positivity... before you waste any more time listing all your grudges with Korean Fernandes models: .

Ha !
Mr. Positive

I sell and upgrade Gibsons for clients. Pretty regularly. Sub-$2k Gibson are UTTERLY KOREAN-LEVEL, and I don't mean no LTD Deluxes neither. Taking LTD for comparison since Schecters don't have the convenience of numeric model numbers, they're all at the 300-400 series level. Forget good old Japanese stuff, even Korean 600-series LTD's annihilate Gibsons on their home turf.

...and yeah, I put EMGs into Gibsons, rip em out of Gibsons, and put Gibson pups in LTDs often enough to know what I'm talking about.

Oh, yeah, and anybody who thinks EMGs are utter ****e that can never sound good needs a date with a real ESP Standard. A used ESP Standard Eclipse can be had for about the price of a 50-60-70s Tribute, new one for about what, a Trad Pro? NO COMPARISON. And if you like passives too much to care, they come with JB/something sets (JB-59 afaik?). Me, I reaaaaally don't like that set, but hey, still utterly superior to anything non-Custom Shop outta Gibson these days.

And, hey, if you don't like modern stuff, go play a Greco. Or even buy a freakin Aria, swap out those dried pots, maybe upgrade the pickups. Maybe even drop in a Gibson set to see just how much better it gets.

********************************

GIBSON I'VE HAD MY HANDS ON(!) AND *IN* (!!) OVER THE LAST YEAR (in just a year!!!) - AS IN OWNED, TOOK APART, PUT TOGETHER, TWEAKED, UPGRADED, FLIPPED:

Gibson LP 50s trib - bought to flip (BIG MISTAKE. currently in my possession, UTTER ****e I can't seem to get rid off, currently has a set of EMGs and even that can't sound passable in it)
Gibson Flying V Standard - bought to flip, de-activated, ripped out EMG 81-85 set, threw in a custom guard and a different set of pickups for a client
Gibson SG Standard - bought to flip, rebuilt to order - asked by client to gut it and throw in an EMG 81-81 set (why? dunno, don't really see the point). SOUNDS OKAY - buuuut, nothing spectacular, plenty of cheaper ways to achieve the same
Gibson Flying V Gothic - actually preeeetty NICE.... but out of print. pity. flipped in all of - wait for it - FOUR HOURS after being posted up. at a huge profit. KA-CHING!! ...i like gothics hehe
Gibson Melody Maker "Explorer" - bought to flip, returned cuz it was just tooo bloody awful and unflippable, mods or no mods.

Also: Gibson SG Ebony/Moons Faded - owned 10 years ago. BLAAAAAND - traded away asap

Hands on, not in, didn't buy (last year):
Gibson Flying V Faded + 2x Pearly Gates - looked over a lot, declined to buy. if you'd asked me before if anything could bugger up the sound of a Pearly, I'da called ya crazy
Gibson Les Paul Standard - LIKEABLE - except the price. pales in comparison to cheaper vintage Grecos, new ESP Standards, and other fun stuff in the next isle. would play, WOULDN'T buy
Gibson Explorer - COOL. well, even a couple years back they were oh so much better
Gibson SG Faded - awww, they got sooo much worse now than the good old fadeds of 10 years back
Gibson LP Studio 1991 - LIKED. didn't have the $500 on me
Gibson LP Studio 2012 - gaaaaawds. NO.
Gibson LP 60s Tribute - ooh, worse than the new Studio
Gibson LP Faded - FIREWOOD
Gibson Melody Maker SG - upgraded to the 9s, across the board, Shallers new humbucker new bridge new pickguard - all for $200. DECLINED. sounds like driftwood, SORRY.
Gibson Flying V Melody Maker - all-around horrible too
Gibson SGJ - wtf was that???? horrid
Gibson LPJ - same
Gibson LP recently out labelled "NAMM something or other", Zebra hums, boost, coil taps - OK, i'll give em that one
Gibson Nighthawk Studio (or was it special? who knows) - WORST. CRAP. EVER. - doesn't sound passable no matter what
Gibson Firebird Studio (or special, again who knows) - can't remember. at all. musta been spectacularly boring, considering.

...i know I'm forgetting a whole bunch of stuff, but hey, average guitars are like unspectacular women - first dozen, you still remember everything about, after that it all gets kinda fuzzy. it JUST DOESN'T DO MUCH ANYMORE, UNLESS IT'S SPECTACULAR

btw, guitars I found spectacular in that same period? ok sure:
the MIJ Fender Pawnshap with the Pearly Gates and the blend knob (awesome!), whole bunch of unknown brands from Matsumoku (Westminster, Quest, japanese Washburn), a bunch of old FujiGen stuff - mostly E-series Squiers, vintage Ibanezes (especially basses!), but also others, REAAAALLY dug old Grecos, SURPRISINGLY found old Arias likable, absolutely ADORED esp Vintage Plus (and I'm not even much of a strat person), kinda dug the ESP Eclipse (shocker - dislike most of the LTD line that supposedly mimics it), found the cheaper USA PRS's nice enough if you want something more to compare to Gibson - yeah I'd rather take a Mira or something, found the KOREAN PRS's still better than the low-end Gibsons but not spectacular, liked a vintage Yamaha superstrat from Taiwan of all places, a couple old Peavey USA's were shockingly passable too

to my surprise kinda liked an LTD EC 600 just the way it was (although it was UTTERLY UNLIKE the real Eclipse), and found an LTD Viper 400 quite decent --- AFTER rewiring the whole damn thing and cleaning it up and setting it up (sorry Korea, dream on of being the next Japan - no time soon!!).. what I dislike about Epi? that it can't measure up to LTD on powerful pups, or to PRS Korea on vintage-voiced pups. simple enough, yeah?

PS I'm 27, and a fukin idiot. brand worship wore off once work had me dig around in all their guts and find nothing to write home about

oh, and:
PPS tested/declined means I ran them through an amp that costs 4 digits and still found em boring

 

[kramersteen]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Pine isn't always light in weight i have found. Maybe the wood is paulownia that stuff is so damn light its crazy. I am doing a build with some atm and its ridiculously light!

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: NGD/ID: a veeery strange $20 CL score - weird strat body, Fernandes (MIJ?) neck

Looks like basswood to me, not dark enough to be poplar, not grainy enough to be pine.