A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

This is a new purchase anybody recognize it?? serial number says it's a 78. S88xxxxThe trembler's been messed with has a steam rave on with the wami bar on the top but the bodies didn't cut away to facilitate that not sure why and the body is cut for humbucker. Not sure if it's factory... will open it up in a minute. Ground wire on tremolo needs soldering yoo.

That's bizarre. Someone had a thing for SRV.

Ouch what did he use for that trem job, a hacksaw ?

Strung wrong.

I'm certainly not an expert on Fenders, though I'd expect a 78 Stratocaster to have 21 frets, a large headstock, bullet truss rod, and a three bolt neck plate. I don't know nothin' about a trembler with a steam rave.

That routing around the trem looks suspect. Wondering if they thought that would allow them to add more trem springs.......

That’s a cool find! The serial number does place it in the late '70s, but the humbucker route and trem modifications definitely suggest some aftermarket work. Fender wasn’t routing Strats for humbuckers back then unless it was a special order, and even then, the cuts were usually pretty clean. If the body wasn’t adjusted for the trem system, it’s likely something that was added later. When you check under the pickguard, look for signs of refinishing or extra routing, as those can give clues about when the changes were made. The ground wire issue on the trem is a pretty common fix, so that part’s not too concerning. Either way, it looks like a great player with some unique character!

It's not a Strat body. Look at the back plate holes. On a Fender, you have 6 holes, the middle hole on the left is always lower and not aligned with the middle hole on the right.

mozz wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 7:34 pm It's not a Strat body. Look at the back plate holes. On a Fender, you have 6 holes, the middle hole on the left is always lower and not aligned with the middle hole on the right.
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I never noticed that before! You made me look, and you're right. On a lefty, it's reversed, of course.