Kinda... well, confused

[tseegert]

I've been researching my Mexican strat. Before tonight, I came to the conclusion it was made of alder, with a maple neck. Well, after stumbling onto a few other sites, I'm now finding mixed results. My question is this: WTF is this thing made of, according to Fender.com, it is a 1994-1995 mexican squier strat.

Im reading it could be anything from poplar, to alder, to pressed .... stuff.

I've been playing this guitar for 7 years now, and have been upgrading it as I go. The next step was to be a new paintjob, but I'll not waste the money on that step if it is in fact plywood... id just as soon buy a new strat body from Warmoth, and build from there.

Anyways, heres the serial # MN402063

Hoping this thing isnt plywood, I have/had some big plans for it. Any info/insight would rock. Thanks to the ever helpful crew [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[thebisch]

Re: Kinda... well, confused

It is Poplar.

[Chasbo]

Re: Kinda... well, confused

It wont be a squire unless it says so on the headstock. If the serial starts with a M....then it should be a mexican strat and therefore made of alder or poplar most likely. My mexi strat was a 95 tobacco burst with alder or poplar body and maple neck. Some of the really cheap squire's may be made of cheap wood, but most the mexi stuff is supposed to be great wood with lower end appointments (read pups/electronics and finish quality). The proof should be in the sound really.
hope that helps you some.

chuck

[tseegert]

Re: Kinda... well, confused

It does in fact say "Squier" on the headstock, and both of these posts do help, much thanks. I've always heard the guitar, instead of judging it by its cost; the sound and playability is what prompted the purchase in the 1st place.

I just wanted to make sure I wasnt sinking money into a piece of plywood that just so happened to sound good...

Anyways thanks again, and I feel much better about going ahead with the mods.

Custom rules, ya know what I mean?

[442w30]

Re: Kinda... well, confused

Some of the early mexican squiers (1990?-1994?) say fender in black instead of silver with black outline. On the ball of the headstock there was a 'Squire Series' little tiny logo that people like to remove. They are essentially as good as the later mexican standards and the squiers went to Chindonesia after that.

It is solid 'wood' - alder or poplar. If you already have good pups and tuners and nut and are willing to pay for a callaham or floyd bridge, then hell, throw on pink nitro and enjoy!

If it sounds good and you aren't gonna sell it hell yeah! do it! Oh, if you are going to paint it and are worried, open up the trem cavity and scrape off some paint behind the plate. If it is layered wood, then it is plywood and you didn't hurt the value cause it's covered by the trem cav and is a $100 guitar to start with [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] if it is solid anything it is alder or poplar and either one can sound AWESOME, so paint it and enjoy it.

No strat with any mexican logo is worth more than $300 used even if it was dipped in carmen electra's go juice - so unless you are going to fake a US logo, do what thou wilt [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] .

[thebisch]

Re: Kinda... well, confused

It is poplar, not aldar.