Help Identifying this Strat. NOT A EBAY TURN, just a player

Hello everyone,

My name is Rob aka TBone. I live in Texas in the US. I recently bought a relic at a pawn dealer that I thought was a 1957 Lake Placid Blue Fender Stratocaster Re-Issue. It has a 21 fret neck and HAD an 8 hole drilled pick guard but the logo was missing from the headstock. After taking it to the luthier to get a fret dressing, the luthier said that it is accually a 1985 Tokai. The serial number on the neck plate is A033328, the neck stamp is ST-357 with a pen mark of 2-7-85 on the necks butt end. The body is routed for single coli pick ups and has no markings. NO MIJ stamps or any indication that it IS a Tokai other than the stamp and the pulg of rosewood in the truss rod hole and the contour of the head stock dip after the nut. The headstock looks dead on to a Fender other than that. I posted some pics to help ya'll decide what it is. I have deemed her a"mutt", meaning like a stray dog she has many mixes of breeds in her.

I intend to play and enjoy this guitar, not turn it on EBAY. I have just been told 3 diffeent things.
1. USA re-issue
2. MIJ Re-issue
3. A Tokai Springy

Thanks in advance.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k205/TxRob/100_0695.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k205/TxRob/100_0696.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k205/TxRob/100_0701.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k205/TxRob/100_0704.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k205/TxRob/100_0703.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k205/TxRob/100_0713.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k205/TxRob/100_0706.jpg

Definitely not a Tokai, the markings and serial are wrong. The serial no corresponds with a 1985/86 Fender made in Japan though, but why would anyone remove a Fender logo? The tuners doesn?t seem to be Kluson type, have they been replaced? A 57/62 RI should have Kluson type tuners. It might be a japanese Squier.

Mike

Appears to have had an 11 hole pickguard on previously. The body could be anything. Suspect you indeed have a "mutt".

The tuners are Gotoh, they have been replaced, but you can see the second hole from the Kluson Tuners. The body was originally an 8 hole but was redrilled for an 11 hole. You can see that in the pics. The pick guard ( or as you Brits say, Scratch Plate) is a CHANDLER and the pup's are who knows what. The other suspect are the string guides on the head stock, they appear to be consistant with 57' Fender Re-issue. I can see, under the right light, 2 different impressions of Fender logo's. The heastock face has been refinished because the patina is lighter than the rest of the neck. The 21 fret all maple neck with a rosewood skunk strip and the shape appear to be Fender. I have read on Fender Fourms that the A033828 # is early 85' Fender Re-Issue but heck, I have no clue. The fit and finish are excellent, the finger board is well worn, it plays great other than the crappy pickups, but I have that handled. Seymour Duncan Hot Rails and 2 Lil' 59's.

the markings point to an MIJ.

Looks like it's a 1985 early A series Fender Japan Squier made by FujiGen in Japan and someone (guitar snob) has sanded off the Squier logo because it said Squier and not Fender.

I agree with japanstrat. It's not a US57RI, the date on the neck looks wrong for that, but I think that Fender Japan/Squier dated necks like that. I don't understand why anyone would add a second string tree, the RIs only had one (and a Strat only needs one!)

I assume it's poly lacquer, not nitro? Whatever it is, it's in one of the nicest colours possible for a Strat, so enjoy