CIJ Tele - serial number help please!

jazzguitarguy

I've owned a few CIJ Teles and Strats and always found the serial number on the back of the neck with crafted or made in Japan stamped above it.

I am looking at getting this one and there is only a serial number, but it is on the back neck plate instead of the neck itself. The serial number checks out - there is some debate online as to wether it's a letter plus 5 or 6 digits. 

Would the serial number not been in place stop you buying it if everything else seemed good? 

ICBM

The neck doesn't look right. No Crafted In Japan decal, the headstock shape is wrong, and the shaping on the transition from the neck to the headstock looks typical of a Chinese one.

This is a real one - notice the difference in the shape of the 'scroll', the heavily rounded-over lower back edge, and the smooth neck to head transition.



The shaping of the binding on the bass side of the neck pocket looks too crude as well. I'm pretty sure a Custom Tele reissue shouldn't have an F neck-plate either, although I could be wrong.

ICBM

You would probably get more responses if this was in 'Guitars', by the way - you can change the category if you click on the gear wheel in the top right of the post and select 'Edit'.

Paul_C

The first run of Squier Classic Vibes had one that looked like that, a neck plate from eBay would be easy to swap in.