should i snag this or no?

Just starting out, and I've been looking for a decent used guitar. A local pawn shop has a Fender Strat for $700. Looks decent, couple of barely noticeable nicks and such, serial #mk6239. I know it was made in USA, but is that too much? :confused:

If that's the whole serial number...

I think you'd be a retard NOT to.

:eek:

It sounds like it could be an incredible purchase. I suggest you take a friend with a good knowledge of Fender products...get him/her to look at the guitar very carefully...just to make sure it is what it says it is and all. Also to check if all the pickups/parts are original and to play it and try it out.

Also, see if you can find a Fender serial number tracker thingy on the net. If you can use that serial number to find out things about that guitar..eg year? etc.

Could be a really good buy...

I am skeptical... American Strats serial numbers don't start with an M... they only start with a number to designate the decade in which they were manufactered... (ex... S for 1970's, E for 1980'3, N for 1990'3 and Z for 2000's) Older strats just had a numerical serial number. Mexican strats start out with an M, followed by the decade... then by the individual year. So... I have never seen a Strat with a K in the serial number... nor have I ever seen one on a Stratocaster Serial number site. Usually the M stands for Mexican... One way to check is to look at the wood that is around the truss-rod. If it is black plastic, it is a Mexican Strat... if it's walnut (light to dark brown wood) it's American. But sounds like a rip off to me. Especially since it's from a Pawn Shop.

Actually...

A 2-letter prefix followed by a small number means it's a custom shop MasterBuilt.

The letters are the luthiers' initials, and the number means it's his #th guitar built.


The serial should be on the bridge plate, not on the neck. Is that where it is?

It would have a custom shop logo on the back of the headstock

Thats why I would take a mate with really good Fender product knowledge.

I must say, my initial thought was that it was a custom shop(as Chris is looking for his first guitar,by the sounds of things, I am pretty sure he did not look it up and down and take note of anything that a long term gear-whore would look for) I think he may well have missed a custom shop logo...I mean, yes! Knock-off Strats are plentiful and it is very possible that this could be a really ugly guitar that isnt a Fender at all...but it seems it may also be a Custom Shop strat...I would give it a look...I would hate to pass up a custom shop, merely because I was too lazy and assumed it was a knock-off.

http://www.provide.net/%7Ecfh/fender.html

link with good info