How to spot an American

Hey guys, I have an opportunity to trade for a Strat which the owner claims is an American Standard (or possibly a '62 RI) that he purchased with a broken neck. He says he then replaced the neck with a Mexican neck (red flag #1) and replaced the pickups with "GFS '54's" (Red flag #2) I've searched around trying to find out how to spot an American Strat but most threads said "look at the headstock". What do you do when that isn't an option? I know the Americans are supposed to have roller saddles with a brushed finish but that's about it. Is there anything I can look for short of disassembling the guitar and looking at the stamps on the body and neck?

Thanks in advance.

Regardless of what it "was" it is now a partscaster.

An American Standard will have a two point pivot bridge compared to most six screw mounts, a '62 reissue would have six screws. A Standard will have a Hum-single-single route, a 62 RI single-single-single.

What does he want in trade?

An American Standard without the MIA (original) neck is something else...

An Epi '54 reissue Les Paul with SD humbuckers

How old is this guitar supposed to be? If it's between 1987 and 2007, it'll have the 2-point whammy like this one.

http://cdn1.gbase.com/usercontent/gear/2164775/p1_ufyfwtbpz_so.jpg

The 62RI will have the six-point whammy but the pickguard will have the divot by the neck (to easier access the truss rod) like this one.

http://www.mijfenders.com/Gallery/ST62583TSgallery/images/DSCF0004.JPG

Either way, this guitar sounds fishy, especially since he claims he can't tell the difference between an Am Std or a 62 RI. GFS are fine pickups for the price, but they're not nearly as nice as stock Am Std pickups. I've seen Am Std's going used in the USA for $650 - $700. Keep moving, IMO.

If you play the guitar and you like it, I'd offer him $200 cash for it. It's not an actual model anymore, just a pile of parts.

An Epi '54 reissue Les Paul with SD humbuckers

What, no first-born child, too? That's the "lack of shame" level we're approaching here.

Definitely walk on by.