Daphane Blue American Standard or Partscaster Neck/Body

I was looking for info and any help on my Stratocaster (well maybe "partscaster". i could do with some expert beady eyes!!!

I got my Strat about 10years ago used from a friend of a friend at a rehersal studio. At the time didnt know anything about strats so i didnt check anything at the time....(wet behind the ears....lol)

Any way.... a couple of sets ups over the years and the Techs have said it could well be 2 fenders put together. Which is fine with me but i wanted to know a bit of the history if it turns out it is.. Im starting to think that it could be a Strat plus with a American Standard neck. Im thinking this because of the Daphane Blue blue. I cant find any info on a standard ever being done in Daphane blue around 97/98. Date wise the body says 97 and neck stamp and serial number says 98.

The body is Daphane/sonic blue (a bit more grey/green in realife) stamp with 1997 in the neck pocket with the jig holes in neck pocket and body (above the pool route). It has the neck tilt and the Fender neck plate. In the pool route there is the black ground screw and some copper surrounded by black insulation paint (seems to be underneath the blue paint but shows through where the step down is, into the control route). In the spring cavity there seems to be a 3rd middle screw hole?

When I got the Strat I swapped out the trem block for solid steel but it did have the Grey painted block... I also swapped the square saddle blocks for callaham saddles. The pickgaurd is dated 1997 (same as body and is screened with foil). When i got the guitar it already had staggered pole piece coils ( no lace sensors in site). The Gaurd is 3ply and plain white not pearl...did they do plain whitewith plus's (if it is a Plus body)?

My neck is dated 1998. Im sure this is standard as it has the 2 string trees and no roller nut.

Do you think my body could or is an American plus??

any help would be great...

much love

joely

more pics

last 2..

Third hole in the spring cavity may be for a tremsetter perhaps?

They did indeed make those in Daphne in that time period. I sold a bunch of them back then. I think they were GC exclusive... could be wrong though... But we got loads of Daphne Blue, Shell Pink, and Vintage White (banana pudding) Am. Std. Strats. The front end of the store looked like an Easter basket, we laughed about it a lot. I know two people personally who still own them.

Your body routes are right, your neck is right, electronics, everything looks legit except for one thing... Those bridge saddles are totally wrong. I;m thinking the bridge has been replaced, as the original would have had the stainless saddles with the offset intonation screws. Saddles with with centered intonation screws will not even go on the original bridge. And back then, the stainless block saddles were stock. Am. Std. did not come with stamped vintage style saddles until very recently.

So, my vote is, legit guitar, changed bridge.

EDIT: Just looked closer at the bridge photos. You do indeed have offset intonation screws. My vote is now that only the saddles have been changed. I was not aware that anybody made vintage style replacement saddles for those those offset screw bridges. Very cool. I had no idea. I'm not sure what the extra hole in the trem cavity is for, but I have owned TONS of Am.Std. Strats form that era (probably close to 100) and they all had it. Weird huh?

Edit again: I just re-read your post more carefully and saw that you changed out the saddles. Duh.:lol: Your guitar is right on. I'm quite confident it's a straight up American Standard. Its not all that unusual actually to have a neck and body from successive years. It's not terribly common, but certainly far from unheard of.

Sorry bro, I can't be of much help on the ID of origin...but I just luv that daphne blue, doesn't look to be sonic blue (I have one in SB, yours looks a bit darker).

On a sidenote, that would look absolutely stunning with a tortoise shell pickguard and aged/creme covers and knobs...jus' saying.' :wink:

Hiya Jake Dog,

thanks for the reply.... The saddles are cool....there Callahams ...cold rolled steel. A bit pricey but i hated the look of the square block ones. I got a a cold steel block too. Thanks for the info.

As an extra I sacrificed a tone pot and put in a neck PU blend pot. Best thing i did!!

@ Bodeen

the pictures dont show it that well but its a touch darker in real life.... Like a grey/blue ....the whole pickguard is aging nicely but doesnt show up that well camera....the knobs are very yellow!! not sure about the tortoise shell...lol

No worries, man. I have the same guitar, sans the rosewood neck. Mine is a 96, if memory serves. It also happens to be my favorite guitar : )

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/523/stratocaster.jpg