Dealer Opinion Wanted

[59TweedVibrolux]

Looking at a couple of '60s Strats at Normans Rare Guitars & Rumble Seat
Anyone had any Good / Bad / Indifferent dealings with either ?

Looking to spend some $$$ so wanted to know who to trust.

[Old Cane]

Man, it's been about 30 years but they were great to deal with back them. Not cheap but reliable anyway.

[59TweedVibrolux]

Looking at a '65 Strat , one is an L Series , the other apparently has a Neck Dated - Aug '64 and Pots Dated - 14th week '65

Neck Plate has a Serial # & Large F stamped on it.

Is it possible to have a Neck dated Aug 64 and Pots Dated with a manufacture date some 7 1/2 months later ??...... presumably the guitar assembled 8 months after the Neck was made / stamped !!!

[Old Cane]

I don't see why that could not happen. I bet some of the experts will join in soon.

[PK]

I've bought 4 guitars from Norm's and sold a couple to him. His guitars will be good and he might haggle a little. I just was in there strumming on an HD-28V a couple weeks ago. Norm's has a great name is southern california.

PK

[Wally]

Almost anything could have happened back then....and those dates could be good for that particular guitar. Fender did not use those neckplates in a sequential manner..meaning numbers were randomly used...just picked out of a drawer. IT woudl be the saem with other parts. It is difficult to be sure with a bolt-together guitar, isn't it? I recently sold a '65 neck plate to a fellow who had a vintage STrat that had an aftermarket, no-number neck plate. The plate I sold him 'fits' the dates on his guitar, and down the line no one will ever be able to tell that the guitar and the plate didn't leave the factory together, right? It makes for a touchy situation. Even a reputable dealer with great experience might not catch a non-original situation. I know that htis particular gutiar that got this plate I had is non-original to soem extent, but it is not a parts guitar. IT was probably stolen at some poi nt and someone removed the original plate. NOte: I have a friend who's first father in law used to do repairs and teach guitar in this area. MY friend told me that he saw two coffee cans full of FEnder neckplates at one time in his father-in-laws shop!!! STrange, eh?
The only way to really accept that all of those parts left the factory assembled into one certain guitar is provenance...sales receipts, pictures along the way, etc. Those details are not usually a part of the life of normal guitars. When you see receipts, pictures, tags and other such provenance, you will probably see evaluations that are commensurate with such provenance. OTher than that, is the dates are in somewhat close proximity, one has to take the guitar as it is at that time, right?
As to the '64 neck and the '65 pots, ime the pots should be a bit closer in dating than that.....but that doesn't mean those pieces don't 'belong' together.

[Old Cane]

Back when we were children and these were $2-300 day and night when a neckplate got scratched we replaced it with a new, clean shiny one.

[JoeNeri]

I used to live in LA and have dealt with Norm's. He, at least back in the '90's, was considered one of the best vintage dealers in the country, not cheap, but good. FWIW.

[Ghost of SRV]

I have purchased from Rumble Seat. They were wonderful to deal with, very helpful, and my pre CBS fender was packed and shipped with no issues at all.

Both are pricey, but both are among the best in the biz.