James burton date. Fake ?

You can e-mail the serial number to Fender and hopefully they will be able to give you the build specification.

Other option, post lots of detailed photos for examination.

No one can deduce anything from a serial number. There are many fakes out there which use the same 'genuine' serial number.

 

Yes, we need pictures.

 

More pictures please.

Back view and front head stock where the truss rod fitting is.

 

I don't have a photo of the headstock to hand, but the paisley pickups and bridge look the same as mine.

 

^^^

Clearly different bridge. His appears to be raised on all four sides and possibly top screws ....

 

I bought it back in 2007 for $700, the pound was worth about $1.95 at the time, with $85 shipping and 22% UK taxes it cost me a little over £500. The fingerboard is roadworn, but the frets are fine, gold plate is tarnished, and there is a significant ding on the upper bout, but with the original case I would have thought around £800. I also bought a white one and a plain red one, but sold those on. As you can see from my avatar I am partial to a bit of bling!

 

Looks legit to me, but with changed out hardware. It should have had gold hardware (with pearl buttons on the tuners); this one looks like it has black chrome tuners and the rest of the hardware looks chrome in the photos (or at least the gold has mostly worn/corroded off).

 

Damn, I had forgotten that the red paisley on black ones had black hardware like the black paisley on red ones (essentially the reverse of your guitar); I was thinking the red on black had gold hardware like the gold on black and blue on black versions. It's been a long, long time since I saw an early 90s red on black paisley Burton. So what I'm seeing is worn down/tarnished black hardware. So it is a legit, stock but well played red paisley on black Burton.

EDIT: Also, the "E9xxxxx" serial numbers were really used from roughly the 4th quarter of 1989 until roughly the 4th quarter of 1990; you'll have to take it apart to check the neck and body dates. But this would be a very early Burton.

 

Never saw a red paisley on black in the flesh, but I'm pretty sure that the plain white and plain red ones I had both had black hardware.