1996 MIK Squier Stratocaster Neck - Part 2

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Preamble

In this post, we'll begin our visual examination of the original neck on the 1996 Midnight Blue "Squier by Fender" Standard Fat Stratocaster introduced in Part 1. But first, let's take a look at some specs sourced from the 1996 Squier Catalog and Bill Alston.

• Solid Alder Body
• Midnight Blue Poly Finish
• Three-Ply BWB Pickguard, 11 Holes
• HSS Pickup Configuration
• Five-Way Selector Switch
• 1 Volume Control, 2 Tone Controls
• Chrome Hardware
• "Synchronous" Tremolo
• Bolt-On One-Piece Maple Neck
• 25.5" Scale
• 9.5" Fretboard Radius
• 21 Frets

1996 Squier Catalog. ©Guitar Compare.

Midnight Blue Body. HSS Configuration.

Original One-Piece Maple Neck

  

Headstock Face

The headstock is bereft of tuners and string trees. Headstock graphics include a gold "Squier" logo, as well as the serial number, "Stratocaster" trademark, "Made in Korea," and "By Fender" in black script. Extra holes on the headstock face indicate that Fender American Standard String Guides (or clones thereof) were once installed.

Headstock Face

Fender Logo and Serial Number

"By Fender" Graphic

Fretboard - A Once-Over 

We'll start off with the string nut, which looks a lot like plastic. Moving down, we see vintage-style frets that are badly worn and riddled with divots, black dot markers, and bare patches on an unnaturally dark-hued fretboard (more on this later).

Truss Rod Channel and String Nut

Fretboard and Frets - 1

Fretboard and Frets - 2

Fretboard and Frets - 3

Fretboard and Frets - 4

Fretboard and Frets - 5

Fretboard and Frets - 6

Fretboard and Frets - 7

Fretboard - Up Close

Here's where we get up close and personal with this fretboard. The bare spots and scratch marks clearly indicate a lighter finish underneath, which I suspect is the original. Quite a number of fret tops have also been ground either totally flat fret or partially recrowned, evidence of hasty fretwork.

Scratched Finish - 14th to 16th Frets

Finish Bubbling and Worn Patches

Evidence of Fretwork - 1

Evidence of Fretwork - 2

Evidence of Fretwork - 3

Scratched Finish - 19th Fret