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Spotting the NAIL HOLES

The NAIL holes so often looked for but seem elusive on some models, ever wondered…why? Well I’ve put this article together for your enjoyment.

Here is some info below pertaining to Fender Stratocasters that future collectors like might to know…

Some Strats don’t have the 3 nail holes on the body because that was discontinued at the end of 64, some only have 2 in the neck pocket as it should.. it would then suggest it came off the new paint tree for drying, fenders newest method beginning in 65....please read below..******

During 1963, 1964 and 1965, when guitar production was really high, bodies destine to be a custom colour often didn't get the yellow stain, Fullerplast, primer, and clear coat procedure. After all, if the shop was really in a hurry it can just spray the colour coat right over the Alder without any preparation paint (if need be). All they did was spray more colour coats (especially if a clear coat wasn't used). This would cost more in materials (custom colour paint were the most expensive paint Fender used), but it sure was quick. And often, they didn't even ‘clear’ coat the colour. This was truly a rush paint job.

Some colours were really prone to "short cutting" by the Fender factory. For example, Sonic Blue (and to a lesser extent, Olympic White) often do not have the yellow stain. In the case of Sonic Blue, this might have happened because the yellow stain was bleeding through to the blue. Other pastel colours were also short cutted, having no yellow stain, no Fullerplast, and/or no clear coat.

Because the "lazy susan" paint method was used till the end of 1962, the neck pocket should be fully painted (because the nail legs where utilized during painting). Starting at the end of 1962, the neck pocket should have an area on the bass side void of any paint (but still stained yellow before painting) where the "stick" was attached during painting.

It is very important to note that the nails were still used on Fender bodies, even after the implementation of the "stick". But the nail's sole job now was to provide a way to set the body down to dry, without anything touching the paint. Fender maintained this technique of using the nails until the end of 1964. At this point Fender implemented a "drying tree" to hold bodies as they dried. This approximately six foot high device could hold about 40 bodies while they dried, while using very little physical space. With the implementation of the drying tree, there was no longer a need for nails. There is a picture of the drying tree in A.R. Duchossoir's The Fender Telecaster, page 57 (upper right corner) and in Tom Wheeler's Stratocaster Chronicles book.

The large black dots show the approximate location of the nail holes used from 1951 to 1965 on  Fender Telecasters and Stratocasters guitars.

The lines represent the body routes and pickguard/control plates. Note the placement of Broadcaster nail holes is slightly different than 1951 to 1959 Telecasters.

Also note on Strats, sometimes only THREE nails were used (the treble horn nail hole can be missing). Also on Strats, sometimes the jackplate nail hole can be located just inside the pickguard mounting screw closest to the jackplate.