The first part of this page has arisen following a response to my TL52 page by JJLC from the telecaster forum.
There are also the 'order made' examples, some stamped ORDER MADE, and some were stamped ORDER.
These typically had an upper case K stamped followed by a three digit number.
Here is an example from my old TL56-90, sold to a buyer in Singapore.
I have also seen similar ORDER, ORDER MADE, and K### stamped on TL52 examples.
Here is one stamped with both the ORDER MADE & ORDER stamps, a very rare STC-62, with a very rare rosewood 'board; not the typical maple 'board. Yep; it's sold. : I wish I still had this one.
Here is a very rare example, one of the first TL52-SPLKRs, as it has the CTL-50M stamp, and the 2 piece/center seam body is made with flat sawn Japanese sen, not Ash lumber. Notice the stamps & the pencil notations on the neck pocket & the neck heel. I wish I had this one back too
There are also some Fender Japan 52 reissue Teles with the Fender - Custom Edition - Fender Japan logo on the back
of the head stock. Looks like this logo from my old 1994 ST54-150AS, sold to a buyer in Canada. I have also seen these logos
on TL52 examples.
It's basically the same as an Extrad but it looks & reads different.
Note from me Custom Edition appears on many Japanese models and is in effect the Custom Shop model which is equivalent to
and sometimes referred to as an Extrad. There is a long debate on Strat Talk as to whether or not is is correct to refer to them
as Extrad.
Everything above this line is written by JJLC they are his pictures except note from me. Thank you.
I will be adding to this page at a later date
Not always obvious why these are order made or where they differ from the standard model but here are a few.
Daan Vanheel sent me some details of an order made ST57 The pictures below show a marking KO363 we are told by non other than Nick Sugimoto that this indicates a Kandai Shokai order presumably the 363 is the order number. We have no indication of how many were made or indeed what the neck pocket T58 indicates.
This guitar with a strange paint job for a domestic Japanese guitar was being sold as a TL69 despite the fact that it obviously isn't one. Slightly surprising to see a model like this as an order made. E serial number 84 to 89.
Another strange one this is from around 1994. I have only ever seen or know of an ST65 from around 2005. I wasn't aware of any other strats with that designation from any other time. All matches the features of the later ST65 including MIJ Texas Specials. Perhaps there were no ST65 guitars at that time and that is why it is order made.
Lovely guitar from c1993. Looks like a fairly standard TC72, except they were mainly Basswood then and this one isn't, as we can tell by the grain.
A mid 90s model likely to be an ST54-80AM with an unusual finish I have seen one from the same era in Fotoflame but not a finish like this. This one was posted on the Strat forum November 2023 and appears to be another Kandai Shokai order
Here is an unusual one I came across sold at Japan Guitars the Sales blurb said
This is a Custom Ordered Fender Japan Stratocaster built to be an Eric Clapton model in Pewter, but with a Flame Maple
neck and US Electronics. The serial number dates this guitar to 1991 or 92.
The neck pocket on this guitar is stamped with ORDER and K-165 indicating this guitar was custom ordered and was built to closely
follow the Fender USA Clapton model at the time. The guitar has Lace Sensor pickups and all the electronics including the MDX mid boost
are US made as used on the US Clapton model.
Following the US Clapton model, this guitar has both a V neck profile and the tremolo is blocked with a piece of wood.
However, unlike the US Clapton models, this guitar comes with a heavily flamed maple neck.
