Guitar players!

[Icefox]

We are having some trouble trying to identify this particular electric guitar. MY grandfather purchased it at a pawn shop along with a boatload of other goodies for about $40 all together. He subsequently gave it to my father.

The word "Alembic California Special" have been painted on the headstock but the folks at Alembic claim it to be a forgery and not a genuine Alembic. We also thought it might have been a Fender Stratoaster but the good folks on the Fender message board disagree, saying it's probably homemade.

Our family friend and guitar expert believes to have been made in the late 50s to early 60s.

I took some better pictures of it. Anyone have any idea what this might be?

The body


The body again


Body detail


Back of the body


Peering down the bathtub


Headstock detail. The "Alembic" logo here is actually painted on, not a sticker. That number under it reads SN927180


Back of the headstock


Neck heel. The number 180 is penciled in the lower left corner


Neck pocket


Detail of electronics


We're just curious about this. It's an interesting guitar and plays quite nice, either way.

[SkyRock]

http://www.alembic.com/

[JAGED]

I would guess that it's a mod job.  Fender body with an Alembic neck? People do that all the time...

[Icefox]

It might be something like that. Trouble is, the serial number there isn't an Alembic number and even if it was it places the guitar at being built in 1992. This looks far older than that. If it's a Fender serial, it's a Signature series from the late 80s which also doesn't fit. The neck and body are original, though, so says the same guitar expert we took it to.

Fender's logo is also missing from the saddles.

It's a mystery, indeed. 

And Skyrock? That's the first place I went to. I posted on their message boards and had one of the owners of the company tell me it was a forgery. I'd guess he'd know better than anyone. 

[Thruster]

Is the pickup selector 3 or 5 position? It doesn't look quite like a strat body but that could be me. The finish looks pretty fresh also. I'm guessin some kind of Matsumoku frankenstein.

What do the tuners say?

[DiabloTX]

You know what, that looks like a Hondo II Strat from the '80s.  Strictly low-budget.

[Icefox]

Looks like Diablo nailed it.



At least it didn't cost anything! 

[Mojava]

 Wow DiabloTX  that was an excellent guess.

[DiabloTX]

Thanks.

But it wasn't a guess.

It was a brilliant deduction!

Those look like D'Addario strings, too, btw.

[squealer]

Those look like D'Addario strings, too, btw.

Bollocks, there Ernie Ball super slinky's..

[DiabloTX]

No, if they were Ernie Ball's the B & E strings would be broken.

[squealer]

No, if they were Ernie Ball's the B & E strings would be broken.

Well in your case i'll agree. As a result of your superior wrist strength action..

[1pLUs44]

Slinky Strings are t3h l337

[DiabloTX]

Well in your case i'll agree. As a result of your superior wrist strength action..

If you ain't using your wrist, you ain't doing it right.

[Roscoroo]

If you ain't using your wrist, you ain't doing it right.

thats what she said 

yea it looks like a hondo .but I bet it was built by hondo for Alembic ,or distributed by Alembic .