eldegas.com

HERE IS MY EL DEGAS 1973 STRAOCASTER MADE IN JAPAN...

Hello vintagedan2010, and welcome here.
Hey, you done good grabbing this one back in the day! I'm not a Strat player but this is a really nice replica from what I see, and you've kept her in great shape.
I can't tell for certain from the one small view of the control cavity, but the body appears to be mostly mahogany, and possibly a laminate/sandwich construction? (or are those router lines I see? can't tell for sure)

As for the pick ups, Charles may have better information for you, but I am curious about those "Patent Applied For" stickers. Normally you'd see those on Gibson style humbuckers. Whether they're DiMarzio's or not I can't say. We do know that they were used fairly extensively on many of the 70's ED's but again I don't know if that extended to single coils. Might be a 'copy cat' attempt by a (then) new pickup company in an effort to gain some street cred?

Sounds like you're a happy camper!
Thanks for the pix.

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Your pups look similar, and they may indeed by DM's, but the Yarmouth guitar seems to be a later model, and has the mother of pearl logo. Charles will likely have a better idea of the ages of both guitars when he checks in. It really doesn't matter. What counts is...they scream and you're happy!

I normally would have said "definitely Dimarzios" but now I am not sure. Who knows with this crazy El Degas brand, sometimes!

I've seen the Strat copies sport a few different logo treatments - some like this have a curving decal like Fender would have used, and others have an inlaid logo.

I second Barry's call on the mahogany, but hard to know for sure. I would also bet the guitar sports a veneer or cap (probably on front & back) of some other wood for some purdy grain beneath the sunburst (Maple? Alder? Ash? I can't tell.).

I have so far never found a Strat copy for the right price to make me take the plunge (the LPs and Teles on the other hand..... ) - threads like this definitely help feed the GAS!! She's a beauty, and I'm glad to hear she plays and sounds great.

As for its rarity... sort of yes, sort of no.
Yes: sometimes they are hard to come by.
No: sometimes they are abundant on the used sites, and they never really command a high price. In my opinion, the obscurity of the El Degas brand, and Fender's own Squire/MIM/Hwy 1 lines, defeats the resale value on these. If I ever see an ED Strat copy come up on a used site for over $250 it sits there and sits there and sits there... and I can't be brought to overpay for one like I might a real set-neck beauty of a Ric-copy or similar.

charles wrote:...I would also bet the guitar sports a veneer or cap (probably on front & back) of some other wood for some purdy grain beneath the sunburst (Maple? Alder? Ash? I can't tell.).

Yup!

I have so far never found a Strat copy for the right price to make me take the plunge (the LPs and Teles on the other hand..... )

Yup again! Never been interested in the "Strat's".