57' Strat Reissue

[mikeh]

I now understand why people feel so strong about American Strats (vs. Mexi, etc.)

I just picked up the American 57' reissue (two tone sunburst) - It plays great, sounds hotter than any guitar I've owned (mostly low cost guitars) and the sunburst is the color a Start is suppose to be!!!

I traded a Mexican Strat (standard), a Charvel (Strat copy), a Yamaha Pacifica (actually a pretty decent low cost axe) and a Charvel Accoustic/Electric - Plus $150 cash.

Four guitars for one - but I'm very satisfied with the deal (plus I got rid of a couple of axes I rarely used)

So I'm now on board as an American Strat snob!!!

 

[foo]

Welcome - it's going to be about two years before you stop trying to defend your guitar against the "my ...... sounds just as good as an American Strat and cost less than half"

In the meanwhile, enjoy!

foo

 

[charger]

I have a '62 reissue myself. The sunburst and wood are just gorgeous. You're right, the American strats are very nice...

 

[maestro_dmc]

Nods on the Yamaha Pacifica. I have one that I love, and will keep playing until I can get an American Made Strat!

 

[jcmm]

That 2 tone burst is Really Sweet!!

Congrats!

I have a MIM because I couldn't afford what you have.
It's better than no strat, and it is a backup for me but don't go snobby on us now!

 

[Tonekat]

Love those '57 reissues

My wife was nice enough to buy me a sunburst American '57 Strat Reissue last year for our anniversary, and I love it. It beats the crap out of my '91 Amer. Standard.

 

[Al Sim]

In Defense Of Mexican-Made (And Other Bargains)

I got a Mexican-made '50s reissue for Christmas, and it's the best-sounding Strat I've ever played. Hell, it's the best-sounding Strat I've ever been in the same room with. The tone and sustain are just gorgeous. Plays great too.

It's the fourth Strat I've owned, one of which was a pricey made-in-America custom shop item. The last time I saw that guitar was when Carly Simon's sideman bought it. It was a great guitar, built like a tank, but the tone wasn't as round and buttery as my Mexican-made reissue, and it didn't have as much sustain. I don't know how many Strats I've played over the years, but this Mexican-made number is the first one I've encountered that has the incredible sound I've been looking for.

I've also got a Korean-made Danelectro Innuendo that sounds, plays, and sustains better than all but a few of the Strats I've encountered, and it can hold its own with those. A solid body guitar's innate sound is the luck of the wood. (A lot of people think the Innuendo and the other Danoblasters are frame-built, like most Danelectros, but they're conventional solid bodies). This Mexican Strat of mine is incredibly light, lighter than the Innuendo and far lighter than my old American-made machine. It's not mass that gives you sustain, but rigidity, which can go along with mass. And two pieces of wood cut from the same tree can differ greatly in rigidity and in their tonal characteristics.

So don't write off the imports. Shop with your ears. Keep shopping till your ears are happy. I looked at a lot of plinky-sounding fancy American Strats on the same day that I bought my Mexican.

 

[Stanze]

Re: Love those '57 reissues

My wife was nice enough to buy me a sunburst American '57 Strat Reissue last year for our anniversary, and I love it. It beats the crap out of my '91 Amer. Standard.

I have a MIA 57 RI Strat and a 91' Amer. Std also, I think the 57 sounds like butter in the tone dept, but I use my Amer. Std more because it's hotter and has more low end, although a bit harsh on clean. The Amer. Std is way tougher too, I tend to get carried away and throw my guitars around the stage....my 57 RI Strat's headstock cracked after a fall off a guitar stand(repaired by expert luthier).

I recently bought a 62 American Vintage Strat(Reissue), and really enjoy it, haven't used it all too much in the studio or stage...still trying to keep it all pretty, I know that sounds silly.

 

[Tonekat]

there certainly are good imports to be had!

I totally agree that some of the Mexican Strats are excellent instuments. You may have to try a bunch before you get "the one", but its the same situation with the domestic ones.

Stanze, cool that you've got the same two Strats!

I've been working on my 91 Amer Std with the help of Dan Erlewine's book "How to Make Your Elec Guitar Play Great", and I think it finally stays in tune. Next I have to take off the pickguard and look at the electronics. Does yours have that detented tone control, a detent in the midway position? Are there any "secrets" about it? It just doesn't have the Strat tone to my ears.

Also, I just hadda have a Strat when I bought the '91, and it's got a rough spot in the "skunk stripe" on back of the neck, where the dark wood insert may have shrunk a bit in one place. I don't feel it when I play, usually, but I think I'll look into fixing that.

 

[Stanze]

Re: there certainly are good imports to be had!

I totally agree that some of the Mexican Strats are excellent instuments. You may have to try a bunch before you get "the one", but its the same situation with the domestic ones.

Stanze, cool that you've got the same two Strats!

I've been working on my 91 Amer Std with the help of Dan Erlewine's book "How to Make Your Elec Guitar Play Great", and I think it finally stays in tune. Next I have to take off the pickguard and look at the electronics. Does yours have that detented tone control, a detent in the midway position? Are there any "secrets" about it? It just doesn't have the Strat tone to my ears.

Also, I just hadda have a Strat when I bought the '91, and it's got a rough spot in the "skunk stripe" on back of the neck, where the dark wood insert may have shrunk a bit in one place. I don't feel it when I play, usually, but I think I'll look into fixing that.

Heh heh...I have that detented tone control also, I usually keep my tone knobs on full and turn the volume knob down a bit live and crank to full for my lead parts. The main "secrets" I've learned about the American Standard Strat is the infamous swimming pool route(huge rectangular route under the pick-guard to accomodate various humbucker/single coil combinations at the factory and for aftermarket mods to the horror of Strat purists who tend to prefer the original 3 single coil pick-up route on the originals and reissues), I also learned that the American Standard's body can be comprised of anywhere up to 7-8 pieces(unlike the 2-3 sometimes 1 piece on the originals and reissues) of wood glued together....AND, on the sunburst finished American Standards and possibly the solid color Am. Stds Fender used a Veener laminate(think plywood) layer on front and back of the body to cover up what may be ugly grained greenish POPLAR wood undernegth!!!! (instead of Alder or Ash like the originals/reissues...Fender switched back to Alder and Ash sometime in the mid 90's for the American Standard). I found all of that pretty hard to swallow, but it was confirmed by taking my guitar apart and at the Fender sponsored message board I also hang out at: http://www.fenderforum.com Anywhoo, despite all this, I still love my baby and it may not be as warm and pretty sounding and looking as my reissues(maybe due to the swimming pool route, possible multiple pieces of glued/veneered popular and polyutherene(plastic) finish-The originals and reissues are finished in wood breathing nitro-cellouse lauquer...probably just the pick-ups though I suspect)...but, she freaking RAWKS on stage and in the studio where my reissues can have problems with noise from the lighting depending on where I'm standing and their sweet tone not being loud enough to cut through the mix of another Strat, vocals, bass and drums.

One other thing I've noticed on my American Standard, it is very easy to go sharp or flat if I put too much "pull" on the neck, whereas my Reissues tend to stay in tune better if I'm thrashing about on stage.

Anywhoo, it's still a GREAT guitar IMO. I just re-strung mine with 11's, I plan on getting Graph-Tech saddles cos' I go through strings like crazy on my American Standard(It's me, I slice through A's and D's on all my guitars)

-Stanze

P.S. Your skunk stripe issue sounds like it may be either a quality control thing(someone may of cut it on a Monday or Friday) or the wood may of shrunk after if left the factory. If it doesn't affect it's playing I'd leave it to add character and uniqueness to your axe.

 

[Doug H]

I had a 57 reissue the first year they started making them. Sea foam green, or puse green according to the guys in the guitar shop. I didn't like sunburst guitars much back then. I just picked up a used 63 mex.
There's no comparison. The Mex is nice, and I really like the early 60s tone, but the 57 American played like hell, and sang up and down the neck. You should have seen the guys face I sold it to when he was playing it.