Fender '57 Reissue Stratocaster

It's a stock 57 reissue strat, what can I say. Made in 1982-1983 Japan. So we're going to consider a guitar that is over 20 years old at this point. At the time I bought it new in 1989, it was considered 2nd rate, or even junk compared to a new American-made strat, but now I understand they are quite desirable.

Exremely light-weight guitar, lightest strat I've ever seen, I suspect it is not an alder body, but rather basswood, as I've heard that some Japanese strats intended for US market were made this way to cut costs. The probable basswood body is why I give features an 8 rating.

It came with 5-way switch installed however.

Have used with Crate, Fender, Marshall amps.
Presently use with Fender Roc Pro 1000 amp, and also a Berenger V-AMP 2 effects box.

I have tried out all manner of strats (except more 57 reissues, cause I haven't seen any) and none of them feel or sound like mine. The classic pups, and the 7-1/4 rad C neck are unique.

Sounds better now than when I bought it 15 years ago. I wasn't really completely happy with the sound the first few years I had it...I think partly it was the amp and effects I had at the time.

I play blues and can get all the sounds I want out of it. It gets better all the time.

The neck pup is a wonderful hollow bell sound that goes to a beautiful raspy sound with distortion
The center pup, which I used to hate, has mellowed, and I like it for classic rock tunes.
The center and bridge pup combo gives a classic clunky sound clean, always has.

There's some hum but turn down the vol knob between songs, right?

I wish the guitar had more sustain, the notes seem to die too soon, but compression helps add sustain! This is probably because of the basswood body. Going up to 5 strings on the tremelo, or blocking it might help in this regard. I haven't done either.

I can't recall what the setup was like when new, I was a kid and just happy to have a strat.

The bridge routing is a little off, and there's a gap on one side of the neck, the little E will fall off if you don't string it right, but minor deal.

I set the guitar up with 1/8 inch string height from nut to body, and have filed the frets a few times to elimate scalloping, may consider a refret some day, but not yet.

Finish is basic nitrocellulose black. No body finish flaws, excepting scratches and dents from use, neck is holding up well. The edges of the neck have no finish...all worn off from playing, and the lacquer is breaking down between frets, no raw wood there yet.

Have replaced string saddles twice, with vintage style parts. I always use a little 3-in-1 oil on the saddles and the string tee to keep the strings limber, and let them float a bit.

Still

I have used it on many gigs with no backup...it's the only guitar I own period. It has held up really well, except the tone knobs no longer affect sound when turned.

The guitar has been dropped on its end, which left a huge asphalt pavement dent above the rear strap button. The damage sustained is further indication that the body is basswood. Its been knocked into things, fallen over, and generally suffered careless handling, but it keeps on going.

If anything the guitar has gotten better with every passing year and scratch, dent, ding, and bump on it.

Have no idea about customer support...never needed it.

I would like to get another one that is in less-played condition, in the event this guitar gives out...which is not likely. And with prices such as they are, I can't afford another one. If I was w/o a guitar, I would not even consider anything but either this or the Clapton strat (9-1/2 radius though)...I'd like to put a 25db boost circuit in this guitar! I love the 7-1/4 in radius of the 57 reissue strat.

This one is an '05 USA made, 21 fret, ash body because it has a see-thru Mary-Kaye Blonde finish; $150 US extra, but worth it. S/S/S/ pickups but you knew that. as a matter of course, you all about this guitar already, so I won't waste your time. Old school features for an old school guitar.

I've only had it for a few hours, and have only played it for about an hour, because it came from Wisconsin where it is very cold right now, so I put it back in the case to acclimate over night.
I play everything; it suits my styles very well. That is why strat's are so popular, they are indestructible and can do anything but maybe flamenco. As for amps, I use a variety from a kick-ass super reverb with Webers to a Vibrolux reverb to a Rectoverb 50 to a dual rectifier 412 to a JTM 45 to a '58 Tweed twin. I have many effects pedals but really don't use them because they aren't really needed. The sound of this axe is snappier than a regular Alder body. Almost Tele-ish, but with a more versatile sound palette. The 57/62 standard pickups are adequate, but I think Fralins are on the horizon for this one. I like everything about this strat, even though it's a crude instrument, it does everything it should.

In this category, Fender has come a long way. I have played for nearky thirty years now and have almost that many guitars. I have four strats and my real '57 doesn't play as well as this guy. The attention to detail is excellant, wire routing is pristine, finish is gorgeous and neck is flawless. i'm picky as hell but I feel like I really got a good one here. Love the soft V-neck too! Although the nut isn't as good as my'93 '57 R.I., it's still a very nearly perfect guitar.

C'mon; these guitars will outlast all of their non-Hendrix/Woodstock/Townshend owners. This stuff is generational. I've promised my collection to my teenage son and I'm sure his kids will have these Fenders long after guitar-driven music is a distant memory. The thing is, they just keep getting better with age as the wood and finish cures. I wish I did.

Never used them for support but they're always there for my nit-picky ass questions.

I've played a long time and own almost everything. Then again, do we really own anything? If stolen, I would hope to get another winner like this one.... and I'd papercut the thieve's eyes. This guitar is the best there is for what it does. Sure you can buy an Anderson or Grosh and the like, but why? I used to do that but I found that the drunk in the audience at the club wants to hussle the chick next to him and really could give a shit if your tone is "Holy Grail" or not. All those classic amps going to waste...

Update on an earlier review I made:

I've now owned it for about 4 years. A few mods:
* Re-installed 3-pos switch, rewired it like a tele (master volume and switch acts on the outer pups, the middle one uses the middle pot as volume so I can mix it in any combination, master tone)

* Graphite saddles to cut back on string-expenses.
They were installed at the same time as I did the wiring mod, dunno what caused the most tonal changes but it does sound a bit different.

It's still a strat and it's still very versatile. Even more so now.

The sound got a bit less bright after those mods, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I simply add a bit tremble on the amp-side if I want to compensate. The 7 pickup combinations are all great, the "all 3 at once" is fat and overwhelming, the "bridge+neck" sounds bigger than the 2nd pos out of phase (more tele-ish perhaps?).You all know the stock sounds, these two additional ones are great too.

It's still noisy, maybe even a bit more now with my poor soldering skills, but I'm gonna have it re-soldered to stock 5-pos. setup and add a miniswitch for the neck pup instead. Gives me all 7 sounds with less hassle.

It is now very well played in, I've adjusted everything to my taste as well. The 7.5 inch radius does mean that you need a bit higher action than on modern guitars, but I like to really "dig in" so I need high action anyway. I do keep the neck fairly straight so that I get a touch of fret-buzz when I hit it hard, adds a nice personality to the sound. The feel more than compensates for the disadvantages of radius and small frets, I still recommmend it.

I always bring a backup to gigs, but after installing the graphite saddles it hasn't broken a single string.

The finish has cracked a bit on the fretboard, exposing a hard and bright white polyester undercoat. Doesn't look good at all, but I can't feel it when I play.

The pickguard has also warped a bit, but that might have to do with my bad habit of sticking plectrums underneath it.

Overall: it doesn't look better with age, but it can still withstand a nuclear assault. Really solid construction and quality hardware.

The shop I bought it from had removed the small key that adjusts saddle height, so I e-mailed the scandinavian Fender importer and asked for one. It was in my mailbox 2 days later, free of charge.

This is the only guitar I've kept for this long. I've sort of grown more and more attached to it. Get one!

This is a follow up review of my 2001 aztec gold us '57 reissue. I've had it a few years now and just want to update my previous review. I havn't done anything to the guitar, no mods, not even installed the 5 way switch, don't need to, for position 2 and 4 you can just lodge it in between the settings on the switch. Isn't that what they used to do anyway before they invented the 5way switch?!

I still think that this guitar is THE strat to get. I think it has more character than the standard series, the 57 is just the basic strat, and it gets those classic strat sounds. Since getting this strat I have started using the bridge/middle and the bridge pickups selections a lot more, I used to find them to bright on other strats but they sound decent on this, obviously they can get a bit bright but as long as you play low down the neck it just sounds great, I find them excellent for playing with ur fingers, no pick, its a really organic kind of expirience. The neck pickup is still great and even a gorilla playing this guitar whilst wearing boxing gloves could get a great tone out of it. Ive even been using the middle pick-up on its own, how often do people bother with that, i think it sounds kinda decent. Overall it is a great strat that sounds like all the strat tones and sounds you have in ur head or uve heard on cd.

The guitar is now a good three or four years old, the nickel parts have dulled, personaly i quite like how it looks like now, i wouldn't say this was a defect, just the passage of time. Also the finish is starting to wear a little in places, mostly on where my right arm rests on the body, this isn't really a flaw, it is just what happens with nitro finishes, and as more years pass it will get even thiner and dry out, really letting the wood vibrate and resonate, I cant wait!

One thing that has happened is the pickgaurd seems to have warped a little bit on the top by the neck pickup, there is a good 2-3mm gap between the bottom of the pickgaurd and the body, it is a defect i suppose but it dosn;t really bother me, it makes a handy plectrum holder, it is probably keeping them there that has made the problem worst so its probably my fault.

All in all the guitar still looks absolutly beautiful! I'm giving it a 7 cos it dosn;t look exaxctly like it did brand new, it shows a few small signs of age, but these are all purely cosmetic. To me this dosn;t detract to how the guitar looks at all, infact i think it makes it look quite cool, but I know there are some people who don't like this kind of thing happening to their guitars.

I loved it when I got this guitar and I still love it now, it is starting to show signs of wear but then I have played it alot, i liked it so much, and ive played it hard, a few gigs here and there too.

The only downside with the guitar is that it constantly distracts me from uni and studying, I'm supposed to be revising now and I've only stopped playing the thing to write this cos my fingers actually hurt I've been putting of revising that long! I guess I should move it out of my study.

That is a 2001 '57 brand new sunburst stratocaster and when i said brand new it is brand new I open the carton box .with all case candy ... vintage gray wire ,vintage strap, polish cloth, ashtray bridge cover,5 way switching,tweed case.It the most simply guitar it is really easy to use.

This strat for me is not a shreded metal machine but that is what I wanted a vintage sound for playin' oldie (buddy holly). It sound like a vintage strat ...fully noisy when playing in the front of my computer.
I add the 5 way a year later when I understand I could not do the SRV tone in cold shot and many other song .

the factory set up is very look like a crap ... highly curved neck it take me 3 or 4 full turn of trusts rod adjustement screw. Floting tremolo with 3 springs is really bad it eat the sound of the guitar I reset with 5 springs .the strings are set too high ... after 3 years of playing I found in the finish a wood dust and the body where selected with the worst wood i seen the top of the guitar have a carved hole is not high but is there and the wood look like be scraped by a bear . The finish of the neck wear under and on the side of the neck start to show wear.

Fender exist for more than fifty years I think that is ok but for the case is another thing the case lactche spring broke after 10 month of use .

For the case waranty repair thats take more than 6 months to have another case and the music store dont pass me another case to put it in :S that is very bad

I been playing for 4 years and that is my main axe I loved it and if it is stole i re-buy again or i buy '52 r-i telecaster or a Sdr les paul maybe ?? not I re-buy a strat :) but I turn for a custom shop this time .If fender listen that I want pat. pendind saddle with right string guide placement.
for all its a great guitar for is price

1994 American Vintage '57 Reissue Strat Bought it used.

-21 frets
-4 Bolt on Maple neck, maple fretboard (the neck is not stock, but I believe it's still a Fender replacement neck for the RI's).
-alder body with NO SWIMMING POOL ROUTE! Nice s/s/s route, no cut corners.
-3 Fender custom shop passive single coil pickups (s/s/s)
-5 way slotted selector
-1 vol, 2 tones (I've modded this aspect though)
-turquoise green with finish that is naturally starting to relic... very good looking.
-vintage style tremolo bridge. No cover. These saddles need a special wrench to adjust them. The local tech gave me one for free.
-locking schaller tuners
-25.5" scale with standard vintage fender frets (medium sized.)

It's a strat, and it does everything it's supposed to do. Don't expect a metal-monster out of this, even through a high gain amp. Extremely quiet considering it's s/s/s. The bridge pickup has great bite, and the rhythm pickups are pristine and clear. Every sound a Strat is supposed to be able to make, this makes.

I play in a band with many influences (Soundgarden, Mars Volta, Primus, Jethro Tull, Mr. Bungle, etc), so I crank this. It's good for most of what I need, but I plan to get an H/H guitar to do what this can't.

When you buy a Strat, you're not supposed to expect heaviness to come out of it. It's a great sounding instrument.

Well, I got it used, and the setup was shoddy. Strings needed replacing. The bridge was pretty dirty, but I cleaned it a bit. Everything else is straight. It's used, so you can't expect much.

This guitar sounds best with 11's. Put 5 springs in the tremolo and tighten it down so that you can't divebomb, but still can use a vibrato.

I've played many a show without a backup on this guitar, and nothing bad has happened. Stays in tune even with the whammy used.

I need toothpicks for my strap button screw on the top horn, but it's a small issue. Nothing big here.

n/a

I've been playing for 6 years. I've owned this, a Squier Strat, and an Epiphone G-400.

I asked about everything with this guitar (product of research). On the description at the store, they said the neck was replaced with an Am. Standard neck. I pointed out that it couldn't be, as Am Standards have 22 frets, this had 21. Because of this, they knocked the price off from $550 to $400 for me. I had them open up the guitar so that I could see the routing pattern, everything. Top marks for the sellers also. I recommend them highly (ask for Dave Swick, the guy with the mohawk).

I made some changes to the guitar to suit my needs: I took out one tone knob and made the other one a master tone. In place of the old tone knob, I installed a kill-switch. Eventually I want to put a preamp booster in, but that's later on.

Considering I got this guitar for $400, I can't be happier. The locking tuners are godsends as well. I don't think I'm ever going to play live with a guitar that doesn't have these anymore. They keep you in tune even if you bend a note almost to the point of breaking the string.

2004, 21 frets,2 tone nitro cellulose finish. vintage frets, medium size V neck. Includes tweed case & 50's strap, cord, &ashtray bridge cove with 5 way switch. Beautiful finish & tinting on neck.

I play blues almost exclusively ( gotta get the old rock out of my system periodically). I play this through 2 Fender Bassbreaker amps. These are the custom shop version of the Bassman. The level of 60 cycle hum is amazingly low. I was quite suprised especially after having Joe Barden pup's in my Strat that I traded in on this one. The Joe Bardens are dead quiet. The sound is rich & full with a healthy balance & the right amount of brightness. Just like the Fenders of my younger days( when we could buy the real deal cheap). Classic vintage sound. Good job on the pickups Fender!

Guitar was set up perfectly which is suprising from the Fender factory & because I'm so picky about a perfect setup. I do all my own work & the set up was just as I would have done. Very little fretting out considering the 7.25 neck radius.

All vintage dependable hardware. Only ever had one problem with a Fender in 41 years. Had one pickup quit once. Not bad for the many, many Fenders that I.ve had over the years.

If you get John on the phone your in lick. He is a veteran & knows his stuff. The younger guys are helpful as well but have'nt lived the history of Fender. Never had to have a repair as the pick up was out of warranty & did it myself.

Been playing 41 years. Have Custom Historic Les Pauls, Custom Historic ES 335's. & this Strat. Traded a Custom Shop Classic Player Strat in on this. The quality of this guitar matches the '56 relic Fender Custom shop guitars. Played many of those & was able to do a side by side comparison on this one. The only difference I noted was that even though the neck profiles were indentical the '56 was slightly larger which I prefer but for half the price this neck is big enough for me. I believe the Vintage Series guitars (played a '52 Tele while there) are being made as faithful reproduction. I am 100% satisfied with this purchase. Would like to have two of these.

My babe is a mean green rock-machine and is bog standard except for a 5 position switch. It was born in Corona, Feb 7th 2002 so it's the newer version with the slight "V" neck and, like the reviewer pointed out below, has the little black dots in the right place at the 12th fret :-)
I have two of these, the other is a black 2000 issue and this new surf green babe differs in two ways from the black one. First, the pickups are way more powerful with a more full sound than the black one and secondly, the frets must have been dressed in such a way that the neck radius is flatter because I have the action set at 1.5 mm at the 12th fret and can bend the top E and B strings forever without it choking out. The black one has to be set at 2 mm and only just allows me to bend up one full tone. Green Strats!
Like the reviewer "Steve" said below, the Kluson tuners are the best non-locking locking tuners on the planet and like "Steve", I usually ditch locking tuners and retro fit Klusons on all my Strats, they are so light and never ever slip.

This one is real nice - - bell sounds, chimes, quack and twang all rolled up in one. I play it through a Keeley TS-9 tubescreamer, a Keeley Compressor and a Fender Vibrolux amp and with Keeley's pedals, well it's tone heaven. If you haven't played a Strat through a Keeley pedal then you're in for a treat.
Like all Vintage Reissues, you do get a bit of 60 cycle hum but not enough to be a bother. You just have to roll back the volume between songs and all's well with the world. There's no way I'd ever consider ripping out the pups and changing them for noiseless ones. It's like tearing the heart out of your mother! Even though the new fender SCM pups are just amazing, I buy 57s to be 57s, simple as that. I have a Deluxe Strat with the new SCMs and S-1 switch which I just love but you know, it's a different vibe to the 57 Reissue.
The one thing you have to be careful with is setting up the tremolo so that the outside screws are just level with the block and the inner 4 sitting a fraction above it. Once set up this way and with the help of a little glob of vaseline in the nut slots and under the string retainer, the guitar stays in tune all night.

fender always set the action a bit high because it reduces the chance of string buss etc and helps their instruments sel themselves so you always have to do a bit of tweaking. As mentioned above, this particular green girl tolerates a much lower action than her black sister so I guess its just a case of you get what you get!
I don't go searcxhing for like imperfections of finish, I mean, who cares. It's all about the vibe the guitar gives you and how it speaks to you and your audience.

keeley pedals and Fender Strats are immortal. I've never has any problems with Fender guiatrs, ever.

Never needed it

I've been playin for over 20 years and love all guitars. I have Les Pauls, Fenders, Guild and Gretsch and they all have their own vibe but if I ever get marooned on a desert island, I'd want a little 57 Reissue with me because they do two things really well, they sound beautiful and they make you smile.
Thanks Fender.

I picked this guitar up used in the mid 90's. It probably was a year or two old at that time. Pretty much an exact copy of the real thing right down to the 3 way switch. (I had intended to buy a Custom Classic Strat but it was gone when I came back with the cash.) Workmanship on it is very good and the weight and feel is very comfortable. A Strat is a beautiful thing!!! The neck aged very nicely over the years with some minor finish checking, spider web effect from adjusting to the climate. Looks real sweet.

I first bought this guitar because of the feel and the weight. I had been playing an Ibanez ES 335 style guitar which sounded great but was real heavy and quite uncomfortable to play the entire night. The stock fender pick ups sounded a little brittle with my setup so after a lot of research I finally swapped then for a set of Van Zandts. Can't say enough about those pickups!!! And, if you haven't heard a Strat with Van Zandts then you haven't heard a Strat!!! The Van Zandts have taken the brittle edge of the sound of this guitar and given it a nice warm round tone. Had George Ellison of Acme Guitar Works wire up a pick up assembly for it on a Mint Green 57 Strat Pickguard from Warmoth. I'm giving the sound of the guitar with the Van Zandts a 10 only because the scale doesn't go any higher.

After about 10 years of playing had the guitar refretted by the 12th Fret in Toronto Ontario. I had been playing at a resort south of the Bahamas and the humid climate and the salt water blowing in the background had taken it's toll on the guitar over the years. Went with a slightly bigger fret and the radius was flattened. Made the guitar a lot more playable. Ok so the guitar is no longer a stock 57 re issue but it has evolved into something that is extremely playable and if you ever check out original Strats you can see that they tend to evolve in the same manner.

The Guitar has servered me faithfully for over 10 years. Aside from the standard wear and tear that a guitar goes through it has never let me down. I have finally got it to the point where I'm real satisfied with the sound and feel of the guitar.

I have emailed Fender a few times on issues unrelated to this guitar. I typically have a guitar repairman look at my stuff so it seldom becomes an issue for Customer Support. My experience with but Fender and Gibson for that matter has been very positive.

I have been playing for over 30 years. My style is based primarily in the blues and R & B area with a setup that is pretty basic. Guitar to a Tube Screamer Mesa Boogie Mark I bit of Reverb... I have grown quite attached to this guitar and although there are times when you just need the sound of a Hum Bucker this is the guitar I play the most. If someone stole this guitar I'd be quited pissed!!! It's taken a long time to get it to the point where it plays this well. I might start looking for a backup so I have a spare but buying yet another guitar means I'll have to hear a whole bunch more nastiness from my wife about "how many Guitars do you really need" Come to think of it I wouldn't mind if someone got the idea to steal her I could live with that;-)... I would miss the guitar though if someone stole it. And if we forget about Political Correctness for a second you could always find another wife but another guitar that plays really good and sounds so sweet is much harder to find.

Mine is a 1998 American '57 Stratocaster Reissue. I believe this was the last year for the 'C' shaped neck, I understand the newer models have the 'V' neck. Another difference is that my pickups are of the non-beveled variety. I believe they sound the same as the beveled ones. Lastly, I have installed the five-way P/U switch (comes included).

Aside from that, my instrument is stock, see below for many fine similes of what that means.

On this instrument I play blues, classic rock and surf. Because I began playing in the era of Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhodes and Joe Satriani, I have a soft spot for metal. I would sooner put a saddle on my cocker spaniel and enter the Kentucky Derby, than I would attempt to belt out Eruption on this chap.

I originally purchased this guitar with the intention of substituting the original pickups with Texas Specials. Until I purchased this guitar, my Hot-Rodded Texas Special/Pearly Gates American Strat was my instrument of choice. It's now a tie. It depends on my mood. (Two totally different instruments.)

Somebody below mentioned "Shine on you crazy diamond" - that's a great description of the neck position sound. Forgive me if I have this backwards, but, if that is position 1, then position 2 makes for a great "Sultans of Swing". Position 3, I have not use for position 3. Position 4 makes for a great Dick Dale sound (that, assuming that Dick Dale were actually playing my guitar), or even "Mary Had a Little Lamb (SRV)". Position 5 (see position 3).

Back to my original comment though, I originally bought this guitar (used)in order to modify it. After playing it through my Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10, I will change nothing. Let me say that again. I will change nothing. I don't even use pedals with this ax. I absolutely adore the clean glass-like sound of this instrument. While the Texas Specials may be more SRVish or Knopleressent, attempting those same licks with this axe will bring a big old smile to your face.

Yes, it can be noisy, but, that is part of its charm. Work with it. Noise is your friend. Embrace the noise! (If you don't like the noise, there are plenty of other great options from the folks in Corona.)

I started playing guitar 20 years ago and, back then, I would have hated this guitar - for the same reasons why I now love it. Turn up the volume on your amp and every little nuance of your playing can be heard, moreso than any guitar I've played. It breaths. It will make a good guitarist sound brilliant, and a bad one sound, well, bad.

I bought this ax with the intention of bolting on a '62 neck from the Fender Factory. When I brought this guitar home and really started playing it, I quickly realized that the original neck would remain. The action on this guitar is fantastic! I play it with 10's, which, I believe are factory spec. I have NEVER had a guitar with such close action and no fret buzz. I recently played a custom shop '56 and actually prefer the action on my guitar.

As for the finish. A used strat, to me, is kind of like a pair of jeans. It just seems to look better the more you use it. I'm not one to nit-pick, though, I must say that, for being five years old when I bought it (the guitar, not me) it looked pretty good.

I heard lots of whoeey about Nitro Cellulose versus Polyerathane. I've heard the Nitro (which this is) sounds better than the Poly. Really? In a SOLID body guitar? I'd be hard pressed to see someone substantiate that claim. (Most will disagree with me, and, I not a professional player.) What I do know is that the Nitro tends to age in a bit more organic way (more pleasingly to me lets just say.)

No corners appear to have been cut in the crafting of this fine instrument. It feels to me like a custom shop guitar. Wood looks well matched and cloth pick up wires are a nice touch!

The gents in Corona, CA did a very nice job on this guitar. Not only does everything work well, but, everything works well together.

Like I said, I bought this guitar five years old and the set up and sound were spot on. That should speak volumes. I doubt this guitar will depreciate much (what with folks paying extra for 'relics' these days). But it doesn't matter because I have no plans to sell it.

I've already said enough. I really like the 'C' shaped neck, though, I believe the newer 'V' shape is more historically accurate. If the guitar were stolen, I'd probably seek out a pre'98 'C' shaped neck version. That's just my personal preference.

I love everything about the guitar with the exception of the nitro finish on the neck. I don't dislike it enough to swap it out, but, I've gotten used to the feel of the satin-necks. Again, that is just preference. I would sooner put Sweet & Low in my Dom than I would change out anything on this ax.