Fender '57 Reissue Stratocaster

57 reissue strat, 21 fret maple "v" shaped neck, 7.25 in. radius, made in USA in 2000. Outfitted with Texas special pick-up (a unique feature of the left handed model at the time when I bought it since the vintage pick ups were not made for lefties). Vintage style bridge and machine heads (apparently made in Japan - somewhat disappointing. You would think that for the money made in America would mean made in America). 3 and 5 way toggle.

It sounds great. I play blues and funk through a fender tube amp and it just perfect. It has five distinct sounds from the neck to the bridge. It is not as pronounced as a strat I had with Lindy Fralins in it but still very good for stock pick ups. The neck pick up is bright and bell like. The two posision has the great Fender "quack". 3 is a bit sharper but very good for classic rock and roll solos. 4 is dream, very Robert Crayesque. 5 is a bit thin but thats a strat for you. The 1 and 2 posisions are great for lead and rhythm respectively. There is a bit of noise but that really depends on what amp you play and where.

The guitar was very well set up. I have since reset the guitar since I play 11s and the guitar came with 10s. The pick ups, nut and bridge were set just fine. The finish is really quite stunning (two tone sunburst).

This is my main guitar and I gig with it about 8 to 10 times per months. We practice about 6 to 8 times per month and then I play at home. I have put a pretty good beating on her and she has stood up to it. I don't believe in pampering guitars. I'm sure noone will want to offer me what I paid for it but then I never sell guitars. They are tools of the trade not Picassos. I would definitely depend on this guitar through all kinds of weather (even summer festivals). Fender has even simplified the internal wiring. I have owned a couple of older fenders and the speghetti wiring is gone.

I suppose its a two year warrentee but I have never had to deal with it. I have corresponded with some Fender techs in the past and was impressed with their receptiveness. Its hard to fine that e-mail address though and it seems that they don't encourage it. If you get it though, the tech guys are extremely helpful.

I really like this guitar a lot. I have been playing for about 15 years and have owned several Fenders as well as other guitars. As with all strats the weak point of this guitar is the pick up. Fender stock pick ups just don't do it for me. However, the body, craftsmanship, neck ( the "v" neck is awsome)wiring, look, finish and tone are stratific. I think that if you are 100% satisfied with a guitar off the rack you are either complacent or tone deaf. The strat is the ultimate building block for a dream guitar. Being a lefty my choices are very limitted but with in that limitted choice range I think I chose the best guitar on the market for my sound. It was a bit steep, though. This is $1000 guitar selling for $1200.

This guitar is a 1989 US reissue with a sunburst finish over a two-piece alder body. I bought it recently and as far as I can tell is stock with the exception of a 5 way selector switch. It came with no accesories.

My 'sound' is built around the Strat. I use a Vox AC15ri with a Fulldrive 2 and a Fuzz Factory. This guitar replaces a Tex Mex Stratocaster with a rosewood neck. In a direct AB test the 57 sounded slightly 'better' for want of a ....better word.

This guitar plays well and the set up is ok. With any guitar it takes a bit of work to make it 'yours'. I have put 10's on it and blocked the trem. I have also given it a satin neck courtesy of a DIY shop varnish removing cloth. I did these modifications on my previous Strat.

Everything works as it should. Its not overly noisy.

The general appearance of this guitar suggests that it's been used not abused. The slightly battered look just adds to the vintage vibe. I bought it to play not look at. I cannot afford/justify a spare.

I have been playing 20 yrs. This guitar as previously stated replaced a Tex Mex Strat. I thought it was time to 'upgrade'. I stumbled across the 57ri in a shop window and tried it.

It does not strike you as a 'great' guitar. It looks slightly beat up and it plays and sounds 'ok' (it does what you would expect from a Strat). Then you realise that an hour has gone by.This guitar just wants to be played and it's very difficult to put it down.

This ones a keeper and my current band will be gigging next month. Talk about timing...

It doesn't get more basic than this Strat.

Playing the blues on this guitar is what life was supposed to be all about. Going into a Fender Blues Deluxe 1*12, it had a decent sound I guess, but the pickup noise was awful, and the tone knobs were worthless. I could not get much enjoyment out of any pickups except for the neck.

This guitar was poorly setup. The nut was cut wrong, and I had to have a new one installed b/c the E string was to close to the edge of the fretboard and would slip off when fretted. But the Candy Apple Red finish shimmered so well on stage.

Are you kidding, it's a Fender. Drop it on its head and it doesn't care.

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10 years on guitar, and this Strat didn't deserve me. I sold it b/c I got sick of how poor it sounded and how poorly it played. If it were stolen, I would have put the insurance money in the bank. I chose it b/c it was gorgeous looking, and I didn't pay much attention to the fact it sounded so bad. Oh well, learn from my mistakes, save up and buy a real guitar based on how it plays, not on how it looks.

It was made in 1982 ( as per the serial number ) & it have 21 frets.
It is in green colour, control are as normal fender V,C,C & 5 ways
pickup selector. I'm not really sure about the body wood but it has
a maple neck & gotta a great finish of body & neck.
All the hardware such as bridge & tuner are from the CBS model.
Maybe...just maybe the pickups were CBS as well cos it nearly
sounds like my 70s Strat.

I play the blues & I play it alot. I'm using Fender 1975 Twin Reverb
Amp & Marshal BluesBreaker & some other effects. This guitar is noisy
as Fender CBS model. Sounds....more like a CBS model. It is just great.

At first is was very hard to play but since I gave some releif to the
neck its feel better & sound even better. If U asked me about its
finishing..it is just like the Custom Shop..I thought it was made by
the Unit that they call it now Custom Shop.

I've played this guitar live & still going on.
The hardware is gonna last forever.

None..except for several personal modification. ( setting )

I've been playing for 16 years. The first time I look at this guitar
i already fall in love with her. According to the last owner(shop) this guitar was owned by American who came to Malaysia to make just a single show & sell off the guitar ( this guitar was bought in USA )
It was really a closet classic. I had a CBS 71 & Les Paul 1984 Custom
& I love them as they are. They all got their own specialtise. It is not fare to judge which one is better than another.

USA Reissue Strat '57. I don't know the year but the serial number is V082072. 21frets. 5 way selector fitted with 3 Fender single coils. Alder body with maple neck. Black nitro finish body. Graphite saddles fitted, with roller nut.

Excellent bright sound with lots of depth. Used with a Carvin MS3200 100 watt valve combo. Usual noise expected with single coils.

I bought this guitar second hand with modifications already made. Excellent set up. Some marks and cracks in the finish but nothing major. The best feature is the neck which fits like a glove, best I have played.

Great guitar. I ytrust this guitar with no back up. everything seems well put together.

Never had occasion to use it.

I have been playing about 20 years and own a Jap 62 reissue Strat, a Levin Acoustic, and an Ovation. If it was lost or stolen I would replace it. I bought this type of guitar on the advice of Julien Kasper my friend and great guitar player with the Bruce Katz Band. (Check his playing out on www.Brucekatzband.com)I've tried a lot of Strats but this is the best.

2000 model
black w/ maple neck just like the one clapton used I guess. it is very light and resonate and it viberates when you play it at volume.

this thing has a true sound that is sweet and twangy and has bite. it is a bit more noisy then my 62 reissue but I can live w/ that.

I got it used and the setup sucked because it had all the clicks going from a poor setup. I tend to make everything very firm on the setup {IE} four springs tighten screws down more then factory things of that nature. because I use just a bit of trim here and there. it helps them stay in tune. this thing had a few minor issues not worth mention that may have been created by the poor setup from the first owner. my 62 reissue is new and it is as near perfect as you can get and I believe they maake them better then the 57.

I think it will be fine. a good strat is like a good woman and that my friends depends on who is twekking her or it. what I mean is if you treat her mean she won't last same go's for the strat.

who needs them.

I have a few guitars and I now have two main strats to use. they should last me quite a while. I got this one for a backup so I don't have to tune so often and if my 62 should break a string. I don't break strings ever because I use de addario chromes. they seem never to break and last a long time but they cost a bunch more. I tend to think that these strats fit me very well and I have no intention of looking for more as I am now leaning more toward blugrass and mild country. well its time now for a martin. hey I did not say I wasn't going to keep buying guitars just looking more at the acoustic side for a while.

American made, body and neck stamped 1987, rare surf green color, you know what else it has.

I play jazz mostly but also like funk and blues. I'm not really a strat player, but when I need that fender tone this delivers. The pu's are typical fender twang, I guess that's why I bought it. I thought about putting a JB jr. in the neck position to make it more versatile, but decided against it. The guitar is a little bright to be my main guitar, but I'm not going to take off points. This guitar is great for blues; nice and crisp, but not brittle. I replaced the 3 way switch with a 5 way, and re-wired the middle pickup's tone pot to work on the bridge. This is an easy and practical mod. that many session pro's do. Before this mod. I found the bridge pu to be too harsh to use.

The guitar was made is '87 and I bought it used in '97. This is a great players guitar, (one of the best playing guitars I own.) The action is very low and does not buzz unless harshly provoked. It has more than it's fair share of dings and chips in the finish, but it still plays like a champ. Some of the screws are rusted, and the bridge saddles are starting to show some rust but everything works as it should. I've replaced all of the pots since they were becoming problematic, but the pu's are fine. The finish on the fingerboard is wearing thorough in several places but this gives it a nice worn in look. The decals on the headstock have seen better days. The decal on the top by the high "e" tuner is gone and the "fender" logo is brown around the edges and very delicate. The finish on the back of the neck would get sticky if played for too long so I removed it using steel wool, after several years of playing it has faded to that relic like grey/brown color. The finish is discolored and wearing throught the laquer on the heel and back contour, but this is not unusual. The guitar looks like a relic, but it's wear has not been faked in any way. I think the wear gives it character, I can't wait to see what it looks like in 20 years! I guess this color is very rare for a '57 reissue, for this reason I wish is was in better shape.

It's built like a tank.

I've been playing 11 or so years, play professionally, and do studio work. It's a good guitar for what I need it for, I'd probably get another if needed.

Features of my '57 reissue Strat are V shaped gloss maple neck and f/board, 3 alnico V magnet vintage single coils pickups, vintage Kluson machineheads, high-grade light ash/alder body (mine's 2 tone sunburst) and finished in nitrocellulose lacquer which looks cool.
Fender Tweed case included with guitar cable, ash tray bridge cover etc.

I play blues/rock music and my '57 reissue Strat handles this style with ease. I play through a Fender '65 Twin Reissue amp and this combination is spot on. These alnico V magnet pickups are very punchy and powerful with quite a high output and I love their tone and they are also great with a little distortion from my Boss DS-1 pedal. Their sound is very smooth and quite Clapton-like with some distortion. It only has a 3 way selector switch which people always complain about (Strats made today have a 5-way switch) but I never really used those 'in-between' sounds much so it doesn't really bother me as this spec follows how the original selector was designed in 1957! Great tone for blues, Rock, R'n'b.....It's a Strat what more can you say?!

I ordered my 2 tone sunburst '57 reissue Strat straight from the factory and I must say it came brilliantly setup. There were no flaws in the finish, the action was slightly low and wobbly but I soon straightened it out with some Ernie 11-48 strings! The tweed case looks great and very '50s' and the extras as I mentioned above are great! I'm so pleased with my '57 reissue both lookwise and soundwise.

Had no problems with my strat for the last year. I think my Strat will last me forever as I take care of my Fender axes and the finish and hardware of my '57 seems to be in good shape. It's just a really well made guitar and I just love it! It's my favourite Fender out of my Fender USA Lonestar Strat and '52 reissue Telecaster. It seem to just handle everything with ease. Very pleased.

Never had any problems, never dealt with company. Don't fix it if it ain't broke, baby!

I've bbeen playing for over 5 years now (i'm 17) and my '57 Strat is my favourite guitar ever and it's really standing the test of time soundwise and lookwise. Very happy with the whole thing. Slightly expensive but for great playability, great pickup and great tone it's well worth it!

Mine's Candy Apple Red. That was the color I really wanted so I waited till I foun a used one in that color. The Guitar has the same features of a stratocaster from the 50s, one volume control, 2 tone controls, 3 single coil pickups, alder body, maple neck, vintage tremolo system. I don't know what year mine was made, butI don't think they have changed much since they were introduced in 1982. Its got all the features you want if you want a Stratocaster.

I think the sound is great on this guitar. To me, I hear vintage stratfrom this thing. My main setup is straight into a Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 602. This thing Screams. The neck pickup is thin and trebly, which I love. The brdge pickup is sweet and bluesy, and if you take the tone down to about 5 it is pretty fat, its not a hmubucker, but its pretty fat. the middle adds versatility. the middle by itself is good especially clean and the inbetween bridge/middle is great. It does Strat sounds - my favorite guitar sounds are all strats, Making Movies by Dire Straits, War and Under A Blood Red Sky by U2, Derek & The Dominoes Live and Slowhand by Eric Clapton, We Want Moore by Gary Moore - so I love the Stratocaster. I just bought a Gary Moore Les Paul which is Great and probably suits my band more than the Fender sound(more of a Stones/Crazy Horse big fat Rock sound. But I really love this Stratocaster

I would say the action is a little more difficult to play, because of the vintage style frets. Compared to my Tex Mex Strat and Mex Tele Special, I would say it is noticeable that lead work is a Little Bit more difficult, but this thing has vinage sound. Anyway, I've been playing for 17 years(played a beat up squier strat only until about 4 years ago)so if I can't handle a slight bit of change in action I think I should retire from playing.

Reliability is good the thing is solid. I generally play pretty hard (a la Pete Townshend) live, and I've had no problems. It was used so it was already broken in. has a couple nicks in the fretboard. Sounds Great. Fenders are Reliable. I beat the datylights (smashed it, jumped on it , etc. out of my 15 year old squier and the thing still works fine) so I'm pretty confident this guitar will be durable.

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I love the Stratocaster sound, this thing sounds like a vintage Stratocaster to my ears. I generally play straight through a Marshall, and even at full gain on the tube amp it still is clearly a stratocaster (not a heavy metal sound). I mean maybe it is not an exact vintage guitar, but I'm a player not an investor. And I truly hear vintage sound out of it, just make sure you use a tube amp or forget about ever getting a vintage sound.

My Vintage 57 Stratocaster was made in 1991 and I ordered it through a local music store here in Johnstown, Pa. I ordered it in Fiesta Red which if I had it to do over I would go for a blue. Fiesta Red is a little too orange for my liking. It has all the features found on a 57 Stratocaster which in my opinion is everything a guitarist could ever want. I have been playing since 1961 and have owned close to 25 different guitars (including 3 other Stratocasters) and this is by far my favorite. I like the vintage type tremolo unit a lot.

It sounds like, well, a Stratocaster. The variety of sounds is endless but close your eyes and you still are met with that great strat sound. If you want the sound of a humbucking pick-up go elsewhere. I like to use the out of phase tones although as you know they can be a little weak at times. I play through a Twin Reverb 1965 Reissue, and practice through a 1966 Vibro Champ(all original that my wife found at a yard sale for $15 and it looks like day 1) so it keeps that great "All in the family Fender tone." Great Surf/Rock tone can be achieved using the Twin Reverb. It's "Pipeline" all day long ! Showing my age there.

The tone and intonation were great straight from the factory. Dealer never touched it and it was/is perfect. Finish is original type, meaning it will wear and age gracefully which it has done, but not too badly yet.

I would/have/do use it without a backup. I play it and enjoy it. It is very dependable. Never a problem

Never had to deal with Fender for any problems with it.

I love the guitar. As I said , I've played since 1961 and it is the best guitar I have ever owned hands down. Use it with my 2 Fender amps and love every minute of it. I also own currently own a 1976 Les Paul Custom and a Lake Placid Blue Japan Fender Stratocaster with 57 features both of which I have owned since new. I have dreams of owning a Coral electric sitar or the Jerry Jones Sitar reissue but they are a little pricey for a limited use instrument. The originals had poor intonation. They say the new ones work out great. As for the Stratocaster, if it wasn't such a great all around guitar, it still wouldn't be made and imitated. Get one !