Fender '62 American Hot Rod Strat

Im a long time strat user and was really excited aboutgetting this guitar.Im a maple neck guy and was wanting a rosewood fretboard also I wanted a 60's strat but finances and unwillingness to put 3 morgtages on my home to get an original made this the optimum choice. Nothing really new as far as the basics. Made in America(Yeah 3 cheers) 21 frets nice rosewood fretboard.Normal Fender control positions. Very nice sunburst finish no noticabble flaws even in the upper and lower horn regions.Very cool aged pickguard. Normal case candy included. I like the brown case they unclude though the change in the middle latch is kinda not appreciated.Bridge is comfortable on the hands for mut9ing good so far

Im digging these pickups. And the fact that the tone control actually works on the bridge position. Ya know my only complaint on the sound is this with all the technology out there and I know the diehard start users will be lynching me soon Fender needs to fix that noisey hum. Theres many ways around that. I for one don't feel so compelled for that vintage sound that I I desire the hum it can be eliminated,So how about it Fender? I play this through a New Mesa Roadster and use a Modded Keeley Tube screamer on the cleaner channels. its great in super clean, tweed, plexi and that great recto sound.This strat is pretty all around though not a headbangers choice. The sound on the pickups are clear chimey and powerful.I was able to get some great clean tones almost acoustic on certain settings.As much as I love the #2 position on most strats(next to the bridge spot)Im digging the middle and 4th position for some sweet tones,I have no issues with the sound.I play mostly blues and gospel/hymns and the sound on this guitar is suited for the job.Once again that famouse single coil hum is my only complaint soundwise

UUUUUGGGHHHH Fender whats up with the setup? For as long as they have been in buisness and the reputation Fender has (as well as some competitors in the guitar field) The one area that should come out better than a PRS or any other guitar is the factory set up. The action was high. Most guitarist unless they are conned into thinking high action is better to get SRV's sound, or are playing slide like mid to low comfortable action.Getting sloppy in that area of good factory setup, All Fenders should come set up as good as custome shop guitars. I mean a good set up is needed on all guitars specially when your paying over $1,500.00 you really do not want additional coste immediately for a set up though most place (if they truely care for your patronage) Will do atleast one initial set up but come on out of the box it should play sweet. OK no more on that the action was bad. The finish was flawless, the woodgrain on my sunburst was very atractive. Tuneing pegs were vintage looking but worked great and smooth. Im not a fan of vintage string trees heres another area I know as close to original as possible is now the the thing but so is playability. Those string trees were good for their day but the roller type on the american deluxes would have been a sweet perk on this guitar. All the strap locks etc were installed properly. Once again the out of box setup is less than deasireable so no 10 here

This guitar seems to be able to be a workhorse, Would hold up nicely on the road gigging, band rehersal,whatever its a sold guitar. The hardware so far seeing as its still new seems to be capable of withstanding many years of tuning though here again Im a fan of the Fender locking tuners these seem to hold the strings good with no slippage.I always install straplocks so not much to say about strap buttons cept they look vintage. Im sure this guitar would withstand many a practice session or road trips. If I had to Id use it w/o a back up, But as I do appreciate maple necks also Id have my #1 with me always though Im developing a true love for this guitar. The finish is a thinner nitro finish so only 5yrs or more down the line will I be able to tell you anything about the durability of the finish cept it was flawless.

Fender in my past experience has pretty good customer support.and usually will take time on the phone to make sure your satisfied when done.
Now warrenty wise I had one issue but not with this guitar where as I I had purchased a 1960's sonic blue MIM strat which initially was great from the box straight up.I had customised this guitar and when my guitar tech when to do a truss rod they found it cranked up tight with no room for future adjustments and Fender would not honor the warrenty because I had altered the neck therefore voiding the 30 day warrenty. Im not sure what new tuners or a graphite nut had to do with that but anyways Huge complaint on that dealing. This happend also on another strat I bought where the trussrod was cranked tight though the store did do an exchange.There so you have both sides of the coin on customer support. I like dealing with the mom and pop stores more because they seem to get better customer suppport then the big corporate store. Fender from my yrs of dealing usually seem willing to make you happy if ya call them yourself.So my advise is when you get a new strat have somebody unbiased check it out and set it up so you can find any under the surface flaws early. Fender still has one the best customer supports.

Ive been playing guitar over 30 yrs and Im sold on Fender. They have the widest range of sounds and tones on their guitars.And they are just good quality guitars.Good for just about any style of music. I own besides the one I'm rating 2004 American dlx strat which is my right arm, also I have a MIM Sonic blue heavily modified strat. The only thing original is the body pickguard and control knobs.I play through a mesa roadster and use Robert Keeley modded tube screamer and line 6 and boss pedals.Id like to see Fender offer the new cases on the higher end guitars what a plus that would be. The store I bought this at(not sure if I can say the stores name)In Dekalb Illinois, has been a long time Fender dealer and answered all questions and made me comfortable with this purchase.I would replace this guitar in a millisecond if ever stolen. Once again complaints are factory set up (eeew) the single coil hum.
I played this up against the new standards and boy it was a hard choice actually though this had a richer tone so thats why I bought it.I know Fender is offering Seymour Duncun Pickups in some models but Id love to see them offer Lindey Fralins as an option. Mabey also offer a blender pot or someway to have the neck and bridge pickup active at same time would be way cool. Possible 6 position switch??
If you want that old school vibe and sound or a great 1960's reissue with out paying custome shop coste this is the guitar. Yes it needs a few tweaks but over all its great value and and awesome guitar. I think I'll buy a 2nd one.... Just joking.

vintage style strat - big neck - rosewood board.

this is interesting. My review is basically a repeat of the previous reviews. ( divine tone - awful setup ) I have played 40 yrs - now in a cover band - goofy dance stuff - play out twice per month. I have owned WAY TOO MANY GUITARS including strats - always maple neck. My favorite is a 20 year old clapton strat - highly modified - changed out to regular PUs - have one refret and needs a second. So it was time for a new strat - I wanted to try a rosewood board. I have used the same 15 year old AC15 for a long time - not too many stompboxes.

What knocked me out about the rosewood board tone is the wonderful immediate NON sustaining sound - very, very organic and warm - the in between PU positions are just so sweet. this is a low output type strat - best clean tones in any strat I've heard - not as distortion friendly as my maple neck clapton strat with higher output PUs. The downside as everyone knows is with killer clean tone guitars you have to actually learn how to play guitar - I'm working on this as fast as I can. This tone yells real loud - " robert cray' - I'm actually not a blues player primarily. It's obvious that this is the ultimate clean blues guitar. PUs as noisy as good strat PUs always are. ( great pick-ups always hum ) - but not that bad.
So anyway - woodsy , chime, etc....

yuch !! the factory set up was really nasty. Fender is not too bright here. - bad tuning stability with plastic nut - fretboard had a deep bow. the tremolo was floating - double yuch. Set up with 9s - triple yuch. In order to fork out the 1600 bucks you need to take a leap of faith. There you are in the music store - hearing great sounds with awful playability. So I took a chance - and won.

Like everbody knows - you spend $200 for a pro set-up - 10s - bridge pretty close to body now so better pitch stability with bends. - especially changing to a bone nut - made correctly - NOW this guitar is a 10 on action - perfect tuning stability, playability - so total cost getting up around 1800 and worth it. I really love the V neck on my clapton -which is also a little lighter and 'broken in' and friendly feeling. My 62 does not yet feel 'friendly' but it's getting there -A couple things set it a part - wonderful bends with vibrato - feels close to Brazilian. perfect string spacing- high e is just the right distance from the fretboard edge now. I like the 9.5 radius a lot - my clapton is a 7.5 - great on that guitar - but the 9.5 is right for the bigger neck and rosewood. I DON'T like 12 " radius - fortunately my Eric Johnson strat sold fast on ebay...

I lack trust because I only have 6 months on it - maybe 8 gigs - so I do take a back-up

favorite feature - the in your face NON sustaining tone. This guitar is the perfect example of why sustain is NOT desirable - especially for clean sounds - the combo of bolt-on neck + rosewood board gets rid of sustain in a wonderful way. - but then - like I said - you need to learn how to play. If I had a wish it would be that it was maybe 8 ounces lighter ( it feels like about 7 and 12 oz )

American made 62' Vintage Hot Rod Stratocaster in Sherwood Green, mint pickguard, rosewood fretboard, fat "c" neck, vintage style tuners, reverse wound - reverse polarity middle pickup for 60 cycle hum cancelling. Fender took the '62 reissue Strat and added the most requested Custom Shop requests to it, hence the "Hot Rod" name.

I've played Strats for years. I bought this Strat because I like a slightly thicker neck. I love the sound of this guitar! All the sparkle and chime Stratocasters are known for. The reverse wound - reverse polarity middle pickup makes this guitar even more versitile.
I use this through a Musicman 212-65 (fender twin copy) and it sounds great for surf, rock, and space rock! I'm not so happy with the sound of this guitar when playing through my Mesa Boogie Stiletto Ace. That amp likes Les Pauls better...

For how expensive this guitar was, I was diappointed with the "factory setup". The bridge was floating very high out of the body. I took it to a local guitar shop and they set it up properly. When spending $1600 on a guitar it should arrive to you set up perfectly! Now the guitar plays great...

It's an American Fender so no worries!

An expensive but great Strat. I love the Sherwood Green color. You don't see Strats in that color everyday. I love this guitar, I just wish it had arrived to me set up better. Fender needs to pay closer attention on their "factory setups".

This finish on the body is thin-skin nitro laquer, while the neck has a smooth satin finish with the exception of the headstock (front). This stratocaster has a nice THICK rosewood neck (thickest I've ever played) which feels meaty in your hand. Tuners are vintage Fender and the frets are medium-jumbo style. You get a nice vintage case, leather vintage strap, and the other standard Fender accessories. The model I own is the 2007 model which was purchased about 3 weeks ago. It has single/single/single (S/S/S) pickup configuration with the middle pickup reverse wound/polarity. The poles on the pickups are pure Alnico and staggered. The electronis are passive (obviously).

The sound of these pickups are completely awesome. I you play blues, jazz, funky rock, and other similar styles, then the "chime" and "bell" tones will blow you away. These pickups hum like a mother (reverse wound/polarity) when you jack into your favorite amp, so don't be dismayed. These are as close as they come to the original Fender tone. The lows are deep and rich while the mids are brutal so-to-speak. The highs are a bit outlandish on the treble side, so you really have to tweak your amp a bit. The tone controls won't exactly cut it when you use the bridge pickup. I use the 5-way switch in the Neck/Middle position which is the best true-to-form Fender sound in my opinion. If I'm soloing, I use position 4 (Middle/Bridge) which gives a bit of a dampening which seems necessary given that these pickups are HOT! Overall, I have to give the sound 10/10 for sure.

Okay, so now here we go with the part that will yell at Fender to do damage control for SERIOUS lack of Quality Control on this axe! Believe me, if it didn't sound so good, I would have taken it back and thrown it at the store manager for evening having it offered in the gear shop! Yes, folks, it's that BAD! First, the action on this thing from the factory is so high that your fingers will bleed due to the strings being so high they act like razor wire. Second, the tremolo block will need to be checked for addition of spring(s) and claw adjustment. I had to install 4 springs to get things right due to the 10-guage string tension being so strong. The neck is very well finished, so it's good to go. Now, here's the HORRIBLE aspect of this guitar. Right out of the box (shipped direct from Fender), there were seepage lines in the finish where the thin-skin nitro had seeped into the wood grain of the body. Not good! Also, the neckplate corners had cracked the finish on each corner. How hard did Fender screw in the neckplate to make the finish crack? It's not that the screws were cranked hard, it's that the finish is very very thin (thin-skin nitro ... that's it). In other words, if you don't want a relic, then this is NOT the guitar for you. Okay, moving on, the tremolo cover was put on crooked so that it's not possible to restring the guitar without removing it. (How much worse can it get?) Once the tremolo cover was removed, I was totally insane mad when I saw the BURN marks left on the finish where the screwholes were on the axe. How much friction (torque) was used to put these screws in the body!!! I'm not kiddig, folks, the finish is literally burned (burnt marshmellows ring any bells) around every screwhole for the tremolo cover! Man, Fender, what the &%$#@ is wrong with your quality control with this axe??? All in all, I kept the axe due to its incredibly perfect sound, and I'm more of a sound, over looks, person. But, if you are someone who wants both sound perfection and looks perfection in your axe, then steer clear of this baby, because it will definitely piss you off royally! The only workaround is to buy it, and get a new body that has a standard nitro finish from All Parts, Warmouth, or Stew-Mac. Alternately, you could even go to an auto paint shop and have it refinished. But, if you want that relice look (which wasn't supposed to be the case for this model), then by all means buy it! It's DEFINITELY a relic looking low-quality finish!

The guitar is built like a rock in terms of construction, so it definitely will withstand playing (not the body's finish). I'm talking about frets not wearing out too quickly and the neck holding its own. The truss rod adjustement is located at the base of the neck, so you pretty much have to remove the neck to adjust it. I would HIGHLY recommened loosening the truss rod nut completely, and then slowly turning it until it stops (don't force anything with this neck)! Then slowly turn the (X) phillips adjustment screw until the neck is COMPLETELY straight! This is most important. If you adjust the neck completely straight, then the tension of the 10s will be perfect and you'll get no fret buzz and and can set your action below the 1/16" Fender standard. I have the action on my axe set super low, and I have no problems with super bends and absolutely ZERO (0) frett buzz.

I would have to rate Fender's support as zero (0). Sorry, Fender, but when I called about the finish issues, I was told simply, "take it back to the place where you bought it. There's nothing we can do about finish issues." Wow, now that's what I call NOT standing behind your products! Oh, and the warranty is 1 year on the neck and body, but not on finish issues (ha ha!) Go Fender ... way to go ... no quality control and have a clause which gives you a way out! Hey, folks, don't buy this based on warranty!

I have been playing since the 60s, so I've been around a long time, and I used to be a Fender loyalist of sorts. It wasn't until about a year ago that I really started seeing how Fender quality is flying out the window. It's interesting that G&L was founded by Leo Fender and he was quoted as saying that the G&L guitar company was his true legacy. Leo said that G&L makes guitars that way he had always envisioned they should be made. Well, Fender has become one of those NOT All-American (outsourcing cheap labor) companies that just isn't cutting the mustard any longer. If you don't believe me, then buy this guitar and the Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue or Fender Blues Deville, and check out the poor quality workmanship. Seeing is believing. Go to your local guitar shop and look inside one of these two listed amps from the back. Look at the tweed and how it's glued on and cut crooked (terribly visible). Without bashing, these units were not Made in the USA, and the workmenship shows! Overall, if you want this axe for the sound, buy it, but if you want to have quality in the finish and screwholes holding things together, steer clear!

5 way switch was nice higher frets bigger neck when i was playing this i was amazed it didn't go out of tune it was better than the locking tuners on my american deluxe strat

sound was great it had that vintage bell tone that i wanted

when i bought it i told them to set it up good because it was buzzing a bit and i came back the next day and it played great

being a thin skin its going to age quick which if you like vintage then thats good it came with a brown hardshell case so that baby's safe in my closet

the guys that i bought it from were cool

the guitat is sweet and its great for blues and 50's rock