Fender '62 Reissue Stratocaster

ok, so here is the deal. got a call from my best friend that works in this music store. it seems that a crack head came in to the music store, and was trying to sell this 62 reissue/sunburst. well unknown to the owner of the store, my friend called me. and i gave the dude 300$. it then got shipped off to nash guitars , this was back in the day when he did send in stuff...hot relic job...then andy roth of rothstein guitars, built me a hot pick guard with two fralin hots, and a sp 43 in the bridge, also was a blender pot...well now boys and girls. i have the greatest guitar out there....the stock guitar was were weak, and many of the parts were junk....not now. hey forget about it... this guitar is tooooo coooool....

now, this guitar is great. tone for days/weeks/months ect...great relic job, looks like the real thing, it looks much older that when it was made (mid 80's).covers everything, hey the spirit of hendrix/srv live in this thing.

junk when i first got it, but now, well................its the best..

as of yet, no problems.

ya got to be kidding. nash guitars, rothstein guitars were great, but after two years i'm still waiting on an e-mail return from fender....

weak guitar to start with, but now, i have not been able to put it down, all my other guitars have just been sitting and collecting dust, nothing compairs to to this great guitar.. if it went away, you would see a pic of my guitar on every milk carton in america. then i would just have another one built just like it. the only problem is that, nash guitars do not except send in work now, too busy i guess. then play on....this is the way fender sould build em,, my guitar is better than the custon shop....

You really aren't getting this guitar for an abundance of features.

This is why I bought this guitar. The noiseless pickups with S-1 switching just can't compare. Nothing can replicate the vintage sound like this baby. I can barely hear the hum at all so I wouldn't be too concerned about it if I were you. You can always shield the guitar anyway. Nails the sound of Hendrix, Clapton, John Frusciante. I plat it through a 30 watt Marshall amp.

Guitar felt natural in my hands like an extension of my body. Naturally contours to fit your side and is very managable to play standing up. The finish is awesome and designed to fade over time. The 3 tone sunburst is gorgeous. The action was fine, but then again I had my guitar professionally set up.

Can't say too much about this. I've heard these guitars can withstand a lot though.

Have been playing four almost five years. I own an Ibanez AR250 and a Taylor 312ce but the '62 reissue surpasses them both. It is on the same level (quality wise) as my hand made classical guitar. If you buy this guitar, it will not let you down. I couldn't decide between the reissue and the new American Deluxe Strat but I'm glad I chose this one.

Early 90's 1962 American-made Reissue Stratocaster

Beautiful Fiesta Red finish (alder body?). Nice weight--not too light.

Vintage tinted maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Medium profile (not as big as some of the later reissue models, but not "fast" either). Medium-sized fretwires (good for me--I don't need the big ones like all the Vaughan-a-bes). Vintage Kluson-style tuning pegs.

Came from factory with 3-way switch installed, but I changed that to a 5-way immediately. Later I added the "Secret Weapon"; a push-pull pot on the (middle) tone knob that turns on the bridge pickup, no matter where the switch is. That way I can have all three pickups on at once or the bridge and neck together. Vintage-sounding Strat pickups.

Vintage tremolo bridge w/ashtray cover. I blocked the tremolo with a small stack of quarters on the backside (inside the tremolo cavity) for added tuning stability and sustain. I also customized the ashtray cover by attaching a small medal plate that says "CUSTOM" on it (I found the plate on the ground in a parking lot, and years later found out it was a decorative badge from the interior of a 1960's Pontiac).

Originally had 3-ply white pickguard, but I changed that to a aged white Mother-Of-Pearl (or as my bass player calls it, Mother-Of-Toilet Seat) to give it a slightly more Custom-Shop look. Also installed aged white tone knobs and tremolo cavity cover.

I changed the strap buttons to accomadate Schaller strap locks (I do this on all my electric guitars, except the Danelectro).

It came with a vintage-style tweed case, strap, cable and a few allen tools. I saved all these things along with the original 3-way switch, tone pot, pickguard, knobs, tremolo cavity cover, strap buttons and un-used tremolo arm for historical reasons.

It was a beauty when I bought it, but after my little "tweaks", many people assume it's a Fender Custom Shop. It is gorgeous to the max, and it sounds better, too--more pickup selections, added sustain, etc.

I play guitar, slide guitar, harp and vocals in a Texas Roadhouse (mix unequal amounts of blues, classic rock and Outlaw country) band called the SCREAMIN' ARMADILLOS. Someone described us as the Fabulous Thunderbirds and ZZ Top touring with Waylon Jennings.

This axe fits my style perfectly; vintage-y with a few added features. I have used this guitar as a standard (fingerstyle) instrument, a slide instrument, and with every tuning known to mankind. It has never let me down. It has a full, rich tone that can punch, roar or chime, depending on how you pick it or set the pickup configuration. It is mostly used as a slide guitar at this time, with either open D or open A tuning.

It's not noisy considering it has single-coils and I run a lot of different effects (though not all at the same time).

My setup is as follows: Boss TU2 tuner, Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer, 70's block-logo MXR Phase 90, Jim Dunlop Crybaby wah, Jim Dunlop Jimi Hendrix JH2S Classic Fuzz, Boss DS1 Distortion, Danelectro Daddy-O, DOD 7-band EQ, Rocktron HUSH noise reducer all powered by/mounted on a Furman SPB8 pedalboard. This does sound like alot of stompboxes, but I can get any texture or sound I want/need, and since I use a variety of guitars (Fender Esquire, G&L F-100, Danelectro DC3, and this Stratocaster), and use the effects judisciously, I have a very natural, unprocessed sound.

All of this goes into a 1963 Reissue Fender Vibroverb mic'ed through the PA.

The only thing I would like is perhaps a little more punch--some Texas Specials or comparable Seymour Duncans might be in the works (maybe).

Set up just fine from the factory. I keep the action pretty low, even though I mainly use this guitar for slide nowadays. Most slide players are surprised that I keep the action this low, but I have a light left hand and a heavy right one. No picks--all flesh and fingernails, baby!

I have readjusted the pickups on multiple occasions, but overall, I keep it near the factory specs.

The finish was perfect--I have dinged it a couple of times since I bought it 12 1/2 years ago.

I have used (but not abused) this axe for 12 1/2 years. It has never left me stranded. It still looks great, and sounds awesome. I did have to re-set the strap buttons once (the ol' Superglue & toothpick trick) after about ten years.

Never dealt with them, but I have owned multiple Fenders (guitars and amps) and I like the company.

The only thing I would change would be to have a non-tremolo body/bridge, and I would like to have some wide, low fretwires (like my G&L F-100).

I love the looks, sound, and feel of this guitar.

If it were ever stolen, I would track down the VSI (Very Sorry Individual) and make him wish he/she were never born.

we all know that,so let's skip this parts
Lefthanded !
except for this!!

nitrocellulose laquer is a SHEAT, my guitar is FINISHED in a nitrocellulose laquer,but underneath this, there a EPOXY related laquer.
the nitro is just for looks only!!!
don't let nobody tell you anymore that this finish will give a great tone because the guitar can breath. IT CAN NOT. the wood is SEALED,period.

I don't trust Fender anymore. From now on,I will never ever buy a new fender again. It's a BIG SCAM.

it is a good guitar but not worth the money,I will buy trust worthy brands from now on

well for sound,it does sound good,but not great,heard better cheaper guitars in the past.
I'm using it with : DR Z Carmen Ghia,Gibson GA-5, Marschall valvestate 8040, fender blues junior.

likes: it's a good strat.

dislikes : SHEATING IN THE LAQUERS

action en set up was good, overall good quality

%$#@ THEM!!

if you want to play the blues,buy a 'vintage series' and you'll have a reason to play it.

Scam artists, but what the hell, They are Fender he.

They can tell you whatever they want.

I have been playing for 16 years, have owned some good guitars;fenders,Jackson,SD curlee,gibsons,epiphone,Steinberger, this one is ok,but nothing more.

I wished that fender told people the truth about the nitrocellulose.

I will never buy one of these again

BTW I know materials. I am a restorer of old jukeboxes and own a Chrome an nickel plating company, I am not a novice when it comes to this.

BIG SCAM

Mine is a 2005 Surf green 62 strat purchased at Americanmusical.com for US$1079. Surf green strats are in my opinion the most beaultiful guitars ever made. This one was an instrument in the dent and scratch section, but I couldn't find anything on the guitar that would resemble a dent or a scratch. The case, on the other hand, had a 2" tear on the brown tolex, but the guitar was minty. Lucky me! The regular price is 1329.
Since everybody that has played guitar in the planet earth knows the features of a strat, let me just compare the USA 62 Reissue with an American Standard Strat. The 62's finish is partly nitrocellulose, whereas Am Stds are finished with Polyurethane. Nitrocellulose interact more with the environment (it gets thinner with time, it changes the collor in the spots where your body is in constant contact with the guitar, such as the arm rest place, and the back of the body, it cracks easily with changes in temperature, etc). So, the 62 Reissue strats get prettier as they age. That does not happen with american std strats. Tuners are vintage kluson-style, instead of the cast-sealed modern tuners of am. std. strats. The radius of the neck is smaller in the 62. It means that the curvature of the fretboard is more pronounced. While am. std. strats have medium-jumbo frets, the 62 has thin, vintage-like frets. The tremolo has the 6-pivots vintage style, rather than the modern 2-pivots of the am. std. strat. Finally, all the wirings are cloth covered, to resemble the type of material used back in the 60's. The guitar comes with a 3-position pick up key, but you can also install the 5-position that comes extra. There is also the metal tremolo cover that has no utility other than serving as an ashtray. If you smoke, of course.

I own a Mesa Boogie Maverick 1x12 and a Fender Tweed Blues Deville 4x10. As far as fx, my board has a modded Ibanez TS-9, Ibanez CS-9 compressor, Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe, Danelectro Dan-Echo, Dunlop Cry Baby, Boss Blues Drive, Boss TU-2, Boss Noise Sup. NS-2, and MXR Phase 90. The 62 strat has the crispy, thin, articulate, beaultiful sound that has been enchanting generations and generations of players. It is the worlwide icon for blues, rock'n roll, jazz, and everything in between. I particularly like the combination fender strat - fender tube amp. It is candy for my ears. Is it noisy? Yes, as any vintage strat should be. God bless Ms. Leo Fender, the biggest inventor of the 20th century!

I couldn't find any visible flaw on the guitar. Action was a little too high for my taste. Nothing that a bit of tweaking here and there woudn't solve. I happen to be a left-handed player. But I love playing with right-handed strats. I do a few adjustments though. The nut has to be replaced or reversed. I also change the side of the strap button. The most significant change, however is that I remove one of the tone potentiometers, and I move the volume to its position. To avoid having an extra hole in the pickguard, I order a strat pickguard with only two holes. Warmoth does it pretty well (however they don't do the 62-hole pattern, which is slightly different from am. std. strats).

Strats are tough machines. They can stand years of heavy use.

Never needed it. Hey, if you like fender guitars, you should go the the fender museum, in Corona, CA. It is guitar heaven.

Great guitar. I own more than 20 instruments, and the 62 Reissues are my favourites. You can't go wrong with these guitars. They are very versatile tools, that will stand a lifetime.

This is most likely a 2004/05 built US model. Your standard vintage 21 fret design with three single coil pickups and vintage hardward. The neck is a C-shape witch is one of my favorite Fender necks. Mine is an Ocean Turquoise color witch is quite striking in appearance. The finish is in nitrocellulose lacquer just like the originals.The body is alder and the fretboard is rosewood of course. The case is built by the original company that made cases for Fender in 1962. Very good quality and tan color.

There is an old saying, " You get what you pay for". In the case of electric guitars, it is fitting. The tone of this thing is amazing. I have personally built several guitars using top quality parts. Aside from the obivious better Fender finish, this thing sounds as good or better that any thing that I have built. The tone is "rich". Thats the best way I can describe it. Because it has a three way switch and has the normal 60 cycle hum, I cannot give this guitar or any such guitar a ten. But I will give it a 9.9 for all other tonal qualities. It overdrive my amp with a nice full bluesy grind, It can also be nice and transparent breathing tone as well.

This is the third guitar I have purchased online from Musicians Friend. There are a lot of folks who would say, "Are You Nuts" buying a 1300.00 guitar with out playing it first. Well, all I have to say about that is that I have not had one problem with anything they have sent me. If you don't like it , send it back within the warranty. They will credit your account as long as the merchandise come back in they same as it left. NO Problemo here. They setup was dead on. The thing plays perfect. Most likely the set was from the factory because the Fender cardboard box looked as if it had never been opened.

Fenders will last for years as long as you take reasonable care of them. That goes for any musical instrument. Wipe them off and keep them in a case. A good recipe for any care. I only gig at parties now so this is primarily an expensive hobby now. But it's a fun one.

Musicians friend is fantastic. Fender can be so-so depending on the situation.

I have been playing for over forty years. I have and now own several strats over the course of years. This is definitely one if not the best. I owned a 1964 Olympic White strat that I lost in a burglary about twenty five years ago. This guitar reminds me a lot of that one. I own about 13 guitars some I have built myself and some a the regular factor models. I have played some nice Custom Shop Fender. Not one of them have anything on this one. It was expensive but not that expensive if you compare it with what the Custom Shop would charge you. The Mexico built vintage series are pretty decent. I tried a few of them before I made the choice to buy this one. But if you add the cost of a nice case and install good pickups, you can be up close to a "grand" anyway. I am counting one this to a long term investment. Vintage 1962's may be selling for over ten grand, but they are not 9000.00 better than this axe.

Mine is a '62 RI Jap that I purchased brand new in 1991 (made in May of 1991). Really cool seafoam green that's aged beautifully. 57/62 pickups, maple neck (no stripe) with a rosewood fingerboard. Body is alder. Features of a real '62 with the exception of a 5 way toggle. Has the Fender Kluson style tuners with the split top - love 'em, so easy to restring. I finally wore out the frets after 14 years of very hard use and am having med jumbos installed instead of the originals. Giving it a 10 because it has the features of a '62 other than the 5 way which I consider an upgrade. As another reviewer said, "You want features, buy a Lexus...

I'm a pro that's been playing regular gigs for almost 30 years. Done many styles but currently doing covers of everything from Zep and Hendrix to Foo Fighters and Green Day. Mostly just good hard rock. This has been my #1 for 14 years. This thing just sounds like a STRAT!! Awesome single coil vibe. Got that strat sparkle. You get your usual single coil buzz but not excessive at all. I always play this guitar and a dual humbucker (right now a Hamer USA Special FM) because in my opinion, the sounds are just not interchangable. Right tool for the right job. I've had or played almost every Fender you can imagine and I haven't played one yet that I'd trade my Jap Strat for. I've gigged with it in bars pretty regularly for over a decade and it still looks good, plays good and just doesn't go out of tune!! I once did three practices and two gigs without touching the tuners. Every time I checked it with my Boss tuner it was right on. You can use it, abuse it, crank on the whammy bar, whatever and it just keeps on going. This guitar made to play, not hang on the wall - never understood that anyway. I've played this through many amps. The highlights: '66 blackface Pro Reverb, '67 blackface Bassman, Marshall Bluesbreaker, Boogie Rocket 44 & Mark II, even went Pod Pro into power amp for awhile. Currently playing through a Carvin MTS 3200 into 4X12 Vintage 30's (One of the best sounding amps I've ever played through - cleans equal to my Pro and after you put better than stock tubes in it, the high gain channel will drag both Boogies through the street and kick both their asses at the same time) The strat sounds fantastic through all of the above.

The factory set up when I bought this was okay but needed some tweaking to get the action lower without fret buzz when bending the strings (I use 10 - 46, by the way). To be fair, there's no such thing as a perfect factory set-up IMHO. This is an amazingly well built strat that just plays beautifully. The only real flaw is that the 5 way switch needs to be cleaned regularly with tuner cleaner. Very susceptible to dust. That's the reason for the 8.

This guitar is built for the gigging pro. The harder you beat the crap out of it the better it likes it. Absolutely the most dependable instrument I've ever owned and I've owned a lot. Aside from a few chips and dings from gig abuse, the finish on this thing is so cool. As it's gotten older it's darkened a little around the outside edges and the neck has darkened considerably, just like the real deal. I can remember when made in Japan meant a piece of crap. Not any more - look at this guitar, look at Honda, Toyota, Lexus, etc... These things should be going for 2 or 3 times what they do used. Not that I care. Mine will be next to me in the coffin when they bury me. It'll probably still look a hell of a lot better than I do..

Never had to deal with Fender. I use a shop that most of the pros in San Diego go to for custom work and fixes. Never have had a warranty issue with a Fender product.

I don't really like giving 10's but I just can't help myself when it comes to this guitar. If stolen I probably wouldn't get a chance to buy another because I'd be in prison for killing then rotten S.O.B. who stole it after searching to the ends of the earth to find him. I'll post another quick review to let everyone know if I think the larger frets were a good decision. If you don't have one, find a late 80's to early 90's MIJ '62 R.I. and thank God for the idiot who let it go for $400.

2005 built, I won't bore you with what you know already!

Ice mettalic blue!!!!!

I am a semi-pro player of 15 years experience. I play Blues, Rock, Pop. I use a fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12, and normally gig without fx pedals. The '62 has the real vintage tone I crave, the pick ups are a little noisy but, it has LEO FENDER voicings. I love the sound of this axe. IMO a great guitar will sound cool without being plugged in. The alder body on this model is the best feature, the resonance is sh*# hot!!!!!! So when I play thios without amp it still accomodates every note like a good hotel accomodates her guests.

I have not needed to adjust anything!! Played gr8 straight out of the box. It was the playability that sold this honey to me in the first place.

This is built like a tank!! Like any USA strat it is designed to be gigged!!!!!!!!!

N/A

I own a USA Clapton strat, but wanted a rosewood neck strat to add a new dimension to my tonal pallet. I was keen on the vintage machineheads and bridge but not sure on the pick ups I wanted. Thankfully when I visited the store, they had a Deville 2x12 for trying out the strats and therefore I had my own amp to play through. The sounds sent shivers down my spine. I was hooked in minutes. Great playing, great sounding horny looking axe!!!

'83 sunburst 62 reissue. The coolest thing about this guitar, is that it is almost exactly as old as the guitar it copies was, when it was made. It IS an old guitar now.

had to have the pickups dipped. They were only sealed with lacquer, and they were more than a bit microphonic.

cool, cool guitar to hold. Nice weight. I'm fairly certain that it has an old school style nitrocellulose finish. The finish seems thinner and is slightly tacky to the touch, like nitrocellulose. Comfortable,slim, straight neck. It WILL need a fret job soon, though. Whole thing needs to be tweeked to my satisfaction.

Hey its a fender strat. It'll outlast ME.

really, really dig this guitar. I think it may be the closest to owning and playing a vintage Fender that I'll ever get. Unfortunately I wont be able to that until I get it refretted.

made in 2005, 21 frets, volume/2 tones, 3 way with optional 5 way, 62/62/56 pickups, alder with rosewood fret, grover tuners

I gave a 10 in features cuz anyone getting a vintage guitar already know that they dontwant a million features...just what works

Play a wide variety, but mostly due to SRV influences. Not nosiey at all becaue its well shielded. The pickups do not put out enough of an output for me so im switching to texas specials.

Although this is the most playable guitar ever....some disappointing quarks...such as a paint bubble, and under the pick gaurd it looks like something wierd is growing on a screw hole...i assume the paint was unproperly dried and the saw dust became stuck.

Awesome, built well.

Dunno.

Awesome guitar with a few building quarks