Fender '62 Reissue Stratocaster

I don't think I have to list all the features, it's your basic Strat. Made in the USA and I have had it about two years now. Three color sunburst (nitro cellulose finish) w/rosewood neck and aged hardware. I really wanted a Rory Gallagher Custom Shop Relic but didn't have 5K for a guitar. So, I figure I'll play the hell out of this just like Rory did his until it looks like a piece of crap. If you aren't familiar with Rory, you should be, check out his BBC sessions CD for starters. The guitar came with a tweed case, ashtray bridge cover (which I will never use) and all the little vintage goodies. I don't know what to give this for features as it has everything I wanted in a Strat, but since nothing is perfect, I'll give it a 9.

It sounds great, that's about all I can say. I play it through a Fender Blues Jr (the loudest 15 watts known to man) and my only effects are a Small Clone chorus and an Ibanez Tube Screamer. To be honest, I can get pretty much the same sound w/o the TS when I crank the Blues Jr. With the TS, it sounds good, but it sounds like an effect. Without the TS and the amp pushed and the guitar dimed, it sounds more pure and sweet. I also have a 50's Classic Strat, which sounds damn near as good, but this guitar has a resonance that should get better with age. Unplugged, it just rings. The alder body is the only real diff between this and my 50's, though the 50's is available with an alder body if you go for a burst. I wanted the surf green w/maple neck, since I have the burst on the 62. I play mostly roots stuff and this guitar just shines for me. There is a reason these things are played by the likes of Rory Gallagher, Buddy Guy, Hendrix, Clapton...

Hmmm, the set-up was okay, but the bridge buzzed a bit, so I had to screw with that. It did have a few minor finish flaws, but I bought it as a blem, so that doesn't really count. I like the vintage frets and they were finished nicely. As I said, I got it as a blem on sale, but I went over it pretty good and the only real "flaws" were on the finish in the back, but nothing to even bitch about. Plus I wanted the nitro cellulose finish so I could do my own Rory relic job on it, I want it to look old. My only real complaint I had (and this seems to be a bit common) was the feel of the finish on the back of the neck. After playing it felt sticky, like some little kid was touching it with sticky hands. So I did the old wet sand on it and that seemed to take care of the problem. Otherwise, everything was cool. It's just a beautiful guitar.

I don't really do a lot of live playing, but this thing should outlast me. It just feels really solid and in the two years I have had it, there have been no problems at all. Guys all over the world are checking out pawnshops looking for old Strats, so yeah, I think it will last. I am sure I could gig w/o a backup, but i would have one anyway, just in case.

No experience with Fender in this area.

I used to play drums (still do at practice if our drummer is late), so guitar is my second instrument, which gives me a built in reason for sucking. I did get to learn a bit about guitars over the years too, and I just know what I like to hear. In addition to the 62 sunburst, I have a surf green 50's Classic Strat, a black 50's Classic Tele, a black Rickenbacker 320, an Epiphone EB-O bass, a Fender Blues Jr amp and a little Ampeg BA-110 bass amp. The Fender Mexican Classics are also beautiful guitars and anyone that tells you otherwise is a few pickles short of a full barrel. Would I buy another one of these? Yeah, in a heartbeat. I would like to have one of the Custom Shop relics, but for the price diff, I could get quite a few other goodies. I just like the overall vintage vibe of this guitar, it's my Rory guitar. It looks great, sounds great, and feels great to play. I suppose my favorite features would be the vintage pups and the nitro cellulose finish. There just aren't too many things in this world that are 50 years old, that are still the same and as good as ever. And since your chances of finding a real 62 are about as good as me being named the next pope, you have to go with the next best thing.

This is a US '62 Reissue Strat. Built in 1994. Sunburst nitro-cellulose finish. Mods include a different cap on the mid pickup tone knob to turn it into more of a freq control than tone control, Seymour Duncan Li'l '59 humbucker in the bridge, tortoiseshell pickguard and strap-locks. All else is standard - rosewood fretboard, lacquered neck, hole-thru-peg tuners, 57/62 pickups in the mid and neck positions etc. No rating for this category, since it's not how many features a guitar has, but how good the features are.

I play in an alt pop-rock band, but have been in a hard-rock cover band and a blues band whilst I've had this guitar. I play through a Marshall 30th Anniversary head and 1960 Classic 4x12. The humbucker in the bridge really sounds great on overdrive settings but is too boorish for clean tones. I've played some heavy stuff using the HB, and the guitar performs well. The standard single-coils are awesome for clean, particularly the mid. Compared to Texas Specials they have a much more shimmery, defined tone, and with a touch of drive, that front pickup is pure Texas heaven. On greater levels of overdrive they can be a bit noisy. In summary, I can get great classic Strat sounds, and can cover modern alternative sounds with the humbucker very well.

From the factory, set-up was bad, but that was because the neck was screwed up (see below). After replacement, the action was superb. Despite the severe radius and the relatively low action, I don't have any problems with strings choking on bends further up the neck. The nitro-cellulose finish is wonderful, and after owning it for 7 years, it's starting to look like it really has been played for 30 years. You just don't get poly finishes to age as gracefully. Electronics were perfect, and easy to work on. Bridge was easy to set up. Nothing has ever failed structurally or mechanically. I've toured as a guitar tech with bands who use Gibson and PRS and I can say this: Fenders are really superbly crafted these days and put Gibson to an absolute shame. Only PRS seem to maintain the high level of consistency in the sub $2000 bracket.

From the factory the truss rod had failed. I had to get a new neck. See below for how that went. Since then, I've had to replace the volume control once. That's the only problem I've had. My other '62 reissue seems to have a problem with the neck too - maybe needs shimming. The finish isn't as durable as a poly finish, so if you like your guitars to stay shiny and new-looking, you should probably get it refinished. I rarely break strings (I keep the saddles sanded and smooth). It has seen 6 years of lessons (me teaching), rehearsals and shows (probably 150 shows and 1000 rehearsals), 4 years of a music degree course and has been dropped, rained on, thrown around in trailers, cars, and vans, flown to Europe etc. It has hung in there and continues to give 100% top service. It's BULLETPROOF.

When the neck first needed replacing, it took about 3 months. That is completely unacceptable in my book. I haven't dealt with Fender on any other issues.

I've been playing for 10 years, have a music degree, am in a serious band and I teach. If this guitar got stolen or lost I would be DISTRAUGHT. It's the common thread in my professional career. I don't use a second guitar (unless I break a string live). It's called The Guv'nor, it's mine, you can't have it, but you can get one like it. NOW!

Mid Eighties Jap reissue ('62)Stratocaster
21 small frets, solid top, 1 volume, 2 tone, three single, all stock.
body is solid, I believe it is alder, but cannot recall what the japs were made from, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, black finish,all stock tuners etc. Thin neck, one of the best I have felt for thin neck strats, except my other '62 crimson burst,foto flame.
came w/hardshell case.(not orig. Fender USA)wang bar.\
Every thing I wanted and needed.

This strat is perfect for me, I play regularly in the club scenes in Iowa (no joke) through mid 60's super w/ Boss DS-1, Ibanez TS9-DX, Dunlop Hendrix wah(30 bucks!!) Dunlop Uni-Vibe, and 80's model Ibanez flanger.
Usual strat noise, cancelled on 2 and 4, but sweet, bought it, brought it home, plugged it in, and compared to my others, it sparkled with tone
sounds come from me. I can make it whine,cry, sing,scream,growl,roar whinny, squawk, anything.

action needed adjusted, it was bought used, whoever had it did not know either how to use it, or just did'nt, no fret wear, no dings or scratches, but pickups were extremely high, I adjusted them myself other than the above, all factory.

this guitar has survived me so far, I love it to death, but am rough on my guitars. it seems slightly more fragile than the others as far as the finish is concerned, but she will not go out of tune, if I did not get so caught up in my music and bend untill the strings snap, this would be the only one I would use, but it has hung in better than my other five strats so I bring a backup, but rarely use it.

PAWN SHOP

I have played music for three years, almost all guitar. I own four Startocasters besides this, two Mexi. one white, N6 one crimson burstN5 one Squire(hey it was free!) and one 62' reissue foto flame crimson burst (first series) all original $105!!! (another pawn shop!)
this guitar will not go out of my sight. I can't sllep without a guitar, this is always the one I go to.

1987 MIJ, basswood body, maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, 21 frets, basic strat electrics & hardware, I mean, I think we all know what a strat's like. BTW, is left-handed.

Neck & middle p/up's give a classic strat tone. Bridge p/up couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding, and has been replaced with a Duncan JB jr. Played thru a SD 84/50 combo, is able to produce a nice blues and classic rock tone, and now, thanks to the new p/up, can handle things when I want to get a little "hardcore".

Factory setup was spot on!!!:). Action was spot on(I learnt to play on some crappy guitars, and prefer the action a bit high). Got $200 off the price coz it had a ding on the top edge, other than that, the poly finish has held up remarkably well, despite years of abuse at my hands, lol. My only complaint is that, at the time, left handers had to subscribe to the Henry Ford school of colour, ie: any colour you want, as long as it's black. Don't get me wrong, it looks damn good in black, but a choice would have been nice. 2 points off for this.

This guitar is a tank! I mean, you coudn't stop it with an axe. have owned from new, and it still all original, except for the bridge p/up. I have swung it by the trem arm, and not only is it still in one piece, but it stays in tune. I have, and will use this without a backup. If I could, I would give it a 12 in this category, but for now, a ten will have to do.

Have never dealt with them.

I have been playing for 19 years. Have played and/or owned a Jackson Dinky, Vantage V, 1982 US strat(not a patch on the Jap for quality or sound), Suzuki Les Paul, and currently, a Sammick 335 dot copy, and I keep coming back to this one. It does it all, and has endured the last 15 years better than I have. If anything happened to it, I wouldn't hesitate to replace it. It's not perfect(nothing ever is), but for me, it comes pretty close.

This is a 1962 reissue made in Japan. I got this off of Ebay. It's a brand new guitar. This guitar's finish is gold of some sort. Not Shoreline Gold but some form of gold. Maybe Firemist Gold but I'm not certain. It's a Poly finish. Body is alder. Fretboard is rosewood. Pickguard is mint green. Pickups are Texas Specials. The body is that nice contoured body and has three pickup routes in it rather than the Am Std Strat which has a big route to fit up to three humbuckers. Also the Am Std body is bulkier. This is much more comfortable. Standard "vintage" trem & "vintage" Gotoh tuners. The neck is C shaped. The guy who sold it to me said that the neck reminds him very much of his vintage 1963 Strat. I've never played a vintage '63 or any vintage '60s Strat so I can't go from experience but he says the neck is like it so I take his word for it. The neck is the classic vintage-like 21 I give this a max score (10) because it has all the features that a Stratocaster should.

This sound is it. I think the combination of Texas Specials and the nice natural acoustics of the alder body make this a great tone monster when plugged in. You can go from classic surf to blues aka SRV, to Hendrix, to Dire Straits to Brit Pop and pop rock. Very versatile. Ironic thing is that I didn't like Texas Specials prior to this guitar. I've tried the SRV Strat and other Strats with Tex Specials in them and thought they were harsh pickups. But in this guitar it sounds great. Maybe I just got a special set of Tx Specials or the fine wood makes them sound great. Very nice. I have a set of Custom '54s in another Strat and I'd like to install them in this one to hear how they sound in this guitar. My other Strat is a 1987 Squier (Japan) Strat made of basswood. Wonder how each guitar would sound if I swapped pickups. The rating in this category won't receive the max even though I love the tone of it might even sound better with some Fralin pickups or my Fender Custom '54 pickups and such. So I'll leave this at one less than max points allowed.

This was setup great. I'm not sure if the guy in Japan who sold it to me set it up himself or it came from the shop where he bought it set up. I bought it from a GI stationed in Japan who likes to buy and sell guitars, play guitars and own guitars. He bought it on sale from a shop in Japan and resold it to me. It is new. The finish on this is flawless. The string hight was set perfectly. So was the neck and the bridge and intonation. Someone did something right. I didn't have to do a thing to get this guitar up to par. Out of the box it was great. Flawless neck and fretboard as well. Beautiful colored guitar.

This guitar was made solidly. Hardware is excellent. Buttons are on tight. I can depend on this one. It's built to last.

I have yet dealt with Fender Japan, Fender America, or the guy who sold it to me. So I can't really give this one a number. I can say that the guy who sold it to me is a nice guy who is honest and deliver's fast. I think he send the item via military post office or something so it got here fast. Only about 4 days from Japan to my home in suburban Los Angeles.

Here is the low down. There are many different "reissue" Strats out in the world. There are the American made reissues, Japanese made, and now made in Mexico. The American made ones are the most expensive. The only diff I can tell between mine and an American made one is that the finish on mine is Poly and the American made would be made of Nitro. I like mine fine and like mine more than American reissues and I don't notice a diff in Nitro and Poly so mine is great. There are the Japanese made RI's that were sold in the US up to a couple of years ago when the Mexican made ones started here. Don't get the Japanese made RIs that they sold a few years ago here mixed up with the ST62-70TX that I have. Mine is made of alder wood, has Tex Special pickups and the like. The Jap Strats sold in the US had basswood body, cheap pickups and cheap pots in them. The hardware on the other Jap Strats might be cheaper than mine too. Everything about the ST62-70TX is top notch. It's a diff guitar than those sold here in the past. If you go to www.ishibashi.co.jp you can see many of these different reissues being sold. You can buy them from Japan. Shipping might cost some but it's worth it. Shipping on this was like $50.00 I think. Still a lot less than the Am reissues, and cost about the same as the Mexican reissue or Japanese reissues sold here. These normally go for 56,000 Japanese Yen which based on the exchange rate now is about $420.00 US. I bought mine for more off Ebay before knowing to buy from Ishibashi Japan. I don't mind because mine is very nice and an American GI made a few bucks and he serves our country and deserves it. The Mexican reissues are nice but made of Poplar wood not Alder like mine and the pickups are so-so. Bottom line is get yourself a ST62-70TX if you can. If you want one with maple fretboard then get an ST57-70TX. Same as mine but a 1950s model. I might do that also soon. These are in limited colors but they might have a color you like. At the Ishibashi site they might only list black, white, red and sunburst but ask if they have other special colors because often they do. One last thing in another review a guy said that the pots had to be replaced on his but on mine they are fine. This guitar deservves the max points available. Great guitar for great price = Value = 10 out of 10.

Japanese 62 reissue - crimson burst fotoflame.

1 volume 2 tone controls, whammy bar.
Alder body, maple neck with a rosewood slab, classic fender strat head.

Played clean through vox ac30, beautiful rich sound, best turned up full for those blues solos.

A very vesatile guitar

Bought second hand, no major dings or flaws, well impressed with the quality

Played live regularly, withstands abuse well, solid design and construction, very durable.

Never dealt, but reputable support

Been playing fifteen years, would replace again, running this along side my american reissue, if the american one got lost I would replace it with another Japanese, the quality is awesome, in fact better than the american double !

Like "HANGMAN" from New Zealand, I have the same EXACT guitar he does. Black '62 reissue strat w/ mint green pick guard, and Texas Special PU's. I purchased mine in 1997 while I was stationed in Japan. All features are exactly what Hangman listed on his. I do not think he left anything out.

Sound is absolutely awesome, and get's better with age. The only thing is the pots do need to be changed out. I havent done so yet, but is most definetely an easy, and inexpensive fix. Would go 10 on this, but for the sake of the pots, and pots only, she gets a 9.
Soon she'll be a 10!

Compared to both my American Strats (California Strats) which are another excellent instruement, this strat does indeed have a thicker neck. However, I have no problems navigating up, and down the neck, and I have small hands. Some say a thicker neck promotes better sustain. My ear is not that trained yet, but I believe it. As far as finish, I have picked up several American '62 reissue strats. I can not see where the Japanese cut any corners on finish whatsoever compared to their American counterparts. Finish on these are immaculate.

This guitar is a TANK!!! Enough said.

Never had to deal with them.

I have been playing on, and off for 10 yrs. I have narrowed my guitar inventory down to just a few. This is one that will not leave my hands along with one of my california strats w/ texas specials as well. Yes I really like it that much, and I have my rottweiler who sleeps next to it every night. Seriously if it were lost, or stolen I would be seriously bummed for it was my first Strat, and has more sentimental value to me, than $$$ value. She is a keeper, and should be a keeper for any others of you out there who are lucky enough to have one of these.

This review concerns a new Jap 62 Strat Reissue (ST62-70TX) I have recently purchased. I have waited a few days for the initial "euphoria" to wear off.
I purchased this Strat mail order from Fender Japan (via Ishibashi Music Corp), as the cost of similar guitars here in New Zealand is extreme (US Reissues $4000...!!!!)
I have to say that I do not normally buy guitars without first playing them, so I did this with some reluctance, but the advantage of buying a new guitar with the features I required as opposed to buying "off the shelf" & taking what they have, sold me (theres not much variety here in NZ, & sunbursts are the norm).
Anyhoo...here goes...
This guitar is BLACK! & features an alder body (with nice acoustic resonance) & a nicely figured maple neck with Rosewood fretboard.
This model comes standard with aged plastic bits & the cool mint green pickguard. I was also sold on the fact that this guitar also comes standard with "US Texas Special" p/ups (which I wanted)
It also has the standard "vintage" trem & "vintage" Gotoh tuners
The Jap Strats have a "C" shaped neck as opposed to the "V" shaped neck of the US Reisuue models & I must say that I find these necks extremely playable. It appears to be finished in an "aged" polyurethane, which seems to be very slick although I havent played it under sweat inducing lights as yet (if I have any problems with "sticking" to the neck, I will sand it with 1500 grit wet & dry).
The neck duplicates the 21 frets & scale length of "vintage Strats although I feel the radius is larger than the stated "vintage" radius
It seems like a really good compromise between the "vintage" radius & the flatter radius of modern "heavy metal type necks.
I give this guitar a 9 where I have, because I believe "10" is an "ideal"

This guitar sounds awesome !. The combination of Texas Specials & Rosewood fretboard with the Alder body really sings.
Acoustically this guitar is LOUD & very bright (new GHS Boomer mediums)
Mesa Boogie Subway Blues Amp
This amp had the attenuatuion dial on the back which enabled power tube saturation at low volumes.
I played through this amp with no effects, & was able to dial in mosts sounds by messing with the tone & volume controls on the guitar
Nice boxy Gibson Jazz sounds (a la T Bone Walker) on 1, 2 & 3, with a cool "woman tone" being achieved by rolling off the tone & cranking the guitars volume pot. SRV not really available from this amp without a Tubescreamer, but a fairly decent Hendrix facsimile available with everything cranked on the bridge pickup. "Little Wing" came out all by itself at clean settings, & by rolling on the volume I found "Clapton"
Marshall JTM45 (I would sacrifice my left testicle for this amp!)
Gave me f...ing chills.
I played this amp in the sticks, & therefore was able to crank it
Guitar..Compressor..Hot Cake(set for clean gain)..Morley Wah..Ratshit TS9 (set for lead distortion)
I set this amp on the verge of breakup (6-7) & used the Hot Cake to control the tube saturation & used the TS9 for a kind of Fuzz tone (cause it was a bad TS9) (I was playing on my friends deck overlooking a deep valley & was getting this really cool echo!)
With all the pedals off I could get really cool clean tones (a la Jimmy Vaughan..the master of touch & tone) & by rolling on the guitars volume pot, I could get everything from ZZ Top to Hendrix
Summary
Typical Strat...Lots of tone available
The only thing this guitar wont do (because of the combination of Texas Specials & Rosewood fingerboard) is supply that reaaly twangy Tele sound.
This is more of the "smokey" blues...blues/rock sound with nice bottom & mids with "subtle" tops
Typical "hum" when played through a cranked amp although not unbearable
This guitar must have a base plate on the bridge p/up (although I havent checked as yet) as it sounds less "shrieky" than your average Strat
Less "quacky" at 2 & 4 than other Strats I have played

This guitar was set up with GHS Boomer mediums & a floating trem as requested.
The strings sit high on the nut which is cool for "whammy freaks", and the pickups seem well adjusted for the amps I have played through thus far
The action was set up as per the common "low as possible with rattling" mojo which will be altered next time I change strings but I have been able to play open chords & single notes up to the 20th fret without buzzing & the intonation is good.
The frets (apart from being too small for my liking) are finished as well as I have seen on any of your so called "boutique" guitars (polished as well!), & the neck pocket is tighter than any previous Strat I have owned.
Unfortunately for Fender US, I would have to say that this Jap Strat absolutely smokes its US equivalent & in fact from the info I have gained from playing & talking to other Jap Strat owners & comparing their quality to the US equivalent, I can honestly say that most Jap Strats I have seen would be comparable to US Custom Shop Strats in quality & playability.
Now that Fender Japan are using US p/ups,the only gripe I have is that there volume pots go from clean to mud between 7-8, but these are cheap to replace even here in NZ
I would urge anyone considering buying a new Strat to at least look at the Jap (or Mex) models...Made in US does not guarantee that it is better than anywhere else(except Indonesia...avoid like the plague)

Appears as solid as all other Strats I have owned (ie ROCK SOLID)
Urethane (?) finish only time will tell whether I sand the neck back or not
Strap buttons are only as good as the strap they are holding
Stays in tune as well if not better than other trem Strats I have owned although I will probably replace saddles with Graphtec to improve sustain & durability of strings & may go for a bone nut next time I replace the strings
I would probably add a maple fingerboard (57 Reissue with Fralins) Strat in my lineup to increase my tonal flexibility although I have no qualms about gigging with this guitar alone

Standard warranty
Warranty redeemable in New Zealand
Generally repair guitars myself or use a tech (I will get the frets replaced with jumbos when I can afford it)

I have been playing for 28 years, & this is the best Strat I have owned including a late model US Standard & a 70s Strat
To steal this you would need to get past my dog...if lost I would replace it with the same model although perhaps an early 80s model
I really dig the neck & Texas Specials... this guitar plays & sounds like a custom shop special
No comparison to US equivalent...Take note Fender US
For the "smokey..fat" Blues..Blues/Rock tones buy this
For cleaner tones check out Fender Japs Web site...they have have a maple neck 57 Reissue with US 50s reissue p/ups...a Clapton clone with Fender lace p/ups..& the SRV model...all for 1/4 the price
Best kept secret on the planet!

USA 1962 Reissue Sherwood Forest Green
Paid 970. something for it

It was made I think 1999 I or 2000 I never really looked when i bought it.

It has 21 frets. Solid Body, 3 way selector, volume, tone, tone, it came ash tray, strap, whammy bar, cloth, deluxe fender tweed case( supposed to be brown) some books and inspector card all that stuff keys for the lock. 50's Case is made of tweed, and 60's is brown and has 0range carpet on the inside. So i am thinking buying a 50's and then a brown case or maybe just a case. So shit will be right. The body is made of alder the neck is maple with rosewood fretboard. The finish is stained the hole neck and headstock. Three Vintage Single Coil Pickups. Aged Hardware, Synchronized Tremelo. It is a good Guitar I think I would rate the guitar a 10 it is worth it i got a 5 way switch with it but i wouldn't change it it would be worth more money not touched. I play mine but i don't want to change things. I think next I am looking for somet other Strat maybe with Texas Special Pickups or Lace Sensors. I looking for two humbucker strat.

Well the case was the wrong color when i bought it from the store.

It wouldn't be that good for Metal stuff like slipknot

I have princeton chrous amp with reverb overdrive and chorus on it. The amp has two ten's with 25 x 2 rms, two individual amps, and two imputs, two button footswitch. i have a danelectro fab tone pedal.

Three tone wish I had balls enough to put 5 way switch or 7 in.

Not enough sounds to play around with

The guitar had not flaws all the shit was tight on it. Perfect for a brand new guitar. Guitar wasn't set up worth a shit my friend said. I always get him to work on mine. He said the neck to tight on it from factory. The bridge needed work done to it aligning it. But it was worth getting it done

It doesn't go out of tune to easy
If it does once in a while it goes usually a little stronger then the string is set for just a tad

Never got strap locks
the case buttons are cheap on all fender cases

I think its like 3 year warranty

Brand new,features of a 62 strat

I am a blues-rock player and it fits me perfect. Everywhere I play I get complimants on my sound. There isn't any thing more I can could ask from it.

I always get things set up by a tech because I use 12guage strings and like a very stiff tremolo. The neck is detailed perfect and somehow mine has figured maple. I don't know if I got lucky but mines done to perfection.

Its brand new but I think its built well. I might put strap locks on it.

I own an american strat with emg pickups, but this blows it away.
I tried every guitar in the stores nothing compares. This guitar just has that sound and feel to it that makes it perfect for my style. The only guitars I can think of that I would rather have are maybe, a original 62 or 57, or a custom shop. Save up your money and forget about the american strats. And please don't buy this guitar if you play metal.