Fender '62 Reissue Stratocaster

1993 model in Ocean Turquoise, which is sort of a darker version of te new Sherwood Green ones, but with a bit more blue. Beautiful color for this model. Mine was bought used with a few dings on the finish, but believe me, they only add to the charm. Huge plus: thin nitrocellulose finish (more about this later). I'm giving this guitar high marks in features because it is excactly what it's supposed to be, a good old early-60's Strat, and I didn't have to change a thing, except for a 5-way for the 3-way switch. This is the kind of guitar that will get better with age. I bought mine well used, and it felt great. I use .011's and had the guitar set up for them with the bridge flush on the body, and this guitar flies.

First of all, I've owned and parted with just about all the low- to mid-priced Fender Strats on the market, from the Tex-Mex, to the Jap reissues, and even a few American Standards. Never kept any of them and I was growing pretty despondent with all the available/affordable new models out there. I just happened to come by this one at a local store, and I bought it on the spot. The stock pickups are just fine, very accurate and responsive. No need to replace them with anything, ESPECIALLY Texas Specials. The Nitro finish over the alder body really lets the guitar resonate, unlike the thick, plastic-like poly finishes on newer models. No huge universal route like the Am. Std.. This is THE strat to get, and this is coming from someone who's tried'em all. It is the best Strat available from Fender, short of their multi-four-figure Custom Shop Models. I could go on and on about the tone, but for those who know Strats and haven't really tried one of these, get ready to be reborn.

Everything works like a swiss watch. Stays in tune, no strange buzzing. This is a very svelt instrument.

I have no doubt that this guitar will last longer than me. It really does get better with age and use.

For years I had said to myself that I was not going to buy another Strat unless it was a really good one. No more waiting. I'd definitely get another one, but I'd probably look for a used one that had been played.

Ben's review below and others pretty well detail the features (21 nickle-silver vintage frets, rosewood slab fretboard, nitro finish, etc). Mine is the newer version of one of these and Fender has corrected a few little details regarding body contours, headstock shape, 12th fret dot spacing, and neck shape. They've also redone the pickups and actually bevel the magnets by hand. I didn't recall the originals having this feature but it's a nice touch.
Mine is also the wonderful Sherwood Green nitro finish and it is stunning. I was originally interested in a Candy Apple Red finish until I saw this color.
I was curious as to the body routing because the American Standard has the big "swimming pool" rout which is not the way these were once made. I removed a few pickguard screws to peek and was pleased to see three precise pickup routs instead of the universal one.
Fender really has a wonderful guitar with this model! I give it a 10 because it is so close to right (it would be nice to see the patent numbers on the headstock though).

The new pickups are really nice. I A/B'd this guitar with my Jimmie Vaughan on my Flextone using the many preset sounds accessed with the floorboard. The '62 sounds just like I remembered the originals. I've owned Strats from this era when they were just used guitars and I think Fender really nailed the sound. The pups are remarkably quiet, considering. The previous owner had the 5-way switch installed and had 10's put on the guitar. The tones were anywhere from quacky on the bridge pup to really round and mellow on the neck. Not tons of output but plenty enough and, I think, accurate to the originals. Overdrive settings were really cool. The JV Strat with it's Tex-Mex pups is a lot more raw sounding than the '62. They compliment each other well.

I bought this used from a H/C ad so I don't know how well the factory did things but I haven't needed to do anything to it yet but add two more springs to the tremolo to compensate for the heavier strings than Fender uses these days.
The previous owner had described this guitar as mint and really well put together (but they ALL say that). This time, I was pleasantly surprised. This guitar is as good as many Custom Shop production models I've seen and played and better than a few. The finish, frets, neck, everything is 100%. Even the neck has a nice subtle flame. And I was impressed with what comes out of Mexico!

Only caveat here is that the nitro finish will not be as durable as the poly finishes Fender uses on most of their guitars. That's OK, it's the correct type of finish for this era guitar and is expertly applied.

I've always had nice dealings with Fender in this regard but it's always been for info not problems.

This guitar was a fabulous deal. The guy hadn't gotten much response from his ads here (he wasn't online so it was a long distance phone call for most folks). I'd offered this price a few weeks earlier but he held out for awhile and finally agreed to the above price shipped. The guitar was complete with all the usual goodies and even the original Fender shipping carton and extra strings. Just wasn't his cup of tea. He was a real class act in this transaction - even agreed to a 48 hour inspection period which I didn't end up needing.
I've been playing over 35 years and have wanted another strat like some of the ones I used to own. I have a very nice JV Tex-Mex Strat which is a close approximation of a 50's era guitar but I'd really wanted a better guitar without the custom shop price. This '62 fit the bill.
This is a guitar for purists. The neck is the traditional finish and radius. The pickups are not reverse wound (I believe) and don't have the output of Texas Specials or even the AS pups. I play mostly blues and jazz and this guitar works for both (not to mention anything by Brian Wilson). Totally cool vibe from this guitar, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

American made update of the '62 Re-issue. Vintage pickups/Rosewood slab fingerboardw/clay dots/Alder body/Vintage tuners and trem/"C" shape neck/Sherwood Green Metallic Finish/3-Way switch(Comes w/a 5-way in the case)

This is a proper Strat! From the time you take it out of the case you'll notice that it has an extremely resonant sound even w/no amplifacation. As I play mainly Jazz and Blues replaced the standard .009's w/ .011's . Sound's exactly like a 60's Strat should - Some typical single wound PU noise but not too much. Suprisingly good bottom end. Bridge pickup is typically bright but not too thin as on alot of recent Strats. This guitar has exactly the sound I was seeking. Played 3 or 4 custom shop instrements and this one was on par w/ the best of them (N.O.S. Strat was also superb and had a similar resonant sound) It's a great foil for my regular Jazz Box (Ibanez Pat Metheny PM 100, a great guitar by the way for you jazzers)

Never thought I'd rate any factory Fender this high but the fit and finish is flawless. Frets are nicely finished neck fits very snuggly in it's joint. Neck has a beautiful aged patina.The Sherwood Green Metallic color is stunning. Did have to do some considerable set up to accomodate the .011's but not a problem. Best thing is this guitar stays in tune from day one. Do recommend tightening the trem springs from the start.

It's a Strat - It will wear forever - Would feel secure with no back-up if I had to. Have a feeling the nitro-cellulose coating on the finish could wear down pretty fast - but it's well worth the more resonant sound that you get.

Standard Fender Warranty - No experience w/ Fenders customer service

Overall I am very happy with this one. Would'nt hesitate to replace it if I had to. Really the next best thing to an early to mid '60's original.I have been playing for over 30 years and have had every thing from 50's Tele's ,'59 L.P. Special, 70's Tele Custom and Rick solid bodys. This is one guitar that does exactly what is is supposed to - what else can you ask?

I purchased a used Candy Apple Red (nicks, scratches, blemishes, et al) 1962 Japanese Reissue Stratocaster from Cambridge Music for about $450. A great value when compared against too many options that Fender puts out on the market. I always look for the discolored headstock, this is the first sign of a reissue. It is a exact recreation of the Strat's best and my favorite era. It has a rosewood slab finger board and white pickguard, whammy bar, and I put in a set of Texas Special pickups. My wife bought me a tweed hard case and harmonica case for my most recent birthday. It turns out the harp box is a great way to carry accessories.

The replacement Texas Specials are a must for all blues Strat players. I also recommend having your guitars "SET UP" by a professional guitar tech. This cost me about $25 per guitar and makes each guitar more playable. Almost like getting a car tuned up.
I love this guitar so much and want to get a Lake Placid Blue Strat but put in a different set of pickups to give me a different sound.

Since having the guitar "Set Up" it has amazing action. I have always played Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys 10-46 with medium action for a little slide but a lot of vibrato.
The finish is nicked up a bit and has a gouge just above the bridge that looks like a dog took a bite out of the body. It gives the guitar more character.

This is one of the most durable guitars ever built and ranks up there behind the Telecaster as the workman's axe. You could pound nails with these guys and play it without going out of tune.

Never used them.

I have been playing for over 22 years. I own assorted mixing gear, drum machines, drums, etc. as well as an Epiphone Dot 335, Epiphone Acoustic, and a Squire Musicmaster Bass. I play through a Peavey Classic 30 with Celestion Vintage 30s in the combo and extension cabinets. I have a wah-wah pedal, Danelctro tuner, Daddy-O Overdrive and Dan-Echo pedals on my SKG Pedalboard.
If my Strat were stoken I would search high and low to find another. Besides I am still in search of a Lake Placid Blue 62' Reissue to sit along side my growing collection.

This is a reissue model of the 1962 Fender Stratocaster. It has vintage reproductions of the gotoh tuners found on the originals. The finish on this example is shorline gold (nitro-cellouse like originals) and the finish is outstanding. Three vintage wound single coil pickups plus a 3 way switch (comes with 5 way also) compliment the 1 volume and 2 tone knobs. The vintage bridge was set up well from the factory. In fact, the entire guitar was ready to play and had a worn feel out of the case. The "C" neck is comfortable, smooth and fast. The frets were *very* well dressed. Body is aldler with 3 ply pickguard. The only detail that is not the same as the originals is the spacing of the 12th fret markers. . . they are too close on the reissues. I believe that on the new reissues, this detail is corrected

This guitar sounds like a good Strat should. I played a few of these as well as original '55-'64 Strats and I must say that these vintage reissues are right in the ballpark. Mine had a little more snap in the low end and the sound is not as open as my other Strat. This Strat is better for distortion. As a matter of fact, when I bought my guitar, there was a guy playing an original 1963 Fender 3-tone through a Fender Showman. Hanging up on the wall was a '62 relic, and look and soundwise I could not tell the difference. I was reall shocked. This guy switched between guitars and If I didn't keep track, I would los the original. Although mine is NOT a relic, If you WANT an original this is the closest you will ever find.

Action came very good, Finish excellent. Fit was Por due to loose 3 way switch and other screws loose. This could be a result of temperature changes etc. The 3 ply pickguard had an annoying "bow" on the upper edge near the front pick-up. All of these problems were fixed by myself in 5 minutes.

Bulletproof. Although the finish will chip given time and this is a desirable effect of the nitro finish. This guitar will stans the test of time much like the originals.

I got a super deal on the guitar. In fast, I got it with the tweed case for $855. I see these used for this price. A great guitar to add to any collection.

1982 USA made; Alder body, Maple neck, Rosewood fretboard; Vintage tremolo; 3x 60s Vintage single coil staggered pole pickups; 2x Tone, 1 Volume, 3-Way pickup selector; thin frets; vintage 3 tone, SB, Nitro-Cel finish; vintage Kluson tuners; contoured body. Came with all the fixins: cheap vintage cord, cheap vintage strap, 5-way switch, cheap polishing cloth, manual, warranty, certificate of authenticity. No case but I bought a Fenton? for $45, brown tolex case with orange/red fuzzy inside. Way Cool!

This is The blues/rock guitar; however, I can play anything with it: country, jazz, pop, metal, even folk! I play this through a '57 Champ or a '61 Bassman with '65 Reverb Tank and '70s TS9 (mod to 801 specs). It can be a little noisy when cranked but thats part of the vibe rather than part of the problem (eg, pickups tend to loose sensitivity with loss of noise). It can be twangy, the neck pu can get a good clean, wooden jazz tone. It got a hunka hunka dongin bass and more mids than bright. You can crank this baby and get a screamin, sonic distorted tone. Not fat. Great string poppin sounds. It's got a resonant unplugged sound. Your fingers are in control, you just need to know how to get there. The bridge pu is effective but irritatingly weak.

This nitro-cel, 3 tone sunburst finish, with beautifully bookmatched alder, with contoured body is the sexiest lookin and playin Fender I have found. OOOOoooh Mama, cannt touch this. Basically, great set-up with minimal adjustment. Perfectly tight and straight neck to body fit. tuners, knobs, selector, tremolo all perfect. Slight flaw on pickguard that was covered by warranty. The bridge pu is weak.

Solid MF guitar. The hardware will not tolerate my sweat; therefore, I have got to clean it Every time I play. Definitely would use it without backup.

Warranty work was quick and Gary Brawer got approval on the spot (via telephone)and did a perfect job.

I love this guitar. I love to just pick it up and check it out. When I play it unplugged it resonates baby and plays like body extension. When I plug it in, I always have a great time playing anything. I wish I was more talented. The only problems are the bridge pu and the beauty of the paint job and wood grain. I cannot take it anywhere for fear of minor dings or worse. Replace the bridge pu with a Lindy Fralin or SD hot rail, as appropriate to your style.

This is a U.S. made 1982 manufactured model. Obviously there were people working for Fender then who remembered 1962 very well, and were happy to jump at the chance to make better guitars than the standard CBS-era axes. It has the original everything, tuners, pickups (after 15 years they are just about right), etc. The neck and headstock are finished in an amber color, very nice, the body is the '60s era sunburst. The body is two pieces, but matched VERY nicely, you have to really look to see the joint. The body is alder, the neck maple with a slab rosewood fretboard, standard strat scale and little frets. Regular vintage tremelo, three-position switch. It came with a nice tweed case and a good owner's manual, except for the printing date it looked just like an early '60s owner's manual. I have played lots and lots of strats, used to own a 1964, and this is as exact a copy as can be imagined. It also of course has the thin c-shaped neck strats used from 1959-1966.

I play music in general, and work with a wide variety of genres and genre-less musicians (maybe we just burned out enough brain cells long ago that we can't keep our minds on three chords or a "style" of music for more than a few minutes at a time;-)?), and I can get whatever I need out of this guitar, no sweat. Because of the thinner neck it has a more fluid style than my thick-necked strat or my other guitars, and the rosewood fretboard gives it a darker flavor, but despite its somewhat bass-y sound I can get plenty of treble, especially in the bridge pickup. The pickups sound just like early '60s strat pickups, a little hotter and more two-dimensional than the '50s era. A nice, rounded, full sound. Drive it as hot as you want if you know how, and back off for a smooth clean sound. A dream to play. I usually use Marshall tube amps, different effects for different things. Compatible with everything.

I bought this guitar used, and the setup was a little different from the Fender factory setup... Closer to the fretboard, intonation a little sharp, kind of like the previous owner played country music. I fixed all that. Like the early '60s strats I've played and owned it took me a little adjusting to get the pickups the way I liked them, quite a lot of adjusting in fact. The body and neck finishing have aged BEAUTIFULLY, it is one of the best looking guitars I've ever owned (including a one-piece "bearclaw" spruce top acoustic I've had for 20 years). Probably the best looking three-color sunburst strat I've ever seen. The pickups adjustment screws are starting to rust, but the guitar is 15 years old.

Well, I need to think about new screws for the pickup height adjustment, and I'm planning on new bridge saddles later this year or next (probably go to composite or graphite), but aside from that there's nothing to think of replacing or repairing. The frets are the standard 1960s type strat frets, ie, kind of small, but the guitar wasn't played enough before I got it to wear them at all. Aside from the already mentioned screws, it is immaculate, and I have played it LOTS since I got it. I don't have to gig without a backup, but I have with no reservations. The finish is in great shape, etc.

It's a Fender. Any work done on it will be by myself or with one or another pro luthiers or guitar techs I know.

I've been playing guitar since 1964, I've played hundreds of guitars, owned at least a dozen, used a few dozen more regularly over the years, this is a great guitar. It was made the old strat way, no three-or-four piece body, no veneer of good wood on top of crap, individual routs for the pickups, etc. I used to own a 1964 strat, and if there is any functional difference between that guitar and this one I don't know what it might be. If it were stolen I couldn't replace it, but I'd look for another early reissue model. I am thinking of getting a U.S. made '57 reissue, but I promise if I do it'll be an early 1980's, not a new one. The Japanese new ones are great, but the new American made models are crap in comparison with this guitar.

This is one of the very first (V00201 serial number) reissue Strats: it has a rosewood neck and the neck is very THIN from front to back. I suspect it is nitrocellulose lacquer. Over time the finish has become very thin and chipped easily when I dropped a cassette on it while recording. The tuners are Kluson-type, non-locking; they work fine. It had a 7 and 1/2 inch radius neck which I realized early on caused fretting-out, just like they say in the Warmoth catalog. I had Roger Sadowsky (NYC) put on new frets and reradius the fretboard in 1984 and it plays much better. It also subtly changed the sound for the better, making it sustain more: individual notes go "bong" instead of "doink". (That looks more ridiculous on the screen than it's intended to, but it's the best I can do...) Standard Strat-type electronics, alder body, three singlecoil pickups with three-color sunburst, done very well. It came with a tweed case with gorgeous orange plush lining. Our dear departed first cat Maggie ripped the end of the case up with her claws: beware cat-owners of tweed cases used as claw-sharpeners by cats who don't no from vintage...Also had cheapo Fender monogrammed strap. Purchased December 1982 from Sam Ash III himself in Sam Ash in White Plains, NY.

Sound is very vintagey: reminiscent of Robert Cray albums. Rich inbetween 2 and 4 positions. Has more lows by far than my 1995 American Standard Strat. In fact, I'd say it is too bassy with .010s on it but comes alive with .009s. Mildly noisy. I play it through a 1997 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a 1995 Peavey Classic 30. It could play the inbetween "quacky" 2 and 4 positions by balancing the original 3-way switch between the "officially-sanctioned" positions, but I put a 5-way switch on it. Very suitable for Hendrix tunes. The 5 individual sounds are more different from each other than on my American Standard guitar. Love it. Would call the sounds complex.

It's too long ago to comment on the factory setup. No remembered flaws. We'll give it a nine.

Very "reliable". I suspect the nitrocellulose finish is integral to the sound: it is mildly fragile, at least after 15 and 1/2 years.

No comment on this; Fender has changed too much since 1982 for any remembered information in this category to help anyone in 1998.

This is the second Strat of my career, and it was a step up from the heavy, ash blond instrument I bought in September 1980 used from Rudy's Music Stop on 48th Street in Manhattan. (The salesman who waited on me was the dark-haired guitar player later invited to join Dire Straits by Mark Knopfler: can't retrieve his name from memory, but the 80s guitar mags mentioned him: he's in one of the 1986 videos.) Been playing since ? 1969. This is my baby, ever since I saw the tweed case coming up the conveyor from Sam Ash's basement. I'd buy another one if I could. They go for $850 to $950 used now.