Fender '68 Reissue Stratocaster

This Review is about my new baby, a Fender Stratocaster '68 Reissue Crafted in Japan (CIJ).
I've got it about 1 month ago from Fender Japan at the beautiful price of 670 Euros, shipping and handling included.
That's a beautiful Large Headstock Strat with 4-bolt neck plate and maple cap fingerboard.Alder body. Bridge is the classic vintage style type with unidiretional Fender Fender script on its saddles! It's perfect for that era Strat. American C.S. Strats aren't so precise! About controls, 1 volume and 2 tone (Neck and middle pickups only), just like the original vintage Strats. But, if you want, with a simple wire bridge can obtain tone modulation on bridge pickup, too.

About sound, i just can say it's beautiful and beautiful. I play blues, rock/blues and rock and love Hendrix,SRV,Robin Trower,Blackmore sound,ecc. My setup is: Vox Wah (original 1967), Fulldrive 2, Boss Ds-1 Keeley SEM Mod., E.Harmonix Small Stone Vibe Mod., E.Harmonix Holy Grail, Line 6 Echo Park --> Marshall 2554 Jubilee or Ceriatone Plexi 18W with 2x12 Greenback cabinet.
This Strat has the TONE and sound amazing! Sweet and balanced clean sound, and rich and harmonic overdriven sound, with a lot of sustain! I'm using stock Texas Special pickups, but i think with more appropriate pickups this baby could let you enter in heaven! Trust me!
Infact, even with Texas Special i give it a 10!

When guitar arrived had .09 strings and was completely detuned. I changed to .010 string, so re-doing bridge and truss rod setup.
About finish, that is so thin that seems to be nitro, but i don't think. In vintage white is divine!
This Strat has a wonderful neck, very very fast to play, the most comfortable i've never played with! As Radius is 7.25 with vintage frets i was afraid about its comfort before buying Strat, but, as it is very well done, now i dream on it!
The only thing i don't like is dots position on neck profile.
On the original Strats they were positioned more close to the maple fingerboard edge, on mine are positioned completely on neck profile. But this thing isn't important, so i don't care!
But i give a 8.

Guitar reliability is good, with this baby i feel like i have a Custom Shop Strat in my hands, a serious instrument.
Woods are beautiful, very sounding even when unplugged.
Tremolo block is steel and not a metallic league, like mexican ones!
This gives the guitar more and more sustain.
I want with me this baby for ever!

Fender Japan doesn't officially export its products, but i don't care! For any type of travel damages they change it for a new one. What do you want more?
My Strato is ok. So I don't need more warranty on it.
I thank Japan men that have created this Strat, they created the sound!

I'm a 15 years sounding Experience man. I've owned and played a lot of Instrument and Strats. I honestly say to you '68 Reissue Strat CIJ is a great guitar even compared with 2 American Reissue Strats, 1 C.S. '62 Strat, 1 C.S.'60 Relic Strat and abundantly wins with Mexican Classic 70s and lots of American Standards. If you want a '68 you only can buy a CIJ or a Custom Shop. Quality/money speaking, i prefer a CIJ. Great Vintage Vibe!!!

Vintage style Fender guitar with additional features such as a large, late-60's headstock. This one cost ??590 and was crafted in Japan in 2006. The neck is the slimmest Fender neck ive ever played on and it also has a nice flame off it. It also has the Fender "F" tuners which adds even more character to the whole thing. 21 vintage styled frets with Texas Special pickups.

I play blues, rock, jazz, fusion, progressive rock and psychedelic rock and some other stuff too. This guitar suits my style down to the ground as it gives that SRV sound when played through a good valve amp. The guitar is not really that noisy and would be nothin to fuss over. The sound is bright as expected from a strat however the texas special pickups give a slightly darker one than other fender pickups. This guitar can scream, groan and do basically anythin else you want it to. In my opinion, it is a versitile guitar as you can play many styles. It wouldnt really be suited for metal but it could take a fair hack at it. I am thinking of changing the pickups at some stage but think ill hang onto the stock ones for the mean time.

The whole set up of the guitar was next to perfect when i got mine. The finish is pristine and i actually thought it was nitrocellulous (like used on the vintage reissue USA models) but apparently its not. The thing i like most is the colour and the neck. The neck is a flammed maple one and is very slim and smooth. The vintage white colour automatically jumps out at you and reminds you of Hendrix's guitar that he purchased in '69 and used at woodstock. The guitar was set up perfectly when it arrived and was flawless as far as i could see. The only thing i would complain about would be that the guitar tends to go out of tune everytime you use the whammy bar. However, if you install your strings well, use heavier strings and break them in then this should reduce the problem.

The guitar is solid, strong and built to last. I also play a gibson sg special with two EMG pickups in it. I wouldnt use it too much at a gig because sometimes the pickups screw up in some odd way. I always use my strat without a backup and ntohing has gone wrong since i got it.

Ive been playing for about 4 years now and own a gibson SG along with my strat. I also own a Musicman RP210 and am thinking of purchasing a new valve amp. This guitar will sound immense through any quality valve amp. If the guitar doesnt sound good then id blame your amp. If this guitar was stolen i would save up and buy an original strat from the 60's. However if that failed, which it most likely would, then id definately purchase another one without a doubt. I think the thing i love most about the guitar is the signaqture "Hendrix" look and the sound along with the thin neck and colour. I chose this guitar over others because everything about it was vintage. The whole look of the guitar is incrediable and the guitar itself has lots of character.

Vintage style Fender guitar with additional features such as a large, late-60's headstock. This one cost ??590 and was crafted in Japan in 2006. The neck is the slimmest Fender neck ive ever played on and it also has a nice flame off it. It also has the Fender "F" tuners which adds even more character to the whole thing. 21 vintage styled frets with Texas Special pickups.

I play blues, rock, jazz, fusion, progressive rock and psychedelic rock and some other stuff too. This guitar suits my style down to the ground as it gives that SRV sound when played through a good valve amp. The guitar is not really that noisy and would be nothin to fuss over. The sound is bright as expected from a strat however the texas special pickups give a slightly darker one than other fender pickups. This guitar can scream, groan and do basically anythin else you want it to. In my opinion, it is a versitile guitar as you can play many styles. It wouldnt really be suited for metal but it could take a fair hack at it. I am thinking of changing the pickups at some stage but think ill hang onto the stock ones for the mean time.

The whole set up of the guitar was next to perfect when i got mine. The finish is pristine and i actually thought it was nitrocellulous (like used on the vintage reissue USA models) but apparently its not. The thing i like most is the colour and the neck. The neck is a flammed maple one and is very slim and smooth. The vintage white colour automatically jumps out at you and reminds you of Hendrix's guitar that he purchased in '69 and used at woodstock. The guitar was set up perfectly when it arrived and was flawless as far as i could see. The only thing i would complain about would be that the guitar tends to go out of tune everytime you use the whammy bar. However, if you install your strings well, use heavier strings and break them in then this should reduce the problem.

The guitar is solid, strong and built to last. I also play a gibson sg special with two EMG pickups in it. I wouldnt use it too much at a gig because sometimes the pickups screw up in some odd way. I always use my strat without a backup and ntohing has gone wrong since i got it.

Ive been playing for about 4 years now and own a gibson SG along with my strat. I also own a Musicman RP210 and am thinking of purchasing a new valve amp. This guitar will sound immense through any quality valve amp. If the guitar doesnt sound good then id blame your amp. If this guitar was stolen i would save up and buy an original strat from the 60's. However if that failed, which it most likely would, then id definately purchase another one without a doubt. I think the thing i love most about the guitar is the signaqture "Hendrix" look and the sound along with the thin neck and colour. I chose this guitar over others because everything about it was vintage. The whole look of the guitar is incrediable and the guitar itself has lots of character.

olympic white 68 reissue stratocaster crafted in japan. standard strat features. came with a pretty poxy gig bag, but hey, i didnt buy it for the free bag. mapel neck . awsome. texas special pick ups.

i play psychedelic stoner sleaze rock and it can do it all. not real happy with the texaz specs tho, they are to hot and bottom out a lot when i kick the fuzz on, so i'm gonna change em to the 69 strat pickups from fender. therye meant to be a lot cleaner sounding pick up.

had to tweak it a little but it is a spectacualr construted instrument.
i have an american vintage series 70's strat and it is easily on par, if not maybe a better built guitar, but not by much, the 70's is still an awsome guitar and is my main axe still.

built like a tank mate!

BLEH.

9.5. ITSA all good except for the pick ups. and the neck is very thin, wihich isnt bad but i'm 6ft 3in so i have reasonably large hands so i like a bit of chunk in a ne4ck. the neck on the 70's strat is a lot more to my suiting. it s a big fatty!but the guiatr plays awsomley and seems sound and solid.

Lefty 2004/2005 vintage white 68 reissue strat, gorgeous maple neck and big headstock.
Made in Japan.
Its a beauty.
you know the rest.

I don't play with effects, just a bit of gain sometimes through a Marshall JCM 500.
A really versatile range of tones, though its not made for completely mad metal distortion, but can handle anything.
I play it mostly clean and loud, just jamming and bluesy, funky, punky noodling at the moment. I've played a lot of guitars, and for the money this has a beautiful tone, stands up to a #1000 worth of American deluxe easily.
I played it in the shop, it sounded like Little Wing, I had to have it.

Plays great, the neck isn't for Vai types, but you get the real feel of the guitar instead, its got a hell of a lot of character.
The setup is good for this price range, almost flawless but for a tiny bit of fret buzz on bottom E. Not a problem.

No problems yet. This guitar is solid as a rock and built to last like a strat should.
I'd depend on it, but i like to live dangerously.

N/A
hopefully i'll never find out.

I've been playing for about 8 years, had a mexican tele lefty and switched a burns steer round to lefty not long ago. Beats playing the tele so much its untrue.
I'd have another, maybe in natural.
A decent price for a top notch, professional versatile strat, and it looks perfect.
Jimi's strat. enough said.

68' Lefty Reissue, 7.5 neck radius, Vintage white, made in 2005. I am a righty and this guitar is my "Jimi" project guitar. I had a supposed luthier (who by the way sucked) do the job of cutting a new nut, fliping the strap holder, fixing the saddles and set-up... I learned my lesson, I could have done a much better job. Since this was special project because (and B-present from my wife) I love Hendrix and haven't seen any guitar's recently that captures his Woodstock guitar. After the reaming by the luthier, I reset and re-cut the nut myself and all is good now.

Trying to keep the guitar as Hendrix would have played it I did not flip the pick-ups. The stock picks are a perfect fit for Jimi's tone. I have various tube amps and with the Digi-tech Hendrix pedal, many nights I am floating with tone. Even without any pedals, this axe has nice bite and mondo sustain. I find the stock pickups sweet.

Well, this were it took me about a week to get used to, with such a thin neck and radius. The neck at the nut a little over 40mm, very thin and tapers out towards the bridge. But once I got used to this neck, it is the fastest neck I have ever played on. I play this every day at least one hour, I've owned it since August 05. The finish on the body is Vintage White, which also has grown on me since I thought it was a pee yellow, it actually does have that vintage appeal. I only with it came in Olymipic White (Jimi's Woodstock color.)

I actually have been beating, nicking and I am very rough on this guitar. For me it adds character. Very solid feel to it.

Called about specific questions and had them answered within minutes.

I've been playing since the 70's off and on and seriously for the last 3 years, 2 to 4 hours a night. I at first though I made a big mistake trying to take on this project of a flipped strat. But now that I have everything where I want it to be, the pay-off is big in sound and just Jimi-trippin.

My 68' strat looks identical to the strat that jimi used at woodstock. The neck has a unbelivable finish. I'm never gonna sell this baby.

This is exactly what i wanted in a guitar. if your looking for the vintage jimi hendrix sound BUY THIS GUITAR!!

I bought myine on ebay new. it came in perfect condition the action was set about right. Myine came with texas specials which give out the stevie ray vaughn kind of sound. i love this guitar

Just yesterday i was putting it on the stand and the stand broke and the guitar fell and hit the wall hard. It took out a piece of drywall and when i took out the drywall from the guitar there wasnt even a scratch so i believe that this guitar will live with me for a long time.

i havent delt with them and i doubt i will because this is such a great guitar

I play through a marshall 2x50. my setup as follows: a vox wah wah, a dallas arbiter fuzz face, and a uni-vibe this guitar helps me create that vintage sound. if someone stole this guitar i would set a reward for 1000 dollars and then if i found the theif would beat the crap out of him.

Like a '68 Strat. All you really need. Mine is a well used '80s model from Japan (E-serial number). Scratched, dinged, one tuner about ripped off--but plays very well & I like these played in guitars. Just purchased from the original owner.

I had a '73 Strat once, all original, played it for years, was my only electric at that time. Was heavy, but sounded good. Never liked the natural finish, sold it off. This guitar sounds at least as good as that one. The maple neck w. original pickups is a nice sound, good contrast to my RW board '62 RI. It records very, very cleanly, I think it's maybe better for that than the others Strats I've got. It is also very quite--a real surprise. The original owner gigged a lot, may have shielded it well, haven't looked.

Not applicable. Original owner set it up very well to just plain play. Newer mid-size frets, nice.

Looks like it's already been through the ringer. Finish is, however, still intact except for neck blems from playing/banging. Very durable, like any decent strat is.

Been playing for 30 years. Mostly a flattop guy, but I like electrics so am playing around with them again. I have a '62 MIJ with Rio Grande Tallboys, and a '85 Squire with Lace Holy Grails. Those are both great guitars and great players. This guitar looks far older than them cuz it's been played, but plays out real nicely and is a bit lighter than either of 'em. Nice guitar. I won't be changing anything on it, it's good to have a "stock" Strat sound around. These MIJ strats--the good ones--are exceptional guitars for the $.

mine is a 1989/90 japan 68 reissue lefty sunburst strat with maple neck, large headstock etc...the look and feel is very authentic to the original. Superbly made and very easy to play.Standard strat features...wat more do you want.

My music influence is Jimi...and can get a similar tone although it can be noisy and trebley but thats part of its charm.

The action was ok from new (bought in 1991)although the tuning was a bit dodgy..after a trip to the doctor it was fine. all finish details were flawless.

I've had this guitar for 13 years and has never let me down..I've done a few gigs and alot of recording.However a have broken the tremelo arm and just cannot get a new one.

customer support was not great at all. after trying to get a new one I was told by fender's distributers that i should have bought an american standard! and not this one as they can't get the parts...especially left hand ones..

Overall this is the best guitar I could have got for the money, and more...it's great to play (even tho the tremelo is now useless, well made, sound great even when play it thru a crap amp! i'll never part with it cos its great.If anyone knows where i can find a new trem arm (lefty) please let me know ..........cheers

It`s a 89` Japanese made model. Brown sunburst.
Beautiful one piece maple neck with large headstock.
Startocaster classic features...we all know them.

I play rock n`roll. It suits perfect into my style since Stratocasters are the ultimate rock n`roll guitars, period.
People who changes the pickups on this guitar are the kind of people who don`t know anything about guitars... They do not desrve such an instrument. It`s all about impedance, 50`s & 60`s guitars were built that way. If you rerplace the pickups, you kill the guitar tone and concept. GROW UP! This is not a metal guitar! This is not a high output guitar..! If that`s what you want....go get an Ibanez and load it with EMG`s and be a Metallica head, I`ll feel sorry for you.

The sound is beautiful and with a good tube amp, it can take you back into a 60`s acid trip a la Woodstock era. Little bit noisy and that`s the trick...noise is part of the Fender tone, learn to live with it and yoll`be just fine, just rockin`.

I love everything on this guitar...from the paint scratches and beautiful noise to the awesome tone and versatility. I`ll give it a 9 since guitar tone isn`t perfect.

Perfect set up. At least mine is so well crafted. The action was just fine altough I set it my way. There`s no design or construction flaw on this guitar, go get one for you right away.

This guitar has suffered the must pasionate rock n`roll battles. It`s been dragged, pushed, kicked and slammed as a rock guitar should and it`s still the same. Since we`re both lefthanders, this is the only guitar I have....and I can tell you that I play with it without backup wiht my eyes closed.

I haven`t needed it yet. I hope and I know I won`t.

I`ve been playing for 10 years. My other gear consists of a 64` Fender Tremolux Head with a 65`Fender Bassman 2x12 cabinet.
There`s no effects chain, just the one and only modified TS-9/TS808 tubescreamer rockin` real hard between the guitar and the amp.
No one will try to steal this guitar because she sleeps with me and everytime we go out, I take care of both of us with my lightsaber and great force powers. My favorite feature is the neck it gives you such a great feel! A fender guitar can only be compared to non-fender guitars and I don`t now even one single fender guitar that gets close to this one. YES I`m so happy an pruod to have it and play like I play it.
Stop being a metalhead and be a grown man. Get a Strat. Ibanez and other pointy guitar brands are for teenagers

Ok, this is now a '68 'cos i made it into one. I had a creme strat body with great contours and feel. It was from a MIJ early eighties strat. Alder body, nicely aged paint job. I purchased a MIJ '68 neck from this guy in England. Wow, what a neck! Why did i not have one of these sooner?? I had been using a jimmie vaughn MIM neck with the medium frets, big "V" shape, lightly veneered finish. Used that for about 6 years. Installed some '54 strat pups with cloth wiring and paper/oil caps. Whoa. What a sound, what a combo!!! I am going to copyright my invention and sell it!!! What? I can't do that??!!...
Its got "F" neck plate and tuners, the solid maple neck is all veneered, who'd a thunk i would love this?? I LOVE IT

The sound is like glass. I play it thru a vintage club crate Class A or a Fender Blues Junior. Marvelous. I use a tone bone classic, but not too much with this guitar. I use a Vox wah and an occasional tremolo. I get this rich Fender sound. It looks alot like a Hendrix strat, except mine is not upside down. It is noisy on the regular positions, but not as much as regular strats due to wiring, copper shielding in the pick up cavities. I dislike the fact that i farted around for years before making this connection.

The body is a little beat up, in all the right places, and it is a fine body, i love it, always have. This neck is immaculate. The guy said it was in mint condition, but we all know how that word gets over used and abused. I give the neck a 10, the body a 9, the pick ups and wiring and pots a 9 and my pickguard a 6, its a 3 ply job that sucks! i need to replace that...

This guitar could withstand being used as a skateboard. I have shown up for gigs with just this guitar, but how boring is that?

Who cares, DIY

Been playing electric for 30 years. I own alot of guitars. I want to put another strat together soon. These are like LEGO guitars!!! I don't know what yet, but it is the most comfortable guitar body in the world to me! If it were lost or stolen, i would build another one! That's the fun of this type of guitar. You can always build another. I think some of these guys like Clapton and Eric Johnson are a little bit off there nut, claiming things like "i dropped the guitar and it was never quite the same again, sounded totally different" -eric johnson. Hey, maybe you got dropped on yer head, there bud! Or Clapton, " someone played Blackie and was strumming really hard on her, and it was like sacriligious that someone would do that to me" Hey, Eric, you really aren't GOD, remember??

made in 1998 in japan but bought in mid 1999
21 frets,natural finish,maple neck and fret board
3 single coils
vintage type tremolo
thin fret

i bought this because i had broken my washburn dimebag and needed a new guitar straight away so i part exchanged my washburn for this.has a very good looking grain on the body

i was only 14 when i bought this so i didnt know alot about guitars,but 2 years after i changed the bridge pick up for a seymour duncan JB junior because i needed a more powerful sound as i had started up my own metal band.the sound is bright with alot of definition.
it's great for rock and metal rythm guitar and funk and blue's when changing to the middle or neck pickup.it now sounds great.

the shop from where i bought it from didnt set up their guitars so i had to adjust the height of the strings etc,it played really well after a proper set up.no finish flaws what so ever.

it can withstand live playing,a very solid guitar.ive dropped it a couple of time's with only a few dents as a result.hardware is good quality.i added dunlop strap locks as i didnt trust the original strap buttons.i use it now as my backup guitar or if i need it for some heavy de-tuned metal.

ive been playing for 6 years now.i own my first guitar a squier strat (never used now) and a washburn 2st (modified to same specs as a 3st).i use my washburn as my main guitar now because it suits my playing style perfectly but i always have my fender near by incase its needed.i would kill any one who stole it and steal it back form them as it has alot of sentimental value to me.the only thing i dont like about it is the action is still too high and isnt good for my style of playing (shred) but still great for blues playing.

Bought it new in '93 or '94. It's a maple neck, sunburst made in Japan. I paid around $600 Canadian for it and that included a rectangular brown Tolex case. Was playing a 1991 American Standard but I sold it after I bought this.

Sounds great since I've scrapped the original pick-ups. They were way too thin and tinny sounding. It now has American Standards in the front and middle and a Duncan '54 in the back. I play it exclusively through a Fender Blues DeVille and the sound is amazing! The only effects I use are a Pro-co Rat or an Ibanez Fat Cat for distortion. This guitar has an amazing amount of "in your face" tone. I play mostly blues but would not hesitate to use this guitar for country or rock

Vey good in this category. Finish was as good as any Fender I've seen. Set-up was good except that the neck was a bit too straight. I changed to a heavier set of strings (.010-.046) right away anyway and that fixed that.

Not a single problem. I've owned several other Fenders over the years (1980 Lead 1, 1985 Japan Strat, 1991 American Standard Strat and 1996 American Standard Tele) and I never had a problem or breakdown with any of them.

Never needed it.

I've been playing for 26 years and I've owned and played many guitars. This is one I won't sell. If it were stolen or lost I would definetely get another.

This guitar was made in Japan some time in the late nineties. I bought it second-hand from Parkway Music in Clifton Park, New York for $325.00 which included a Fender deluxe gig bag. The neck is maple with a separate glued-on maple fingerboard. Much the same as my late sixties Telecaster, the neck is quite narrow at the nut, but flares out to a more normal width quickly -- sort of like a Jazz bass. The frets are the period-correct mini wire and even with the rounded neck radius, seriously steep bends do not chole out. A very nice fret job and set-up. The body is (I believe) Ash judging by the weight, although the finish is a lovely opaque vintage white - and I have heard that all but sunbursts are made of Poplar. It has a vintage style vibrato bridge which works just fine unless you're going for total dive-bombs. Tuners are slotted vintage. I prefer slotted to all others for ease of use. It is the usual Stratocaster and a very faithful reproduction of an instrument from this year (I know, I was around and playing then!)

I use this guitar through either a Hotrod DeVille or DeLuxe depending on the size of the venue with a 2X12 Marshall cabinet with the DeVille on opposite stage when in a really big place. Effects: Blues Driver, DOD Chorus, Dunlop 95Q wah, Dan Echo. I replaced the stock pickups with two Texas Specials in neck and mid and a DiMarzio SDS-1 in the bridge. With this setup I can get all the ducky sounds, the SRV thwock and a stinkin' good screaming distortion when the mood suits. The guitar has that wonderful Strat sound [ALL OF THEM] and feels great. To me, if I can't get the sound I'm looking for with this guitar, I really don't want it! The thing has the normal level of buzz when sitting next to a fluorescent fixture and feeds back VERY controllably on the SDS-1 when I roll into the 95Q a bit. Lots of fun. It also can be cajoled into a smokey jazzy kind of clean sound as well.

Being a second-hander, I can't thank or fault the factory for anything. Parkway always does lovely set-ups on their inventory, so it was a keeper right off the rack. The pickups were replaced almost immediately, so they were good straight away as well. The fit and finish are what you'd expect from Japan -- flawless. This instrument has all the character and tactile satisfaction that the old Americans had/have with all the sparkle and attention to detail that the Japanese deliver. What a combo! The previous owner kept the instrument immaculately, they could have sold it for new. After three years, the pickguard screws have rusted where I most often touch them, but this gives it the same vintage vibe my old Tele has as well!

Hey man, it's a Fender! Cockroaches Cher's plastic surgery and these guitars will all be around after Dr. Strangelove Day. Thew finish is as thick as any epoxy job from the late sixties and will never wear. I've got Dunlop strap locks because I've dropped my share, but this thing would probably bounce if dropped -- and stay in tune. I would depend on this guitar (and do) but always play with a backup as I will on occasion break a string (and I use 11's). Beast.

Never used them, though on questions they've always been good as gold. I once worked for a manufacturer and if I can't fix it, they couldn't either. So, I guess I have no real opinion.

I own four other Strats, two Telecasters, a Les Paul, a Mockingbird, an Epiphone Lucille, a Player MDS-1, a Ramirez 1a, a Regal RC-2, a Fender Jazz Bass and a partridge in a pear tree. Been playing 32 years, BA in music. If this guitar was stolen, I'd hire the LA police dept. to massage the thief. I love this one and wish I had two.

The features have been thoroughly described. No need to repeat.

I bought this lefty back in '98. Like many others, I found the stock pickups to be weak and exceedingly trebley. I replaced all three with gold lace sensors and I've been happy with the tone ever since. I play classic rock, rockabilly and blues, and I can use this baby for any of these styles. I don't try to imitate any particular artist's tone, so I can't speak to that, but I do know that I get the strat tones I need.

This guitar was beautifully made. It has a flawless sunburst finish and the ash body has some very cool figuring. The thin frets are not ideal for me, and I will eventually have them replaced. I replaced the tuners with some Fender locking tuners and the whammy bar is now more responsive.

This guitar is rock solid. I have had no problems in four years of almost daily use. It is utterly dependable, but I always gig with at least two guitars.

I've been playing for about 15 years. I play a Les Paul, a big Samick archtop with three P-90's(I think it's a model HJS660,or something like that) which is a surprisingly playable and decent sounding instrument, a Fender Jazz Bass and a Martin acoustic.
My amp is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with a celestion vintage 30. I use a Fulltone '70 pedal, a Budda Wah, a Boss CE-2, a Morley emerald echo, and a Blackstone overdrive. I get some truly excellent sounds with this guitar and I'm glad I found a lefty. It is playable as it is, but I do prefer bigger frets. I plan on getting a fret job within a year. Once this is done, it will rate a 10.

N/A

This is an update of my review below. I got to compare this guitar directly to a nearly original '78. Apart from the 3-bolt neck and flat pole pieces, it is nearly identical in finish, appointments and similar in feel. Neck was fatter but similarly narrow at the nut, body less well-defined and fit and finish not as good as the '68RI.

Soundwise - as I suspected, the '78 had hotter pickups, but they were also less-distinct sounding, probably the missing polepieces. Interestingly, the bridge pickup on the '68 sounds fatter - the later one is wimpy. Acoustically, the heavier later one is not as resonant. You feel more like you're playing the pickups. Frets were worn out which doesn't help you feel good about is.

In other respects the '68 is nicer to play - it is a sweeter guitar, but they're definitely brothers. I'd own the '78 but I prefer the '68.

Happier than ever with my '68. Think it's a bargain and a great guitar.

Made in Japan in 1988. Purchased sometime around late '89-early '90. White finish and pickguard, maple neck. 5-way selector and vintage appointments. This guitar has had the misfortune of being my "tinker" guitar, but I've recently restored it to "stock appearance". It currently has a Fat '50s in the bridge, an actual '67 strat pickup in the middle, and a Deltatone in the neck. Looking back, I probably would've kept the stock pickups in. It did have Lace Sensors in it for a time. But overall standard Strat appointments.

I like blues, classic rock, and indie/alternative stylings mostly. I did play in a sort of punkish metal band a long time ago (right after I got this guitar), a psuedo-fusion group, a Pearl Jam wanna-be group, and the a kind of avant-garde group in the style of Shudder to Think. This guitar saw action in all of these incarnation and fit the bill great. As it is now, it's very well suited to classic rock and blues stylings, which is how I'll probably keep it.

This thing has that Strat "cluck" in spades, and sounds great overdriven. It's somewhat "honky" clean, and seems to like gain a little bit better, but I attribute this to the pickups. The stock pickups, especially the middle pickup, really sparkled on clean settings. Noisier than hell overdriven though, especially in the 1, 3, and 5 positions. Sound really tight and smooth unplugged, with a lot of snap. Overall, this thing has been very versatile no matter what pickups I've had in it...it's natural dynamics are very responsive to picking position and volume changes, and this always translated well amplified. If I could only have one guitar, I'd have to make this it, for sentimental and tonal reasons.

It was setup with somewhat high action, which I never bothered to fix, but I've gotten used to it. Everything else was adjusted very well. This honestly is one of the better made guitars I've come across. The neck pocket is tighter than a mosquitos....well, it's pretty tight, let's say that.

This guitar is solid. I've tinkered with it more times than it has deserved, but it's stayed together well. Amazingly, the only screwholes that have stripped have been the strap button holes, and thatwas definitely my doing. The pots and selector have endured numerous hours in close proximity to my soldering iron, and have ven been nicked by it accidentally a few times. Still clear as a bell.

The body is pretty well beat up, but hey, now it really looks like one of those relic strats that are so popular today. This gutar has withstood plenty of incidents I'm too embarrassed to even think about.

I would go nuts if this were stolen. So nuts that it would probably be my defense during my trial after I found they guy who stole it. I can't think of anything that I really don't like about this guitar. It's a beater, wonderfully ergonomic, has endured my adventures in amateur electronics and wishing I had a pointy, Floyd Rose equipped Ibanez.

I've been playing Teles for a while now, and this guitar has totally rekindled my Stratocaster love affair...though I doubt I'll ever get another one (unless I kind a nice sonic blue '50s reissue or something)

It's a Strat - and a very good one. Made Aug '98 according to the neck stamp. All standard, a 'nice piece of ash' to misquote and a lovely maple-slab neck with no skunkstripe. Big headstock, 4-bolt neck.

I wasn't looking for a Strat when I chanced on this. I am a sucker for natural finishes and took this one down off the rack. Found that the body was two 2-piece with an offset seam through the volume knob. Beautiful matching job - from the front it looks like one-piece and the ash flame goes like lightening spears over the top horn. This guitar is very light - matches my '69 Thinline RI which is half hollow. Neck is slightly thinner at the nut than I like, but a good 60's C-shape, not as fat as my MIM Tele.

Acoustically it rang out, but had terrible setup. I thought it had great potential and the price was right

The reviewers who complain about a thin sound obviously never heard a real 60's Strat played clean. This is it guys. Play it through an era-amp and there's no lack of tone. Play it through a buzzbox or over-filtered, poorly speakered, muffled modern amp and you'll be disappointed.

It is not as trebly as my '69 RI Tele. It sounds very much like an L-series Strat I played, and better than any stock US or other sourced Strat with stock pickups I've heard. If you play through an amp with no response you won't get much tone.

I hear lots of nasally midrangey aftermarket stuff which, well you may or may not like the sounds, but it's not classic Strat. The pickups measure just slightly less than 6Kohm through a lead, which may not tell you much about sound but is right in the correct zone, they have the correct staggered magnets and correct alnico magnet type.

SRV's sound mostly came from his hands, big strings (0.13's) and vintage-type amps, possibly also from his Tubescreamer or other pedal use. These sounds are still there (although not with the same skill level!) when I play mine through my 5E3 Tweed clone. It also sounds like Hendrix when he used cleaner settings. There is certainly treble there, but also good sweetness, clarity and note definition. The guitar is no good for shred, nor for high-gain inverted-V-eq'd sounds. If you bought it for that, sorry, no cigar. It'll do Sultans of Swing, early Clapton Strat and Purple-era Blackmore through a pedal easily.
It WON'T do Buddy Guy, so treble is not a problem! The good thing about pickups is they can be changed easily, but before jumping to the conclusion you 'must' do it, set these and the guitar up properly first.

I bought mine knowing there were defects. It had hung in a Canadian Fender dealer's shop until they went bust, and was re-imported into Australia by a chainstore who aren't a Fender dealer. Blackened and one missing string, no player wear on the frets but lots of marks from being hung up at the back. The strings were off the neck by a mile, and had been made higher on the bridge. I put an extra quarter turn in the trussrod adjuster and the neck came almost perfectly straight. Frets are nearly perfect, with the 14th fret of the high-E needing a little attention. I have .010-.052"s on it which appeared to be the guage on it and fit the nut slots. This is the first guitar I've had from new that hasn't needed nut slots recut.

I dropped the action and the intonation came right back near perfect. For a guitar with fat strings and a 25.5" scale it is very easy to fret and play, does slide and blues great.

Shredders may not like it or the vintage neck radius - pays your money and takes your choices.

Otherwise, fit and finish, esp. the neckpocket are nearly perfect - my score reflects the post-setup guitar

Everything seems fine. Tuners are good, harware is not tarnished from neglect despite it's history. Finish is even and clear. Withstands playing a 3-hour set fine.

Not applicable - bought without warranty.

I rate it very highly. The later CIJ Fenders and the Classic series stuff from Mexico is IMHO a cut above the standard US-stuff compared back-back and not far short of the US-made resissues. Both my MIM and CIJ are very well finished with the Strat getting the nod overall for detail. I'm picky and have played some fairly ordinary and mucho more expensive Strats. Like when shopping for my Tele, I look for guitars that are highly resonant acoustically and appear soundly constructed. I've really lucked onto two great guitars, one a Mexican Tele and the other a Japanese Strat. They're both great guitars with 'the vibe' at a fraction of the cost and theft/damage worry-actor of a real vintage piece. A guy with a real '69 wouldn't believe mine wasn't a refin! The '68RI is everything I wanted in a Strat - does 'the quack' and a Strat acoustic simile on the neck/middle very well. Finish, fit action and stability I rate highly and it feels very solid.

Bear in mind here in Aus we don't get much choice and RRP on my '69RI which I bought in San Francisco for $1500 Oz including hardshell case is $2200 with no case! So at that price, with a s/h rectangular hardshell case and even with defects it's a bargain and I'm sure I could get my money back. But I'm not intending to!

This was made in Japan, in early '96. I bought it used. It's got a 3-tone sunburst body with maple neck. It's got kluson tuners, vintage tremolo, thin plastic nut and very small+thin frets. 3-ply pickguard, 3 single coils, 2 tone, 1 volume.Standard strat features!

I basically bought this for the looks, but when I plugged it in and added some chorus, it was like I just stole Stevie Rays #1! The neck pickup is amazing when used clean, but the other 2 pickups suck ass! I am going to be changing the bridge to probrably a Seymour Duncan,a dn the middle will stay the same because I only use it for maybe one song for like 10 seconds. (I would rather change to EMG's, but I dont want to loose the neck pickup, and I dont want it to sound uneven with output)

The action was pretty high when I got it, but it had 8's on it so it played like butter, but when I got it home I lowered it and put on 11's/ The finish was great, the way it looked was the reason I bought it pretty much. (Im a Les Paul guy)Like I said before the frets were way too thin and there was basically no nut because it was so small. Also the bridge was a piece of sh!t. I couldnt do any dives, so I switched it, and now it plays fine. The pickup selector was better than any other I've played on a strat. Very smooth, it was definately broken in great. Plus no noise when switching! I wasn't crazy about the fret size, so I scalloped the whole neck. The scallops are really deep, so you get that big fret feel! It plays great now, and the neck never warps!!!

This is a very reliable guitar. It's built like a tank.

Never dealt with them! Im a Les Paul guy!

I just bought this to get something different. I'll be using this for when I record. Just for clean though.

Bought in '97, Japanese reissue of '68 Strat
Standard Strat s/s/s 5-way 1 vol 2 tone
vintage style trem, tuners, frets
maple neck, Gorgeous Natural finish (just varnished, no paint anywhere). Very slim u neck, very narrow at nut, heavily laquered maple board. Large pre-cbs headstock with slotted tuners

Originally the pickups were pretty weak. From a sound prespective they were tinny and did not have a heavy, bassy aspect to them no matter what switch positions were used. From a quality prespective, the stock electronics in this guitar are garbage. The neck pickup started to act as a microphone...when I would tap on the pickguard with a pick it would make a tapping sound through the amp. Very bad. I swapped out all 3 original pickups for Fender Texas Specials (yes I am a big SRV fan) and they are great! They have a much wider range of sound including a warm deep bass when switched to the neck pick up...very nice. I would recommend Texas Specials to anyone seeking the Vaughan brothers sound. Also replaced stock switch which failed after a few short months of playinig with an American Standard switch. Hard to believe that you can feel such a big quality difference in something as simple as a switch.

Setup from the factory was good, but the action was a little high. I was told that the action could not be set as low as I wanted because of the shape of the neck would result in "fretting out" when bending high notes...but I found a great guitar tech who set it up beautifully. The action is now very low and neck is very fast. Electronics aside, the quality of the guitar is quite good. My natuaral finish example had a few small quality issues with the wood, and of course you can see where the body pieces were joined if you look hard enough, but this doesn't detract from the overall look of the guitar. I think that the combo of the fat pre-cbs (Hendix-eque) headstock and the all natural finish make this an amazingly sexy looking guitar. I do wish that the neck was a little wider at the nut as I do have large hands, but that is what you get with a 60's style strat neck. The neck is perfect for players with small hands.

It is a Strat...you really have to try hard to break it....and if you do break it, you can easily fix it. However the factory electronics are terrible and I would not trust it live until they were replaced with someting of a higher quality (not just the pickups...switch, jack, everything must go and be replaced with better stuff before you take it onstage). Also, I have been through two whammy bars...sheared them right off in the trem block...but I don't think this reflects poorly on the guitar...I think it reflects poorly on my playing style ;P

Never dealt with Fender, just go to the local guitar shop.

Playing for 5 years and this is my only electric (I swapped my Mexican Tele and an old Ibanez Roadstar for it). I just bought a Fender Stratacoustic. I am definitly loyal to Fender. I love their instruments, but just like any brand, the less you pay, the less you get. The beauty of the 68 reissue is you get a great looking and playing guitar for way less than the cost of an actual vintage. However, if you are serious about your sound of if you want to gig it, be ready to do some work on it (mainly electronics).

This is just a small update on my MIJ strat so far I have not had the cash for a refret/bone nut done. But I did replace the tremolo block and top plate with a vintage repro block and plate from Bill Callaham. Mr Callaham is in Virginia U.S.A. and is producing replacement strat blocks that fit the American and Japanese Strats these blocks are made from steel as were the originals . The difference this makes in sound and sustain has to be heard to be belived, the block that was on the strat was an inferior metal alloy mix, when I took it off I tied some string on it hung it up and tapped it with a metal ruler it was dead. I did the same with Bill`s replacement block and it rang out, so think how the one on your guitar is deadening your tone and sustain. When fitted and played the difference is stunning, the tone and sustain are much better. My guitar now sings and I would recommend this upgrade to anyone no BS. I said I bought this guitar to upgrade it and this small replacement is one of the best you can do, I am a player who wants a great tone before any electrical enhancement,pedals etc, and this does it to the bone. Collectors if that rocks your boat fair enough leave your guitar as it is . But players if you want to give your strat that extra edge try this upgrade. I live in the U.K and Bill sent my block after receiving the payment on the Monday and I got it on the Friday same week, great stuff great service. Bill also sells 6 replacement screws for the top plate , I have these as well but they are longer than the screws on the guitar already so to fit them I would have to lengthen the screw holes, apparently vintage Strat screws used to go into the tremolo spring cavity right through the body, but I have not fitted these yet , still thinking. Tonequest have got this trem block as there top upgrade on the strat they modified. Try out www.Callahamguitars.com/ . No I don`t work for or have anything to do with the company , but I do know that there are lots of players out there looking to get a great tone . Be interested if any of you do the upgrade on what you think. Next is the bone nut and re-fret as many have said the frets are not very good and I agree so they need to be sorted, I don`t know if they are just a cheap alternative to keep costs down or a reproduction of the originals.

For this upgrade

Bought in '91, Japanese reissue of '68 Strat
Standard Strat s/s/s 5-way 1 vol 2 tone
vintage style trem, tuners, frets
maple neck, 3 tone sunburst
plastic hardshell case

The neck pickup yielded great Hendrixesque tone through Chandler Tube Driver, Dunlop Wah and 71 Twin Reverb, but the bridge and middle (which I rarely use alone) were tinny and harsh. So, I went ahead and routed a nice big hole in the bridge for a Seymour Duncan vintage-style P-90 and that addded all the chunk I could ever want. Probably the best thing about reissues - cheap enough to cut up without remorse.

Set up nicely, low action. Under pickguard was surprisingly well done. The 3-tone finish chipped off kind of easily though but I guess I'm a bit rough on guitars to begin with.

Again, the finish. Looked good but flaked off. For a while it was my only guitar and held up nicely to energetic stage usage. The neck finish stood up well though.