Fender 60's Reissue Stratocaster

3 tone sunburst finish and features out the ass as with any Strat. The only thing different here is the additional vintage vibe it gives off.

I played it through a Fender Cyber Twin and a Marshall AVT150 half stack. Amazing! It sounded good on all the pre sets on the Cyber Twin and smoked on the AVT. It sounded beutiful when using the acoustic simulator channel on the AVT as well. i wouldn't replace the pickups at all. They are voiced like a vintage pickup and they are quiet for single coils. I played some Hendrix and some off the cuff blues, old Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and some Nirvana. It handled it well.

Setup, fit and finish were all top notch. The shop set it up before putting on the shelf. It stays in tune perfectly. The tuners are vintage as well. I like em. Near Mesiah like perfect.

I've seen many a Strat slammed into pieces on stage. I saw Kurt Cobain smash one and it took him a few tries. He could still play it after he was done. I have had Strats from my first guitar to now and they have fallen off stands, fell off of straps and have been dropped. They can take the abuse, but are not invinceable. Good stuff.

Slipknot kids need not apply. This guitar was not designed for aggressive metal. Buy one if you want a killer Strat sound with a vintage vibe. I own an Ibanez 7 stringer, several Fenders, Jacksons, Kramers, Gibsons and some misc. stuff that I found in pawn shops. I would have to say this is one of my favorites. Amp wise I have a Marshall JCM800, CRATE Blue VooDoo, Randall RG75 and an old Gorilla Tube Stack. Pedals are all BOSS..Heavy Metal Dist. Chorus, Flange, Delay, Super Shifter, Phaser, Auto Wah, EQ, NR, and Sustainer. I am trying the blues out right now. I hope to come as close as I can. I'm into everything from Jefferson Starship to Korn. I have been playing since 1982.

2002 mexicano
Lake Placid blue
By now you mostlikly know the rest.

First off this guitar is one of the best sounding stats that I have herd. Normaly I dont like strats but this one was just sounded to damn good. You could play just about any classic rock song you can imagine. Blues, Country pop-rock ANYTHING! Well not Death metal but then you'd look pretty stupid in some grotesqe mask sporting a strat. If your a fan of the Vines you would like this guitar Creig Nicoles plays a strat and on mny of their songs I can pick out the Strat's very stingy dry single coil sound cackling out at you. Its also good for Gunge Nirvana type stuff.

Well the thing that drew me to this guitar was the looks. The sound and all that crap came later. Basicly I went walking into guitar center looking for some kind of grunge machine like a Cyclone or something. Then off in the corner I caught a shot of that Lake Palcid Blue and my minde istantly thought MUSTANG! When I Saw the strat I was slightly dissapinted but not much here was this 60's reissue in Lake Placid Blue and its slightly aged. Good stuff. Well 500 dollers later I bagan to worry about the sound but that turned out fine. And as for the uniuqeness well, it must have laied re-issue eggs or something cause gutar center just got three more . Grrrrrr

I dont know about durability but its pretty tough i guess. I would definately gig with it.

Havent delt with em. Guitar center suck though,for my five Bengies all I got was the guitar no gig bag,not even a whammi bar. All I got was the crap hanging on the guitar. But it was well worth it.

Great overall guitar. Love it to peices. If it was stolen I'd run down the theif. And send him to mexico to make more of them. Or I'd send him to steal some from guitar center seing as they have three of them. Any think I wish it had? Racing stripes, yeah racing stripes and maybe a mathcing headstock. Well hell its a great guitar and I love it

Standard features, 3 single coils trem, rosewood fretboard, etc. Lovely lake placid Blue finish.

I don't understand these peope who complain about the lack of sustain and how thin and therefore naff it sounds. They obviously can't play it properly and need hot pickups and pedals to make it sound good (Hendrix didn't need Seymours!)

Strats and teles make you work for the tone. I play gibsons as well, and although they sustain forever and give an insta-meaty sound they're one trick ponies. That's why I got a Strat. If you get decent gauge strings on it and work with it for a while you can get great classic, soulful tones. Ok I'll admit there are better pickups that offer more clarity. and less noise, but if you want a clinical modern sound why are you buying a '60's reissue?
All in all this guitar is only as good as the guitarist playing it.

Pretty well set up by the shop, changed the strings , altered the action a bit. The guitar is put together really well, i have seen one with a mis aligned neck but this is a goodun!

Don't know what it is, maybe 'cause the staggered pole pieces are a bit grubby, and the aged scratchplate but it looks like it's been played around for a few years...and I like worn in guitars.

Built like a tank.

n/a

Been playing for 15 years, owned various different guitars. I really like the fact that I can do just about anything with this guitar, really opens up different doors for playing for a gibson to Fender convert. Also own a P90 Les paul

This is an update, check Northslide's comments. We're always happy with a guitar when we get it, but the newness wears off. MIM, 21 fret, non locking Fender tuners, Strat '60 body, string through trem, alder slab, passive pickups. Rosewood on maple neck, s/s/s/, the vintage jobs. Standard Strat features

I had it set up by a Fender authorized luthier. Still, it just does not sustain on it's own. You need a pedal. Very rich, full sound, but it just plain dies! I don't think it's the pickups, but the metal they used in the bridge, because it's uniform loss of sound. I use it with a Marshall mg practice amp and a Peavey roadmaster half-stack.

Most unfortunately, it is a superb intrument in fit, finish, looks. The bridge does not appear to be aligned properly, not by the luthier, but what he had to work with in the first place. I also don't like the action on the E. B, and G strings. Too high.

I'll use it for practice only. I am buying a '60 Strat NOS, and I'll trade this in. I wouldn't use it on stage, but that's my opinion.

Daddy's people ae okay, no problems. Had to deal with one wiseass.

Described in the previous report. Its a beautiful instrument to look at on the rack, but I always reach for my Washburn BT-2 with the Seymours in it. THAT guitar resonates and sustains, unlike the Fender. I love Fenders, too. The MIMs in my opinion are gorgeous, but once wired, their true lack of quality shows. Custom Shop, I'm on my way.

Vintage to the bone. 3 single coils, aged plastic parts, beutiful sunburst finish, alder body, maple neck, 21 thin frets on a rosewood board, C shape neck profile and very comfortable. 6 point vintage trem is as usual, needs alot of work to set up fo it to actualy be usable, but who cares, thats why the locking tremelo was invented. This Strat doesn't need a Floyd any way, it's a vintage 60's reissue!

Sounds like a 60's reissue. Compared it to a real vintage 60's model Strat and they sound close enough. I'd like to buy the brainstorm responsable for this a beer. Good job! I played it through a Cyber Twin and dialed through every channel. KILLER! I couldn't stand it any more and had to buy it. I will not be changing anything on this baby1 she's got everything you could want in a vintage reissue. I can even get some screaming Metal tones out of her with my distortion pedal ( BOSS Metal Zone ). Killer blues guitar too.

As near perfect as you can get. This one was set up at the store. I have 9's on her and will be leaving her that way. I just don't like 10's. Everything is top notch. Good job amigos at Fender-Ensenada Mexico. You guys are realy on top of things.

Things happen. I have carted as many as 10 guitars with me while touring. Sometimes you need a backup and sometimes you need versitility. A Strat is not my main axe, but I do use her alot. Strats do have string breakage problems from time to time.

For a killer vintage reissue Strat with what i think is the best neck profile in existance, the C shape. I use it for Cinderella covers and clean balad stuff. I own 3 other fenders, MIM Tom Delong Strat, 50's Telecaster reissue, Jackson DK2, BC Rich bolt on Warlock USA, Gibson LP Standard and an Epiphone Flying V. I play through a CRATE GX 65 with a Marshall AVT 4X12 cab and a DOD Delay, BOSS Metal Zone and a Morely Pro Series Wah. I have been playing since 1982 and have had alot of killer guitars over the years. Now all I need is an old Charvel Model 2 and I'm set. If you want vintage, comfort and good tone, buy a 60's reissue.

MIM, 2002, purchased from Daddy's Junky Shop. Alder slab, double cut, 21 vintage frets, S/S/S vintage passive pickups, you know, traditional Strat stuff. String thru trem, tri-color sunburst, U neck, rosewood fretboard. Non locking Fender tuners. Transparent Urethane. Nice gig bag came with it.

Blues is what I use it for. Pickups are a little weak but expected to be so being single coil. Sound is very bright and rich, pickups are quiet. I use a Marshal MG. Very authentic out-of-phase vintage Strat tones. No need to customize this baby. It sounds great. Just turn up the volume. There isn't one thing I dislike about this guitar or its sound.

Action was good, but high. Pickups were low. One of the bridge saddle screws is loose. It's still under warranty, so it's minor. Switch, pots, and pickups are all quiet and work perfectly. Magnificent fretwork. This guitar's neck is a work of art, a la the old Hagstrom I's. Fit and finish are superb. Not one flaw on the guitar. 4 bolt neck brace. Consider that before you shell out extra bucks for a '70s model, which is only tri-bolt. Wood quality is very good, glued perfectly. Pegs, nut, all excellent, simulate the vintage '60s guitar.

Fender is "live." The finish is very good, hardware excellent but machine stamped, and it should easily hold up to regular wear. trap buttons sufficient, old style. Dependable, but if I'd gig, I'd always bring my other guitar.

Fine warranty. Just have to bring it in the shop and they handle it.

I have a customized Washburn BT-2 besides this guitar, which is awesome. Daddy's people unanimously agreed that the '60s Strat Reissue is the best MIM on the racks right now. The American Standards are overpriced and the quality just isn't worth the extra money, doing my own side by side comparison. When I went in the shop, I had the money and planned to by an American Standard or Deluxe (which they didn't have in stock), but this guitar was a big step up quality-wise, and less money. This is a really nice guitar for the money. It has all the old features, a really spectacular sound, and the modern quality control. My favorite feature is the neck. Lost, stolen, I'd by another in a heartbeat. The only thing I wish it had was slightly more gutsy p/u s, like Texas Specials, as an option. But I guess I'll just have to suffer through this magnificent instrument in the meantime, right?

Japanese Fender '60s reissue Stratocaster, made back in 1987. I got it used from a store. It has been refretted by a previous owner and now it has 21 of the fattest frets I've ever seen. It has the usual 5-way pickup selector, volume control and tone controls. It has three low output passive singlecoil pickups. I don't know what wood it's made of (probably basswood) but the three pieces the body is made of can be seen if you examine the back of the guitar in normal daylight.

It has some kind of blue metallic finish, maybe a lake placid blue that has turned a bit greenish after years of exposure to sunlight. The finish is not as thick as the finish on most american Fenders.

The bridge is your usual vintage-style synchronized trem with stamped saddles. It's a shame that it didn't come with an "ashtray" or an arm. I'm planning to replace the trem with a steelblock trem as the previous owner had stripped all the screws when adjusting the bridge. I have replaced the stock tuners with a set of Gotoh locking vintage replacements. I also got a Graphtech TUSQ nut for it.

I can't define my music style, I play a little bit of everything. The stuff I write doesn't really fit into a genre. Except from my own songs I like to play songs by Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Buckley, MC5, The Beatles, Joy Division, The Stooges and Radiohead. I don't use any effects except from my amplifiers built-in reverb at the moment but I'm planning to get some effects soon (chorus and delay for a start). Like most singlecoil guitars it's a bit noisy but I don't care. My sound is as much in my amplifiers as in my guitar. I can get all sounds I desire except from meaty humbucker tones. This strat goes from thin to thick with the turning of a few knobs of the flick of a switch. Good enough for me. I know of a guy who makes excellent pickups by hand really cheap so I might just replace all the pickups. Not because they suck or anything it's just that handwound pickups made to suit your desires will always be cooler than stock pickups. And remember people, don't whine about strats until you've played one through a cranked tube amplifier of decent quality.

This guitar is fifteen years old and it has been played a lot and even refretted since it left the factory. But some things will always remain like the perfect neckpocket and the resonant woods used. During the years the bridge has rusted a little bit and the finish has a lot of dents and scratches in it. I just think that it adds some character to the guitar. This is the best playing strat I've ever come across. The neck fits my hand perfectly. That's why I bought it.

Just like people say, it's a strat. Even the shittiest strat tend to hold up pretty well in the long run. And this is a pretty good one. I have replaced the tuners, the nut and I will replace the bridge in short. But it's not because of shitty quality it's because I love modifying guitars, it's plain fun! This guitar will hold up for as long as I like.

I've never contacted Fender.

The japanese reissues are the coolest guitars Fender has ever produced. I haven't been playing for that long but I know a lot about guitars that some of my friends who have been playing for ten to twenty years don't know. The MIJ reissues are the best strats for the player on a budget. Considering the playability this guitar was dirtcheap. If I will ever lose it somehow I'd try to find another MIJ Fender. I recommend the japanese Fenders to players on all levels. You don't have to spend a shitload of cash to get a good sounding and great playing guitar.

Fender 60's Re-Issue Stratocaster in three color sunburst. The whole "vintage" vibe of this guitar is such a turn on, Looking at it it looks like a vintage 62' in mint condition. Just beutiful. Paid $560.00 for the guitar and got a Fender hardshell case for another $90.00. If you are to buy one of these guitars, be sure to get it in this same finish, it is the only one made with an alder body, all the solid color bodies are of either basswood or poplar, both are far less superior tone woods and far less durability. The reason the 3color is the only alder body is because basswood and poplar both have nasty greenish yeelow streaks in the wood grain which become very present to the eye even when the stain is applied, so to hide it they give them full solid color finishes and can use a more cost efficient wood . The 3 color burst is only another 35$ more but worth every penny. The poplar and basswood are also much softer woods and screw holes strip out very quickly when doing any repairs or mods. Purchase date for this guitar was 4/26/02, I don't know what year it is yet because I have'nt done a search on the serial yet, but I'm sure it is no more than a year old if that even. As far as features for a Strat, well I think we all know by now. Don't we? Ok, lets be redundant then. Three single coils, vintage style tremelo, bridge/saddles, tuners and 5 way pickup selector. All of the components are manufactured in the Corona Ca. facility and then shipped to the Ensenada Mexica plant for cheap labor assembly as well as saving money on it then becoming an export of Mexico. However, regardless of where it was assembled, what got me to buy this guitar was the incredible feel of the neck and body, especially the neck on this guitar, and I also own an Amer. Series Fat Strat TX Special. The craftsmanship is at least as good as anything I have seen come out of the US facility, maybe better in some exceptions. Has to be one of the tightest neck joints I have ever seen, you have to really squint to even see the joining seem. The rosewood neck has such a rich color I almost thought it was ebony, but knew better. The playabilty is so damn smooth you may wet yourself. As said I have an American Fat Strat, and I love it completely and would never part with it, but I will never part with this one either.

Ok, now if you read the above statement you know by now that I like the guitar, however I did not buy it for sound alone. I play most of the time through a THD Univale (amazing amp). The pickups are not that bad for what they are. There are some really pleasing tones from positions 1 through 4, however like many strats it is plagued by a not so great bridge pickup. Don't get me wrong you can get some fair tone out of it alone, but it is a bit on the thin side and not much for output. My plan is to remedy this with a full set of Texas Specials and then shield the entire cavity. I have those in my Fat Strat(neck and middle) and being pleased with them there I will get the whole set for the 60's, as I want a bit of a hotter signal and they will improve the bridge tones considerably as well as give a bit more added sustain to the overall configuration. However as I said this guitar does have many pleasing tones as it is, but could benefit from some better pickups especially the bridge. I am really giving it a 7.5 rating, but with the TX Specials and some shielding work it should be a 10 when I'm done. Other than that there is nothing to complain about.

Well the guitar came strung with Fenders 250's. I use Ernie Ball Power Slinky's 11-48. When I got the guitar home the first thing I did was check all the adjustments from the factory to see how close they were to my preferances. Well, the intonation was off quite a bit even for the factory strings and the pick up hieght was way to low across all three pickups, and the tremolo was raised higher than it should be. So after this assesment I basically tore the thing apart. I restrung it the Pwer Slinkys, adjudted the tremelo to 1/8" inch off the body, set the intonation as it should be and adjusted the pickup hieght, then fine tuned the whole thing. The action and the truss rod alignment were fine I did not have to make any changes to either. The vintage tuners are excellent, nice and tight, stay in tune and real easy to lace in the strings as well as having that lovely vintage vibe. Before I made the adjustments I would give this category a rating of maybe a 5 or 6. After I did the setup, it is a justified 10! Again the playabilty is just beutiful. String bends are effortless across the vintage frets! As far as fit and finish, like I said in the features, the quality is there hands down, as good as anything coming out of Corona Ca.

Again a 5 or 6 before setup and a perfect 10 after I did the setup.
You should figure in too that inshipping the guitars get exposed to different climates and storage enviroments, and things can get a little out of whack.

Once I install the Texas Specials, there is nothing I would'nt do with this guitar. It sounds really good as it is now, and will sound fantastic with the TX Specials, the construction, fit and finish is excellent, and the hardware is great. I have never owned or even condidered owning a Mexican made Fender, I always wanted American made and payed for it, but when I picked this thing up, I knew immediately I would be buying it. It was just so comfortable and inspecting the guitar found the quality to be superb.

I have never had a problem with any of Fenders products, so I can not justify any rating as I have no experience with this department of Fender.

I have always been scheptical of buying overseas made instruments from American made companies for several valid reasons. Study Fender history and you'll know what I am talking about. Anyway, I was and still am completly impressed with the top notch quality of this instrument. You can not beat the price for this guitar with anything else around. It could use a little improvement in the pickups, but overall this guitar has the quality of guitars selling for $1000.00 or more. To me the Strat is the most versatile weapon available, given its standard layout and the options available for hot rodding Strats, you can virtually turn a Strat into anything you like for any type of sound you wish. I now have two of them and will never part with them.

Mine is a 1996 Japanese-made Fender that i got new as a gift. standard fare here, 21 frets, 1 vol, 2 tone, 5 way yada, yada, yada, ya know, a strat. honestly, this is my favorite guitar of all that i've owned, nice, fat neck, heavy, but not too heavy, and great sounding pickups. i've had two other strats, both american made and neither of them sounded this good.

well, i've played a little of everything on this guitar, from punk to blues to metal to country and jazz, and it does everything well. nowadays, its mostly country and jazz/blues stuff, and the strat holds up against any i've ever heard. i usually play it through my fender blues deville or my harmony practice amp, both are tube amps and the combination of tubes and single coils makes for some noise, but oh what a glorious tone! no complaints in this department.

the only problem i've ever had with this guitar is the trem arm breaking off in the bridge, other than that it stays in tune and was set up beautifully at the factory and at heart of texas music in austin. i suppose the wood could have been bookmatched a bit better, but i play it, i don't stare at it.

as i've said, i've never had any problems with this guitar, and i work 'em hard. this one's been thrown around, bashed, stood on, and bent in all kinds of directions and it still plays and sounds true. i've used it a probably over a hundred gigs since i got it and it's always come through. nuff said.

i dealt with fender when i snapped the headstock off of my last strat, they're alright, but they didn't want to send me a new neck without getting the old one first. i didn't want to do that, so that's that. now you can buy the necks just like that, so i suppose that's all well and good. they also repaired an amp of mine a while back and returned it good as new in a relatively short period of time. kudos!

after 12 years, 8 guitars, and too many beers, i can honestly say this is probably one of the best guitars i've played, no joke. the japan thing was kinda iffy at first, but once it got settled in it feels like home. if i lost it i would probably eventually get another strat, but it'd be more likely that i get a tele or a gretsch before cause i've never owned one of them. in the end, if you like strats but aren't crazy about the prices, one of these is great whether you're startin' out or if you wanna mod one (they're cheap enough), or just leave it alone like i did and put some 13-56 gauge wires on it a get to rumblin'.

Fender Japan Vintage "60's" (1962) Stratocaster Reissue - "Celebrating 50 Years of Fender Excellence" Logo in Gold on reverse of headstock.

Dated 12/03/96 on underside of pickguard.

Contoured basswood body with bolt on maple neck (thin "C" shape) and rosewood slab fretboard - neck adjustment at body. Very tight neck socket.
Shell pink polyester finish (reasonable match in appearance to original 1961 Duco nitrocellulose finish).
Scale length of 25.5"
Radius of neck 7.25"
Headstock contour reasonably close to original - vintage style logo decals as well.
Vintage Kluson style nickel-plated enclosed steel machine heads.
Vintage style string guard.
Nut - cyclovac resin - width 1.25"
21 vintage style (thin) nickel alloy frets.
Standard controls - 5 position selector switch, 1 volume & 2 tone controls - all aged plastic hardware mounted to an 11 screw, 3 ply pre-1965 vintage style "greenish" pickguard.
3 vintage Alnico V magnet single coil pickups in standard combination with staggered poles and aged covers.
Chrome plated steel vintage style tremolo bridge.
Stamped case hardened nickel-plated steel adjustable vintage style saddles (with the "Fender" stamped on them).
Older Fender vintage reissue tremolo bar added - bar included not very close to original - also changed selector switch tip to Fender vintage style replacement as it was too small.
1 ply white plastic 6-screw backplate.

Fender vintage style 2" wide tweed strap.
Fender vintage style tweed case with red plush interior.
Fender Schaller nickel strap buttons added.

I admire (in no order) Reeves Gabrels, David Gilmour, Jonny G and James Iha/Billy Corgan.
I play this guitar through a Fender Frontman 25 Reverb amp with (in this order) a tuner, a Boss noise reducer, a Boss Metal Zone, a Boss Flanger and a Boss DD-5 Digital Delay. I imagine/hope I play some sort of hybrid of that sort of stuff...astral..
I use Fender original ball end nickel 150's (9-42) - with 3 springs from claw to block - and a 3/16 bridge gap.
I find the sound a bit muddy (especially when compared to the Mexican Strats - but I do not like those) although those crisp biting highs are there when needed. Not noisy or crackly in any way. The sound of this guitar can be (and often is) called "thin" when compared to other Strats but you can change the pickups if you desire - many sounds are available if you look for them. I have not needed to change the pickups. They are rich enough and quite full as long as you do not over-use effects but that can be said of any guitar. The sustain is fine as well. Overall, ?Fender tone? is present.

Factory set up was perfect - every specification was within 1/64" of the optimum. I was amazed.
The action is set low and can be lowered.
The pickups were adjusted to the proper height.
HOWEVER, The bridge and ?feel? seemed a bit strange when the tremolo was engaged. This led to a VERY extensive hardware stripdown and repeated examination of the entire guitar to find the problem(s). It was, ultimately, excess polyester finish under the bridgeplate that ran down into the cavity, causing it to actually catch on the bridge block when using the tremolo - this problem was "adjusted" somewhere along the line before I got it (yes, I bought it new) by slightly loosening the three screws that hold the bridgeplate to the block. This ?solution? made it impossible to intonate the high E. At the very first it appeared the holes drilled for the block were slightly off but I could not believe that. Once I re-tightened these three screws the excess finish was apparent, as the bridge and block no longer fit into the cavity properly - the solution I was not sanguine about - taking a file to my guitar. However, as someone had to do it I wanted it to be me. After VERY careful removal of the excess finish and much adjustment of the 6 bridgeplate screws (which apparently were sent stripped and were fixed by me and re-adjusted to allow the proper bend both up and down), the guitar works FINE!
Other than that major problem, the guitar is TRULY incredible. Obvious careful craftsmanship with the fretwork and ALL else (NO - I do not know how it got out with the problem described but, ever since I found the solution and fixed it, I would not part with it!).
The only real flaws still extant - well, the machine heads stay in tune for SURE - but are not as good as on the Mexican reissues. The basswood body seems to strip regarding screws quickly as in my repairs and the strap exchange - use hardwood toothpicks, glue etc...
If it were not for the problem described, I would unhesitatingly give this a 10! It is now a 10 and will remain so - it stays in perfect tune and intonation no matter what. Considering the severity of the problem I have to give it a 3 :(

The guitar will obviously withstand live performance.
The hardware will certainly last - the easy strip factor of the basswood re screws concerns me from time to time but I have not actually had to repair any of my repairs so?
The saddles are starting to rust, as are the pickguard screws - much to my satisfaction.
The finish seems quite durable (it IS polyester after all) and takes a good shine.
The strap buttons were changed to Fender Schaller locking buttons ? these holes were also stripped.
I would perform live with this guitar without ANY worry (now!).

I have dealt with the customer service guy and he/they are great. Very helpful and willing to share information.
Please note - I dealt with them before buying - they answered all my questions without problem and were great. I chose to deal with the problem I found later by myself - I just do not like the idea if shipping my guitar somewhere or having work done I can't watch. No bad inference regarding Fender Customer Support there.
I have no idea regarding the warranty, as I never get around to filling out those little cards. I am sure they'd help as I am the original owner.

I have been playing for about 10 years. I have owned several other Fender guitars.
I did a huge amount of research before buying this guitar and was armed with machinists calipers, depth and feeler gauges when I was called that it was in so I could check it out.
If it were stolen I would simply find it.
I love the reliability - the fact that it stays within factory specs without trouble and with such low action.
I hated the problem I described.
My favorite feature is it's vintage look and feel - the fact that it is pretty close to the specs of the original in so many ways and yet so cost efficient. Unbelievable value!
I do not play anything but Fender so I can't comment on other guitars.
I chose it for reputation and for its vintage features.

I WISH THIS HAD AN ASHTRAY!!!

Yes, a final word. Please do not be turned off by my bad experience regarding the repair and all - this guitar is awesome! It gets my overall highest accolades in spite of the problem - which says something!