Fender 60's Reissue Stratocaster

Mine was a 2001 Lake Placid blue model. I had jumbo frets put on it and thats all that I did to it, everything else was stock. Really nice aged hardware and a really excellent feel to the neck. It can handle any gauge of string. It came with 3 60's re-issue alnico pickups and all vintage chrome hardware. It was made in Mexico but was of stellar quality. Really nails the 60's style Strat well as far as this column goes.

Well, here's the tricky part. I did not like the sound at all, the bridge pickup had awesome output but it was way to trebly and the neck pickup was the same way except it had horrible output. I ran it through a Marshall JCM 800 and I could'nt get the sound I desires from a Strat, quite frankly I have'nt been able to get a good sound from a Strat in a long time and I am losing faith in Fender's quality control. It just was not a 60's strat sound, trust me I have played a '62 and that was beautiful this was not even close. Not very nice, all I wanted to do was play a little Jimi and it sounded nothing close to that.

Action was awesome, finnish was beautiful and the guitar did not have a single flaw on the neck, body or the hardware. Great quality instrument.

Built like a tank, I had bought an American after I got rid of this one and I wish the hardware, neck and body were of this same quality because then Iwould'nt have gotten rid of it. As for using it on a gig without a backup, no way I always have a backup, if you break a string thats not the guitars fault (most of the time anyway) but if strings were unbreakable and I enjoyed the sound of this guitar then yes I would use it without a backup because it was so solid.

No problems, did'nt deal with them.

I really wish these pickups sounded better because I would have kept the guitar then. It was a great guitar to look at and play but just did not have my sound, but to each his own, so I traded it on my American (which also sucked, but in every way as apposed to just pickups on this guitar). If Fender had the same guitar with noiseless pickups or Texas Specials (which sound very similar to the overwound 60's pickups) I would buy it but not these pickups, no way. They have no balls or chunk to them. Try it, you may or may not like it but I sure did'nt.

M.Y. 2000, MIM Sunburst over Alder body. features the one thing it should TONE. Pre-CBS greatness.

Mine unfortunatley came with a mis-fit tortoiseshell pickgaurd and a HORRID set-up!!! Not to mention TINY ernie ball slinky's(eeew!)...9's on a strat..never!!! Not a perfect finish...which is cool..kinda a vintage vibe I was lookin for anyway. Great C neck shape, tinted neck, awesome early "Spagetti" logo on the early headstock. No one can tell its mexican until they are within inches, I've played REAL 60's fenders, and I've played lots of AMERICAN Fender RI stuff..and I really like this guitar, for the vintage vibe and the price...very tough to beat.

No wonder the last owner got rid of it, they OBVIOUSLY didn't know how to play it judging by not being able to bend the high E more than 1 step above the 15th fret! Fixed that REAL quick!

Its what it says it is...a 60's rehash from mexico. I might add most of the parts are the same as the american..and this things cost me 1/4 the cost and has GREAT 60's tone. Looks early 60s, sounds early 60's...nice job over at Fender...

Now if Fender could do something that even COMPARES to G&L in the American lime I'd be happy to buy something more expensive, you guys are DREAMING if you think those US *assembled* reiusses are worth even 300$ more than the mexican *assembled* ones...let alone 1000$ more.

Great...sounds like I 60's strat..no need to elaborate, read the other reviews. I like it better than most of the american strats that are out now...they sound dull, and cost waaay too much for a dull sounding guitar.

Thank god the last owner(s) didn't touch too much other than the pickguard and the bridge saddles.

trem is still set up well....

None of the Fualts were fenders, I played these new before I bought the used one!
From the factory they are usually set up well, everybody has things they like to fine tune.

Great, it survived that last owner! It's a fender isn't it...

I use it to play around, if I gigged I'd alternate it with my G&L ASAT, depending on the sound I was going for.

Everything is solid...

Never had to deal with em.

Great little guitar if you can find one used. Hopefully if you do find one used, it will come from a previous owner who appreciated it and didn't mess it up! Now I'm gonna go spend money to make it all "correct" again, and add a little touch of my own.

Beware of the "'62 pickgaurd" that comes on these..not standard issue.

2002 Fender 60's Reissue Stratocaster in Lake Placid Blue. I literally scoped this guitar out on the wall of the music store my son goes to for music lessons for 4 years. The flame on the maple neck back side is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. Custom shop one off quality all the way. Fender's UK website also took a tour of the Ensenada facility and revealed that the necks for the 50's reissue and 60's reissue are made in Corona California and shipped to Mexico for final finish and assembly. It's funny because I kept thinking " how come only the Lake Placid Blue 60's Strat's have this incredible neck figuring", duh it was the same guitar! And nobody bought it. It was always hanging in the nose bleed rack on the wall of the store. So I took it down 3 weeks ago and it played, felt and sounded great even with the original black and rusty strings. not a mark or a ding on it. I asked the dealer about a good buddy deal and walked out the door with that day. The Lake placid blue finish is very cool.

The neck feels great, the vintage frets seem to play better on a rosewood board for me. I'm an old blues R&B kind of guy so I'm sure this guitar will do me well, especially through my Blues Junior. I really haven't had a chance to put this puppy through its paces; but I will before New Years. I wish it had medium jumbo frets though.

The dealer put new strings on it and set it up the day I bought it. Finish is spotless.

I've been a big fan of the hipshot tremsetter and the newer smaller roller nut. I have another Strat setup like that and use it exclusively, no backup. I will probably have a back up for this guitar until I'm comfortable with it's performance.

I have had warranty service in the past and Fender has stepped up to the plate.

I've been playing a long time and have lot's of gear. But I am a minimalist when it comes to gigging. Guitar and amp does it for me. Blues Junior, Brown Deluxe w/JBL and my main axe. I love the feel of the neck and the overall looks, I prefer transparent/translucent finishes but the lake placid blue and highly figured neck makes this a real sweetheart. I wish it had med-jumbo frets, hip shot tremsetter and roller nut. After I've paced it in the next few months I'll decide which options I'll have installed then or maybe none installed. I will most likely leave the frets alone.

3 color burst...2002 MIM, Alder body blah blah blah

After a I set up the action and the crappy bridge i pluged in to my Roland Cube 40..The old orange ones...thinking i bought this new in 1980...sounded great, very little noise, love the 2 and 4 sets. I play mostly blues so this is a good fit for me. Would rank higher but theres better pups on the market...but for stock this baby sounds sweet.

I got mine used if ebay, first off the neck was loose, no big deal, I think the Ping bridge is chit....works ok i guess but i'm used to playing a 64 Frankenstien start with a real bridge. Spend the extra money for the 3 color sunburst, mine awesome, for a mexican made guitar the baby is pretty nice...I played alot of American made Strats and this is equal or better.

Play it every day and gig with, yeah i have a back up charvel but just in case i break a sting.

bought used no warranty

Been playing 30 years, own a 1980 Heritage Les Paul, Charvel, 64 Strat with Mighty Might Body, ES-335 dot board Mesa Boogie 60 watt stack and too many effects. This is now my main axe i really love it...cept the bridge but i'm just being anal there.

Standard for this model. Improve as noted above.

A fine sound stock, great platform for improvement with carefully chosen custom pick-up set, such as S.D. SSL series, Antiquity series, Fenders own Custom Shop sets, L. Fralin and other Vintage winds.
Also, balance the electronic choice with available string type and gauge. Fenders 150 series are warmer and more correct for this model than 250s', excellent against Texas Specials P.U. set, and so on.

Action set-up is generally good on these(I own three), but like the originals must be personally tailored to player.
Buzzing must be traced out carefully, and resides in the nut, saddles, bridge assy, trem block and neck relief. This should not deter purchase; a guitar that fits the player is made, not bought.
Spend the time to make the guitar yours.

These are as sturdy as this instrument design can be. The polyester finish will give more service than lacquer. Excess abuse will
eventually take its toll.
I do recommend replacing the bridge weight block screws. Factory used metric M4-4mm which are too short. Replace with stainless M4-12mm from Ace hardware bins.
This anchors the block to the plate, increasing sustain to very high degree.

N/A

Excellent. No better product can be had short of expensive handmade custom work.

Used 2001 Mexican reissue Lake Flacid Blue (more on this in Fit-n-Finish below) Strat: alder body, maple neck w/ dark rosewood (nice grain btw) fretboard, 21 frets, bone nut (?) w/ that aged butterscotch tinting Fender loves sooo much --- s/s/s pickup config, blah, blah, blah...standard reissue Strat stuff here except for the pickups. Previous/original owner swapped out the original neck & bridge pups for a set of Lindy Fralins...(nice); glad he did, 'cause I played every other Mexi Strat there (@GC) and the stock stuff is nice for the price but will leave your ears seriously unfulfilled.

I give this rating category a 10 --- not because it has all the best features, but because the features are quintessential Strat features. If you want something other than, get a Paul.

I give this an 8 only because w/o the upgraded pups it would rate a 6; almost Strat but no cigar. The Lindys help bring this baby to life, but it's no CS or SRV or Clapton or any-other-overpriced showboat. It's all-Strat, all the time and seems to work best through a nicely enhanced tube amp.

Just to torture myself, I took down one of the $2,300+ Fender Custom Shop 60s reissues and compared it side-by-side to this little Mexi. Then I grabbed a few more down and played to my ear's delight. Yes, there IS a difference. Huge...(but certainly not $2,000-huge)...which is why I waltzed out of there with the Mexi while the CS hangs indefinitely awaiting a visit from Trump or Gates. Yeah, 8's a fair rating, although, considering the price...it might deserve a 9...but that's my wallet talking.

Bought this bad boy used and abused. Previous owner was a blues player; played for sound, not for show. Dings, marks, scratches, rubbed, scared; yes, blemishes abound with this beast. Even looks like he may have either played it to death or put it through his own special belt-sanding, drag it behind the wife's Buick home-relic torture test. Not too bad, but enough to give it plenty of character. Other than the abuse, the neck pocket is virgin-tight.

Action was another story: HORRIBLE...for me, at least. Was set up very strange w/ every string at an ever-increasing distance from the frets w/ the 9-gauge E-string what seemed to be about a foot of clearance...and here's where I do my fellow Strat-brothers a favor...(hopefully). Now, I thought I had every Allen-wrench God ever inspired, but I was wrong as I couldn't find anything to fit the incredibly small saddle adjustment screws on this reissue bridge. They were even smaller than all the other Mexi Strats at GC. Was very weird and almost thought I'd have to invest in new saddles until an old friend and guitar gu-ru set me on the path of wrench enlightenment --- (.050 allen wrench is the answer boys, just in case you've been battling the same dilemma).

With that out of the way, WHY am I giving it a 9??? Two reasons: a) the saddles were easily adjusted once I got the right wrench, and 2) while I consider relic-ing totally poser, I am diggin' the look and well-worn in feel of this guitar. Just something about laying one's hands on a guitar that has sung it's heart out. I simply wouldn't refinish it all perty for anything.

Hey, if you read the above Fit-n-Finish comment, you know what my response here will be. For those of you who didn't, here it is: It's already been through hell, beer and who knows what else. I think it's proved itself in this department.

They're Fender. They make...what? ...like a bazillion guitars every hour? Never dealt with 'em and don't know that I ever would. I put more trust in my local guitar techs than in corporate Fender or corporate anybody else. "No opinion" on this one.

Been playing awhile and seem to know my way around guitars. Mostly own high-priced hand-made acoustics and a custom jazz guitar or two --- with one old vintage Tele just to keep me honest.

If it were stolen, I wouldn't buy a new one and upgrade the pickups; too much money. I guess I'd just wait for Mr. Fate & Ms. Kismet to get together and let another used-n-abused one like this fall into my lap. Either that or buy a used one on the cheap, run down the original owner of this one and get him to beat the sh!t out of it for me; worked on this one anyway ;-)

For $250, yeah...awesome value! For too much more...naaa.

Unlike a lot of the other reviews, I will be looking at this guitar a bit critical. It's a 2005 Fender Classic 60's Stratocaster in Olympic White with limegreen scratchplate and tinted knobs. This guitar was Made In Mexico. The body is alder like a real Fender, rosewood fretboard og maple neck. Vintage 6 point tremolo, and a 5 way switch(although the 3 way switch was the standard in the 60's). 3 single coil pickups, vintage tuners. Basically this is a Mexico Strat made to fit the 60's standards.

The frets are vintage and are rather small which is good for some players, but not so good for others. I don't really mind the small frets.

This is a cheaper version of the American Vintage 62 Strat, but the differences are minor. The tuners on the AV are Gotohs, if I remember correctly, and the ones on this one are Pings.

I give the features an 8 for overall, but 9 for the price. You have to pay over double for the AV 62 Strat, so you get a lot of bang for the buck on this one.

The stock pickups weren't mindblowing but decent. The neck and middle pickups where decent and the bridge was bad. They're alright, no doubt about it, but if you're concerned about tone you can get some new pickups. The bridge pickup was quite thin and annoying to the ear, but very country sounding. The middle pickup was more mellow, having a bit more bass and mid to it compared to the bridge pickup. The neck was the best sounding of the three. Very warm sound, great for blues. Since they're all single coil pickups there will be hum, but you don't really hear it when you're playing. The pickups aren't the best in the world, but are pretty decent. They are a bit muddy if you playing with overdrive or distortion.

I wasn't satisfied with the bridge pickup and changed it to a Seymour Duncan SSL-3 hot, which has a lot more output and therefor more ideal for rock music with overdrive and distortion. I also decided on putting an Antiguity Texas Hot in the neck which gives it a lot more warmth and clarity when played clean. I don't use the middle pickup that much, so it's still stock.

I play various types of music but this guitar is used for rock(hard), and blues. I play it through a Marshall TSL 100 watt head and a 1936 cab, and a Fender Blues Jr. With the Marshalls dirty sound and the bridge pickup you get the nicest sound. A lot of bite and bark, ideal for earlier Foo Fighters, Green Day, Pearl Jam etc.

With the upgrade of pickups you have an incredible sounding guitar depending on your own taste. Personally I would upgrade them because after you have a worldclass guitar!

Without the mods I would give it 7?, but after 9?.

The action is normal, a tad too high for my personal likings, but a trip to a tech and it's done. I'm just too lazy to do it myself. The intonation was great out of the box. The only thing really to complain about is that the thin E string a bit out of place on the fretboard on the higher frets. It has a tendency to "fall out" of the fretboard, but a Strat isn't an easy guitar to play on, and it wouldn't have its charm if it was.

I'm very confident in the mexicans craftmanship. They want to prove the "real" Fender in the US that they can make as good instruments as they can. The finish is nice and seems very durable. It would have been cool if they had a nitrocellulose lacquer like the AV series, but then the price would have been different. Basically this guitar is very well built.

I haven't dealt with them, but the store I got it at had a salesperson who specialized in Fender equipment and made me feel comfortably in buying one.

This is an excellent guitar for the money. I wouldn't trade it for a more expensive US Standard. In my opinion, this is superior to the US Standard, and is cheaper. If you have the extra cash I would buy an American Vintage 62 reissue instead and get the full treatment, but this is definately awesome!

I've been playing for 11 or 12 years now, and own a Fender Jaguar from Japan, an Ibanez Talman TC-720, a Morgan Acoustic, 2 different amps, and a new guitar coming soon.

I love the fact that it's made in Mexico and plays so nicely! I was a bit scared of the "Made In Mexico" tag, but after playing it I'm convinced that the reason why the US Standard series costs so much is because of the "Made In USA" tag.

I chose this after playing the US Standard. I hope you will do too.

Stock it's about 7, but if you change the pickups, you have a guitar at about 8-9. For the buck it's 10!

Who needs a USA '60s Re-issue which will cost double of a Mex '60s Re-issue? I bought a '60s Mex re-issue for #389 yesterday and, at themoment, have no regrets. It's the spitting image of John Frusciantes '60s strat, for those of you who dont knw he's the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist. All control knobs, pickup selector cover and scrath board are vintage tinted. All hardware is standard fender and who needs better? Standard Fender hardware is more then enough. 21 Fret rosewood neck fits my lead guitar playing needs. When I picked up this guitar I just knew it was the one for me, the feeling you get where you just know this guitar is made for you.

I play Rock, Punk, Metal, just about anything and it fits every style I've tried to play. This is the gutar everyone can use. I run it through a Marshall 200W Silver Jubilee full stack with a BOSS GT8. Come on, whats a '60s Strat without noise? If you are complaining about a '60s Strat being noisy then go back to Guitar School. Kick your distortion pedal on, play the chord of E and just stand infront of your amp and let that chord ring! Rich, Full and Bright, hyou get it all from a Strat. There is endless variety from this guitar. Get it, experiment and enjoy! Thats what guitar playing is about. Explore this beauty! If you had a dislike about this guitar then why buy it in the first place!!!

Come on, it was made by Fender!!!

Live playing a Fender is what it's all about. Hardware is spot on. Finish, a guitar looks just as beautiful worn out as it does brand new. Strap buttons, with a new guitar you should buy Schaller strap locks, you don't have to worry about dropping your guitar whilst you jump around on stage, but that depends on the player themselves. Can you depend on a Brand new Jag (car)? You could gig your whole life with this guitar and not have a backup.

There is no need to deal with Fender once you've bought the guitar itself. Follow all the tips to keep your guitar in tip top shape and you'll never have to deal with Fender again, unless you buy another guitar from them, which I definately will!

Been playing 15 years. I own a Gibson Les Paul, Fende '60s Mex Telecaster, Martin Acoustic 000-15. I would never put this guitar in a position were it could be stolen or lost. I love all of it!!! You wouldn't compare a Strat to anything else, you'd be comapring other guitars to the Strat. I wish it came with a Marshall JTM45 100W full stack, but I'm not in heaven yet!!!

2002 Mexican, 21 frets, alder body, sunburst finish, rosewood fretboard, vintage hardware, purchased on Ebay, came with Fender Noiseless PUPS installed with original PUPS and pots extra. Have to give it a 10 for features because it is exactly what it is: a vintage style Strat.

Great for all styles but I play primarily Blues and Rock. Gear: '66 Vibro Champ, '70 Champ, '64 Gibson Falcon, '56 Magnatone Troubadour, Alesis Microverb, Ibanez DL-10 Delay, Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive and Tokai Compressor. After using it with the noiseless PUPS, I felt there was something missing so I re-installed the originals. This made a big difference in tone, esp. on overdrive. The originals were smoother and it was easier to get pinch harmonics. The noiseless were basically the opposite. Also, I didn't find the originals overly noisy so if a classic Strat sound is what you want, give the original PUPS a chance before spending $$$ on expensive replacements.

Guitar was in new condition when I got it a few months ago. Eveything was great except the nut needed to be recut on the G string which kept popping out of its slot. Otherwise, it was near perfect.

Time will tell but it should still be around after I'm gone [I'm 42]. Fenders seem to last forever.

Haven't dealt with Fender but I all my Fenders were bought used anyway.

Playing for 15 years, still a beginner LOL. Aside from the gear mentioned above, I have a Phoenix [Japan] '52 Tele lawsuit copy, '83 Squier Japan '70's Strat, Highway One Tele. If stolen, I'd kill the thief, if I lost it I'd kill myself for being so stupid. Love everything about it. esp. the chunky "C" neck. I've played the Mex. '50's Strat and Tele also and would recommend any of these guitars from this series.

awesome feel and finish, hard to believe its brand-new. feels broke in from the start, all vintage aged hardware. very stable klusons, aged knobs pickup covers switch cover and pickguard. Awesome! definately not a toy

i dont know if it came from the factory with custom shop pickups in it, but mine has them. staggered poles, vintage sound. kinda noisy in front of computer monitors or too close to fluorescent lights but you can move away from them. the tone is incredible. it is so easy to get that SRV sound even with light gauge strings. this guitar loves vintage distortion sounds and tremolo effects. a real bluesy sound! this is not for the metal guys!

the action is typical of an older strat but is surprisingly comfortable. i prefer the vintage frets. they arent too tall so they are easy on the fingers. the finish is impeccable, you have to love the vintage tinted maple neck. it looks like a guitar that was well-cared for while playing in smoky old blues lounges. the fretboard has rolled edges that make it feel broken in right out of the box. the neck joint is perfect. i couldnt find one flaw in the guitar and i can be picky

do i even need to answer this question? come on its a fender! this is easily capable of being your every gig main guitar.

never dealt with them, i fix my own problems, have no patience to wait for my guitar to come out of the shop

i have been playing 18 years and i am giving this a perfect 10 because i just cannot see the point in spending so much more money just to see made in usa written on my guitar. this thing plays better than EVERY usa fender i picked up at the store, no exaggeration! BUY ONE

1986 Fender Japan 60's (62) re-issue Strat, alder, 5-way, volume ,tone, and tone.knobs. 3 stock singles and vintage trem. Black w/ the best neck Fender ever put on a guitar! Neck heel serial number. Vintage slotted tuners. This was how I got it, beat to shit but the neck was perfect. I'll give it an 8 the way it WAS.

Sounds great, a little bit of hum, I run it tru a 5150 w/ a Randall XL 4X12 w/60 watt Vintage 30's or a Soldano 50 watt R.O.S.

Everything was great involving the fit, finish and action but....I couldn't leave well enough alone so I hot rodded it. Added Van Zandt Strat Blues pick-ups, a Wilkinson Trem w/string savers and a beautiful C.A.R paintjob. Also added distressed knobs 5-way and pick-guard.Now it's the best sounding strat I've ever owned......which says alot since I've been playing since 1968!

This guitar is eye candy yet will hold up to anything thrown at it though I baby it. I would definatley gig with out a back up...she's just so damn reliable! Put strap locks on it ant the slotted tuners are just awesome, very stable with ZERO slippage. She's my #1.

Who needs it?

I put $300 into all the modifications and paint job it it will rival CS Strats and many high end axes. It was a jewel in the rough, all she needed was some TLC. Been playin' since 68 and I will never part with it, she's just a flat out tone machine! I love everting about it especially the neck, it is just a joy to play. Fits like a glove.

'04, Mexican, 3 Singles, etc.

Bzzzzz-note-zzzz-note-zzzzzz-chord-zzzz Yup, it's a strat. I like the single coil bite, not the buzzzzzz. It's okay through an amp, but I can't record direct.

As one other mentioned, the high E string is quite close to the edge of the fretboard. I re-aligned the neck for some improvement, but it takes some awareness not to slip over the side. I lowered the action and it plays quicker and smother than I do. The low frets are what sold me this guitar.

The pots feel like cheap crap. They work as intended, just don't feel very smooth. The trem stays in tune for days.

I wish I'd have shopped more before buying this one. It's a good guitar, but I don't like it.

OK, I laughed when I started reading some of the reviews about these Mexican 60's strats because I felt the exact same way, too. I couldn't believe I was playing a Mexican strat. In fact, they had a REAL 1962 strat at Guitar Center and i got to play it side by side with this little import... I couldn't tell the difference!!! The workers in Mexico are out to prove something. This guitar has the jumbo frets, 60's rosewood neck, flawless sunburst finish, and is heavy as hell. In fact, heavier than the USA reissue or the real 1962 strat I played. Maybe that's why it has such tone.

I played every friggin' strat at Guitar Center and this Mexican has the best tone bar none. Rich full strat sound... the sound that made Fender famous. I am still shocked.

I can not tell the difference between this guitar and an American strat. Factory settings were right on. The quality of the wood showing through the sunburst finish is awesome. Did I mention it's heavy!!!!

It's a strat... I'll be leaving it to my grandkids. LOL

Never had to use it.

Unbelievable value... just wish it would come with a hard case instead of a gig bag. All those things people are writing about this guitar is true. Better watch out Corona, CA because your cousins are trying to outdo you!

Japan made 60's stratocaster, bought new in the summer of 1986 at Sound Side in Stockholm, Sweden. Rosewood fingerboard. Don't know the wood of the body, but it's very lightweight. A sticker on the body advertised it has US made pickups. Seems very true to the 60's original. It's olympic white and all plastic parts have aged nicely into a yellowish colour.

I just couldn't resist the sound and feel of this guitar. It has a loud and warm sound when played unplugged.
I've played it through several different amps and it always sounds great.

The setup was really good from the start, but over that years I've had to adjust the neck and action a couple of times. But once that's done it plays great.

No problems, except I had to clean the 5 way switch and volume pot.
The guitar seems very reliable.

Never needed any support.

I've been playing 30 years, nowadays I play mostly steelstring acoustic fingerstyle. I would replace it if it got stolen or lost.
I went into the store to get a Telecaster with maple fingerboard and got out with this. I fell in love with it right away. I've played custom shop and relic Strats but I fail to see the greatness of them. However fender quality seems to differ from guitar to guitar so be sure to try out a lot of them to find that special one.
How anyone can buy a guitar through internet without even trying it I can't understand.

60's Mexican Strat? This is the damndest guitar I've seen recently! It's new, ash body (natural color), maple neck with HUGE slab rosewood board, dot markers (positioned correctly for an early sixties strat), and a skunk stripe on the back of neck! ( Iwas under the impression these were only on necks with maple fingerboards! ) It's a 4-bolter, and has the small peghead, with seventies style shallers. It says "Limited Edition" on back of peghead. Front of peghead says MADE IN MEXICO. What the hell is this??? Has big fat 50's style neck, with a nice concave (rounded fingerboard), and medium jumbo frets. It also has a huge tremelo block, and a real bone nut! Have the Mexicans started their own "custom Shop"???

This thing is awsome! I was so confused looking at it, I had to try it out for shits and giggles. I currently own 46 guitars, and most are vintage strats, LP's, and various Gibsons. I pluged it into a re-issue plexi and cranked it clean. This is the second Mex guitar that blew me away! ( the first being the Jimmy Vaughan)....If I knew what the hell it was I'd be happy, as I havent seen another one. As I said, it's new, and was just purchased frm (OK, no scowling), Guitar Center in Warwick, R.I. This thing rocks!

Where is it written that Mex strats are supposed to be perfect????? Do you have any idea how embarrasing this is after spending half a lifetime, and thousands of dollars on the real things! I'm guessing, after taking the damn thing apart,(and finding ALL AMERICAN PARTS!), that the Mexicans are trying to prove something to their cousins 22 miles away at the U.S. plant! Hey, live and learn!

Surprise, for all you blue-noses out there who think that the real 50's and 60's strats were all that. BULLSHIT! I have 'em, and there are good ones, and not so good ones. This is going to be hard to swallow, but this Mex job is built just as durable, sounds better, and even feels better! (OK, so I would have said "youre full of shit too!"

I've had to deal with Mike at the Fender custom shop twice in the past 3 years. He was very helpful, and resolved problems with custom shop models I've bought. (You'll have better luck dealing with Fender than Gibson....sorry Chuck, ya know I luv you guys too....

33 years already??? But seriously, I wasnt kidding when I said that I think these Mexican workers are out to prove something! Take a look at the tuners..(no more PING) take a look at the bridges, no more crap!, and the're routing the bodys s/s/s Makes you wonder doesnt it???? This guitar may be a one-off, I dont know, but pics available on request.

Mexican made 3 tone sunburst, mint green pickguard, vintage style hardware, and aged parts. Alder body which only applies to the sunburst I believe. Simple and what a strat should be.

I have a Victoria amp and pretty much anything even a squier would sound cool in one way or another through my amp. I have owned 3 different american vintage reissues and this is pretty much right on with them. I know the electronics are probably crap along with the pickups, but I didn't like the pickups in the american vintage series either because I have sold every one of them. This should sound great with some new pots and texas specials or CS 69's, but until then this gets an 8. Try adjusting the pickup height and this might work great for you.

I had to do some adjustments at home with the bridge, but it was pretty decent from the store. Everything looks ok, but it takes about a year for a guitar to show it's true colors after a little sweat and a few beatings.

I think it will last for a while, but I will have to change the electronics. I have used a Jap strat which led me to buying a bunch of american guitars because the electronics are cheap and crap out when you least expect it. This is backup for right now until I have the money to make it my #1. Get a new input jack to for it too-infact replace everything that has a wire going to it and you should be fine.

I have been playing for about 15 years. I own a great amp and a few great pedals. I will tell you that tone is in your hands, but good guitars make our lives easier. I own an Ibanez 70's LP knock off which is great, a National Resolectric (super cool), and now this. This will round out all of the tones I should ever need. Like I said I have owned a American vintage RI 57 black strat, a 62 RI telecaster 3 tone sunburst with double binding, and various amercian standard strats. They are a nice guitar if you are shopping for the real thing and have to have an american guitar, but don't have the $$. I don't like buying from Mexico or from Japan, but I really had to. I can't afford to buy a $1200 reissue only to drop another bit of cash for new pickups and then it really isn't what I paid for to begin with and I don't like the hardware and neck on the American standard strat. This was the best option of classic looks, feel, and tone and I won't feel bad doing mods to it. Play this back to back with the reissue or the real thing with your eyes closed and you probably won't notice too much difference unplugged, but plugged in you will. I will give it an 8 for now, but it should get a 9 or 10 after I do some upgrades. It's fair because this is how most of you will hear this guitar and buy it this way. It's worth the money.

This is a Vintage look a like 1962-65 Strat. MIM but done extreamly well. My Axe is three color sunburst on a alder body. These have all american hardware, Ping topload tuners, Ping vintage bridge, Bone nut,
21 fret's on a 7.5" rad slab rosewood board, Truss rod adjusts from the body side, Special wound pickups to give the vintage 60's sound,
Mint green pickguard, Aged plastic covers and switch tips, Even the trem arm is a diferent threading than standard strats, And all in a high gloss finish including the neck. The decals are also vintage 60's. All in All it realy an supurbly made Axe.

I am in love with this guitar for the way it was made. I dont like the sound at all. I have three other fenders that would out do this axe in a NY minute. These vintage pickups are not for me and I've already been searching E-bay for a set of Standard Mexican strat standard ceramic pickups from a 90's model. They are realy the best sounding Strat pickups ever ( I play Jazz and Blues ). If your into surf music then maybe you will like the vintage pickups, but too me they sound awfull and weak. I have to preamp them alot more than any of my other guitars. I have gold lace sensor strat Pretty good and a Tex Mex strat nice, but my Standard 98 strat rules for sound and power
as these 98 pickups are designed after Fraylin pickups.

Action Great except the High E is a little close to the Edged. I tried to move the saddels but they go right back. Its playable though.
other than that fit and finnish are about as good as it gets. Thats why I am keeping this axe and will just go for some new pickups.

As with all fenders this is my fourth and I never had a problem.
These are not prone to trouble.

I never had to call on fender for anything.

I have been playing since 1957. I play by ear mostly to smooth Jazz and Modern Blues.
I have more equiptment and guitars than anybody deserves. 21 guitars and 7 amps. I use Boss and sometimes toneworks (Korg) effects. My favorite amps are Crate, and my best guitars are Gibson, Fender, and Yamaha.
Most of the new fenders sound weak to my ears anyhow I feel fender the go the same route as Gibson in the future, and give you the very best pickups even on the least expensive models if they want to continue to survive in this competitive world.

Mine is a MIM Lake Placid Blue '60s Classic Strat made around 1999/2000 according to the s/n. As others have noted it has all the vintage appointments right down to the notch in the pickguard where the truss rod is. The only modern "upgrade" is a 5-way selector switch, which I don't particularly like. (I can't stand that Robert Cray/Mark Knopfler out of phase Strat tone.) That is really the only negative thing I can say about it!

I bought this guitar shortly after purchasing an original 1964 Fender Reverb unit to go with my '63 Bandmaster. The Reverb inspired me to want to play some surf music! Aside from that, my band does mostly authentic '60s garage and British Beat type stuff. I immediately strung this Strat with a set of .011 Thomastik Infeld Swing Series flatwounds for that genuine '50s/'60s tone, and was pleased to find it still effortless to bend strings (which is not usually the case with flatwounds). They say that if an electric guitar has a good sound unplugged, that it will likely sound great when amplified. That is definitely the case with this guitar. Unplugged it already has a rich, sparkling tone, and I kind of dig the way the vibrato springs give it a bit of a natural reverb effect! Plugged in, I was blown away by how rich it sounds. The bridge PU on its own is a bit too shrill for my taste, and the neck PU has that rich SRV/Hendrix blues tone. I mainly use it in the middle positon (bridge + middle PU), which has that classic rockin' Strat sound. Played through the aforementioned '64 Reverb + '63 Bandmaster, it's as if you're channeling 50 years of rock'n'roll history. It really has the VIBE. The first time I used it with the band, I started playing like Johnny Meeks, Buddy Holly, Carl Wilson, Hank Marvin, and all the other Stratomasters of yore. It's as if the spirit of all those great guitarists is embedded in the guitar itself! I know, it sounds corny, but I really found that playing this guitar brought me back to another ara.

I can't imagine how the US-made Strats can be much better made than this guitar. I've heard that the internal electronics are dookie, but until they fail, I'm leaving it alone. The guitar plays extremely fast, and everything seems rock solid. The Lake Placid Blue metallic finish is gorgeous (and I'm thinking of getting a gold lucite pickguard to really bring it out). The amigos in Ensenada who built this guitar did a superb job in every way. Even Leo would be proud.

This guitar is built like a tank!

I've never had to deal with Fender, as their products are not usually prone to failure.

As I've said, I was looking to buy an inexpensive Strat, but after just paying $800 for the '64 Reverb, I didn't have much $$ left over. One day I went into the Guitar Center to buy some accessories, and saw this guitar on the rack with a $250 price tag! Why was it so cheap? There's a 1-1/2" gash on the lower horn. For that price, I wasn't gonna complain! (The GC even threw in a brand new vibrato arm, as the guitar didn't have one when it came in.) Mostly I've owned Rickenbackers, and I now also have a Tele, Gretsch Tennessean and a Gibson J-160E, but I didn't really "know" Strats. Now I see why they are so beloved. The modern Fender company is making what may well be the best guitars the company has made since Leo's time, and the Mexican division is doing a superb job of making high quality, affordable instruments.

All the features a strat should have. Two Tone nobs,a volume a 5way selector switch. 22 fret.

The sound i thought was very nice on clean but kinda muffled on distortion. I am sure this could be fixed with a new set of pickups or a distortion box but i like the distortion my amp gets and im not willing to spend money on new pickups. I say if the stock stuff aint good enough it's not for you. Unless you have the money.

The body was nice and all and the hardware was alright, but this is weere we had problems. The Neck!!!!! The neck was the slowest piece of garbage i have ever played on, atleast in my opinion, it may work for some people but for me, this thing was slow, slipery, and very hard.

its reliability is good but the sound to me is not the best for on stage or live performances.

No but i heard fender is good

I have been playing for two years and My live gear and home set is top notch. MY guitars include a Fender Strat(american made) a Gibson es-333 and fender telecaster('72thinline)MY favourtite guitar is the es-333. My effects are: a digitech hyper phase, a dunlope hendrix wah a echo/delay unit and a clean to overdrive switch. I use planet waves cables and my amps include: a vox ac30 for clean sounds and a marshall 50dfx for overdriven. I love all my gear.

In my opinion this is a good guitar but.... for me it wasn't. The only problem was the neck but that is a very big problem, i would have thought it would be a fast neck because its a sixties strat and it's made for the rockin lead guitar players, but for 1500 it is not agood enough neck. And the strings suck.

For a collector i recomend it and for a rythem guitar player i suggest it but for a lead, go for a highway 1 strat or a american series strat, much faster necks.

this is a faithful reproduction of a 1960 three tone sunburst strat.
it features a five way switch and three single coil pups and a rosewood on maple vintage 60's style neck with a vintage fender stamped bridge as well klusion tunners.

I have a usa fender 3 tone sunburst alder body and though the sound on it is crystal clear so is my new 60's reissue.and it responds better to the both overdrive and fuzz tone settings.

this guitar was setup and ready to play right out of the box.
the body was flawless. the action is great though you might want to tweak it for your own use.

this is my new number one. i love the guitar and bank on it during any gig without a back up. though the strap buttons are sutable for factory standards i have replaced mine with the schaller strap locks.
the hardware semms to be just fine they are a good sub for true vintage items.

a little about me i build solid body elctrics and i have been playing for fifteen years. over the past fifteen yeras i have owned just about every guitar out there or i have built a close copy.

Fender 60's Strat w/ 3 tone sunburst alder body, thin frets, nice c shape neck, ping vintage style tuners and ping strat bridge.

I bought it because of the individual pickup routing and because it is the poor man's US 62 reissue.

I found the guitar in stock condition to be a great player and set up pretty well. It sounded classic, the pickups were rich and do not need replacing for standard strat sounds. It had a smooth sound on the neck and middle pickups.

I found the action to be set up great and the finish is superb. I have always wanted a classic 3 tone sunburst alder body guitar. I got that for a great price. No flaws, great sound.

This guitar is great the way it is stock. I played it for about 2 months that way and I then I went ahead with some changes for strictly cosmetic reasons and sound changes. I did add Schaller strap locks. I always do.

Fender is a huge company. I am sure guitar to guitar, sales rep to sales rep, store to store everyone has a different opinion. I have never had a problem with one of their products. I'll go in the middle on this one.

This is a great strat for someone who wants features and not status. If you really want to make a change for looks, get a Fender 62 reissue tortoise shell pickguard, a pickguard shielding plate and a set of texas special pickups. It sounds awesome and looks even more classic. I think it's a great guitar, I may buy another one just so my friends can jam with me.

mine is a 60's reissue japanese stratocaster. basswood body, c-shaped maple neck, rosewood fretboard.

well, it's certainly not the best sounding guitar but since i'm a blues guitarist and it's mostly all about the player, it does the job quite well. i usually use a blues driver (i like the whole thing with going from overdriven to crunh to clean with just the volume knob on my guitar) and a booster tube screamer ts-5 modified into ts-808(can't find the real thing here). a rich neck sound and a bright mid to bridge. additional sustain would make it perfect for me though.

nice action, almost perfect intonation.

this is my main guitar aside from my 1969 gibson sg deluxe and greco guitar. i think this will be my last stratocaster.

i've been playing for around 13 years. i don't buy hardware that has'nt been tried and tested. i worked in a music store here in manila so i have a good idea of which is hot or not.

I believe this to be an '02 model Classic '60s Stratocaster, 3-tone sunburst w/ C-shaped maple neck and rosewood fretboard, vintage-style tuners and hi-gloss clear finish on the back of the neck. The rosewood fretboard is a very dark with nice grain. I believe the body to be Alder (at least according to Fender's specs) and has some really beautiful wood grain. The pick-ups are Fender's "Vintage Staggered" (passive). The Classic '60s Strats come stock from the factory with triple-ply Mint Green pickguards and aged plastic accessories (i.e. p'up covers, knobs, etc.) which really stand out against the 3-tone sunburst finish and rosewood fretboard, it looks kewl as all get-out...real vintagey and almost soulful. It also came with a *deluxe* Fender gig-bag (nice bag, actually).

This guitar really nails the sound that I have in mind when I think of an old Strat (hum and all). It does a great job at laying down some blues licks and can get GOOD & RAUNCHY with a little overdrive yet still retains chord definition with even heaping amounts of distortion.

This thing really sings through my Hot Rod Deluxe; also, the clean tones are just crisp, clear, and bell-like with a fat, warm, roundness sound to it. IMHO, it just doesn't get better than a good Strat played through a Fender Hot Rod series amplifier (and maybe a TS9 to add a little more sustain and bite to the drive channel).

My other Strat has been hot-rodded with a DiMarzio PAF Pro full-size humbucker in the bridge and Texas Specials in the neck and middle positions, but the DiMarzio can, at times, have too much bottom end and muddiness for some old-school roadhouse grit. Not this Classic '60s. It can be quite punchy, enough to cut through the mix yet doesn't sound too high and brittle which kinda surprised me because I was actually expecting it to sound harsh, shrill, and thin through distortion, but this hasn't been the case at all. Because of these expectations I had, I was planning on swapping out the stock p'ups with a set of Custom Shop '69s, but now I'm not so sure. The stock p'ups are really growing on me, they've got a nice warm, fat sound when under distortion which is actually the most important area of tone for me.

I do all my own set-up and re-wiring on my guitars and I have to say that I wasn't too impressed with the factory set-up on this guitar. Who knows, it may have been the store's set-up, but at any rate it wasn't anything to write home about. I'll give some big kudos to the sales guy that I usually deal with when I go to this particular store. When I called to let him know that I was enroute to pick it up, he went over the guitar real good and adjusted the truss rod and wiped down the fretboard with some lemon-oil. It felt great when I showed up to get it.

As for fit and finish, it was just perfect. I went over this guitar several times prior to buying it and I just could not find anything wrong with it, whatsoever. It's really kind of surprising when you hold one of these Classic '60s next to a MIM Standard Strat. The difference in fit/finish, grade of woodscomponents, and sound is just not even in the same universe. Kinda hard to believe that their both made in the same Mexico plant. I'd rate this guitar a 10 if I hadn't had to adjust the string saddles myself, but other than that one thing this is just one magnificent guitar. Personally, I only expected this kind attention and grade of woods to come on more expensive guitars.

I just picked this guitar up so I can't really comment, however, I've played Strats for years now and I've never had any problems with any of them, workmanship or materials. They seem to be real workhorses.

No expeience here.

Overall, I am quite ecstatic with this guitar, so much so that when I look at it I have to pick it up and start playing, and it sounds so damned good. Even unplugged the tone just resonates through the body and sounds awesome. I can't express how nice it is, really...and I'm particular as hell with my stuff. There aren't too many guitars that I would even give a "10-rating" in only one category, but this one is just that good. Hell, I wouldn't even have given my Les Paul Classic a "10" when I first got it, but that speaks for Gibson's QA/QC here in recent years. At any rate, I think Fender hit a grand-slam with these Classic '60 Strats. It's almost mind-boggling how they make and market such an outstanding guitar for waaaay under a thousand dollars. Try one...and enjoy!!!!

If you put this guitar on the right settings its amazing. It has a rich and full sound. It makes a great harmony

This is one of the most reliable K mart brands I have ever strummed in my life. Im not I guitar smasher though so I wouldn't know if your able to play baseball with it.

I have been playing since 1995. I own a Vox amp, and I use a Marshall Shredmaster. I also enjoy playing my Martin in my off tour time. If someone were to steal my guitar I would commit sicide. Just kidding, but thats how close my guitar and I are. I love its cool sounds and how its not overly noisy so you can play with friends. I bought this guitar off my second uncle Paul McCartney.

MIM 2003 Lake Placid Blue Strat. Finish is beautiful. At first I thought the aged pickguard looked tacky, but it's grown on me. Rosewood fingerboard. Frets aren't completely sanded down across the neck, but it'll do for now. Plays beautifully. Precise Fender twang from the bridge p-ups. Clean neck tone (through an HRD 112 tweed Limited Edition if you're wondering). I can't get enough of this baby.

Clean Fender sound through a HRD 112. Just what I'm going for. Newer Clapton blues sound on the neck. Albert King type feel on the bridge. Amazing. Not much hum compared to most single coils. No effects, just a Boss RC-20 looper and the Drive/More Drive footswitch on the HRD. Sounds just like I wanted/expected.

Factory setup was fine. I'm not much a stickler for what it's setup like. As long as it has strings and it's in tune, I'll play it. I opened up the back panel to tighten the trem down however (I rarely use the trem and I got it clamped down since I use .013s) and the inside was rather dirty. Lots of white residue (I have no idea what it is, but I didn't clean it out in case it was supposed to be there). The screw holes weren't finished or sanded so it looked kind of workmanlike, but you don't expact a Stradivarius for $500.

Built like a tank. That's all you need to know. I'd absolutely gig without a backup. If a string breaks, I'll fix it and keep going.

No interaction with Fender yet.

I've been playing for 5 years, but mostly acoustic. This is my first real electric and it nails the sounds I'm going for. I'm not big into pedals yet, but I see using the HRD tweed Limited Edition, a Sparkle Drive, and my two hands to get all the sounds I want out of this puppy. This will absolutely be one of the 2 or 3 guitars I use and gig with for the rest of my life.

2001-2 Mexican made 60's re-issue sunburst 100% stock alder body, 5 position switch, staggered pol pu's heavy gloss finish on neck, you know, a strat. They more or less got it right. decal dates the guitar to 1960. Nicely matches everyones concept of a vintage strat. Easily as nice as the u.s. made 62 ri's i've played. tone pots actually work unlike most strats. Thankfully, no "features" or improvements except the 5 way switch which is historically incorrect but oh well.

This sounds like what you think a vintage strat sounds like, not actually what a vintage strat would sound like in your house through your amp etc. Which is good because vintage guitars are usually high maintainance white elephants. I play through Fender tube combos or a crate half stack depending on the job. Has that high thin bright strat thing down pat. does a nice 70's punk tone when distorted. It can get chunky enough that i use it to backup my Les Paul when I play heavy music. Be willing to play with the knobs.

For the money its the best appointed strat on the market. I despise satin finishes on guitar necks and the thick vintage style gloss on this had a lot to do with the purchase. The sunburst versions have an alder boy which makes it well worth the extra cash as my experience with basswood Fenders has been negative. I got mine from a good store so I have no idea what the factory set up was like but thats usually the waekest link. the quality is as good as my old American Standard and better than the cbs era strats i've had.

very well built. withstands live playing nicely. not quite as heavy as some other strats i've had but the finish is such a plus. The electronics are much improved over the MIM standard and I would use it exclusively if necessary. This guitar proves what Fender is capable of when they wanna. ONe complaint, the chrome parts are

I've stopped buying new Fender products on principle. enough said.

I have a (very battered) '59 strat and I sold a '62 supro martinique reso-glass (ala the white stripes) to buy this because reliability and consistantcy have to be worth something. This is pprobably the best mid point between price and quality in the current lineup.

1990 made in Japan
21 frets
5 way switch with standard strat layout
3 single coils
unknown replacement vintage upgrade pickups
Basswood body, maple neck with rosewood fretboard
sonic blue which has faded nicely into seafoam green
typically great Strat vibrato
Kluson knock-off tuners

Sounds like a Strat...These Japanese reissues are the bomb for Strat values...Collectors are hoarding them, but they can still be found in small shops and pawn shops for a steal. Replace the Japanese pickups with some decent vintage style pickups and you've got the classic thick glassy Strat tone. Given an 8 only because of the stock pickups.

The Japanese quality is legendary. It's my opinion that Fender stopped importing these because they are SUPERIOR to their USA made stuff. This guitar is solid, tight and correct. The C neck feels like a genuine '60's neck and the guitar is nice and light, unlike most USA reissues which are an overpriced joke. The finish is not as cool as an old nitro job, but what the hell.

This guitar is solid and reliable.

N/A

I own many vintage guitars and this is a great jam night guitar that I dnot have to worry about that looks cool and sounds great.

This is going to be a review of two 60's reissues. One is a 1985 or 1986 japanese strat and the other is a recent mexican model. I bought both guitars used and each model cost me $350. The japanese model is made from basswood and the mexican model is poplar. The finish on the neck of the japanese is softer and can be buffed off rather easily to give one that classic old guitar feel. The mexican model has a finish on it that is so difficult to remove, if at all. I don't know what fender uses but if I ever wanted to be mummified I'd by a couple cans of this stuff. Generally, I sand the backs of the necks with a green pan cleaner to remove the gummy finish. If you do this properly the neck will become so smooth, much like a old guitar; just don't sand down to the bare wood, you need to leave a protective coat on the neck. This thin layer helps to prevent warping and keeps the oils of the skin from absorbing into the exposed wood. Both models have the same features but the mexican's body is thicker than the japanese model. Both models are little on the heavy side but interestingly enough most of the recent mexican models that I played and liked were the heavier ones. When I bought these guitars both models had different pickups in them than stock. I ended up with '62 model kinmans in the jap model and the mexican has gold lace sensors. Both models have rosewood necks. I like the standard models and with the right set up these guitars have all the features need.

Both guitars sound good to me but that wasn't always the case. The jap reissue took a lot of work until it was really a happening guitar. I had to have the nut replaced and the frets, along with that I changed the pickups from seymor duncan alnico 2's to kinmans. I also bought a callaham bridge assembly which really is possibly the best thing you could ever do to improve the sound.
To me strats sound the best when you set the necks straight and slightly float the bridge. I usually have the bridge floating so I can pull up on the bar and the low E can be raised a half step. When I set the screws for the bridge I raise the inner screws off the plate entirely about 1/32nd. With the bar pulled so the bridge is flat against the body I set the outside screws so the just touch the plate. This takes a little bit of trial and error but when it is set right the resonance of the guitar will dramatically increase. I think that the mexican model has a little more spank to it and the jap model is mellower. It also seems that the mexican model has a greater change in sound when playing from the bridge area to the neck. Without all the modifications I would rate these guitars a 5 but with the changes it could be a 10.

This is where Fender takes a beating. Essentially this model should be sold as a kit because the set up is a load of crap. Fender is only really interested in what sells guitars not what makes them sound great. Sure the paint job was good on the mexican model and the neck seems alright, but what I'm talking about are things that set people like Tom Anderson, Suhr, Tyler and Grosh apart are the details that fender totally overlooks. I'm sorry but fender sucks in this area, even their custom shop stuff is a joke when it comes to this catagory. Basically, I had to press all the tuning ferrules back into place, and super glue one of them. I don't think it's going to hold it looks like the hole was made slightly too large. I'll probably have to fill it some how, maybe a layer of tape. The back of the neck had stickers on it and a little shim. How is a guitar supposed to sound good when the guitar neck is not properly seated? I peeled off the sticker and removed the shim. I also sanded the raised areas where the screws came through to help give the guitar a better face to face seat. Just about every guitar I see at the stores has a crappy set up, most off them are not even close to being useable. Fender could at least have something to shoot for as far as consistancy goes. The surgical tubing for the pickups is too short and so when you adjust the pickups farther down they loose tension and just bounce around moving up and down. I had to remove the pickguard and cut longer pieces for all the pickups. The difference in the new tubing is about a 1/16th of an inch not much but at least the pickups can be adjusted. I'm sorry but unless you plan to spend money or have the ability to fix these things yourself buy a different brand of guitar. Check out any G&L they kill Fender as far as set up from the guitars.

They are reliable but at this time the mexican model seems to have some tuning stability problems. I think the nut is piching the string and will have to be touched up. Generally, where they save money is on the hardware the trem blocks are made from pot metal(cheaper) and the pots and pickups are of lower quality than should be used. The hardware will not last and I would recommend to any sreious player the Callaham replacement bridge for a start. They have other stuff but start here.

Why would I bother I can do most everything myself and if I can't I know people who can.

Overall with all the changes I did to the jap model and the couple I may do with the mexican model I like these guitars a lot. Out of the box neither of these guitars is very good in relation to real instruments ie..Suhr, Tyler etc... I guess I don't mind taking something with potential and fixing it up. I was able to buy both of these guitars fairly cheaply and with a little bit of time and effort make something good of it. I like the pickups in both guitars and am happy with the difference in sound between them. I would not pay for one new because to me at that price the G&L guitars are far superior. If you find one used and can do the modifications and or repairs I would recommend either style of guitar. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll see if I can help you.

50th Anniversary Japanese model, 21 vintage frets, alder with maple neck, rosewood fretboard. Standard S/S/S pickup and controls, came stock with Texas Specials. The neck is really thick, and feels great. It's a reissue and has all the features of the originals...

I was looking for a traditional Strat sound, and this is it. I replaced the stock TexSpecial at the bridge with a Fralin SP43...This is a little thicker and fatter...makes the guitar perfect.

I bought it used--previous owner had it set up very different from what I wanted...however, it was easy for me to set the guitar up just like I want because all of the parts were in excellent shape. I replaced the bridge saddles with Graph Tech.

Because it is 6 or 7 years old, and has held up so well, it deserves a 10.

Excellent!

This is a 60's re-issue made in Japan Strat. I believe it was made in the late 80's. Standard vintage Strat features. You know them. I believe it has U.S. made pickups. Finish is a creamy white...could be yellowed a bit by 13 or 14 years on the planet.

The sound of this sweetheart is like smooth running water. When a Strat is right, it's right. And nothing else sounds like a great Strat. I've got a number of guitars. The Pauls sound very similar to other Humbucker axes, and the Teles sound somewhat like other single-coil guitars (not P90's though). But only a Strat is a Strat. And still, a it's probably the most eclectic guitar on the block.

The guitar was purchased used, so I have no factory setup info. But I understand that MIJ guitars are set up quite well from the factory. The pickups are matched very well to one another in sound and output. Fit amd finish of the guitar overall (paint, nut, neckset, tuner placement, etc..) is all flawless. This axe looks like somebody hand-made it. It's as good or better than any Strat I've ever owned. (Many, many! Pre CBS's to Custom Shop's).

I've had 60's Strats, and played 50's Strats. This design holds up well. There are always problems with bolt-on necks, such as string/fingerboard alignment. Keep those neck screws torqued, and you don't have problems.

Fender has been OK with support since the late 80's. Then again, a Strat is kind of like an old Jaguar XKE. Super simple design. Made to be worked on. Made to be adjusted. If you can't work on 'em yourself, you probably shouldn't own one. (Get a Les Paul. All glued together and stable as a concrete block. And Gibson support is great!)

I've been playing for 44 years (since I was 5). Pro for 35. I own many guitars (PRS, Gibson, Fender, Harmony, etc...) and many amps (Matchless, Naylor, Fender, Airline, etc...) I would certainly replace this one if lost. These MIJ Strats are the very best from Fender. I got a new MIJ Squire in '83, the first in the MIJ series. I've been sold ever since. After living through the garbage Fenders of the late 70's and early 80's, this Squire blew me away. Fender Japan raised the bar again with the 50's and 60's issues a few years later. Prices are skyrocketing lately. The secret is out, darnit! Ebay is generating 5 hundred and up now for these. A Vegas dealer told me he's getting up to 9 for blue and pink models in Exc Cond. When will it stop? These are still a great value at 5 to 6 hundred, but a grand is off the hook. Get 'em now!! This 10 value rating will probably drop to 6 in less than a year.

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!

Well you should no by now. Also mine is the 3-tone sunburst which means Alder body not the other cheapo wood they use.

This guitar suits my music style perfectly because I play blues and this axe does blues hands down. When I first got it I loved the stock pickups.. but in my quest for the holy SRV sound i put in some texas specials. Well that was a mistake, I think, because I really did love those stock pickups. So I put them in my old beater squier II strat. Now I have two kick ass axes, and I not going to ever give up my squier now!!! not even for a million bucks! Anyway the texas specials give the reissue a good improvement but really over do the mid's.

When I first got it I found the action to be way to high!! Anyway I sent it to a tech to have 11's put on it and the tremlo blocked. In my honest opinion you should definatly put on bigger guage strings if you want tone!! Just going from 10's to 11's makes one hell of a difference. Although it is really hard to play but if you tune down a half step it makes it better. Moving on to the fret-work, this is one area that could use a big improvment. The stock frets are way small, but after a while you will get used to them, but it makes playing hard especially bar chords. I give it a nine because a simple setup will make it way better.

Uh I guess this guitar is will with stand the tourtures of giging. I have actually done some at home test, by way of beating the hell out if it and it still plays just as good.

I dunno?

Well I havn't been playing for verey long about a year or so, but I have done lots of research as well as comparing with many other high price customs and american made fenders and found that the MIM reissue was the best for its price range, it offered the same as all the other strats and better than some. So overall I give it a 10.

Made in Mexico 60'reissue Strat, three tone sunburst, so it has the alder body. Rest of the features should be known right now.

It took me a long time to decide which guitar to buy. I only knew it had to be a Strat. So, I went to the nearest guitar store, tried al the Strats I could find, without looking at prices, colours, features or whatever. This one came out the best sounding. Looking in my Fender catalogue, found out I had been playing a Mexican 60's Strat. (Which
wasn't that much of a surprise, cause thats the one which seemed the pest choice after reading all of the Fender reviews on this site :)

It's hard to describe sounds, but this guitar has what I see as "the" Fender sound: A very rich, deep sound, sparkling highs and a nice, distant, mid-range "bite" to it. It's very easy to achieve a Hendrix / Vaughan sort of sound. The second position (neck/middle)is almost Tin Pan Alley. Only minor flaw: pickups are a bit weak.

In short: this is what a vintage 60's reissue should sound like

I play this guitar mostly through a Fender Deluxe 112 Plus, which is an ideal partner for this guitar (on the clean channel). For overdrive I use a TS 10 Tubescreamer.

I give this guitar an 9, with the right pickups it might be a 10.

I'm usually not interested in this one, but this guitar feels really well built. Better than one would expect of a Mexican built guitar. Perhaps the American made reissue is better than this, but not $ 1000 better...

The action is good, even a little to low for me, as I'm used to playing crappy guitars sofar.

Have owned it for three months now (bought it new), and I'm extremely carefull whith this thing, so can't really tell.

Never had to deal whith, yet.

I've been playing for ten years now, all cheap Strat-imitations till now. I think it sound almost perfect. So if it were stolen, I would buy a new one the same day.

I compared it to a lot of other strats, and especially to a friend's
American standard. This guitar is almost as solidly built as the Am St. But, as one might have guessed, I bought this guitar because of the sound.

This is a MIJ strat from the late nineties before moving the production to Mexico. Its has the standard features of a 60's strat.
21 frets, vintage style tuners and a vintage style bridge. 3 passive alnico single coil pickups. The neck is a really nice c shape maple one, and the body seems to be a three wood alder with a sunburst finish. I think its alder because this guitar it more heavy then the poplar(MIM)and basswood(MIJ)strats i've tried.

I play everything, pop rock and blues and this guitar is really versatile. I use a cheap zoom 2020 board for fx and a marshall blues driver for overdrive. My amp is a 30 watts class A laney lc30. The guitar has pretty much sustain but mine has also got the tremolo blocked. The stock pickups was wery thin sounding. Upper mids was just too ear piercing and i had to turn the mids and treble down but then the sound lacked presence. Fortunately I had some pickups from a navigator strat (ESP guitar from Japan)which i bought from a friend who changes them to some active ones.
With these pickups the guitar sounds good. Still got the classical strat tone (not the honky texas specials tone) but not thin sounding.

The guitar was really set up good. Its was set up by the shop i bought the guitar at. Mine was used but looked brand new.

this guitar seems very sturdy and will withstand many years of playing. the frets would probably get changed after a couple off years and the bridge saddles as well but for the price of the guitar i can complain.

I never needed to contact fender

I am 25 and have been playing for 10 years, and i am really pleased with this guitar. But i am replacing the bridge pickup with a seymour duncan little 59 because i need one axe to do it all but i love the single coil sound also the ones from position 2 and 4. Pos 4 is really good for clean pop and with the 59 i can get more hard rock tones out of this guitar for the 70' and 80' rock lead. Dont bye a high output dark sounding brigde pickup (hot rail) because they will not scream and will lack sonic personality. I own a Hohner rtx guitar and the humbucker played clean was dark and useless, it could handle distortion but sounded sterile.

I own a 60's stratocaster. A japan model. 5-way selector with vintage pickgaurd and cosmetics. Vintage tremelo as well. The neck is the 60's style C-shape. The frets how ever i think are too small. I go for srv tone and its hard to get sustain(I use 12's so it really digs on the frets) or a good feel with such small frets. The neck is fat and has a big feel which i do like.

I havent researched all the woods in this model. The neck is maple with a rose wood fretboard. U definitely get that vintage style growl that stevie had. I dont know if its the wood in the body or the pickups but i love the tone from this guitar.

Its black so it abviously looks cool. It had the puke green vintage pickguard and yellow staind pickup covers but i switched them out with my american std. Good action but once again the frets are way to small.

Its a fender!

I bought it use so there is no warranty but i do have one on my '98 american std and fender is always cool to deal with.

I have been playin 4 years and play professional in a band. I mostly dont like the frets. I have jumbos on my american std and love them. But i dont get a real gutsy feel with the ones on this strat. But the fat neck was a big plus and it was in good shape. I wasnt going to argue at $350.

Made in Japan, 1988. Surf Green finish (gotta love the colour) with white pickguard. Body is probably basswood. Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. Standard strat hardware and electronics (5-w switch)...
Came with a hard case.

Everything you would expect from a Strat. Fancier bodywood might be nice, but I'm not sure if it's basswood anyway.

Forget about the basswood... the thing rings and resonates so beautifully that I don't really care what's underneath the nitro finish. Plugged in ... well, the MIJ electronics could be better, but they are easily upradable. Through VOX AC30 this thing sounded heavenly (but what wouldn't :). This strat made also my friends Marshall stack come alive.

The overall construction is better than my friends MIA strat. There really are no construction flaws. The trem makes the guitar out of tune.

This is an expectionally good strat, and with the price (about 400USD) I just had to buy it. Originally I was going to the shop to buy an used 80's Tokai Strat copy but this one beat it hands down. Now I play it more than my Warwick basses and my bandmates are getting mad.

Made in Japan, 1996, color is Surf Green (I guess). 3 single coils,
21 frets, volume & 2 x tone (for neck and middle pickups), Rosewood fingerboard. It has all I need, and looks and sounds good.

Sounds really good, I play it with Vox Cambridge 30 Reverb (the Korean reissue model) and occasionally with DanElectro CoolCat chorus, and DanElectro French Toast fuzz. The pickups aren't noisy at all for single coils. Usually I use the neck pickup, or positions 2 & 4 in the switch (neck/middle as humbucker, middle/bridge pickups as humbucker). Very versatile, sounds good acoustically too.

The factory set-up was good, and the finish is fine.

My guitar hasn't gone through extreme condititions really, but it seems like a 'from father to son' model. I think it will last.

Haven't had any need for customer support.

I just love the feel of this guitar, it's easy to play but challenging ;) For the money, it's great.

- 3 Tone Sunburst
- Alder Body
- Rosewood Neck
- Made in Mexico (I don't care where the guitar is made as long as it sounds and feels good and this one sounds/ feels great)
- Vintage Style Harware (which is really not bad at all !!)
- 3 Vintage Single Coils (very noisy); 5 way pickup selection
- Mintgreen (Vintage white) pickguard, pickup covers & tone/volume

This is a great looking guitar.It looks very vintage and I love the color!

The pickups sound pretty good but I have to say that they are too noisy. I pulled out the neck and bridge pickup and replaced them with DiMarzio YJM (neck) and HS-3 (bridge) pickups. MAN....no noise what so ever and GREAT sound. Now with my new pickups I give it a 10, but because of the noise I give them a "6". I play different styles of music and I wanted a guitar with a warm tone yet powerful. This guitar is all that an more. It is great for Rock, Metal, Jazz. I wouldn't use it for Blues and Funk (I have a Fender SRV signature model for that)

The acction is great however I'm currently having problems with the high e-string. Somehow when I bend the string at the 14th fret over one whole step the tone disappears. I think I will have to re-adjust the action or the neck. But no big deal.

The finish is great and the guitar stays in tune.

Hasn't broken yet.

N/A

BUY THIS GUITAR!!! I've been playing now 15 yrs and own a Fender SRV signature model, Ibanez RG 560 (with DiMarzio Tone Zone & HS-3 pickups), Hamer Archtop in Aztec Gold (with Seymour Duncan 59 & JB zebra look, looks just like Carlos Santana's PRS), Ovation Accoustic/ Electic and this Fender 60s Classic Reissue. This guitar is one of my favorites. I play this guitar through a Furman Power Conditioner -> Korg DT1 Rack Tuner -> Digitech Harmonizer -> Alesis Midiverb III -> ADA MP1 Pre-amp -> ADA Microtube 100 Poweramp. It just sounds great. Once it is time to re-fret the guitar I will go with Jumbo Frets.

I had bought originally the 70s reissue which SUCKS big time. The tuners are very weak. When I returned it and got this one instead. I love it. If this guitar was stolen I would save up some money and get the same guitar again. It is a great guitar for the price you are paying!

MIM,21 fret,beautiful 3 tone sunburst(no not lake placid blue..hehe) with rosewood(very john frusciante'ish)vintage hardware,3 single coils.This guitar is beautiful,ive played atleast a hundred american strats and several vintage...ive played an all origonal 55 and the neck felt so comfortable as if you were stroking a *&#%$*#@!anyway i would definitly compare the 60's reissue's more to the vintage than the american standards..personal preference i guess.mexican made or not its just not a cheap guitar...it feels vintage...now im not saying go out and buy a mexican standard...those are very cheaply made i once smashed one out of anger because the intonation was fucked the bridge was weak the neck felt like crap,the pickups came ungrounded from the factory!...its like they just dont care...but 60's reissue are nicely made..very good guitar

a strat can suit virtually any musical style.fits mine perfect though...im into funk,blues,rock,jazz,classical,hard rock,rap shit you name it...pretty much anything besides limp bizket or slipknot sounding bands..i dont like the metal.My favorite guitarist and biggest influence is john frusciante(everyone go buy "to record only water for 10 days" its his new solo album its GREAT)john has a 55 strat 3 tone with rosewood.This guitar reminds me alot of it even though its a 55 and this is a 60's reissue they werent changed THAT much.In the studio i use a 69 blackface super reverb,75 silverface twin,55 tweed champ,a 59 showman,a 59 bassman a mesa boogie simul-class,and a mesa heartbreaker.guitar sounds GREAT through all of those.live i use marshall jcm900 with 2 4x12 cabs for lead and crunch tones..and a vox ac30 for clean tones.sounds great through those also...my 60's reissue is one of three guitars i use on stage...a use a les paul standard,a american standard tele,and my strat...its my favorite to use though.Its not noisy...sounds great bridge pickup is very bright..neck is very warm..the guitar can make twangy percussive funk tones with ease...with my vintage pro co rat and my marshall the thing can cause crunch tones that would give hetfield a run for his money with EMG's...im pretty confident in the thing

it was set up allright from the factory...it came with .009's i set it up for 11's tweaked the neck.adjusted the intonation.The pickups were grounded right the pickup height was perfect...no flaws at all..the finish is beautiful...i sometimes find myself just staring at it on my wall sometimes

fender guitars,wether mexican made japanese or american ARE TOUGH...i once smashed a mexican standard cause it pissed me off...and it didnt come apart easy...i slammed it three times before the neck came apart from the body...pretty impressive beings how i smashed a les paul in one try..and those are suppose to be nice!

good guys at fender...ive delt with them alot...not with this strat but with previous fenders ive owned...they once helped me date a old musicmaster that had been refinished and painted over the headstock(and serial number) free of charge..real nice guys.The gods of fine american luthiery

ive been playing guitar for 11 years...im a total guitar junky listing all my stuff would be a waste of time noone wants to read it...ni would definitly buy another one of these..i love everything about it...dont really hate anything bout it..but it would be allitle nicer if it were american made with the same spec's.my favorite feater is the the neck.

I have two of these guitars and they are wonderful items for a musician (bed-room or professional) that wants the vintage vibe and feel but doesn't want to pay the outstanding prices for PRE-CBS Strats. One of mine is an early 90's Japanese with a Lake Placid Blue Finish. The other is a 98 Mexican with a Burgandy Misy finish. I love the feel of a big fat-ass "C" chaped neck, and I think these are a little more chunky than the American R.I.'s... The only problem I had was the factory set-up which was fixed in a matter of minutes.

I mainly play blues, rock, folk, etc.. I use a lot of toys and I'm still adding things to the list but as of right now I'm using A Roger Mayer Octavia, Fulltone '69, Fulltone Clyde Wah, Klon Centaur, Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Fulltone Supa-Trem, Fulltone Deja-Vibe, Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, Line 6 Delay Modulator annd connected with George L's and running through a Vox AC-15 and a Hot Rod Deluxe (This is to hold me over until I can get a Super Reverb). Now back to the guitar's, The saddles and pick-up's are horrible... The saddles do nothing but break strings without fail. The pick-up's are thin, lifeless, and low out-put. In the Burgandy Mist I put a set of Fender Fat 50's and it's got a great vintage sound that's full and creamy... It's got a sound that is similiar to SRV's version of "Leave My Little Girl Alone" on the Austin City Limit's tape.. The Lake Placid Blue Strat, I decided on Texas Specials, and I like the mid-range honk it gives and they distort quite nicely.. As with all of my Strat's, they have Graphite Saddles which I highly recommend. The rating I'm giving for this category is with the pick-up's being replaced, otherwise it would get a 3.

Factory Set-up was shitty, period. The finish is great on the guitar's... Neck's are wonderful even though I do like a little beefier fret wire... All of these "problems" can be easily fixed in a matter of minutes. The only reason I'm ratting this section high is because of the neck, weight and finish of the guitar.

I would drop them down a flight of stairs without a worry in the world... Might need to tune it afterwards but that's about it. . I like beat up things anyways.. =] I use strap lock's because I've had it slip before on stage... It's not that I'm worried about the guitar, it just makes you look like an idiot.. =]

Fender has their moments....

I've only been playing guitar for about 4 years but I can't stop.. It's worse than drugs.. What other gear?! Oh man... I have a 50's Mex. RI Tele in Blonde, 50's Jap. RI Strat in Sunburst, 60's Jap. RI Strat in Copper with a LH 70's RW Neck, '79 USA Strat in Trans. Red with a RW Neck, '58 Harmony Strat-O-Tone in Sunburst (Hollow-Body, with Falt-Wounds), '64 Gibson SG Jr. in Heritage Cherry, '38 Gibson L-50 Archtop Acoustic in Sunburst, '78 Mustand Bass in Trans. Red, and a Mid-60's Airline Parlor Acoustic in Sunburst.

I'd recommend this type of guitar to anyone that like's vintage style Strat's.. I've compared it to the newer models and the american vintage series and I liked it over both of them.

I wish it had the Ashtray, I don't know why but I like them for some reason...

Guitar purchased new in December 2000. I wanted a guitar built this century! Lake Placed Blue with mint pickguard and aged plasteic parts, rosewood board, maple neck is finished in a honey laquer that faithfully reproduces the look of an older Fender. (The 'yellowing' is less dramatic than my '71 Telecaster.) The guitar is equipped with a five position switch, I was happy to see this as that would have been an essential mod. for me. I am a die-hard Strataholic, this one is number five. I've owned two others that were sold in hard times. These five stay! The tuners are very nice reproductions of the old pre-F style slotted machines. I use no others. Can't get used to anything without the slot. The fretwire is the old style skinny stuff. My '71 Tele sports jumbo wire.

I play guitar in a church Praise and Worship group. Before you laugh, realize that we do much contemporary music and this entails all the rock, blues, and pop guitar sounds used foir the past thirty years. This '60's reissue came with the vinatge type pickups that are sweet and clean, but do not want to drive any distortion unit in my arsenal. As the volume control is lowered from the full up 10, the output drops to the point where the sound cleans up. I run all my guitars through my Fender Hot Rod DeVille (soon to be replaced by a Deluxe, as it is too much amp for the room) with the controls set Main 4, treb 8, mid 6, bass 8. I use a Blues Driver distortion rather than the hot channel as I can't bring the master up past 2 and not injure innocent congregants. For nasty distortion, I'll use my 70's reissue with three Texas Specials installed. But I digress. The thing about this guitar that I love are the two and four pickup positions. These yield the traditional duckier sound, but with alot of character. Good for real world, not just interesting sound effects. The guiatr has single coil hum worse than my other Strats -- it will soon be shielded. My greatest fault lies in the output. It is traditional, so I can't fault Fender. This guitar delivers exactly what it says it will -- vintage sound and feel

The set-up was excellent, though I personally can't stomach 9's -- I prefer the tactile 'fight' of tens. Also, nines sound thinner and 'rubber band'-like. Pickups were adjusted not to my taste. The finish was flawless, unlike my other Mexican Strat which had a few unsightly blems in the neck finish -- obvious dings that were laquered and smoother. This guitar is beautiful. I like the Mexican Strats more than some of the Americans I've owned.

This guitar is obviously new, so I can't say how well it will stand up. My other Mexicam Strats have withstood all the abuse playing three services a week (about an hour per service) at my ham-fisted input. My Tele I've owned for almost thirty years and I've refretted it twice (jumbo wire for maximum numbers of grinds). I foresee similar service. My other Mexican-built Fenders have stood up wonderfully. You can fight your way out of a third world revolution swinging a Strat and still be in tune for the next set.

Strap buttons were replaced immediately with Dunlop lockers. I've had too many accidents.

I sue this guitar with a backup since I need a good distorting guitar for about thirty per cent of our material. Aside from that, the tone is awesomeand I'd use it constantly

Fender has always been very user-friendly to me though I've never had to deal with them for a warranty problem. I've owned Fenders for thirty years and have never had anything but wear-related issues, which isn't their fault!

I've been playing guitar for thirty-two years and I've owned just about everything. I loved Fenders -- the feel, the tone, the reliability, etc. since I first played one. I own a '58 Les Paul for those moods when a dark, lush sound is needed, but the thing is to fragile (and $$$$) these days to use much out. If this guitar were stolen (the Strat) I'd sulk and pout for a month and try to find another one just like it. The only thing I hate about this guitar is the perception that other guitarists have regarding the Mexican built Fenders. Those that own them don't have this problem, only those who haven't played one. These detractors might have something against Mexicans in general, or they merely perceive the price as a gauge of quality. If people wouldn't equate the price with my ability, I wouldn't have any issues.

This guitar wa made in mid-99 and bought in mid-00.It was made in mexico which explains the price.I bought htis guitar in Lake PLacid blue because it looked sooooo much better that all the rest.It came stock with 3"vintage" single-coil pickups, a volume and 2 tone and a five-way selector.All passive.The body is made of poplr and tha neck is made of maple w/rosewood fretboard and 21 frets.All the hardware is vintage reissue(nickel i believe).The neck is c-shaped which makes it very comfortable.

Well you see I play rock`n`roll with the ocassional bluesy riff,and it suits both very well.Irun this through a Laney half-stack with no effects (yet!).It has low noise and thats with the overdrive all the way.Allthe pickups sound great with a wide variety of different sounds.The only dislike is the bridge pickup doesnt get the sound a humbucker would.

The guitar was setup very well with the exception of the high e saddle it was too low and practicaly off the neck,it was so far from the b string.I lowered the neck and middle pickups and raised the bridge.I was suprised to see the body was routed for 3 sngle coils and not hte huge chunk taken out.Now I cant reverse the middle pickup.And the high e tuner doesnt want to hold the string sometimes so watch out

Yes,this guitar can handle a gig.It barely breaks strings.The hardware will last just dont use stainless steel strings,thet leave burrs in the saddles.The finish is very durable.I dropped it a few tmes and only small dings have come out of it.I repaced the buttons with locking so I dont drop it again.I would use this without backup just as long as i change the strings before the show.

Never delt wih and hopefully never have to.

I`ve been playing for going on 5 years now and this is my favorite guitar so far.Before this i had a Squier strat,an Ibanez RG270 and a Gibson SG.If this were lost or stolen i would buy another one in a heartbeat.What i love about htis guitar is the neck,it is soooooooooo comfortable and now the pickguard because i covered it with a sparkle sticker paper and it looks awesome with the aged hardwae and blue color.What I hate is the high e string and all its components and the nut just because it broke and i had to glue it back on and it is still there after 2 months.What I wish it had is a new nut,22 frets and my autograph at the 12th fret. To see this guitar in action cek out my band`s site www.expage.cm/LastRealHero BYE!

i got this guitar in mid-00 i traded a gibson sg for it.id say it was a good move.this guitar was made in mexico.i got this guiar in lake placidblue because i thought it looked awesome.it came stock with 3"vintage"sigle-coil pickups and 1 volume and 2 tone and a 5-way selector.all passive.the neck is maple w/rosewood fretboard and 21 frets.all the hardware is vintage the only problem ive had with it is the high e sadle and tuner the saddle moves when being picked hard and the tuner wot hold the string if not cut the proper length and even then it wont hold it some times and the nut broke so i just glued it till i get it fixed.the neck is also a comfortable c-shape with a nice glossy finish on the back.guitar center was nice enough to though in a hardshell case and a fender strap and all the tools

i use this guitar for rock`n`roll with the ocassional bluesy riffand it suits them very well.im using it through a laney half-stack and it sounds superb except the bridge pick-up does get as much distortion as a humbucker would.when in clean the bridge pickup is very bright which is kind of a draw-back at times and the neck is very punchy whichs is great.i dont use the middle pickup because it isnt as full as a tex-mex pickup which i should be installing shortly.other than that it is abeautiful sounding guitar.

the guitar was set up excellent when i got it with the exception for the high e string it wastoo low and was practicaly off the neck,it was too far from the b string.the pickups were at a good height bt ilowered the neck and middle to the body and left the bridge alone.i was even suprised to see it routd only for 3 single coils and not the huge chunk taken out so i couldnt flip the middle pickup around.the only 2 flaws were the strng slots in the nut looked worn down and the neck was out of alignment but guitar center fixed that before i brought it home.

yes this guitar will withstand live playing i played a big show and it held up fine except for 1/2 hour before while restrining the nut decieded to break so i just glue it back on and it has held on since then and that was 2 months ago.the finish on this is great i dropped it a few times and a minor ding or 2 only came out i replaced the buttons with locking ones so i dont drop it again i would use it on a gig w/out backup just as long i replace the strings before the show. it is very dependable.

never delt with and hopefully never have too

ive been playing for going on 5 years and this is my favorite so far even better than the SG. this is the only guitar i own now and probably the only one for a while.if this were lost or stolen i would definitly buy another. the thing i love most about this guitar is the neck it is sooooooooo comfortable and now the pickguard i covered it with this sparkly sheet of sticker paper and it looks awesomewith the aged plastic and the blue finish somone even asked if it cost more $2000 because it looks that good.i compared it with the 62` reissue and it sounds and plays 100% better.the only thing i wish it had isa new nut and my autogragh at the 12th fret.

This excellent axe was made in 1994 by Fender Japan and was not sold until I put it on layaway in Dec. 1995. It has 21 small/medium frets, rosewood fingerboard, and b/w/b 3 ply white pickguard. The bridge is vintage vibrato and the tuners are vintage "machine" or Grover style. The pickups were stock for that model until recently. The neck and head are flamed maple (without skunk stripe) and the body has a 3/8" foto flame top that looks amazing. The stripes in the maple do not have in your face contrast like a typical flame but subtle character, nice birdseye figures and when the light catches the foto flamed areas they look like liquid gold - really striking. The body is alder or basswood - I think basswood but I'm not sure. The 5 way selector was cheap box type and has just been changed to Am Std style - much smoother and more reliable. Tone/Volume controls are standard Strat stuff. This guitar was reduced from a list price of $750.00 to 450because of a dent in the finish above the pickguard. The dent has since grown cracks that run the length of the body but I think it adds character to the instrument and if it has affected the sound it is for the better. Recent mods are Texas Specials swapped for stock, graph tech bridge saddles and an LSR roller nut. This is a unique looking guitar, even for a strat, and makes people jealous. My brother had a friend over the other night - a Rhandy Rhodes disciple with 15 years playing - and he asked if it had just come from the CUSTOM SHOP!!!! He wouldn't put it down..........

This guitar is really amazing. It is supposed to be a budget job from Japan and your typical sound snob wouldn't even consider it. I like to play SRV, Hendrix, Stones, Zep, Nirvana, a little misc jazz and blues. Play through a SS Fender Pro 185 (2x 12) with VOX wah, DOD Super American Metal, Boss pitch shifter - not all at once. This guitar had a great sound with the stock pickups. I also own a 1994 Am Std strat and this one sounds twice as good - always did. With Texas Specials it is UNBELIEVABLE. It always had a very full sound with nice character with only amp distortion. Capable of both bright and nice, warm tones - amazing veratility. Tweaking tone and volume knobs is just hours and hours of fun. Neck pickup with tone turned down gives a heavy, aggressive power chord with distortion and mellow jazz on clean. #2 (neck and middle) is quacky and has no hum due to reverse wound Texas Special configuration - awesome noise! Middle position has more defined tones but still good bass/mid, #4 position is hum free and bright but not too hot, bridge pickup is high output with some volume boost ahen you switch to it - a little shrill - just right for those Texas Flood moments .... With or without aftermarket pickups this guitar always seemed alive - now it practically plays itself! When I got the mods done I played it for a good friend of mine who is a big humbucker guy. His responses ranged from "holy shit," "that sounds like a Les," "it sounds like five different pickups," to "let me play it."
Must be the maple - I don't really care, but there is something different about this thing. Different and definitely better. I would give it an 11 if possible. Now I have an excuse to go out and buy a nice tube amp!

The axe came with a nick in the finish which occurred during shipping. The action was high to begin with, the strings were .009's and the fretbord had factory cheese on it. Five years later, now that I know better, I had it set up for .010's and my tech dealt with the fretboard - cleaned and oiled it. My playing improved by leaps and bounds! The neck is straight and it has good intonation. With graphite saddles and LSR roller nut it stays in tune very well even with considerable whammy abuse. Factory setup was nothing to scream about at all - but the foto flame was what turned my head in the first place; it is striking and beautiful. I would give this category a 2 but the foto flame brings it to a 6 even with the nick it came with.

The largest audience I have played for is five people in a basement. My friends and I had a rule for playing together - must be drunk! The strings never broke during "tourette's," the finish is cracking at points of impact, and the selector switch went on me after five years. For the amount of times this thing has fallen over, been knocked over or dropped it is incredible shape! How the back of the neck has no nicks is beyond me - this thing has some kind of charm about it...takes a lickin and you know the rest
Strap buttons are rock solid - would have said no backup necessary until the slector switch went, otherwise totally reliable.

Have dealt with Fender through a dealer - which is how I bought this guitar. My '94 Am Std Strat had buzz problems and was getting a new neck. The warranty had expired a month prior to my neck needing replaement but they gave me one free anyway - and quickly. While I was checking on this I saw this 60's RI and fell in love. Want customer support from Fender? Go through a Fender dealer. Big manufacturers deal with distributors - period. I work in a distribution warehouse. Even if I have a customer who spends $250,000 a year with me the manufacturers tell him to direct problems through me. A distributor has no incentive to lie to a manufacturer (most of the time) and usually has a repoire with the service rep and can talk the lingo in a professional manner. These factors expediate the process as long as your distributor is professional. If you've never worked in the service profession this may be hard to understand, but we are all creative musicians here so I know you can do it. Imagine getting phone calls about "this thing on my axe don't work," "I have a tone problem - my Strat makes a hum," "the volume knob came off the fourth time I humped the shit out of my amplifier - can I get a free T-shirt?" , "it came without instructions," "if it's electric, how come the plug only has one prong?" ALL DAY. So I'm making this up. I've dealt with similar questions/requests in other fields and ignorance, impulsiveness, lack of communication ability, unrealistic expectations and most of all lack of willingness to part with a buck make customer service a nightmare. And it is fairly common knowledge that the average musician isn't that rich. I don't mean to put anybody down here - I'm aware of some of the horrible ordeals that sometimes must be gone through to get what you paid for! All I'm saying is try to be realistic, try to be a good customer and try to have patience. It worked very well for me and I am the only one I've seen write a positive review for Fender customer service on this site (read a couple hundred). Want a good customer service story? Go read the review(s) of the Gibson 57 Black Beauty RI. This is a great website.

Been playing 8 years. Wish I knew about cheap selector switch so I could have swapped it at the get - go. Wish it had bigger frets, but they'll be in there someday. If this guitar were stolen I would quit my job and go hunting for the bastard, and when I found him I would introduce him to my size 13 steel toe boots, stihl chainsaw, full size pickup truck and small blowtorch - not necessarily in that order. Or maybe I would just bring out the gimp. The finish, sound and playability are superb. I own a '94 Am Std and my brother owns a Les Paul from '80 or '81. This one is not quite as playable as my other strat - which has the best neck ever - but it is the best looking and sounding guitar I know of for rock/blues tones.

1995 Fender Reissue Strat made in Japan. 21 frets, 25.5" scale, 7.25" radius, maple neck with rosewood fretboard and small/thin frets and a basswood body. Typical 60/62 Reissue Strat configuration with 3 single coil pickups, volume knob, 2 tone knobs, 5 way switch, Kluson (style) tuners, vintage style steel saddle bridge (slightly different size than USA bridge due to Japan using the metric system).

The factory pickups and electronics are a cheap flimsy affair and need to replaced ASAP for anyone purchasing a Japanese Reissue Strat. However, the foundation of the guitar (neck and body) are solid as a rock. The guitar, acoustically, resonates very well and seems to have a bit more snap than the USA Reissues. It's important to note that the Japanese Reissue's use basswood for the body instead of alder which is found on the USA Reissue. One isn't necessarily better, just different sounding. My rating for this category takes into account the cheap pickups and electronics. However, the foundation of the guitar which is the neck and body are of excellent quality.

The factory setup was OK and actually pretty good for Fender based on past experience. I've seen Fender Custom Shop Strats that were setup worse. The neck pocket was tight and the neck aligned with the body properly so that the strings were perfectly spaced across the fretboard.

There were only several things that needed to be adjusted. The action was way too low and needed to be raised. The pickup height needed to be adjusted accordingly. The trem and trem springs needed adjustment (I always block down vintage style trems for better tuning stability and better tone). And finally, the guitar needed to be intonated for the strings I use. Although, this may seem like a lot of things were wrong with the guitar, it's not. This is done and has been done to over 95% of guitars that I've bought in the past.

On the positive side, the frets were very well dressed especially by Fender standards. The nut was cut properly. The neck was straight and had the proper relief. Absolutely no fret buzz anywhere on the neck and no fretting out at the higher frets during bends which was surprising due to the 7.25" radius with medium-low action that I prefer (4/64" at the 17th fret High E and 5/64" at the 17th fret Low E).

I've owned MANY Fender Strats over the 18 years I've been playing and this is one of the finest I've seen and absolutely the best value of all the Fender Strats I've owned. All the Fender's I've owned have stood up to the daily playing and slight abuse and have no doubt that this one will last. From my experience, basswood is a softer wood that dings easier than say alder or ash but I could care less since I'm a player and not a collector.

Never dealt with them and have no desire to either. I never understood why people would want to contact them? All the info is up on their website and repairs can be done by your favorite luthier. If you want warranty repair work done, this can be handled by a local Fender authorized dealer.

I've owned MANY Fender Strats over the 18 years I've been playing and this is one of the finest I've seen and absolutely the best value of all the Fender Strats I've owned. The Japenese Reissue Strats compare favorably over the current USA Reissue's and is a better bargain than the MIM Reissue's. It's also been my experience that the Japanese Fender's are more consistent in quality from one guitar to the next compared to the USA and MIM Fender's.

I could care less about the cheap pickups and electronics since I've always swapped out pickups on every Fender Strat I've owned in the past. Fender's pickups are just not my cup of tea. This guitar is deserving of pickups like Kinman's or Fralin's.

1996 Japanese '62 reissue Stratocaster with slab rosewood fretboard, thin frets, basswood body, 3 single-coil pickups and tremolo. Repro Kluson tuners, 25 1/2" scale length and thin frets.
She's shell pink and I've named her Christine :)

The pickups that came with Christine looked brilliant, but sounded cack - they were thin, noisy and squealed at high volume. The first thing I replaced was the pickup selector, because it crackled. Then after approximately a year I finally replaced the pickups with Kinman
AvN-Ws - this sorted the tone problem out immediately (my amp is a Laney LC15).

The thing I liked about Christine when I saw her was her neck - tinted maple with tiger-stripe flaming all over it. She was an ex-display model with a chip on her upper bout.
Initially I wasn't keen on her colour (shell pink) but her action was perfect, and through the stores amplifier she sounded brilliant- however when I got her home her tone sucked. I replaced her bridge pickup with an old diMarzio HS2 I had hanging around, and began thinking about buying a Warmoth alder body to improve her tone, but I went with the Kinman pickups instead, and they obviated the need for a new body *grin*.
I've had her for eighteen months and her body has several other chips on it now and her bridge saddles have rusted quite nicely, and she looks and sounds AMAZING.

I've tweaked the tremolo and now Christine is really reliable thanks to the new pickups - she sounds so good I've sold my Les Paul!

Not needed.

I would recommend anybody to try and get hold of one of these Japanese reissues and retrofit it with Kinmans - you'll have a guitar that looks, sounds and feels priceless. I've been playing for fifteen years and I now have the best guitar I've ever heard. I'm now looking for a Japanese '50s reissue as a backup *grin*.

This guitar was made in 1998 (I assume, since I bought it in middle 1999). It has 21 Frets, solid-top, 1 volume and 2 tone. 5-way selector. Three single coil "vintage" pickups, passive. Alder body, maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Strat body style (obviously), vintage style bridge (I am considering having it blocked off), vintage gotoh tuners..thin C neck...guitar center threw the case and strap in for me. Yes it came with tools.

I play anything rock, from Cream to Bush. I'm using it with a Morley Steve Vai "Bad Horsie" wah and a Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. The sound is INCREDIBLE!!!! I can get it as fat or thin as I want. I love it!!

Fairly well, except the bridge. The intonation is FUCKED. Thats why I gave it a 3. I can't bend any strings above the 12th fret without them "buzzing out". I am going to take the guitar to have the bridge blocked off and the action raised. Also, I had a problem with the output jack coming loose. Not recently, though.

This guitar is a tank. The hardware seems like it will last, and yes it can withstand live playing. The finish seems good to last too. The strap buttons are SOLID. Yes I can depend on it. I probably wouldnt use this guitar in a gig because I fear for it being lost or stolen. If it were stolen i'd hunt down the jerk and kill him.

Never dealt with them.

This is the only electric guitar I own. I've been playing for just a month shy of a year, but I consider myself fairly good and I think I know what I'm talking about. If it were stolen or lost, first i'd kill the fucker that stole it and then I'd buy a new one. I love everything about this guitar except the bridge. I compared it to the American version of the same guitar, and I found that the mexican version was lighter and sounded better. I wish it had better action and intonation. Overall, a great guitar. JUST WATCH OUT FOR THE BRIDGE AND INTONATION.

new 1999 reissue of the 60's stratocaster, i got mine in sunburst because this one has an alder body which is a major plus, the bridge is always a bit of trouble in stratocasters but nothing a little work wont fix. oh yes and it included a nice gigbag, it has 21 frets and vintage tuners

i'm pretty much an alternative but i also like to play the metal! so this guitar can do them both if you replace the neck pickup for a stronger more powerful one, it is not noisy at all i use it with a fender roc-pro1000. I really love the presence this guitar and it is extremely comfortable to play with

i got to say this guitar was perfect except for the bridge which i had to align to my taste, other than that, 10!!

i replaced the strap buttons for locking buttons and i believe this guitar will take a beating and come out like a champ! i would always use a backup, you never know when a string will brreak

it is new, i have an ibanez rg and i must say i have replaced it permanently with my new strat! if i lost it i would definitely get another one of these, as a matter of fact i prefer this axe over the american standard anyday! i only wish it had a beefier neck pickup!

This is a 1998 made in Japan "60s Reissue" Strat in white. I have owned it for 14 months and it was purchased new. It has a basswood body which is light. It has 22 (I think) frets on a rosewood fretboard over a C shaped, gloss finished, maple neck with a 7.25" radius.
The pickups are reissue single coils with aged plastic covers. Vintage tremolo which I added an additional spring to when I changed the strings from .9s to .10s. All accessories have aged look. The tuners are vintage style tuners. It did not come with a case.

I like and play blues, rock and alternative music. I am using a Sundown Formula 50 all tube amp, a Pignose Hog 20 and I run it through my SansAmp into a Tascam 414 4 track and then into Audix PH-5 monitors. I use the following pedals:
Vox Wah (with full bypass) FullTone FullDrive 2 FullTone DejaVibe 2 FullTone Ultimate Octave FullTone Choral Flange
With the original factory pickups, this guitar was in a word, NOISY. In any single coil setting it was almost intolerable. Don't even think about bringing it close to a florescent lamp. You will get more noise than tone.
With the factory pickups, the tone was very much a strat tone. Bright and bell like. But IMHO, the are too thin. The tone always lacked presence and in time began to wear on me. The only two decent sounding switch positions where the neck and the neck and middle setttings.
2 months ago I changed the pickups to Dimarzio Virtual Vintages in the neck and middle position and Virtual Vintage Blues in the bridge position. The guitar now is incredible. I love the tone. Best of all, no NOISE! I have listened to my recordings before and after changing the pickups and it is a world of difference. Especially in the way of noise reduction. The VV's are dead quiet. I would rate the sound with the stock pickups a 5 and the sound with the Dimarzio VV pickups an 9.

I do my own set-ups on this guitar. I use all the factory specs for my set-up, and just tweek them slightly to suit my needs. So comparing the factory setup to spec, it was tolerable. The action was a little low on the bass side causing some buzz. The pickups were too low and needed to be brought up to spec. You'd be hard pressed to find a flaw on the guitar when I purchased it. It was simply beautiful.

Well I am purely an amateur guitarist so I don't gig. As a amateur who plays almost every day, I have to say there are parts on this guitar that are not great. The pickups look and feel really cheap (take the pickguard off and take a look). I have also had to replace the bridge sections because one of the screw holes stripped out while I was playing. Causing my G string to drop to the frets. I replaced them with Fender USA versions of the bridge sections (which definitely appear to be better constructed)
When I replaced the pickups, the pots and capacitors needed to be replaced to be in spec for the VVs, so I replaced the whole pickguard as well including new 5 way switch. It was much easier to deal with and I am glad I did. The original pickguard only had shielding near the volume and tone pots, and not on the whole guard. The Fender USA version of the mint green pickguard has shielding on the whole back. I sure the lack of shielding was a contributing part of the noise problem.
Otherwise the guitar is built very solidly and the finish is perfect.

I have been playing about 2 years. In addition to the gear I mentioned above, I own a 60's Teisco and a Seagull S6+ Cutaway.
I waited a while before writing my review because I wanted to have a bunch of experience with this guitar before expressing my opinion. The guitar as it is now, with Dimarzio Virtual Vintage pickups, new Fender USA pickguard and Fender USA bridge sections, is incredible. I love the sound, the feel of the vintage neck, the light body and the incredible versatility a Strat provides.
I compared this guitar with Mexican Strats and Teles and really fell in love with it when I played it. The honeymoon was over quickly, but I have been able to re-kindle that love by replacing the pickups and inferior parts.
If it was lost or stolen, I would probably buy an American Standard Stratocaster. I don't want to put the money time, and effort into another one of these babies.
If you can get your hands on one of these used at a good price, grab it. It definitely has an incredible feel and in IMHO plays better than the American Standard, but be prepared to replace the pickups, pickguard and bridge section. After you do that, you will have an incredible guitar that looks very much like a 60's Strat.
Other reviewers have complained about the tuners. I have not problems with my tuners. They seem to work well and hold the guitar in tune. I will consider myself lucky!
One last thing. When I first got this guitar, I was unable to keep it in tune after using the tremolo. I always went sharp on me. After replacing the strings with .10s, adding the additional temolo spring, replacing the bridge sections and adjusting the tremolo to Fender specs, it stays in tune! YES!

This is a Classic 60's Made In Mexico Stratocaster. The usual features: poplar body (Lake Placid Blue), maple neck with rosewood fretboard, 21 frets, aged plastic parts, mint green pickguard, vintage tuners and bridge, pickups with staggered pole pieces... Normally the guitar should've come with a gig bag, but I left the shop with a Fender tweed case. Very nice.

I used to have a very recent American Standard Stratocaster, so much of my opinion will be based on the differences. At home and during practice, I use it with a '63 Reissue Fender Reverb and an original '64 Bandmaster. On gigs I use the same '63 Reverb and a '69 Dual Showman. The first thing I noticed, is a much thinner sound compared to my previous Strat, while the mid to high tones are rather (sometimes too) bright. A little less sustain also. I play in a surf band, and I can't seem to cut through as much as with the Standard I used to have. It came with a 5 way switch, but I will be replacing it with a 3 way soon, as I really don't care for positions 2 and 4 at all. I'm also thinking about replacing the pickups with Antiquity II's or SD Vintage. When strumming unplugged, there seems to be less body resonance than my friend's American Standard. Hmmm... that about covers it, I think. Oh yeah, I have a '64 Fender Jaguar and no Strat can beat it. Period.

The guitar came factory-strung with the usual floss wire, wich is a pain when you're used to .013's. Anyways, I took it home and put a fresh set of .013 Flatwounds on it, wich improved the sound and feel a lot for me. I had to do the ritual saddle height adjusting and nut filing, but once through that, it felt really nice. I especially like the feel/shape of the neck... a lot more than most American Standards I've played. One complain about the bridge is that the saddle height adjusting screws were sticking out a little too much, cutting the palm of my hand while playing. I had to file them down a little. Also, I can't seem to get the bridge flush with the body, and have smooth tremolo at the same time... weird.

So, when I took it home and put new strings on, the low E machine head got stuck on me! Boy was I pissed... I took it back next day, explained the store owner what happened, and he replaced it at no cost. Other than that, the guitar seems quite solid. I use it as backup on gigs, my main guitar being my '64 Fender Jaguar.

The store owner didn't make a case out of it and just replaced the darn machine head.

Well, over here in Europe, I think guitars are waaaaay overpriced. It's not like there's anything to do about it though...
All in all, I'm glad I bought this guitar. I was planning on buying another American Standard, but since the $ course went up like bad digested chili, I had to go another way.

If you play serious guitar but don't have serious money, this is the guitar to get. I own two of these models. One is Japanese, and one is Mexican. They are both different but both great sounding guitars. Vintage everything!
I'm not going to go into detail because it's been done on other posts, but the Japanese Strat is Basswood, and the Mexican is Poplar. Both great sounding axes. Very light too. You need to know this if you do four sets a night and have back problems.
If you have some kind of Nationalistic hang up about buying non-American guitars, snort some advil and move on. The Mexican model is made with American parts and assembled in Mexico by Mexicans. What do you care about the ethnicity of the person who assembled your Strat as long as it sounds good, looks good, and doesn't make you loose your house trying to pay it off?
The crux of the biscuit is that these are great guitars for the real player. Not the collector wanna-be who can't play a C chord but has bucks to burn! When I got mine, I had my tech go in to the cavity and check the pots and the switches. They weren't happening so I changed them upping the quality. Then I changed the pickups. They aren't Fender Vintage pickups so who cares. Do you have a sound in your head? Make it happen on this axe with your own choice of pickups.
This guitar allows you to put your own aural stamp on a great body and neck. Sound like you and stop cloning around! Don't worry about getting arrested by the Blues Police. The Masters had to break away from tradition too. They were mocked and now the music of the Masters live on while the whinners live in whinney obscurity sticking to their tired old school guns!
I'm playing through a Marshall TSL 122 Combo, a Peavey Classic 50 4X10, and Peavey 5150, and a Line 6 Axsys 212. Both guitars sound great in every rig.
I happen to really dig that C neck. It's fat and chunky. A real man's man neck! For me the neck is 3/4 of the battle. If you find a neck you love the rest is easy. You won't find this neck on those Fender American Standards either. And it's cheaper than the American Standard too!
The other guitar player in my band has a real Fender Cherry Red 62' Strat. His axe has better re-sale value but mine sounds better. His axe is noisy but sweet sounding, mine is silent, sweet and deadly sounding. He paid a fortune, and I paid under $600.00 including changing pots, switches, and pickups. You decide who got the bargain.
Lastly, I'm the kind of guy that just can't leave things alone. I've never met a guitar that I couldn't just leave alone thinking it was perfect. This guitar is perfect for me because I can make it my own without spending a lot of money for something that's supposed to be perfect. If I spent $30,000 on a PRS Santana Model it better sound like the holy grail and make small talk between sets.
This guitar is great and it's my main axe. I'm done, and I no longer salivate when I go into guitar stores. I have everything I need in this axe for Stratability.
For pickups I recommend the Duncan Alnico Staggared, Fender Vintage Reverse staggared (for that Jimi Woodstock/Band of Gypsys tone), Texas Specials (for that Super SRV chunk), and the DiMarzio Virtual Vintage line (Silent but Deadly).
PS: I know nothing.

This guitar is a black 1996 Japan made strat with a yellow/green pickguard. It has 22 frets and a medium sized neck . It has 1 volume knob and 2 tone & a pickup switch with 5 positions. The fretboard is rosewood. The tuners are excellent vintage reissues and they look nice too ! Overalll its a beutiful guitar.

The sound of this guitar is to my ears a classic warm vintage fendersound. Of course not as good as the real thing but close. I play mine thru a 59' fender bassman , with a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 and an Ibanez tubescreamer. To me this creates the ultimate warm , full sound that i always wanted. I allso own an american made strat from 79 but the 60's sounds so much better. Of my guitars ( i allso have a Les Paul ) this is still my favorite. I purchased it for about 7500 sek. I play mostly rock music like Pearl Jam and this guitar is perfect for that. But i works just as well for heavier music. I allso run it thru a bigmuff pi and a JCM800 and that gives that fuzzy wroom sound that makes your ears bleed. This guitar is the most priceworth guitar i have.

I bought min in 96 and i have had NO problems whatsoever with it. I have fixed the neck ones, thats all. Its built like a dream.

This is my main live guitar. The pickups is wonderful for different sound. The toneatillity is great. Its very reliable and you can bash it around with out having to worry abou it. Some how it just feels great in all weathers and situations. As far as backup goes i allways carry one Gibson and one fender because of the toneatillity need in different songs.

I have never had to repair it. Just a few adjustments, nothing that i coulden't fix on my own. So.....

Overall i have to say that this guitar is a real piece of work. It's a great guitar for a low prices. It easily outruns many of its american brothers that i have played, including my own US strat.

What we have here is a 1998 made in Mexico Classic '60s Stratocaster. Do not under-estimate Fender's MIM line, the force is strong in these babies. I think there are 22 frets and I'm sure that the fretboard is rosewood. The body on this baby is poplar and finished in lake placid blue. The pickguard and pickup covers are aged, as well as the neck and headstock. Visually, this is a great looking combination...reminds me of a '57 corvette. The controls are standard one volume and two tone knobs. The pickup selector is 5 way for selection of the three single coils. Vintage tuners that work great. I give this section a ten not for quanity but because you get you money's worth...these are all the features that you really need for that vintage vibe. I haggled, whined and basically threw a hissy fit till they included the proper gig bag.

The stock vintage single coils are effective in creating the blues, classic rock tones that I like. They are a little noisy under florescent lights, but overall not that bad in living room conditions. The sound on the stock pickups is full and not bright at all. If you like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy or Clapton (I do) then you won't be dissappointed in this guitar. I did upgrade the pickups to texas specials, not because of any problems with the stock set but because I have a NOS 60s Stratocaster and I wanted a variation in sound. With the Texas specials this guitar went from Classic Coke straight to rum and coke. This is a great guitar and a great value before the pickup change. With the texas specials this is one roadhouse rocking, classic bell tone singing, gravelly blues growling, bad to the bone strat. Okay, I got a little carried away but suffice to say that the texas special upgrade makes this into a truly superior blues/rock platform. Like all Stratocasters this one is very versitle so I'm sure it can handle most types of music form rock to soul and country, but I concentrate mostly on blues and rock.

The setup was fine for my tastes. Strings were changed to 10s but that's a usual upgrade. There is just a touch of overspray near the back of the neck joint but this is a minor, I do mean MINOR nitpick. Otherwise it's a cool piece of hardware. Saddles, tuners and switches are all shiny and well constructed.

This guitar looks and feels quite solid. I have no doubt that it could withstand live playing. The hardware is solid and the finish is a durable polyurethene that will outlast even the most virilent christmas fruitcake. Yeah, it's tough.

I think the warrenty is limited lifetime. I've only dealt with Fender through it's website. I find the website to be informative and I usually receive and answer to even my stupidest questions in a day or so. I had this guitar for about six months and no problems.

I've been playing for about a year and I also own a Custom Shop NOS 60 Stratocaster. NO effects. I would definitly buy this guitar again. The quality and reliablity of the MIM line is great. The build standards are truly professional. I am a satisfied customer.

This is your basic strat. Mine was made in mexico though I've heard of some being made in japan. It comes wit the standard three single coils, five way selector, one volume, two tones. Includes a traditional Strat bridge (I say this because I'm not so sure what it's official name is and I know how people are very inclined to rudely tell you when you are wrong about sometihng on a posting) with standard string through body design. It's got 20 frets, and mine is with a rosewood neck and a lake placid blue body. It's got vintage style tuners and aged plastic parts, which look pretty damn cool I think. I don't really know what type of frets come on it, but I'll play with anything that sounds good, I'm not too picky. It's got the glossy finish neck, just like the origionals from the fifties and sixties, with no skunk stripe down the back. It didn't come with anything..not even a gig bag!! If I wanted to pay another 500 for the 62' reissue, then I think I get a bag or something, but for this..nothin.

I play alot of rock and blues, as well as some experimental stuff with some weird ass pedals and stuff. Most of the time, I just use a pedal to drive my Princeton Chorus amp, but also have a Boss dd-3 delay, ds-1 distortion, an ibanez dual chorus(excellent), and various other effects pedals. It's is a bit noisy at high gain settings, but that is to expected from a strat, unless you get some lace sensors. The Bridge and middle pu's were a bit bright, so with a bit of adjustment they were fine. The neck pu was great from the get-go. Great singing to screaming blues and rock tones from this axe. I've always found Strats relatively versitile, though you can't quite get that thick Gibson "jazzy" tone...oh well *shrug*. The only dislikes I had were the pickup set-ups, but that was easily remedied and I'm very happy with it now.

The strings that came with it sucke, I'm not sure what they were, but as soon as I put a fresh set on, it was fine. The pickups like I said were a bit bad, but that was fixed..i.e. (look above) I found a few knicks and dings in the finish, and a little bit of the finish cracking, but you can't see them withouyt it right in your face. The bridge was a bit messed up, it was WAY too loose for my tastes. Just tapping the trem-bar would literally drop it almost a whole step! Another problem with this is that it was so loose, that when I would bend one string, I could see the bridge move up, which in turn would cause all the other strings to loosen...no good! So, I added another spring and adfjusted it to my liking. No, other complaints except that damn plastic on the pickgaurd. I'm still picking bits if it out from under my knobs! But, it is a necessary evil I suppose.

This guitar is built like a tank. Everything on it is solid, and I would expect it to maintain it's strength for a long time. Strap buttons are put in well, no wigglin. The finish seems just fine and should hold up, but if it chips, I'm not too concerned about it. It'll still sound the same and that's what matters. Not that bothered by the cosmetics of a guitar, though I must say, this one looks pretty damn smooth and sexy. I'm sure I could depend on it and I would gig it without a backup, since I don't have a backup worthy of this baby.

Never had to deal with Fender. My Princeton Chorus amp and DG-7 acoustic have had no problems that I couldn't fix myself. I've heard both good things and bad things about the customer service, but I'll deal with it if need be. So, for this, I'll give it an average score, since I don't really know, but like their products.

I've been playing for five years now, and started with humble beginings with my korean squire strat. It feels like a toy compared to this beauty. I would buy it again if it was lost or stolen. I chose this axe because I liked the vintage styling of these strats much more than the standards of now a days. The new ones just don't have the feel that I want and this one does it for me. Only thing I wish it came with is a damned gig-bag!!(hint hint, wink wink to Fender...)

This strat is a 1996 model. I bought it brand new. They had to special order it at the time I bought it, because I had some problems with the floor model, so they did that back order thing for me. It took too long to get here!!! I need to play!!!!!!!!It is a strat copying those 60's strats. It is more of a tribute than a reissue, because my mexican strat is more vintage than this.

I didn't really like the bridge PU and middle PU. I loved the neck PU. So, when I did mods to my Mexican strat, I took the two PUs from it that I was replacing, and put them in the bridge and middle positions on my 60's strat. They are higher output than the stock PU's. for the neck it worked, but it needed some extra push for the other two positions.

This one is black. It is dark and shiny, and almost mirror-like. It looked horrible, and then I changed the plastic parts to white. That mint green just wasn't doing it for me. I also added a Monn Sak records sticker where your arm rests on the body. It looks much better now.

Strats don't break. They drop off stands 10 times in a row, and they are still in tune. As a matter of fact, I had some idiots over one night to jam, and one of these idiots knocked this black strat off the stand twice!!!! Both times within like 5 minutes of eachother. It was in tune, with not a scratch. Nuff said

Only dealt with fender once. They were kind and helpful, and hurried along with the solution to my problem.

I like this strat after all the mods. It has a great sound and a great look now. I like strats the best. I always have. Do I even need to explain? Ok, fine. Two words - Eric Jihnson.

HENCHO EN MEXICO . LAKE PLACID BLUE . GREEN GUARD . 3 SINGLES .21FRETS NO ACCESSORIES. THIS IS A STRAT THERE IS NO EQUAL FOR GETTING THAT FENDER SOUND HEARD ROUND THE WORLD. 9.5 RATING

GOOD FOR ROCK, FUCK COUNTRY,FOR BLUES, FUCK DISCO,FOR METAL,FUCK PUNK AND FOR DIDDLIN. I USE MANY DIFFERENT AMPS...63 DELUXE,67 PRINCETON,CHEEZY CLASSIC 30 AND A FLEXTONE 60. IT IS A BIT NOISY UNDER CERTIAN CONDITIONS. BUT ALL SINGLE COILS ARE. THE SOUND IS TYPICAL GLASSY FENDER, BRIGHT YET RICH IN CHARACTER. ALL PICKUP SETTINGS ARE USEFUL AT THE PROPER TIMES. STRATS ARE A BIG PART OF MY LIFE AND I LOVE THIS ONE

ALL GOOD.

COMPARED TO THE COST OF A CUSTOMSHOP IT'S A REAL BARGAIN

the standard strat features.Basswood body.Nice thick neck.Vintage tuners, bridge,etc...It was made in 1996 in Japan.Colour: surf green.

i play blues,rock,a little funk and a little jazz.It suits me fine.I love the neck pickup for blues and jazz.The bridge pickup is too bright.I hate it. Great clean sound. It distorts well enough.It's great for the price payd.

there were a few flaws on the finish but it is great.I suppose it was set-up in the shop.It is fine.I adjusted the pickups a bit.Everything was fit in nicely and everything is good quality.

its greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.It will last.

i haven't dealt with fender but i have heard some bad things about them.

hxgkdhgx,,jglkofhgglllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllln.,vnnm.n

you know...the usual layout. This one is done in surf green. the guitar is so cool looking that even if it didn't play worth a sh*% I'd buy it. I play it through many different amps and it always sounds wonderful. rosewood board,mint green guard'PERFECTLY VINTAGE LOOKING. Features = 10 it's a strat for christ sake, if you really play electric guitar there is no equal.

Sound 10 the stock pickups nail the obligitory strat tones period. I have read so many pans about the pickups and I don't know why. (maby you fags are expecting the guitar to automaticaly make you Jeff Beck). I play many styles jazz, classic rock, twangin country ,standards,funk,all in the same show. The strat does the jobs it is asked to do. (some 28 years of playing skills help but the strat has even more experience). This year I'm playing it through a FLEXTONE,not the best amp but with this combination I'm able to carry 1 guitar and one amp and be one versitile dude. Single coils are usually noisy ,mine are no exception.Learn to deal with it.Buddy Hollys' were noisy, JIMIS' were noisy, Blackmores' were noisy' Claptons' were noisy,GODDAMIT LEOS' were noisy. Work with the guitars to achieve 1/1000th of their success then complain wimps.Just learn to play. Jeez I really get pissed. But I hope you undarstand what I'm saying. Go out and buy a $8500.00 62 Lake Placid Blue strat and those fuc%ing pickups are noisy under flo lighting.The tuners work fine . The wanger works fine also if you know how to set it up.

The strats come with oo9s ,I use 10's so some self tweaking was done .For example use 4 springs on the tremolo, lower the mid and neck pu's till the magnetic pull dosent cause the thing play out of tune.and set the action so you can play slide with a medium weight glass slide. The action will never be like a Parker but real men like STEVIE RAY had no problem squeezing the living s%$t out of them.

I dont have a tech I am my own tech and you guys should also take the time to be your own tech, you probabally went to VOTECH.The GUITAR IS 10 YEARS OLD AND IS ALWAYS IN USE. tHE CONSTANT volume and tone adjustments cause the pots to wear out on all electric devices. After 10 years I had to replace the volume pot only. This time I used a 500k instead of a 250. The way ERIC does . Now I play just like him.The secret to being a great strat player is the 500k pot. My playing improved so much because of this Pleas don't tell this secret to anyone and you will be the next hot picker on the block.JAP parts seem to hold up very well. My american strats have become second choice to the Japs and I can own a few of each color to booot.PS you guitar is a machine, spray that fuc%er with WD-40 neck ,fretboabd, bridge ,nut, inputjack, and the strings you will be one happy dude it helps everything work better and will not harm the strat one bit.

Never spoke to the support team don't have to. I hear the reissues are now being made in MEXICO. I love TECATE , TACOS, TEQUILA, I will check these out and let you guys know my score .

I typed all this stuff in other places . Hope you will enjoy your Jap 60's strat as much as I do mine. Try to get one from 1985 -1995 these are top notch pieces and should be cherished as much as the real deal. PS the real deal is so over priced that it makes me sick.

You know they basics by now. Straight poop, replace the tuners, replace 5-way switch and pick-ups. For pick-ups I recommend either Rio-Grande-vintage tall-boys, Seymour Duncans or Texas Specials. I've used all and each really opens up the guitar. SRV's tech, Rene Martinez sets all mine-up and he like them just fine.

With p.u's replaced - great. Stock suck!

Very good

Absolutely reliable

Outstanding for gigging musicians who worry about dings, theft and other maladies that always seem to occurto highly valued guitars.

Made in Japan with all of the standard features found on Fender.com, so I won't go into too much here. Mine is a maple neck with a nice tobacco burst finish. Aged knobs and pickups.

I play through a mesa boogie amp simulator in front of a 21 inch computer monitor. The strat buzzes a lot, like any single coil guitar. But if you find the quit spot in your chair, you can get a pretty good recording with minimal buzz. It gets a good distorted sound while retaining a punchy tone. The clean sound is all you can ask for from a Fender -- great!!

The guitar was set up well, I made no adjustments. There were no flaws either. Reading through reviews for this guitar, I was surprised by how many problems people had with their Fenders. I have owned at least seven Fenders over the years and they were all amazingly close to each other quality wise -very high. And don't believe any of that crap about "American Made" stratocasters. Last time I checked, Japan's manufacturing sector was pounding the hell out of America's. How many Japanese guys show up hungover to work Monday morning and think Friday is pre-weekend day-- it's unheard of.

This guitar is very reliable. I think you could paddle across the Pacific Ocean to Japan and play a gig that night using this guitar. It's tough as nails and resists denting that leave most Gibsons battle torn.

No Problems requiring customer support.

This guitar is a great value. I've actually thought about buying another, just because it's so cool -- maybe with a rosewood neck. Before writing this, I thought it might be a '57 reissue, but it has a 5-way switch.
I've been playing for 20 years, and this is the best Fender I have ever had, and I've had a few. And who can't scrape up $400??? It's almost free!!!

This is a 1997 Japan-made "60s Reissue" Strat in Shell Pink. It has a 5-way switch and the standard Strat layout in all respects. It has a regular normal Strat tremolo, which I have blocked off. The previous owner installed String-Saver saddles, which I actually hate, they seem to deaden the sound a great deal. There are two other things about this guitar which are awful and we might as well discuss them now. The tuners are junk. Guitar-making folks, those fake Kluson keys are awful cute 'n' all, but there is a REASON why Schaller and Grover invented BETTER ONES, because those six-in-line fake Kluson keys suck immensely. The high E tuner on this guitar is especially troublesome.
The other area of suckage involves the pickups. I have no problem with the wiring. It's the pickups themselves that snorkel the large sausage of despair. Underwound, anemic, and nasal sounding are words you could use to describe the sound. I've heard stock Mustang pickups that have more balls than these. The bridge pickup is especially vile. It's unrelentingly shrill, squeaky, and pingy. The neck pickup is the most usable out of the three, although it too is massively lacking in presence. Tuning key and pickup replacement will happen on this guitar.
The body is basswood, which makes it nice and light, but when you combine this with the deadening effect of the GraphTech string saddles, you don't quite have the sustain you would need. The neck is your standard Strat scale neck with medium frets and a slightly boat-neck feel. The feel of the neck is very nice, and the construction of the neck is very solid, with a nice rosewood fretboard and decently figured maple on the back.
I can't argue with the construction. Everything fits very tightly and well. The neck pocket and the neck fit very tightly together and make a good join. The pots, jack, and electronics are good quality. I only wish the pickups and machine heads were better. Thus it gets a 6, but a very solid one, in this category.

Strats generally suit my style of playing. This one does as well, although due to the weakness of the pickups I have to leave my Boss Compressor on all the time in order to use it. I put it through my reissue Ampeg Jet II (a great little tube amp, btw). As far as noise is concerned, there is a certain amount of it, since this is a Strat with single-coil pickups. However, in the 2 and 4 positions on the 5 way switch all hum is gone. At ths point the sound of the guitar is nowhere near as rich and full as I would like, but using the neck and middle pickups, you can get a decent variety of sounds, although not as many as on my other Strat. In this category we go down to a 5 due to the excrement-like sound of the pickups, which in Frank Zappa's words are just a lot of "festering poot."

On action, fit and finish, the guitar does very well. As I said before, it's very well put together and the components are all of high quality, except for those damned tuning keys and pickups! The neck joint is tight, everything is well seated, and it's a light but very solid guitar. In this category it easily merits an 8. It would have gone higher, but the crappy tuning keys really hurt the rating.

The guitar will certainly stand live playing, and I have played it at a gig without a backup. The hardware is very solid and shiny, and the Shell Pink finish is truly nice, well-applied and well buffed in. The strap buttons are Schaller locking strap buttons. The guitar seems quite dependable, construction wise. My major arguments are with the pickups and tuners. Here again it merits an 8.

I don't usually try to deal with Fender after a frustrating episode some years ago where I tried to get a trem arm for a Jaguar from them. Since then I have left them alone. The guitar is used, so it's probably not under any warranty. However, it's not in bad shape so I don't need repairs, and in any case, changing the tuners and pickups, which I WILL do, would probably void it out.

I have been playing for a truly stupid amount of time, and I own a boatload of other gear. If the guitar were stolen, I would definitely get another Strat, but maybe not another 60s Reissue unless the pickups and tuning keys were changed out. I love the fact that this guitar is lightweight and easy to play; I despise the pickups and tuning keys.

1998 japanese Strat, 21 frets, 3 single coil pickups, basswood body, 3 tone sunburst, vintage style bridge and tuners, 7.25" fretboard radius, "aged" knobs and pickguard (3 play), no accesories included.

Very good sounding guitar, very stratish. I play mainly blues and classic rock and suits these styles without problem. I'm using it with a Fender Twin Amp and a Soldano Hot Rod 50, TS-9 (TS-808 mod), Fulldrive 2, V-Twin, Dan-Echo, Yamaha Chorus, Vox Wah (Geoffrey Teese mod). Not very noisy, although it has the inherent single coil hum in positions 1, 3 and 5. I really like a lot this guitar and, although it's not made in USA, it's a real Strat in sound and that's what I want.

The guitar has needed some set-up, but nothing special. I have to raise the strings a bit, because of the 7.25" neck radius, to avoid string choking on bendings. I have not found any flaws in the finish and all the hardware seems right. I have not had problems with the tuning at all, so for me the tuning pegs are OK.

I'm sure the guitar will last in very good condition many many years. The finish seem not quite as good as in other guitars, but I have not experienced any problems at the moment(8 months after). The strap bottoms are classic and seems solid enough. I would never go to a gig without a backup, ANY guitar can fail in the worst of the moments! Also, if you don't have the trem blocked and you break a string, you are completely out of tune with this guitar (and with any other with a floating Strat style bridge).

I have not dealt with Fender for this guitar. I thought the warranty is one year in Spain.

I've begun playing guitar in the sixties, but always acoustic and spanish guitars. I play electrics since 1985. I had tested it in the shop and had impressed me it's look, it's finish, and it's sound. If it were stolen, I would probably buy another one, or a USA '62 or '57 model. I have compared with my others Strats (a Deluxe Plus and a Roadhouse) and it's quite different in sound, so it complements so well the other two. I think this guitar has a very good sound for a rasonably price, probably better price/quality ratio than an American Standard. I love it's vintage look. I hate nothing, but the 7.25" fretboard radius it's not so comfortable to play like the new ones (9.5"). A very good guitar that worths a try before you buy any Strat.

I bought the guitar in late 97'. It has the 3 vintage single coils, with a 5 way switch. Rosewood fretboard is quite nice. It has all the standard strat eguipment as far as tremelo, saddles, bridge and tuners. The finish is the pink vintage(I know a little fruity, but my wife likes it). The neck is a little thin for my liking, but I've gotten used to it. Myself, I like the heavy rounded "D" style neck.

I have to admit this the best sounding guitar I've played in this price range. I'm into a lot of blues and cleaner sounding alternative. With my old 70-something Fender Deluxe Reverb, it had a muffled tone and no distortion. My early 90's Marshall VS65R is the perfect combination for me. Clean it gets that warm jazzy tone I like, with overdrive it makes a little to much noise at higher levels. I plan on replacing the pick-ups with Rio Grand Single Coils.

When I bought the guitar, the tech at Rhody's Music (Savannah, Ga)had already set it up for .12's and it played like a dream. Hell, it still does. I always keep .12's on it. The only flaws I have found are in the tuners, THEY SUCK!!. I've had two fall apart while changing stings, and all of them are pretty sloppy. I've just replaced them with a set of Gotoh's. It's never been a problem to keep in tune, and the neck stays where you put it.

With the replacement of the tuners I'll never be afraid to use it live again. Everything else is well built and I imagine it will outlast me!!!(with the common maintenace and care stuff of course)

It has the standard Fender warranty, but I've naver used it!

I played many other guitars before buying this one. I chose it because it was a Strat!!!(and my wife liked the color) I own a Les Paul and it's graet to, but I like the Strat sound much better. If this guitar were stolen I'd probable up-grade to a 57' reissue or just pay the money for a real vintage one, only for the fact that I like the fatter necks. As with anything today you really have to look around and find exactly what you want, and make sure it has low defects or at least ones you are willing to contend with. All I can say to those of you out there that have bought lemons, Research and know what you're buying!!!

Made in Japan in 1995. 3 - piece alder body with basswood cap (about 1/4 inch thick), nice, fat maple neck with dark rosewood fingerboard (almost as dark as ebony). "Vintage-style" trem and tuners. Typical Strat tone & volume controls. 5-way pick-up switch. 3 single coil staggered pole piece pick-ups. (I think they are the "Vintage 57/62" pick-ups). I suppose they call all these parts "vintage" because it's a reissue. The only reason I didn't give this catagory a 10 is because of the "vintage" tuners. They are a reissue of old technology.

This is the Strat I use for that classic Strat sparkle and jangle. It distorts very well also, but I love it's clean sound. Very bright and clear. (I use a poplar body Strat with high output pick-ups for my overdrive/distortion sounds). This Strat is great for clean pop/rock, jazz, country, but also does overdrive nicely for rock & blues. I put it through a Fender BFDR-RI and Ampegs. Love the thick neck for playing lead.

I chose this out of several on sale at the store. I noticed many had slight flaws in the finish (dribbles and drips) but I looked through them until I found a flawless one. The cherry sunburst finish is beautiful all over the body. The "Foto Flame" finish on the neck I'm not wild about. The finish itself is smooth and silky, but I'd rather see the natural grain of the maple under it and will some day sand it off and refinish it. The factory set-up was fine. Great action, no buzzes. The tuners I did get rid of and replaced with Sperzel locking tuners (I have them on all my guitars!).

I would say that the only thing undurable about this model is the tuners. Old, flimsy technology, even if it is supposed to be "vintage". I did block the tremolo on this model. I prefer "hardtail" Strats. They stay in tune so much better. The pick-ups are great, wouldn't change them. A solid and dependable guitar that will last generations with common sense care. Yes, I would use it at a gig without a backup.
I only give a 9 here because of the tuners.

Have had no contact.

I've been playing 23 years. (The first 15 or so on acoustics). I would certainly buy this guitar again, especially at the sale price I got it at. Love the neck, love the bright tone, love the comfort of the body. It's one of those designs that will forever look modern.

1996 Japanese reissue strat, rosewood fingerboard, sunburst, usual strat pickups/controls/bridge. Nothing special. The neck is maple, the body is basswood (yuck!). Tuners are fake Klusons. Neck is nice and thick, thicker than the US reissues. Hardware isn't as cheap feeling as some of the Japanese Fenders I've tried. This seems to vary from one production run to another.

The Strat usually gets surf guitar duty in my band the Treblemakers. It's not my main guitar (I use a '65 Jaguar most of the time, and my second choice is a '65 Jazzmaster) but it sounds pretty good with my original '63 reverb and '62 Super amp. It's on the bright side, but then all Japanese basswood-body reissues are that way. When I got it, it had light strings (which I hate) and low action (hate it too). I put .13-.56 flatwound strings on it, which really improved the sound. Now it has .13 to .56 roundwounds, but I'll probably go back to the flatwounds. All in all, this is pretty good for a Dick Dale kind of surf sound, but not as good as my Jaguar. I used to have a real '65 (refinished) Strat which I HATED at the time, it didn't sound any better than this one. When I got this guitar, I compared about a dozen Strats and this one had the best sound. It also sounded the best acoustically and it weighed less than all the others. I suppose there's a connection between the weight and the tone.

Usually, factory set-ups are no good for me. I strung up this guitar with .13-.56 guage flatwounds, so I had to redo the whole string height/intonation/pickup height/trussrod deal. Fortunately, I'm getting used to this so it was easy to get everything to feel the way I like. 5 springs for the tremolo, widen the nut slots, etc. Pretty routine for me. Finish is 3-color sunburst, run-of-the-mill Fender Japan finish. No flaws but it's not really great either. I tried about a dozen reissue strats and this one got chosen because it sounded and felt more solid than most. The quality really seems to vary with Fender.

I've used this guitar live a dozen times. It's mainly a backup, but it will work ok onstage. It doesn't stay in tune as well as my Jazzmaster or Jaguar, but that's symptomatic of strat temolos. Likewise, it's the guitar I'm most likely to break strings on (because of the sharp angle behind the saddles). Overall, this is a solid and reliable guitar. My only complaint is that after the first time I used this guitar in rehearsal, I sweated on it for three hours and all the bridge hardware got really tarnished. Now it looks like a bridge from the 60's. Every time I use this guitar, the hardware gets a little rustier. I guess it'll need new saddle height adjustment screws someday.

Never needed it.

I've been playing about 14 years (half my life) and I've owned too many guitars, including a '65 strat(refinished) and lots of other nice guitars. I currently have two pre-CBS Fenders, a '65 Jaguar and a '65 Jazzmaster. That's why I can't get too excited about the reissue Strat. If it were lost or stolen, I'd be bummed, but it ewouldn't be the end of the world. If my '63 reverb disappeared I'd probably go on a killing spree at McDonald's, but the Strat wouldn't be that bad. If I could afford it, I'd get another 60's strat (I mean a real one) but I'd have to trade all my gear for it. I guess I'd rather have more guitars instead of one really expensive one. In all fairness, my old '65 strat (which I traded for a Gretsch Duo Jet and A Jazzmaster, so GOOD RIDDANCE) didn't sound or feel any better, but it was a dud. I bought this Japanese strat because it was better sounding than all the other Japanese strats I tried, and the Japanese Jaguar I traded for it really sucked the pouch!

This Japanese-made, 60's Reissue Stratocaster was manufactured sometime in 1997. I tried several similar models of differing colors until I settled for this black beauty which I caught my eye.
Standard features, as you may already know, include:
- Basswood body. - Soft 'C' - shaped maple 7.5" radius neck with rosewood slab fingerboard - Vintage tuners - 21 vintage frets - Reissue single coil pickups with aged plastic covers - Vintage tremolo - Aged-look 11-hole, tri-lam pickguard, volume and tone controls - Passive tone controls - Five-position PU switch

I listen and play to various styles of guitar music in my lifetime. I started out as a Michael Schenker wannabe, progressed to Alex Lifeson of Rush, later I was into Yngwie Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, Akira Takasaki of Loudness, Viv Campbell, Rik Emmet of Triumph, Al Di Meola, Joe Walsh/Don Felder, David Gilmour and even Mark Knopfler.
This is my first real Fender Strat and I got it at a bargain because it was a display model with a little bit of blemishes here and there. It didn't bother me buying a not-so-new guitar because through my experience, out-of-the-box guitars are sometimes sound bad and they play bad too. I fell in love with the instrument and promptly bought it. No questions asked.
I play through a practice amp - a Marshall Valvestate 15R. I'm thinking of upgrading to a VS 65R. Small, solid-state practice amps are fine for testing a guitar but it doesn't give full justice to the potential of any good guitar. I have a collection of BOSS pedals, Turbo Overdrive, Turbo Distortion, CH-1 Super Chorus, PS-2 Pitch Shifter/Delay (which has gone bad by now), an Ibanez analog flanger (FL-9 model), GE-7 equalizer, OC-2 octave divider, DD-3 digital delay, CS-1 Compression-Sustainer, and a recent addition: the Acoustic Simulator. All these are on temporary retirement since I acquired the Boss ME-30 multiple effects.
The 60's reissue Strat is bright and twangy but not as full and bright as my 50's reissue Strat (also Japanese-made). I was impressed by the Japanese workmanship at Fender Japan. The sound of basswood may not appeal to some Strat purists, but for the price I paid, it's a steal! I'd like to play real alder wood Strats someday but for the meantime I'll have to settle for basswoods and poplars.
There aren't many sounds I can get out of this guitar - it's pickup output is rather on the weak side. But playing clean is where this guitar really shines. If you like the early Dire Straits single coil sound, this would be a good guitar to buy.
I don't have any particular dislikes about reissue models, because they were manufacturered to mimick the sound, look and feel of Strats of the previous era. You have to live with the annoying hum of the vintage pickups because it's part and parcel of Strats from the past.

Guitar was set-up OK when I first tried it. The pickups were lowered amost flush with the pickguard so I raised them a wee bit to compensate for the low pickup output. The tremolo stayed better in tune compared to my other 50's reissue. Probably some lubrication at the string tree and nut will take care of problems in returning back to pitch.
Finish-wise, the guitar had some fine scratches here and there. A thorough polish workout with Fender Guitar Polish improved its lustre. The hardware was quite OK, no complaints here.

Being such a light guitar, you may not need locking straps if you were to play live. But get some for insurance's sake. This is one guitar that I could gig without a backup, but I subscribe to Murphy's law: "If something can go wrong, it will", so I would have backups along.
The lacquer finish isn't as thick as my 50's reissue, but with proper tender loving care and occasional polishing, it should last a lifetime. I kid you not.
You don't really want to do a Jimi Hendrix antics on reissue models, either. I'd rather find a used, real, vintage Strat if I wanted to abuse one!

The guitar hasn't given me any troubles so far. Never communicated with Fender before.

My personal opinion: if this would be your one and only Fender Strat, this would be a very excellent choice. If heavy metal is the style that you play, you can choose from other hot-rodded Fenders with locking trem systems (Floyd Rose or Fender-Floyd Rose). The 60's Reissue is indeed a collector's item (although it cannot be truly classified as a collectable). For its amazingly low price compared to US-made reissues this Japanese-made Strat (though without alder body) is worth considering.

this guitar was made in japan. It has 21 frets, vintage hardware (i.e. the knobs are aged as well as the pickup covers, pickguard, tremolo and switch tips), reissue pickups, 5 way selector switch, blah blah blah. It has a basswood sunburst body and a rosewood fretboard. Oh yah, it also has a C-shaped neck which is pretty comfortable.

I think this guitar sounds great when it's set up. I think the orginal setup of the guitar was only mediocre in that the pickups weren't seated well enough and it was noticeably better when i had them adjusted. Anyway, WHEN you get it setup, i also recommend that you adjust the bridge and set it down so that you'll get a greater sustain. also, when using the tremolo, it'll stay in tune better. this guitar is cool though because you can get vintage sounds off the pickups and play more modern music as well. It's a really well rounded guitar. I have an old DS-1 Boss distortion that i run it through, my friend tuan says the old DS-1 sounds better than the new ones.. anyway, i also have a boss wah and a Digitech RP7. I run all these through a small marshall 15W. I usually scab off other people's big amps when i play for real but it sounds good in either case. I play alternative/rock type music and it suites me fine. What can you say, it's a strat!?!

well, like i said earlier, the pickups needed to be adjusted a little for it to play at it's optimal performance level. Also the bridge was raised a little to high for my liking but that all depends on preference. it's good for slide though. Otherwise, it was a great guitar. No complaints. Action was considered a little high for some of my friends but i think it just seems high due to the C-shaped neck. finish is great. It's a nice sunburst and you can really see the good wood quality that they used.

i've had this guitar for about 2 years now and i've only had to set it up once since then cuz it sounds great still. I haven't really dropped it or anything but the thing feels SOLID. I think it'll last forever. finish is still good. hardware is good. I would definitely gig with it without a backup (i already have) and nothings really gone wrong. very dependable.

never really used fender customer support.

I've been playing for about 2 and a half years now and it's been great. I'm considering getting an SG because of the humbuckers but i'm very much pleased with the vintage tones that i can get out of this strat. I love this guitar though and even if it were stolen i don't think buying another one would really replace it. this one feels good when i hold it and i'd have to get used to other ones. I'm really appreciative to my uncle who bought it for me and my best friend Jooil who actually taught me how to play. I'd totally recommend getting this guitar too because it's cheaper than american standards and i think it's more versatile because you're able to get vintage tones out of it. yup.

My 60's reissue stratocaster was made in 98' and is in 3 color sunbusrst with a rosewood neck, 21 frets, vintage hardware, ect.

I plat alot of hendrix and blues so for that kind of music its all right but I am looking to upgrade the pickups to something a little stronger. I play it mostly through a fender twin reverb tube amp so it produces a good sound. The pickups do a good sound but theres a little to much hum on the bridge pickup.

The setup from the factory sucked, I had to adjust the concave of the neck, saddle level and pickup level. as far as the physical workman ship of the guitar goes it is exellent. Everthing fit perfect but the neck was alittle loose so I stuck some tooth picks in the joint holes and that problem was solved pretty easily( some guitar shops might not approve of the toothpicks but it works on any hole on your guitar thats stripped or loose).

The guitar is abnormaly abile to stay in tune even with use of the tremolo. I would use it without backup live any day. The hardware seems sturdy and should last a lifetime. The sunburst finish on the basswood body is supurb. The finish on the guitar and wood selection are unbelievable. It seems to be a very sturdy guitar but I am just now breaking it in so only time will tell.

Everyone knows about fenders customer service.

I also own a fender Squire strat, varied effects and a Fender Twin Reverb amp. I am totaly happy with the guitar and dont see where I would need another besides my wants. I would absolutly buy the guiatr again if something hapened to it. Its a great value and great guitar, I would recommend it to others.

I bought this guitar new in 1998, and it's made in japan. As far as features go, this is a pretty stripped down guitar. It has your basic Strat appointments, a very attractive finish and basswood body(very light). Three single coils of dubious quality. It didn't come with anything besides a trem arm. If you like the features of a vintage guitar, this is fine, but if you long for cooler features like a locking tremolo and active electronics, this is not the guitar for you.

It sounds pretty damn good for a cheap strat. The pickups make it sound rather metallic at times and were quite noisy. But it does do all the classic strat sounds quite well. I plugged mine into my '66 Deluxe Reverb and it sounded pretty good. It had a pretty fat sounding tone.

This guitar was badly set up and even a professional setup from Sam Ash did not help matters. It still played like shit. The pickups were very sensitive to my touching any metal part, like the screws and they made a little clicking sound every time I did that which made it EXTREMEMELY annoying to play! The sunburst finish looked great however.

This guitar is simply not reliable. When I bought it, the bridge pickup was not functional. I took the knobs off to properly remove the plastic on the pickguard and inadvertently broke the volume pot and one of the tone pots. The tuners seem pretty solid, and the trem is cool. The finish is good and will last. The strap buttons are fine. I really don't think I could depend on this guitar and I certainly would not use it without a back up

There is no customer support from Fender, however Sam Ash, the company I bought the guitar from, was EXTRAORDINARILY helpful in getting a setup done quickly.

I own many other much more expensive guitars, including a Strat Plus whose tone I am unhappy with. I thought buying the 60's reissue would provide a cheap way to getting a better tone, and it did sound better than my strat plus, but I could NOT get the thing to play right. I cannot believe that it was sold to me with a defective bridge pickup. That is simply inexcusable. Suppose I hadn't bought the Sam Ash extended warranty? It would have cost me at least 50 bucks to get that fixed. Well. I have a problem reccommending this guitar to anyone, although I've played other 60's reissue strats that have been quite impressive. Strats in general are a tempermental bunch. If you're buying a Gibson or PRS, don't worry about quality, but Fender has a real problem with keeping quality consistent in their products. Before buying this guitar, I even bought a $1800 Fender Relic 50's Strat that I had to send back too! The thing just DID NOT sound and play right. And I've played MANY relic strats that completely BLEW MY MIND. The moral is. TRY TRY TRY BEFORE YOU BUY A FENDER. Really think it over.

It's a late '80's model. Japanese of course. This one is my main guitar, and has been heavily changed. It has a sunburst body. I found an original '60's bridge and block, and I changed out the electronics. I put in Lindy Fralin Vintage pick-ups, updated 5-way switch, "woman- tone" tone switch, Puch-pull tone pot, which allows me to add the bridge pick-up to the upper 4 settings. I figured this would be the perfect guitar to do this to, as it is "cheap" but the overall quality of the work is Great! Better than some Custom Shops (IMHO)

As I stated the wood tone and the combination of the Lindy Fralin pick-ups just turn this into the "ultimate" Strat. I play blues/rock and play this through a combination of Tweed,Blackface and silverface amps. My favorite is my Blackface Princeton. The Neck and bridge position are still my favorite, and I love playing #2 position with the tone rolled off (ala Eric Clapton). I play .10's and this makes for a very full rich sound

The stock guitar was adaquate, and original pick-ups were OK. I'm happy with the updates.

This guitar should last forever. I've dropped it, my kid plays it, and the dog has dragged it, and it still forgives me. I no longer play live or in a group, so I don't need a back-up, but my other guitars in order of preference are '52 reissue tele, PRS McCarty, and a Les Paul Classic (1992 model)

Don't know. I do all the work myself

I've pretty much summed it up in the above catefories. I love this guitar. I may end up selling and buying other, but this one will never leave. What I like about the "jap" reissues is the vintage quality of the work, the absolute wonderful tone, and you can't beat the price. However, I really feel positive about the '80's models, I really don't like what they've done to the newer ones (poor workmanship,cheap parts and inferior "vintage" look).

A 1996 japanese made guitar, finished in shell pink. I got it cheap because fender made too amny in sonic blue and shell pink and so they had to offer it to dealers at very low prices. The guitar features vintage style hardware, with aged pickups covers and pots, curved fingerboard, glossly lacquer on the neck, generous contours on the body etc. It has all of the features that any other strat has. The trem has a nice light response- and it is tonefull and sweet. The electronics are not the best.

It struck me as having a dick/dale surf tone when I first plaugged it in. The stcok pickups are rubbish-thin,harsh and very microphonic. I changed them for SD vintage staggered for strats, and just recently put a hot rail in the bridge. The SD give it a lovely sweet and not too bright strat sound. The basswood does'nt have the most pleasant ffrequncy content-it's very clangy and mettallic at times, but the guitar is sooo resonant. It's also very light and comfortable.

The action is good-the nut is low and there's consequently a bit of relief, but it plays and bends well. The neck fit is super tight. The stock pickups were too low and rubbish regardless. The body finish is beautiful, as WAS the neck until an asshole tech dented it. I don't know if it's just the finish or the actual wood which has dented, but I suspect that the finish is very brittle. I plan to change the neck for a warmoth when refret time comes-that or have the dents treated.

Like I said regarding the neck-It's not terribly tough, but it's a good sounding guitar so I don't think the wood is rubbish. The body is as durable as any other strat, and I suspect it will age well. Apart from the neck, it's a stong and tough guitar-one to hold on to. I would gig without a backup becasue I don't forsee the guitar being affected by spirtual activity or divine intervention. What do you need a flippin back up for? Check the wiring regularly, tug at the solder joints to ensure they are firm, take care of it and you don't need a backup guitar.

N/A, but I have heard that Fender are a bunch of w%nkers when it comes to backup.

I like this guitar a lot-good for live and practice becasue it is light, comfortable and versatile. It's not the greatest guitar I have ever played or anything, it's a good guitar, and nothing more than that.

1996 Japanese reissue--Basswood body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard (no skunk stripe), 21 frets, 5 way switch, 1 volume, 2 tone, s/s/s reissue pickups, good ole fashioned *comfortable* strat body. Its a 25.5" scale...the neck is *fat*!! It has a 7.25" fingerboard radius--totally cool. I give it an 8 because of the pots...my volume pot went bad soon after I got it (more about that later).

I play a lot of 60's rock and blues--Hendrix, SRV, Buddy Guy, etc. and it runs pretty good with a Fender Roc Pro 1000 (solid state) but is a little too trebley..and that's why I am getting a tube amp. I've played it thru an original 65 Twin Reverb and a Blues Deville and it plays excellent. It has an excellent vintage-blues tone with the Deville. I run it thru a crybaby wah, TS-9, chorus, and fuzzface...killer with a tube amp. The only think I dislike are the pickups...they sound kindda weak when its running on a clean tone. Just run it thru a tube amp and you'll be in heaven!

The factory setup was the usual "not the way I want it." So I stuck on some 11's, raised the action, adjusted pickup height. Finish is great and its starting to yellow a little (oooh ahhh). The volume pot went bad (I'll explain later).

I definatly wouldn't take it to a gig without a backup, but that's only because I break strings like crazy--on any guitar. I'm starting to think this guitar could withstand a tornado...but I don't wanna try it. The frets are thin, so they wear down faster...which is a minus. The neck-body joint is rock solid! Its survived a many-o-plane rides when people are cruel enough to try to jam a ton of luggage on top of it--you know the type...get on the plane at last minute and jam their stuff into every possible (and impossible) place they can. The neck is strong as an ox...I used to play with 13-54 gauge strings and the neck stayed perfectly straight. I now play with 11's because my strings were discontinued...<sniff, sniff>.

1 year warranty. After I got it the volume pot croaked and I had to get a new one...had it back in a week. The customer support wasn't great, but it wasn't bad...after that I learned how to do repairs myself so it wouldn't take a week to do a 3 minute job.

I've been playing guitar for 4 years and work at a music store here in Atlanta and it can outplay almost any guitar. It definatly beats my tele standard and my 82 jap-72 reissue strat in many ways. I would definatly buy another one like it and I recommend it to everyone. I love the fat neck and the way it sounds thru a tube amp...just don't like the sound thru a solid state amp. I played a whole rack of guitars and this one was my favorite. The only other guitars I'd play instead of this one would be the SRV strat or a relic. I wish it had a nitrocellulose finish instead of polyurethane to help bring the sound out a little more. But hey, for $450--this was more than an excellent deal.

This is a 1987 Japanese-made strat with a solid basswood body and a maple neck with 21-fret rosewood board. It has three single coils, with standard controls. The bridge is a vintage trem with subpar saddles. The non-locking, covered tuners have a fairly smooth feel and keep me in tune quite well. The neck-to-body joint is excellent. The plastic nut is cheapo. A previous owner replaced the string trees with little wheel-loaded things that are ugly but effective. The neck is straight (not much taper) and the fretboard has a round radius. (BTW she's black with a black-white-black pickguard. Her name is Pris)

Pris has a mellow, balanced voice. I got her new pickups, and now she screams just as well as she whispers.

A couple of the pickguard screws are kind of stripped, which is a minor annoyance. Also, the truss rod is accessed on the body side of the neck, which can definitely be a pain. Otherwise, everything is in order.

A drunken dorm mate dropped my frigging bed on her while she was in her stand. She escaped this monumental party foul with a mere bent tuner (which still works fine). My roommate's mother's cookie tin was destroyed upon impact. Her neck is still arrow straight. I feel very confident in Pris now. She is a tenacious bitch goddess.

Pris needs no customer support.

I've been playing about three years now. Pris complements my all-tube Silvertone bass head and 12-watt Epiphone Devon Tremolo combo as well as a Danelectro Daddy-O overdrive and Prescription Yardbox fuzz. If she were stolen, I would find the thief and refinish Pris in said robber's blood. I chose her because of her solid feel and tone, and I wouldn't want any other strat.