Fender American Vintage 62 Reissue Stratocaster

2004 american fender srtat '62 reissue
3t sunburst

I sold my american standard strat just to get an 62 reissue and it doesn't failed me. I like everything on it, no need to replace parts everthings perfect. I love the sound,I play blues, grunge and punk and this is perfect through my fender hot rod deville with ibanez ts808...I'm fully satified.
BTW I got it used with a little paint chip on the edge which I like it...

Made in the USA, 21 frets and 57/62 strat single coil pickups. 3 way selector switch but comes with the 5 way to install. I haven't installed it yet though. Pretty much has the specs of the original 62. Love the nitro finish on mine. It's olympic white with a mint green pickguard and has a nice tinted neck with NO skunk stripe on the back of the neck like the newer strats. Sexy indeed.

I've heard a lot about this strat and had wanted one for a few years but never saved up enough to get one. I'd get about $1,000 and say "hell, I'll just buy a regular american strat, why not". I almost did that this time and would have chosen the classic player 60s (mexican made). But I said NO MORE, I'm not putting this off any longer. I had to get this beautiful strat. As soon as I pulled it out of the box and held it in my lap, I almost creamed. It felt so comfortable. After plugging it into my blues Jr. (perfect match by the way) I was in heaven. This is the very first strat I've had in 4 years that is actually perfect. I never thought I'd find one. The tone is very chimey and clean and resonates well. I play anything from blues to country and rock. It's wonderful. I will not be changing these pickups. It's perfect like it is.

Don't listen to all those myths about the 7.5 radius fretboard causing you to fret out when bending notes. This doesn't even happen with me above the 12th fret(where they say it happens mostly). After reading all of the articles and people saying how the 7.5 neck frets out when doing lots of bends, I hesitated to buy this guitar until I read on MusiciansPlaza(dot)com .I'm happy to say that all of the fret out crap is FALSE. I'm a big bender and play lots of blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc) and find this fretboard to be more comfortable than a 9.5 radius. No fretting out here.

The finish was flawless and I can't wait until the nitro begins to wear nicely. I've always wanted a worn out strat but you can't get a good wear with a thick poly finish like other modern strats have. Hey, this guitar stays in tune well too!

I'll gig this without a backup, no doubt. Sturdy tuners and hardware. Top quality stuff.

I don't know. Haven't needed it

I been playing for about 5 years. Blues and folk rock is my music choice. And this is PERFECT for me. Of course it won't mix well with heavy metal shredders. But if you want clean bell-like tones and a round punchy overdrive (think stevie ray vaughan or clapton) then this is your guitar. It mates well with a Blues Jr. I must Say.

A Strat... like the old ones - so very cool... so very straightforward! A sexy shaped body and long neck... like the supermodel of guitars. 3 way switching on three single coils. Two tone knobs, one volume. (5 way switch kit included to add great flavors in tone)

The sweetest sounding Strat in the Fender arsenal! I was going to upgrade a Mexican or American Strat, then played this and fell in love. Sold all my other Strats and kept this one! Rich, fluid tone. Syrupy sweet. Ballsy neck position and delicious biting bridge. My fav position is in the middle - very ballsy. Wow!

Tight neck/body pocket. No loose nonsense. Built like it should be. Made by hand, though they don't promote that because it would cut into the Custom Shop mystique. These are well build guitars. Just perfect. Flawless.

Tough as nails. A rocker that can crank out the blues. More smokey bars the better! I think this guitar will age very well thanks to the tinted neck toner, the very light body. Could survive a hurricane! (Find the story about the great Rory Gallagher Strat that sat in the rain for three days and he went on playing it!) Just fantastic!

Simply the best Strat for the money. I paid $1199 used and would have spent more. I even asked some guys at Elderly instruments about their opinions on the best non-Custom Shop Strat they liked and all three pointed to this American Vintage 62 Strat. In fact, a couple of them liked it more than the Custom Shop ones which cost twice as much! Run, don't walk, and get one of these!

USA Made Fender goodness. Alder body, 60's profile neck with rosewood fretboard. 21 vintage frets, 7.25 fretboard radius 57/62 pickups, your typical 62 strat that i'm sure everyone else has listed.

I was recently on a the search for a good strat. I tried out quite a few, an american standard, SRV, John Mayer, Deluxe, relic 62 and the recently acquired american vintage 62' reissue. The American Standard had no balls and really bad playability, it just didn't sing. The SRV was really nice and I love the 12" radius but still it had a very similar no guts tone and the texas specials were too middy. The John Mayer had a great playability but the pickups were too bright and trebly. The relic was absolutely amazing but still in comparison to the 62' reissue just a tad thinner and for that kind of money ($2500) it just wasn't worth it.

That brings me to the 62' ri. It was used which may add to the comfortable feel but this is probably the most perfect definition of what a strat should feel like. The pickups are extremely full and round with the right amount of clarity. I originally bought the guitar with the factory three way switch and debated on keeping it but because of the style I play (blues, jazz, funk, rock, country) I need those 2nd and 4th positions. There isn't any sound I can't get out of this guitar. Run it through a ts9 into a kustom 36 coupe or fender 2x12 deville and nice smooth overdrive tones just scream out of the amp. Crank the mids on the Kustom and crank the clean channel into overdrive and get some of those classic blues tones (think SRV or Albert King).

The 7.25 fretboard radius is a little different if you are used to the 9.5 radius of modern strats you might have a problem with bending but it doesn't take very long to get used to. I can run the string height lower than my american deluxe tele without any string cancelation.

It was used, and whoever did the setup did a pretty good job but I'm a tech myself and pretty picky on my setup so it doesn't really matter since it was readjusted to my specifications anyways.

This thing will take a beating and keep on going. It was meant to be played live there's no doubt about it. Its a strat and it's as dependable as can be.

I haven't needed to get in touch with fender about this guitar and probably never will but I did get in touch with them for some technical questions on a 65 DR through email and they got back to me later that day. Very pleased so far, they have always been helpful whenever needed.

I have been playing for around 11 years now and own an arsenal of guitars including a Hamer es335 style guitar that I added a bigsby and a set of SD 59's, PRS CE24, American Deluxe Telecaster, 78' Les Paul Deluxe, 79' Sonex 180, Blue Ridge BR-160, Kustom 36' Coupe and a Fender Hot Rod Deville 212. I have owned lots of different fenders and this is the most happy I have ever been with this 62 RI. If it were lost or stolen I would definitely replace it.

The only thing that would be nice would be to have a flatter radius fretboard but it would take away some of the comfortability. The tone of the pickups are the sweetest tone. The 57/62s are some of the best fender has put out, but the only bad thing is the non-hum canceling in the 2nd and 4th position but the pickguard is so well insulated that there is very little hum anyways.

Date 28th Oct 1986, Black, Original 62 re-Issue

Exellent Bulesy, Hendrix, Strat sound to kill for. If you want a Gibson "BUY ONE" Thats what I did. Play through a Carin XV112 combo & a Mesa 295 stereo unit with just the basic pedals i.e.Wah,Compression,Echo,EQ,Volume,Flange,Distortion.

Well if you have ever played an earlier model 62 re-issue you will no what action is all about as they seem to be a bit more plastic today although still being a nice guitar to play but I find my 86 Model to have that edge over the later 62 re-issues. No need to talk about quality this guitar has it all,I guess thats why custom shop models are so expensive, so they can charge you for the same thing they produced years ago as pretty standard.

If this guitar was stolen I would have to find the Mother F...ker & cut his Balls Off. Owned this thing since 86 (its like having another testicle)It could not be replaced at any cost.

Since the technical information is available from the Fender web site and from previous HC reviews, I???ll try to focus on the features that become apparent only after you???ve played one for a while.

You can bend strings all day on this guitar. Between 1954 and 1983, all Strats had a 7.25 inch neck radius, and Clapton, Harrison, Garcia and millions of others played them without anyone complaining that the radius made string bending too hard. Now, the so-called experts insist that we need a 9.5 inch neck radius or our bends will fret out. This is hogwash, and the 62 Reissue proves them dead wrong.

It stays in tune. The tuners are quality reproductions of the original split-post Klusons. No wrapping the string over itself, no guesstimating the proper string length, no trying to cut the end when the string is wrapped around the post, no sharp ends, and no slipping. If a good Strat has tuning problems, check the entire set up, including the truss rod relief.

It has nitrocellulose lacquer over a urethane basecoat, which gives it a glossy, vintage look. The back of the neck does not get sticky, even when humidity is a factor.

The 60 cycle single coil hum is an urban legend. Fluorescent lights, cell phones, and similar appliances will sometimes produce a slight hum or hiss through this Strat. However, it can be heard only when you are plugged in and not playing, and no one should listen to what they are not playing. In other words, you can???t hear it unless you listen for it, and it disappears once you start playing.

There are a few nit-picky details that might bother collectors, but that are of no real concern. For instance, the headstock decal does not have the patent numbers like an original 62 Strat, the 12th fret position markers are a hair farther far apart than on an original, the Kluson Deluxe logo is not on the tuner covers, etc. Overall though, the authenticity is really close to a real 62 Strat on things that count.

It includes a G&G case that has bad balance, and falls on its side a lot. I replaced it.

The 57/62 pickups are designed to sound like the original handwound Strat pickups, and sound great. The tone is balanced between the trebles and basses, and the neck and even the middle pickup will give you that great Fender growl if you play hard. The three position switch works fine and is tight, which means that you can set it to the in between positions (positions 2 and 4) pretty easily.

I am part owner of a pre-CBS Stratocaster (June, 1960, serial number 49166) that was purchased as an investment. Tonewise, the 62 Reissue has a slight edge because the notes are clearer, and because it can get a lot punchier. The 47 year old original pickups are less distinctive, with a softer sound that is prone to early break up.

I play mostly blues, but also play rock covers, and occasionally country and gospel, and generally use a THD Univalve amp.

The set up on the Reissue was fine, with medium action and no buzzing. It came with 10s, which I use. I set this one up the way I like it though, as it???s easy to do with a Strat, although some guys want to pay for a pro job.

I never use tremolo, so I hardtailed it by tightening the anchor plate against the body, and adding the two extra springs that were included. There is no reason to put a piece of wood behind the trem block, although some people swear that the world will end without one. If anything, a piece of wood should go in front of the trem block to help hold the bridge up. I readjusted the string height, intonation, and truss rod according to the users manual, and adjusted the pickups somewhat lower. It sounds and plays great in tune in standard tuning, or when tuned a step down.

A Strat, especially a high end one like the 62 Reissue is a lifetime guitar.

I take care of my guitars (and amps, etc.), and wipe them down after playing, keep them in cases when I???m not playing, and will not use a guitar stand, especially one with foam rubber. I change my strings one by one to help preserve the adjustment by keeping the neck tension close to constant, and check all adjustments every few months.

The Fender Relic series with intentionally dinged up bodies, fake wear marks on the necks, man-made hardware rust, and high prices is a disgrace. The fact that people buy them proves that fools and their money are easily parted. Its just like Tom Sawyer whitewashing the fence.

I jam regularly, but rarely gig. However, I gigged a few hundred times between about 1970 and the mid-1980s and except for a few precut strings, never once brought or needed a backup.

I have never needed it. If you buy a good Strat and take care of it, you wont either.

I have played Strats for 38 of the past 40 years. Some have been good, and a few have been great. The 62 Reissue is really a great guitar. Even after critical thinking, I am unable to suggest anything that needs improvement. To sum it all up, this guitar looks great, you can play it all day without your hand getting tired, and it will sound great the whole time.

I hope my comments help. If you buy one, I hope that you are as happy with it as I am with mine.

Nitro finish alder body three tone sunburst
American vintage parts (pick ups. hardware)
Gotoh tuners
Brown tolex deluxe hard shell case with a great microfibe cloth and a little bottle of Maguire's mist & wipe, ash tray bridge cover, antique style strap and cable, 5 way switch kit, 2 additional spring (which I thought was a nice touch)
Maple neck with dark glossy rosewood finger board.
I give it a nine because it's everything a Strat of this stature should be.

I play mainly blues, rock and gospel. This Strat answers ALL of my musical needs tonally. The pick ups range from bright and twangy to deep thick and bold. The richness of the range is exactly what I was looking for.
I play it though a Fender Cyber-Twin head. I basically play it through all the classic amps (Twin Reverb, Super Reverb, Vibro-King, etc.). It responds very well to the majority of them.
I can easily play jazz, country, funk, rockabilly, late '60s rock, you name it. It just won't do heavy metal well. That is what pointy guitars are for, right? ;)
A lot of people will diss the pick ups because of the '60s cycle hum but I find it makes the sound more "organic" or authentic if you would.

Unless you buy your instruments in a crappy store, you almost never get the factory set up. The reason being that the intrument will most likely not keep the factory set up during transit anyway. That is what a good tech can do. I did it myself and I am happy with my work.
The three piece alder body looks really good. Nothing to "write home about" though.
As far as production Stratocasters go, THIS series (American Vintage) is the shiznit. The sunburst is very nicely done. The neck pocket was tight tight tight. The fretwork was flawless. The finish was awesome. I don't really need to pay thousands more for a Custom Shop one unless it would be made to my personal specs. That's not going to happen...
It was good to go from the start I guess is what I should say...

This guitar will withstand anything you can throw at it. You can arguably say that about any Stratocaster however. They are the working man's guitar.
I know the nitro finish will age/ding/mark/etc. faster or easier and I am perfectly fine with that. I can relic my own instruments thank you.
I never gig without a back up. Neither should you. The guitar is not the issue, the strings are.

I've dealt with Fender on a few occasions and I have nothing bad to say about their customer service.

I've been playing guitar for 26 years now. I own two acoustics (Yamaha 12 string and a Taylor 410 ce), a Telecaser and another Stratocaster (Roadhouse). The American Vintage '62 is BY FAR my favorite electric guitar. I could sell the other Strat I own and wouldn't miss it at all. I simply love everything about this guitar. It truly is everything I've been looking for in a Stratocaster period. I tried many guitars in my short life, bought and sold many. But this one is a keeper. If it were stolen, I'd probably cry like a gurl 'cause I can't afford another one! If I were asked to keep only one guitar, I'd keep that one in a heart beat!

Nitro-cellulose finish, rosewood board, you know the features it's a Strat. I will say this about the thinner neck, it's more difficult to do some bending on the high E because it can slip off the bottom much easier. You have to adjust your playing to this or at least I do because I do have larger hands.

I mostly play classic rock and some alternative and blues thrown in. This guitar plays all these styles perfectly. I do a lot of direct recording into my computer with a POD. With this effect I can get just about any sound I like. I also use a Mesa Lone Star Special which sound absolutely fantastic with this guitar. There is some slight hum with the pickups but it's something I easily put up with to get that unique tone only a Strat can deliver. And baby, this guitar delivers. The sound is bright in the bridge pickup position but the signature neck tone is about as good as it gets. I still have the 3 position toggle switch in haven't decided if I'm going to change it to the 5 way. Overall I love the sound of this axe and it delivered everything I expected.

To me this is one area where this guitar truly shines. It came set up from the factory very good. I will probably get this done professionaly because I had a Tele that I thought played good until I had it set up properly and it became a totally different guitar. In a good way. The 10's that came on the guitar are good. I don't know if I would go with a lighter string on this guitar because the heavier strings definitely give a better tone. I have the Olympic White and the finish is flawless. Nice dark rosewood fingerboard with vintage frets. I also own an American Deluxe and the frets are smaller than the medium jumbos on that guitar. All the other hardware is outstanding and fit and finish is perfect. I have not played with the pickup settings at this point but from the factory they sound great.

What more can you say.... it's a Strat. There are fifty year old guitars that are still going strong. I have never owned a Strat for an extended period but I have no doubt that this guitar is built to last. It has the nitro-cellulose finish so it will wear over time. I hope to still own it and be around when this thing is vintage 2 times over. I do not gig for a living( I would like to) but if I did I'm sure this would be my main guitar. If I did gig I'm sure I would have a backup. It would probably be another Stat.

I never had to deal with Fender customer service.

I have been playing off and on for the past twenty years. I also own an American Deluxe Strat, a 97 American Tele, a PRS Artist and a PRS 20th anniversary.|I have a Mesa Lone Star Special amp. I don't own many amplifiers, but I truly love guitars. What I truly love about this guitar is how solid it feels and plays. The vintage features are awesome as well. It's a little harder to play than my Deluxe and my PRS guitars but Strats are known for that. They are tempermental guitars that require a particular touch. I think that's one of the reasons people love or hate them. I didn't compare this guitar with any others, I knew that I wanted this guitar from the moment I saw a 2 tone in the store. When I picked it up and felt that neck and saw the workmanship I knew I had to have it. If it were stolen I would be heartbroken... and I would definitely buy another.

2006 'V' serial number in Ice Metallic Blue, with Rosewood slab fret board and stunning maple neck without a skunk sripe.

Vintage Fender electronics. 3 single coils with 3 way selector.

This is a really stunning looking guitar, people always comment whenever I play out with it.

Vintage re-issue is exactly what it is, aged plastic parts, vintage tuners one punter at a show thought I'd won the lottery and purchased a closet original.

Great Fender hard shell case, Fender should use these cases with all their Stratocaster packages.

I play several different genres depending on the occasion. The thing that has kept the Strat at the top for over half a century is the guitar's versatility. This guitar will cut through the mix in any band line up.

My amp of choice is the Fender Deville 212. The marriage is one made in heaven.

In the studio I am using it throuh the Line6 Podxtlive fantastic, although the single coils can buzz a bit but that gives it all that vintage sound.

The pickups really have a great bite to them on lead solos and beautiful rhythm sounds also.

I always set my lead channel up a fair bit louder than my clean channel as these pick ups do not have a great deal of power to them.

I would not recommend this guitar to people looking for powerful metal tones.

This guitar was set up spot on when I purchased it. A year later and it has not needed any tweaking at all.

In terms of playability I have found my soulmate!!!! The action on the neck is splendid. If you want a really great playing strat go get one. You can always change the pick ups.

It's a GENUINE Fender built to last.

Cool, I called them in the USA, great guys.

I have been playing for 15 years. As well as playing 3 gigs a week on a regular basis, I have my own studio facilities and record most days. Over the years I have played some awesome guitars, even some famous axes played by our heroes (that's another story) and have to say that this example of the 62 reissue is the very best guitar I have ever played. She just sings. The finish is as good as custom shop models three times the price. Plus you are getting a Leo Fender designed model. I am a real Fender fanatic, I own a USA Clapton model and there is absolutely no comparrison. They are in the same price range but the attention to detail on the 62 is awesome compared to the Clapton.

If you want a genuine Start sound, this is one of your options. I would also recommend the 57 us vintage series re-issue stratocaster. That one having a maple fretboard and V neck.

Please visit www.myspace.com/paulcookandthescheme and you can hear this guitar.

This a 1998 American Vintage model in Fiesta Red. This is the first year for the American Vintage model as opposed to the earlier Vintage Reissue strat and there are a number of positive changes. The body contours, radius, headstock and dot spacing are much more accurate than the earlier models. The neck has a nice slim c-profile with a rosewood board and a glossy but not sticky finish. As good as any Fender neck, I've ever played.

The pickups are also different from previous Vintage Reissue models and were supposedly reverse-engineered from a 60s strat and have hand bevelled magnets. Mine came with two of the new pickups and one of the old style in the bridge. I'd say the new ones are less trebly and have more midrange and bass response. I think the old ones have more "quack' in the in between positions. Sounds just like strat. I would put in a reverse wound reverse polarity pickup in the middle, if I was inclined to change anything.

The Fiesta red finish is more like the so-called Coral Pink strats from the 60s, which were actually Fiesta Red guitars that reacted to UV light and faded to the classic tomato soup color. Fit and finish throughout is superb. The workmanship on this guitar exceeds the quality of the earlier reissues and I thought they were damn good. I wish Fender would give it up on the 3-way switch and install the five way at the factory.

This nitro finish is not as durable as poly and will wear over time. This guitar will probably survive a nuclear holocaust and be around for the next version of the Beatles, which will be made up of actual insects.

Never had to deal with them.

I've owned about 20 Fender strats including some 80s reissues as well as a pre CBS strat. I thought the 80s reissues were excellent guitars and actually resisted buying the newer version. I have to say the American Vintage exceeds the old model in almost every category. The materials, build quality, finish and overall integrity are as good as I've seen. Yes, people get all misty eyed about the 50s and 60s guitars, but in my humble opinion, the next golden age for Fender guitars is right now. If you are lusting for a vintage strat, buy one of these and get 95% of the mojo for 5% of the price.