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Post subject: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 4:06 pm
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Is the 60s Vintera strat very different from the 50s in sound and feel?

My guess is that small vintage frets will let fingers drag more on PF versus maple. I think maple would be brighter sounding but I am not sure.

I have the 50s Classic and am considering the 60s Vintera now that 60s Classic has been discontinued.

Thoughts?


Last edited by 1965telecaster on Sun Jun 30, 2019 5:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 5:29 pm
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My thoughts on this, especially since we are talking about solidbody electric guitars, is that the sound of any two similar strats will be unaffected by fretboard wood when plugged in.

I think with vintage frets and a decently heavy handed fretting technique, that the fretboard surface will feel different. Other than that, a 50s reissue and a 60s reissue, alder body and same pickups, may be sonically indistinguishable from each other.

If that’s the case I may consider a tele or different strat pickup setup like an H-S-H like on a version of the Players Series strat.

My only issue is that I don’t like the flatter 9.5” inch radius. I find that I play longer without fatigue on the vintage 7.25” inch rounder radius. Do you other more experienced players notice this or is it just me?

Decisions Decisions.


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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 6:50 pm
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Lacquered maple will always *feel* different than 'nekkid' rosewood so your presumption is correct. As to the difference in pickups between the '50s Classic Series and the '60s Classic Series, there isn't any -- both guitars use the identical pickup sets, confirmed by P/N comparison. If you want a dramatic change in tone (or output) try a set of Fat 50's or Tex-Mex. Those coils are sweet and can roar on demand (assuming you have a decent amp). Another option is DiMarzio's Virtual Vintage Noiseless -- some DMVV's have outputs that nearly rival the signal strength of a P90.

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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 11:56 pm
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1965telecaster wrote:
Is the 60s Vintera strat very different from the 50s in sound and feel?


Maybe you should define which guitars you mean. In your thread title, you mentioned "reissue", but in your post you mention "50s" and "60s" and "classic", which might mean "Classic Series 50s" and "Classic Series 60s" (both made in Mexico), neither of which are reissues (both models come in either poly or lacquer). However, the lacquer versions of these Mexican guitars are pretty much the 57 and 62 reissue replacements (very nearly the same guitars as the reissues, other than the country of manufacture). In other words, the lacquer versions came out right as the American made reissues were discontinued.

The Classic Series are great guitars, I have both 50s and 60s (lacquer), and although they share many similarities (pups, fret size, radius), they are quite different from each other in looks, feel and sound. I have the 70s too, which is different than either of the others.

The 50s has a soft v shaped neck, maple fret board, while the 60s has the more rounded c shaped neck, rosewood fret board. The sound of each really matches the era they emulate, the 50s being bright and twangy, while the 60s is a bit richer/fuller sounding.

I was a little surprised at how much different the sound is between the two, definitely different enough to justify having both, IMO. A very similar situation existed with the original 57 and 62 American reissues, same pups, named "57/62" pups, but quite a different sound between the two guitars.

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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:14 am
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1965telecaster wrote:
My thoughts on this, especially since we are talking about solidbody electric guitars, is that the sound of any two similar strats will be unaffected by fretboard wood when plugged in...


Not true. The different tone-woods have different resonant qualities, and each can have differing impact on the way the string vibrates. The Classic Series guitars, as well as the 57 and 62 reissues, are great examples of this very phenomenon, having the same pups but different sound. Of course, even among several guitars, each with the same type of wood, there can be tonal variations, but the fact remains that woods do affect the plugged in tone.

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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:34 am
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Let's not go there. Please. The trenches of the tonewood war are just too deep. :wink:


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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 1:52 am
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shimmilou wrote:
1965telecaster wrote:
Is the 60s Vintera strat very different from the 50s in sound and feel?


Maybe you should define which guitars you mean...


https://shop.fender.com/en-GB/electric-series/vintera/guitars/

Vintera is the new name for Fenders vintage style MiMs....do try to keep up ;-)

[edit] Oh! You meant what do you mean by "Classic" my bad. I'll go and stand in the corner now and think about what I just did. :oops:

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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 9:37 am
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jmattis wrote:
Let's not go there. Please. The trenches of the tonewood war are just too deep. :wink:


LOL! There is no war, only two camps. There are those that can discern, and those that can't. I am one of the former. It seems that the OP might be trying to figure out which camp he/she is in. 8)

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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 11:59 pm
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shimmilou wrote:
There are those that can discern, and those that can't. I am one of the former.

That's where the war usually begins. Then come the "blind test", "this research", "that research", "wood density", "measured difference", "significant difference", "your mama did", "yea, but", "no, but", "yea, but"... :lol:


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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 12:38 am
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jmattis wrote:
shimmilou wrote:
There are those that can discern, and those that can't. I am one of the former.

That's where the war usually begins. Then come the "blind test", "this research", "that research", "wood density", "measured difference", "significant difference", "your mama did", "yea, but", "no, but", "yea, but"... :lol:


So true. And because every guitar is different, even of the same specification, and every pick stroke is different even using an oscilloscope would be subjective.

I do believe fretboards make a difference though. This is not necessarily down to the tone of the wood but because they feel different you will play them differently.

Perhaps more so with vintage frets when a note is fretted there might be more give in the surface of the rosewood over maple where the string is in contact with the board under your finger. This may be irrelevant compared to the give in the surface of your finger though.

I do think maple boards produce better vibrato.

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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 2:14 am
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John Sims wrote:
I do think maple boards produce better vibrato.


Tell that to Leslie West, Martin Barre, Carlos Santana or the fans of Gary Richrath, Duane Allman, and Glenn Frye.

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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 9:41 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
John Sims wrote:
I do think maple boards produce better vibrato.


Tell that to Leslie West, Martin Barre, Carlos Santana or the fans of Gary Richrath, Duane Allman, and Glenn Frye.

Arjay


Think how good they could have been :-)

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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 1:34 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
John Sims wrote:
I do think maple boards produce better vibrato.
I'd say, not 'better' vibrato, but perhaps 'easier' vibrato. I'm a heavy-handed player who presses the string to the wood, and I suppose the more slippery surface of a maple board is easier for players like me? I have both, but hadn't thought about that before.

Having said that, for some reason, even though I do a lot of vibrato, I prefer rosewood boards! Perhaps I just prefer the look...

Cheers - Peter.


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Post subject: Re: 50s vs 60s reissue strats with 7.25” inch radius
Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 5:02 am
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Peter S wrote:
I suppose the more slippery surface of a maple board is easier for players like me? ... I do a lot of vibrato, I prefer rosewood boards
It's likely because the finished maple is actually not slipperier than unfinished rosewood but rather the opposite is true. The smoothness of the finish creates drag. That's why many players scuff up the back of the neck with steel wool. Some players go even farther and completely remove the finish from the back of the neck right down to the wood in search of more slipperiness. Bare wood can introduce other issues but those are beside the point in the slippery discussion.

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