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Post subject: CBS Strats
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:14 am
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Which year of manufacture was the worst for CBS Strats? Was it early or late 70s? I am in the market for one finished in natural. As I am based in Europe, I would probably need to buy it from the US without having the opportunity to see it / play it, so I want to avoid the risk of getting a "dog"...

Also, would anyone be able to recommend a good online shop where I can find a selection of these?

Many thanks in advance


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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:41 am
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I wouldn't buy any vintage or old guitar without seeing and playing it. Good and bad guitars came out of Fender throughout the '70s, though people would maybe feel the late '70s - early '80s was when things were most dicey. Still possible to find very good instruments from that time, though.

Online in Europe you could look at:

www.vintageandrareguitars.com

They have shops in London and Bath. Do I remember right that you are in the UK? Go and have a look, if you're in reach of either of those. Also in London there is Macaris in the Charing Cross Road which has a useful selection of old Fenders. And several shops in and around Denmark Street have good stock of period guitars.

Also, Andy's closed its shop and moved itself entirely online:

www.andysguitarnet.com

Finally, of course, there is always the reliable and vastly more affordable world of reissues. Take a look at the products pages on this site: Fender do nice '70s reissues in both the Mexican and American price ranges. Personally, that would be my route...

Good luck - C


Last edited by Ceri on Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: CBS Strats
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:45 am
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tremolo arm wrote:
Which year of manufacture was the worst for CBS Strats? Was it early or late 70s? I am in the market for one finished in natural. As I am based in Europe, I would probably need to buy it from the US without having the opportunity to see it / play it, so I want to avoid the risk of getting a "dog"...

Also, would anyone be able to recommend a good online shop where I can find a selection of these?

Many thanks in advance


72 through 76 were the absolute worst in my experience. Ironically, Fender's current reissues of various 70s models BLOW AWAY the originals.

I can't help you with the online shop.

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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:04 am
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Thank you both


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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:08 am
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A pleasure.

Though the difference between our answers gives a hint of the problems involved. Don't think of buying "sight-unseen"...!

Good luck - C


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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:14 am
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You're quite welcome!

And like Ceri said, ESPECIALLY when you are dealing with the 70s era, do NOT buy anything sight-unseen!!

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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:19 am
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So you both seem to think that the re-issues are actually better than the real McCoy...
Why is that? What is it that makes them better - woods, finish, electronics or general craftsmenship?

As already outlined in another thread today, I am really fond on that aged yellow that most CBS guitars seem to have turned to. In contrast, all re-issues look "white" (especially the head stock) and lack that vibe / feel.

I recently played an 81 Strat and it was like a raging bull in comparison to those "smooth" Mexican re-issues... It may have been rough and dented, but it certainly had a soul...


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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:27 am
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tremolo arm wrote:
So you both seem to think that the re-issues are actually better than the real McCoy...
Why is that? What is it that makes them better - woods, finish, electronics or general craftsmenship?


Yes to all the above, and the price.

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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:33 am
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tremolo arm wrote:
So you both seem to think that the re-issues are actually better than the real McCoy...
Why is that? What is it that makes them better - woods, finish, electronics or general craftsmenship?


Particularly the latter. Quality control was definitely a major issue at that time - even Fender's management from the '80s on would agree with that. Even so, it's a guitar-by-guitar matter: you'll likely hear from folks who have excellent '70s Strats.

I get what you like about the natural finish look, by the way. Andy Summers' natural Strat some time around 1980-ish had a certain influence on me...

Far as the differences between mine and Martian's answers goes; I'd readily bow to him on that. He generally seems to know his stuff.

Again, good luck - C


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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 9:50 am
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I'd have to say 76 and later was pretty hit and miss as far as consistent build quality. I own an original 1974 Strat, it was my main guitar throughout the 80's and it never let me down. I mostly play my newer Fenders now, but every now and again the 74 has to come out.

I wouldn't buy a vintage guitar as a daily player only because they rapidly increase in value and you could end up damaging a potential investment.

Make sure you see and handle what you are buying. There are many unscrupulous people out there putting pieces from different years and even reissues together and claiming that it's an original instrument.


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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:43 am
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Its always struck me as odd that the tele didnt have the same quality problems as the strat during the cbs era. Does anyone know why. A late friend of mine had a 76 tele in blonde thats a absolute jem. His mom lives a few doors from my mom and lets me go and play the tele when im around the area. Today after playing a Yuri Shishkov twisted tele i was straight round to Pauls moms to compare it. I'd say there on a par with each other, although nostalgia could be getting the better of me.

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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:02 pm
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nikininja wrote:
Its always struck me as odd that the tele didnt have the same quality problems as the strat during the cbs era. Does anyone know why.


My guess is because the Tele didn't get all of the changes that the Strat did. A '70s Tele has a bullet truss rod and 3-bolt Micro-Tilt neck, doesn't it? The Strat also abandoned the vintage style trem.

I pretty much agree with A. Duchossoir's assessment (from his Strat book):

Quote:
The most legitimate argument about the rather poor quality of 1970's Stratocasters was brought about by the body and its finish. With the introduction of a "natural" finish in 1972, ash was gradually reinstated as the basic material for the body. Ash is a pretty inconsistent timber in terms of density and its weight can vary to a large extent.


While some '70s ash strats have nice looking wood, I've seen some that were made out of 7 pieces and horribly mismatched.

If you really study it, you'll find that Fender's Stratocaster had various quality issues from day one (1954). The very lowest quality point had to be early 1981, however. Duchossoir writes:

Quote:
A report dated 19 May, 1981 mentioned a "sharp decline in product quality" and a "significant increase in domestic and foreign dealer complaints about defective and unacceptable quality."


But Fender took action later that year. Dan Smith is quoted as saying after he was hired in August 1981 that "we basically shut the plant down and retaught everybody how to make Fender guitars the way that people wanted them. It took us probably 2 and a half years to achieve that!" Production was dropped from 250/300 guitars a day to just a handful!

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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 1:07 pm
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Ill go against the norm, again - lol

I bought a 75 Strat from an online dealer, sight unseen, other than a slew of pictures - I had been looking for this particular guitar for quite some time - and it was more of a sentimental value purchase, didnt really care how well it played, because I dont really play it - its in the case, 100% original - bought it to have, I have plenty of other Strats to play - to me, its just cool to know I own that guitar now

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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 5:33 pm
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asg wrote:
I'll go against the norm, again - lol


I'm not exactly sure how what you wrote goes against the norm.

Let me ask you, how DOES that 1975 play/sound?

What kind of condition was it in?

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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 5:36 pm
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orvilleowner wrote:
asg wrote:
I'll go against the norm, again - lol


I'm not exactly sure how what you wrote goes against the norm...


I think he means he bought sight-unseen.

Mine's on red fifteen...

- C


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