Hello Coyote37,

Firstly welcome to the forum,

As for the worst years I have know idea,
all the stratocasters I ever played worked fine.

As for the best years I must say present day models
are at the top of the heap, what with various models and
consistency of good worksmanship. Seems there are plenty
of excellent choices out there.

Cheers.

Good Point. I wanted to say something like that in my post, but I forgot: even in the "worst" years, most of the guitars were just fine.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

IMO your guitar was built during one of the best periods in Fenders history. CBS ownership cost allot of loyal customers so once they were sold back Fender knew they had to reverse the damage that CBS had done. Their strategy was to do this by keeping down cost and improving quality, which they did.

If memory serves they got the company back ` 1987. For the next several years they slowly regained their customer support by once again building some of the best guitars on the planet. Some claim that guitars built during this period were basically equivalent to todays custom shop models.

Anyhow, I think you were given some bum info. BTW, today's Fender American Standard models are of very high quality IMO. I just don't agree with the hugh price increases.

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Gear: Fender Strat Plus Deluxe (Dimarzio Area 58/67/61), Gibson ES-135, Genz Benz BP-30, Fender HR Deville 4X10 and Princeton Reverb RI.

The best year for Strats is the year you have and the worst year is the year you wanted but didn't get--this is true for everybody who has one Strat.

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

As a proud owner of one of those 1983 cost cutting strats, i beg to differ with you on quality. I own a 3000 dollar 63 Custom shop Tele, A PRS , Les Paul, Rickenbacker and my cost cutting strat by far sounds better than all of them..Great Twang, comfortable and sounds sweet. I know Fender was changing things but im so tired of these guitars getting a bad rap...I got mine at a garage sale for 150 bucks and wouldnt sell it for 2,ooo....like everyone says...plays good, sounds good,,,,,,smile

I dont know where you heard that 91 was a bad year for strats - my very first strat was a 91 American Standard - ive loved them ever since - I got rid of it years ago, like an idiot, but was able to find one a while back, same color, everything, even the serial numbers were only a few hundred off - its actually one of the best playing strats I have - but again, I must be a gluton for punishment, I have a couple of those piece of crap CBS strats too!! lol

Here is my '91

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"Wait a minute, somethings wrong here!"

I know this comment is about a specific model, but I think the overall workmanship comparison is valid.

I was in my local shop this week and was shown a Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline. It has a set neck and the joint was absolutely superb!
Finish was flawless and it felt and sounded wonderful. Both the sales person and I asked each other who is Jim Adkins - oh well - it's certainly a generational thing.

I found it very telling that Fender can get this kind of workmanship from Indonesia and Gibson can't do the same out of Nashville or Memphis!

Over the past few years I have seen the general quality of materials and workmanship improving in the Fender line and degenerating overall with Gibson. I own a number of guitars from both companies.

I will admit that I am not in the position to have had any play contact with most of the guitar icons from any era or company.

I wish I had the funds for another guitar....it would be the Jim Adkins Tele.

Coyote, dont get all excited I have never heard 1991 singled out as some terrible year for the strat and believe me I have books on Fender guitars and great Aniversary magazine issues I save on Fender and never have I heard this. It is what we call in N.Y a bum wire. As everyone stated except for a few notated famous periods their are lemons every year and that percentage is so tiny that I have to say I myself have never heard a strat that I thought sounded bad I might not of liked the neck or the way they played but I cannot say I heard a flat out lemon. I have heard famous players and might not of liked the tone they had dialed up,so dont worry about your ax . I just bought my first Fender since 03 a Tele Deluxe and it is amazing. I cant see how you can even improve on this ax. I think there being made right now better than ever.

I'm curious what exactly made a 91 a bad year?

I'm curious what exactly made a 91 a bad year?

That's a good question. The OP said he read it on the internet, but I've never read anything like that. I guess you haven't either.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

Coyote, welcome to the Forums!

For more info on the history of the Strat, you might want to check out this site:

http://www.strat-central.com/

It comments on the different time periods. Lots of pix, too. Very interesting stuff.

Hmm...

...'have a '90 AS bought new and it is a truly fine instrument. Build, quility, components, finish...all tres beaucoup slick.

Good thing it wasn't made a few months later or would have sucked...?

Welcome. Have fun.

[quote="Martian"]There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the absolute worst years were the 70s and the best years are right now. Yea, I know, everyone who owns one from the 70s swears up and down that their particular specimen is the equivalent of a Stradivarius. Notwithstanding, put any real 70s one up against a current 70s RI and see which one is really the better made and better sounding instrument; US made vs. MIM notwithstanding.

I'm glad someone got to play every single 70's Strat in existence.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion and I totally respect it.

Not a Stradivarius just a Strat. If I would have found one better, I wouldn't have kept mine for 37 years. I would have dropped it like a bad habit like I did my 77. I've owned a few dozen guitars in my time. Some good some not so good and a couple that I consider really good. They're the ones I kept. I do agree that the current Strats are great, but I played some current dogs too that are pretty disappointing to me anyway. It don't make them all bad because I don't like them. It's all hit, miss end personal opinion. I do know that my 72 has gone up a bit in value from the $280 it was purchased for. I'd still never sell it though.

If the 70's were so horrible and have such a bad rep, why bother reissuing them?

I own four Strats as of this minute the years are as follows..... 78 Standard
...89 Strat ultra...95 Floyd Rose Strat...And last but not least a 2008 MIM Standard H.S.S Strat...They are each different in there own way but they each seem to be equal in quality...Of course you can't compare the Ultra to the MIM ...There different guitars nor can you compare the 78 to the 94 Floyd Rose but each and everyone is a good quality well made guitar ..I personally feel the best year things is B.S ...
Unless your talking about comparing a 50's model to modern day which really isn't a fair comparison as the 50's Strat has aged wood and action ...But with that said i would even run a 50's Strat against my ultra for a best tone competition.But as far as what would be the most desirable guitar it would be the 50's Strat...
The Vintage guitars are great collectors and fantastic relics but are they that much better tone wise then today's guitars .I don't know just like i cant sit here and tell some one what years are better or worse than others....There is just way to many parameters to be thrown in....