I'm looking at buying one of these American Vintage strats,
but i don't know which one to pick.

I really want to try out a maple necked guitar (the '57)
but i don't really know what the difference is.

Can you guys help me out?

i've kinda been leading toward the '62, but you tell me.

The only difference I see is one has a V neck and the other a C neck. Everything else looks about the same.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

no, they're not the same. the '57 has a maple fretboard, while the '62 has rosewood. they also have different pickups. as well as more mundane stuff like pickguards, colors, etc.
maple has a much brighter tone than rosewood. rosewood is softer and slightly easier to play on, but has a darker tone. it's really a matter of personal preference.
if you can, play them both side-by-side and go with the one you like best.

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I need to wear my glasses to read these. I wasn't looking at the right guitars.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

lol
id go with the 57

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Another difference is the 62 has a 7 1/4 radius neck, the 57 has a 9 if I am not mistaken

no, they both have the same 7.25" radius. i just checked.

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Check out the vintage hotrods if you want med. jumbo frets and 9" radius.

I have a '62 Strat. I mainly got it because I was more familiar with the rosewood neck, from playing Strat copies. I'll probably end up getting a '57 just to round out my collection. One thing, the pickups are kinda noisy on high gain/distorted settings. I use a Boss noise reduction pedal which is OK, but I'd really rather have less noise. I considered putting Samarium Noiseless pickups on it, but I think I'll leave this one "as is" (no mods), and put the noiseless pup's on my '57 when I get it. I've also kept the 3-way switch, although to get the "in-between" tones (sounds using more than one pickup, i.e. neck and middle, or bridge and middle, at the same time - gives a sort of "out-of-phase" sound, very cool), you have to put it in between settings. Other than the pickup noise, I think this thing sounds incredible. It's so solidly built, it's almost as heavy as my Les Paul!
Mine is a 3-color sunburst, which is a really beautiful finish (I plan on getting my '57 in Surf Green...)

The main difference between the '62 and the '57 is rosewood vs. maple neck; I think the pickups are the same ('57/'62 pickups). The maple neck is a little brighter, and it's a little easier to bend notes, but it's easy enough to bend w/ the rosewood. Otherwise, I think it's just a look thing; the maple neck is more traditional (the first Strats had only maple necks; the rosewood necks became available later).

I think the '57 only has three way switching, but it should come with a five way kit.

The 57' has a single ply pick guard, (if that's a big deal to you). Several salesmen have told me that maple fret board sounds a little brighter, but I can't tell, however the rosewood feels softer on the fingers.

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2004 Strat deluxe sunburst
2005 Strat HSS deluxe

It takes 43 muscles to frown, and 22 to smile, but only 3 for the proper trigger squeeze.

both the 57 and the 62 come with a 3 way installed and 5 way replacement.

i like em both but id go with the 57 i love the v neck and i like the finishes a little better i just like 50s more than 60s idk its a thing i have

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03 black stratocaster maple
05 50s RI strat (brownie)
06 american std telecaster (sunburst)
05 fender Blues Deville
68 fender bandmaster with 2x12 cab
69 fender bassman with 2x15 cab
73 music man HD130=

lots of stuff in my garage

Dude I would go with the '57 because I like the V neck but it is your chioce.