Unadan

I dont have much experience with the 62. I do however have extensive experience of the 57 Hotrod.

A really good guitar all round. I err'd away from the 62 because there wasnt really that much hotrodded about it. Theres the fingerboard radius flattened and thats about it. At the time I got mine I was on a real bad 'something extra under the hood' kick, so went for the 57.

Expect top quality workmanship, really top quality. I also own a Custom Shop Custom Classic strat (German Schaller tuners btw), which is much like the 62HR in the neck dept'. Aside from the visual aspect (flaming on the neck) I couldnt call it between those two guitars.

The only downside/upside of that range is that they are designed to wear fast. They get a bit sticky under gig circumstances. Sometimes you will see sink lines in the finish. It's all down to the thinskin finish. It really is thin.

Im just off to gig mine now funnily enough. All in all if it went I'd be utterly devastated. I mean, I'd kick the dog or something, I'd be so ticked off.

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Not to take anything away from the American Standards ,because I own one and think its a great quality guitar,but once you reach the Artist Series and the American Vintage Reissue series ,I think its a little better quality guitar.The finish,fretwork and attention to detail stuff like the way the neck fits on the body is quite a bit better.Thats just my opinion.

I bought a '62 Hot Rod a couple of weeks ago and I absolutely love it...and I have 5 Strats all total,and they're all great guitars,but I guess this is where the individual guitar and wood all comes together,because the pickups are the same as the '57 I own I think,but this one sounds wonderful,and I changed the ones in the '57 to Fralins.
This one is magic.....really,maybe "The One" for me....and I've been at this for a long time.

I'm sorry but I really have to agree with Ninja here. From what I've read so far, it sounds as though your sense of "nationalistic pride" has somehow been bent out of shape here. You seem to be trying to convey that it's about "principles" to you...that whole truth in advertising thing but the one line in your first post there says it all, "I was under the impression that this was an all American made product and was dissapointed to find Japanese parts". Apparently you perceive parts from Japan (or anything other than USA) as being somehow "inferior"...you were "disappointed" to find a Japan built part on your instrument and some how that instrument now apparently seems somewhat lesser to you because of it. What a shame. If you suddenly found out that your wife or girlfriend was part Japanese (even though she never bothered to tell you) would you really love her any less for it? I find it truly difficult to imagine someone being that completely shallow...

The truth of the matter is that the world is changing my friend and in a global market economy, nationalistic pride is going the way of the dinosaurs. Fender is, very simply, a large global company with factories and resources literally around the world. Take a look at the Corona and Ensenada facitilies for example. Don't you think those two facilities often "share resources"? They're just a few hours down the road from each other after all. Let's say that a piece of machinery breaks down (or is being upgraded) at the Ensenada facility...being a big company such as they are, do you really think the folks in Fender's corporate offices are just going to shut down the line when they have identical resources just up the road? Obviously the reverse is true as well...let's say something happens in the finishing department at the Corona plant...are they just going to shut down or are they going to ship those bodies down the road to have them finished (or polished or assembled, whatever)? You can bet your bottom they're going to send those bodies down the road! So even if you're American Strat says "Made in the USA", it's certainly possible some of the work or some of the parts came from outside of the US. If you're really going to think of things by those silly, out-dated standards, then perhaps -NOTHING- should be labeled in regards to it's country of origin...right? Come on dude...even American made cars don't have EVERYTHING made in America! The problem here isn't any sense of "truth in labeling" as your comments might suggest, the problem is an out-dated perception that just because something is made in American that some how that something must be superior to anything made outside of the country (which these days of course is a complete load of rubbish).

Ninja hit the nail on the head here... "Fender use these products because their the best quality at a price they want". Come on now...honestly...if those tuners were as good, if not superior to an "American made" tuner...does it really matter if they're stamped Japan...or even Instanbul? Dude...that's just down right silly. As long as those parts are of decent quality and perform as they should, why should it matter where they were made? As nick said, Schaller's come from Germany...you don't usually see a lot of people griping about having those tuners on their American made instruments do you (and Fender has used Schaller's for years)? But suddenly you somehow seem to think less of your Strat now because the tuners were made outside of the US (or more specifically in Japan maybe?). Did you enjoy this instrument before you found this out? Did you enjoy playing it before you knew about the Japan made tuners? If so, then what has really changed?

Let's look at this whole "made in USA" thing for a moment. The truth of the matter is that there is very little that's really made -completely- in the USA any more (with the exception of Amish made furniture maybe! LOL!). Electronics for example...do you really think that companies such as RCA...an American company...do you really think that everything they make is made soley from parts that were also made here in the USA? Don't you think if you open up your TV or your stereo or your computer or your microwave oven or your guitar amp or whatever...don't you think you're going to find parts (capacitors, IC chips, transisters) that say "Made in China (Japan, Taiwann, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia., etc..). Textiles...ok...maybe you buy expensive towels that were made in the USA (as apposed to the Walmart imports from elsewhere)...how do you -know- that the materials or even the machinery used to make them was all made in the USA? Oh...wait...maybe they had an Irish immigrant working the machine that day...a non-American worker, oh no! There is -VERY- little that's actually made here in the US any more...so why should a guitar really be any different? Because your sense of American Pride seems to demand it? Really???

Seriously dude...if you enjoyed that guitar before you found out it had some parts from Japan on it, I can't really see what the big deal is...you either like the guitar or you don't. It's still the same guitar...if you liked it before then don't sweat the petty stuff and just play that sucker and enjoy it for what it is...a Fender.




You'd think huh?



Peace,
Jim

Whilst I do see how someone unfamiliar with the instrument to be suprised at a foreign part, I dont think it's entirely silly. If you dont know something, then you dont know. The only way you learn anything is by accepting the fact that you dont know everything, non of us do.

I do find preconceived notions about non domestic produce and who is to blame for such non domestic products use to be silly. Lets face a fact here, our governments want a soceity made up of mindless office flunkies that dont actually physicaly produce anything other than paper. It's a lot easier for them if were bored sensless into mindless servitude, hence coronation street and eastenders on tv.
My country produced the finest steel in the world a couple of decades ago. Our steel quality really was 2nd to non. Thanks to the one politician I did actualy have some time for, it's gone.

The world moves on and it aint painless.

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This sure got out of hand!! Basically, my concern was that for the money, my concerns that the pick-ups were not USA Fender, based on I feel there is a differance in sound and quality other wise I would have bought a Mex or Chinese one and saved some cash.

If the Gotoh tuners are made in Japan that's the way it is. I just want my money's worth, guitar plays and sounds great if thats the extent of it then okay. Put Sperzels on anyhow. Simply would suck if there were outsourced pick-ups for the money.

BTW, Unadan, you weasel, you went for the 62 Hot Rod, knew you would. Let me know how it is!!

I assure you , the gotoh are top notch vintage tuners.Fender uses them on their top of the line production guitars.Pickups are 57/62 custom shop pickups made in the USA.

I'm sorry but your issue appears to be the tuners and not the pickups which should be 57/62's, though you'd never spot the difference between them and Japanese RI's.

It didnt get out of hand at all. It was just addressed in a adult manner.

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Just looked at the Gibson Deluxe tuners that I replaced with Grovers on my Gibson USA Les Paul Standard. Also made in Japan. Never bothered to look until I saw this thread.
It makes sense though. I dont expect Fender to build nickel mines to get materials for their alnico pickups.
Fender builds guitars, and they built yours (and mine) in Corona, CA. Its unrealistic to expect every component to be produced in the USA. If they did, we would all be jamming on Oak Stratocasters with Pine necks.

My "Crafted In Japan" '57RI came with American-made pickups installed (true).

Scandalous! Can't we get the pure made in Japan product anymore? What is the world coming to?

- C

Hey I was told Asian resistors in my drri are crap.

Lotimus, I love you. You respond to every topic with a novel of which 4% relates to previous topics/posts. "If your girlfriend was part Japanese, would you still love her?" I wish my wife was part Asian. That would be sweet.
I also like how you pegged this guy as blinded by an irrational sense of nationalism because he wants to know why the tuners on his American made guitar were produced in Japan. Way to blast him for his "silly out of date standards."

My issue was with the tuners. Which simply led me to wonder what else may be out sourced. Busines is business and if there is away to cut corners, business will do it.

This guitar sounds and plays great. I picked the 57 Re-issue for that "Strat" sound that I was raised on and hear in my head. The 62 Hot Rod should be an excellent choice as well.

I know... the bridge on my "Made in Mexico" standard strat isnt even made in Mexico!! Argh!!

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No need to ridicule a differing opinion - you dilute your argument by doing so.