Well there was a lot of Strat players in the 70s besides some of the greatest music. I am of the notion that as wood ages it gives off a better tone than fresher wood and those 70s guitars are becoming very collectable. No matter what though you will have gems and dogs in every era and the whole ball of wax was that CBS did not have there heart in making guitars, just turning a profit but there are a lot of great sounding guitars from that era as well as the Thinline series being made under CBS. I would say that Fender is making guitars on a whole much better than then today though, and will be proven correct in 20 years.