I was wondering if I could get some opinions on the classic series 50's strats that Fender makes. I just scored one for fairly cheap on ebay, in what is apparently a discontinued color for that line (olympic white).

I'm thinkin' I'll gut it and totally upgrade it with some better quality electronics and such. In my experience, the MIM strats aren't bad guitars, but I like to tinker with things and everything can always be improved.

Anyone have any experience with this model?

Thanks,

MJ

Great guitar to upgrade. They are built on the original strat specs. StewMac, or if you want to spend more money, Callaham tremolos fit. Tuners aren't too bad on the Classic series, but I replaced them anyway because I had already purchased a set. Check the nut and make sure it's done properly and replace if necessary. Pickups aren't too bad either, but I put a set of CS Custom '54s in my Classic '60s.

On a trip to Japan in 2009 we went to a guitar shop. Very different then here. All the guitars have a lock on them. So after an hour or I asked to get a nice looking tabaco sunburst whit a maple neck...The guy took it down and lead me to a room tune it with a tuning fork in his mouth... Put the guitar on me with a strap and then plunged it in.. Well I never let it go from that time forward..My 50's style Strat is a hot guitar. How ever we did try a few others but they where not the same to my hands... Any who, My Bro that was with asked if they had any more. A few days later he got the same guitar maybe 50 or so numbers different from serial number. I have played the sh*t out of it.. I play out 2 or 3 times a week ,Great guitar, I think it was 70,00 yen.. ( about $750 or so U.S.). I just had the frets dressed but that's not anyone's doing, they need to be checked now and then. Some it all up.... Don't look at where they are made feel the guitar and play it.If it sounds good to you GET IT FAST don't let it slip away..Jmho....Mark

I've got the Surf Green Classic 50s... I couldn't be happier. I doubt that I will ever mod this guitar. YMMV

Bill

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Hey, Boy Blue is back!

I've played one of the classic series 50's teles, and it was a nice guitar. I didn't mean to imply that the MIM strats or teles were bad guitars. But I've noticed that with a lot of them, it's kind of a crap shoot...some are good...others, not so much. In any event, I'm looking forward to getting the guitar...but I'm positive that I'll mod it out...the only thing that interests me about the 50's style strats is the V neck and the body contours and I love the sound of the vintage pups...but I'll most definately swap the stock pups out for some 57/62s. IMO, those are among the best sounding Fender pups.

One other thing though...I've heard that the MIM strats have a cheaper, lighter trem block made of some sort of zinc alloy? Anyone know if this is true? Either way, I think I'd swap it out with one of the Callaham blocks. They make good stuff...and I'm not interested in keeping the guitar original anyway.

Thanks for the input.

MJ

Initially, I changed the saddles. It made an improvement in tone and sustain. The tremolo system is a cheaper metal. (Made by Ping) I ended up changing the whole tremolo.

Thats the deal with all Fenders, even the USA ones. I have played my fair share of crappy MIAs as well as MIJs and MIMs. Sometimes bad ones just slip out.

The block is fullsize however it is made of zinc, but even MIA standards don't have full steel blocks anymore ( They are some kind of infused alloy).

Mine has Texas Special pick ups, Why anyone would want to change them is beyond me. Come on guys get out there and Play the guitar. Nothing is ever perfect.... Sorry I didn't mean to rant...I hardly ever do any mods to my guitars. I just play them night and day. When something needs to be fixed I get it fixed (i.e.fret dressing)..I wounder what the ratio for most forum members is for playing to thinking and doing mods.. I think it should be a HIGH PERCENT towards playing the guitar rather then endless mod...there I go ranting.. Sorry if i pissed any of you off to each his own... Play guitar boy!! (or girl) Mark

I think that for a lot of folks, its all part of the fun... I have several guitars all stock, so far I haven't had any desire to change anything...

Bill

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Hey, Boy Blue is back!

Modding your guitar is a way to find your own sound. There's nothing wrong with that. Alot of aftermarket guitar companies exist for that reason. The "sound" for one player is not the "sound" for another. For example, I don't like Texas Special pickups.

Now this is just my opinion...I don't want to lessen the validity of anyone elses opinions...but, I think that the more you play, the more you would want to mod your guitar. The more you play, the better you get. Your technical skill will improve and of course, your ear will improve. And, tastes will change and evolve as you progress in your playing. I like to mod guitars simply because it gets boring playing the same old guitars over and over. I used to like hot rodded guitars with hot overwound pups, but as time goes on, I find myself more drawn to vintage sounds that the weaker pickups provide. I used to like to use a lot of pedals and effects...anymore, I prefer just a guitar plugged into a nice tube amp.
And, the main reason that I like to mod my guitars is that I'm a wee bit hyperactive and I just like to tinker with things. None of the modern production guitars these days are ever gonna be worth anymore then you initially bought them for anyway, so why worry about keeping them original. If it's a high dollar vintage instrument, then sure...leave it alone...but these modern guitars are just begging to be modded out to the max. Its just something I like to do. And it's a bit cheaper then buying new guitars every other month.
I have a highway one strat that feels really great in my hands. The finish is nice, I like the feel of the neck and the way it plays...but the stock pups just didn't do it for me...over wound hot pickups just sound muddy and crappy to me anymore, so I had to swap em out. It's that sort of thing. Playing a guitar is one thing for me...but really making a guitar my own is also very important......these are the reasons I modify guitars and why I always will.

I appreciate everyone elses thoughts too...

MJ

Yeah I agree...I've got a MIA H1 strat...it's a well built instrument...but IMO, the electronics were crap. Noisy as all hell (and I'm talkin' way beyond the normal 60 cycle hum) and muddy and dark sounding pups...needless to say, the guts got replaced...now I'll never part with it...might mod it somemore later down the road, but it's now definately a favorite.

MJ

I meant that I might mod it out "somemore" later down the road...

Having spent some eight hours playing my '99 "Buddy Holly Tribute Strat" over two evenings this weekend and pocketing some $200 for my trouble, I can tell you that there's nothing at all wrong with these guitars. I bought mine new and played it in dead-stock trim for about eight years, then ripped it completely apart and rebuilt it in '07. The only thing "MIM" that's left now is the furniture; vintage-spec MIA hardware, mil-spec pots, switch, and wiring, and a set of noiseless DiMarzios replaced the original components.

It was a fine instrument when new......now it's a great one.

FWIW

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I have a Surf Green Classic 50s Strat. I lived with the stock pickups for six months before changing them. Guitar Center had SCN pickups at close out prices at the time so that's what I installed.

What an upgrade! The Surf's Up is one of the first Strats I reach for when it's time to crank the gain and it sounds good clean, too. Everything else on it is stock.

John