I hadn't either, the first time I saw any suggestion of that was from the last post in this thread:

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... hlight=70s

I haven't heard of any other instance of this being the case though. The specs on the main fender site certainly gives no indication that this guitar comes with CS 69s.

I'd love to get the chance to play one, but then I'd be adding the cost of a flight and hotel to the package! Cheaper just to buy CS 69's right form the get go!

In the quality of the woods used in the guitar and in the quality of the craftmanship.

I bought the Ritchie Blackmore model a year ago which, given the $1200 price tag, I believe is one of the top-of-the-line MIMs. I had to return it after a week because it was too heavy and too poorly finished when compared to my stock MIA Malmsteen signature. I would put both guitars side by side and the difference in the quality of the finishing was self-evident. There even was a noticeable gap between the body and the pickguard of which I posted pictures here.
My brother (who plays the bass) got a cheap MIM years ago that's so bad it doesn't deserve to be called a Stratocaster. The 70's model you're considering should be a lot better than that though...but you get the point.

I recently got my first Custom Shop Strat -for which I paid a lot more than that 1K difference- and the quality and sound of that guitar are unbelievable. What I want to say is not all guitars are created equal. You pay more, you get more.

Go for the MIA, it's the cooler reissue (one string post/3 way-switch/alder body, etc) and divide those extra $1000 by each day of the next 20-30 years you will be playing a better guitar.

I was not going to do this since I have posted this photo elsewhere in other forums and I am not trying to convince you or try to make up your mind for you. All guitars now days are luck of the draw on how and who makes them no matter the cost. Sometimes you have to go through many of the same make and model until you find one right for you MIA or MIM for Fender Gibson,PRS,Etc. it makes no difference all have bad and good. To make my point as they say a picture is worth?
Both Fenders are MIM built in 2006 and both hold their own with all the other guitars in the photo. They look even better in person.

This topic is interesting as I have often wondered myself where the buck stops when you compare a mim classic series 70's to a AVRI 70's strat...

Both Ash, one urethane the other poly, tolex case vs gigbag- am I missing something here? more colours on mim, 2 string trees on mim vs. 1 on mia... 2-3 piece body on mia.

I think they should introduce walnut and tobacco burst to the mix

But I just dont see where the value is at with the AVRI 70's. You could buy a warmoth showcase 1 piece body for the mim, a tolex case, perhaps abby pickups and you'd have change left I think!

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Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the 70's reissue Strat have one incorrect feature, on the reissues there is no notch at the neck joint on the upper horn side like todays Strats and while this is period correct it was only done on the 70's telecasters, not Stratocasters.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Blatant differences such as what you've cited must be made in order for the buying public not to be sold a fraud. Another blatant difference would be the lack of slathered finish all over the maple fingerboard and frets of the RIs. Consider too, the fact that the RIs are made with tighter tolerances, CNC machines, etc, these differences in modern manufacturing technique alone negate the RIs from being identical to the originals. If one has the time or the ambition, guaranteed, one can compile a sizable list of differences between the two.

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You dig?

Can the same be said for the '62 & '57 RI's?

My take on the 70's RI's is that with such a bad reputation Fender is out to prove that when done right it's a well designed guitar. QA and manufacturing issues aside removing the notch is akin to putting a microtilt on a '62 reissue... or having the wrong spacing between the 12th fret markers.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Absolutely! As a matter of fact, the first year both came out (1982 IIRC) I had bought one of each. As I was playing each, I was making mental notes like crazy about the differences and believe me, there were/are many. And over the years, other differences began to appear too, even among the RIs!

I agree with you and would like to add that they are hoping most players nowadays are unaware of the turds so many of these '70s Fenders truly were and so, they'll give the RIs a more ready shot without having any direct playing reference to the originals.

A good deal of the buying market is fickle too. For example, there is a camp that reveres any '70s Fender as a borderline museum piece. They totally forgot or just never knew that way too many of them were turds. Just because said turds are an average of 35 years old now, there is this notion apparently that some sort of physics defying metamorphosis has turned them into superior instruments over the years. Let's face it, the reality of it all is, a turd doesn't stop being a turd merely because its stink has faded away.

My disclaimer: Yes, I acknowledge that there were SOME nice Fender guitars and basses made back in the '70s but as a species, this was certainly not the norm. How do I know? I worked on enough of them as my shop was an authorized CBS Fender service center throughout the decade and well beyond.

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You dig?

Theres a good point, with tiodays manufacturing and QC, it's probably safe to say that the AVRI and Classic 70's are probably better playing guitars above the originals anyway

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Well I think that a lot of the surviving original examples are actually really nice guitars. I think most of the crappy ones were modded all kinds of ways, and the ones around now in good condition are pretty nice. I remember reading all kinds of crap on the internet about CBS instruments and then I went out and got to play a bunch in a shop one day. A 72, 74, 76, and 79. They were all super nice guitars and felt and played much nicer than most of the modern stuff I have played or owned which is supposedly superior. Which just goes to show you can't generalize when it comes to guitars.