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Post subject: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 8:39 pm
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I feel stupid for asking this question...but...here goes. When did Fender start making contoured or beveled heels? I live in a rural area and there aren't many guitar stores in my "neck of the woods." Just yesterday I was in a music store called "Sounds Incredible." They had one Stratocaster that was absolutely beautiful! I was looking it over carefully and noticed the heel was contoured for, I assume, easier access to the upper frets. If this has been going on for a long while....I somehow managed to "miss the boat."


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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:16 pm
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The Jeff Beck signature Strat has a nice contoured heel, and I think that started in 2001. I have a 2000 Beck that is supposed to be the last of it's particular series and it does not have the contour. I think the neck might have become thinner in 01 too. What colour was the guitar you saw? Olympic White or Surf Green by chance?


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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 4:51 am
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The American Deluxes got the contoured heel in 2004.

Gotta say, I'm a big fan of it.

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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 5:00 am
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Howdy!

Deluxe Strats have had a heel contour for a many years now.

Image

A very cool feature indeed. Below is my Big Hairy variation of a contoured heel..

Image Image

Image

Any excuse to spam the forum with pic's of that! :D

Enjoy!

Andy

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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:39 am
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Now that just ain't authentic..... :lol: I mean it ain't stock...... :lol: I mean it wasn't on a '54 Strat. :lol:


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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:43 am
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Rebelsoul wrote:
Now that just ain't authentic..... :lol: I mean it ain't stock...... :lol: I mean it wasn't on a '54 Strat. :lol:


Absolutely. It don't stop me liking it though. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:03 am
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Ah, the contoured neck heel. It has really been around since the 1980s; it started on those "grey area" guitars from the late 1980s that could be MIJ or could be assembled in the USA from MIJ parts. I first saw the heel on the original HM Strats (the ones with 24 frets, the funky-looking "Strat" large script on a black headstock, and a Kahler Spyder trem). I believe these came out in 1988; here's some photos of one of these from the "Fender Stratocasters Made In Japan" page:

Front and back:
Image Image

Here's a rundown of the models I remember that have the contoured neck heel by dates:

1988: HM Strat Style 1 (made until 1992 or 1993) - these are the ones I described above. The photos are of an HSS version, but they also had a single H version.

1989: "Contemporary Strat" - 1-year version that had the hardware of the HM on a more standard Strat shape with a 22-fret neck. These have all the hallmarks and markings of an MIJ model but do not carry any country of origin at all.

1989: HRR Strat - these were made up until 1994/1995; these are MIJ, HSS Strats with 22 frets. They came as a '57 version with a maple fingerboard/1-ply pickguard and a '62 version with rosewood fingerboard/3-ply pickguard. They had Kahler Steeler trems to begin with but eventually had original Floyd Rose trems.

1991: HM Strat Style 2 - I believe these were 1-year models that had a Heartfield-style headstock but on a traditionally-shaped Strat body. These could have been HSS or HSH, and had either an original Floyd or a Floyd II (sorry, just don't remember).

1992: Ritchie Sambora Signature Strat version 1 - these were a USA-made version of the HRR Strat with other changes Sambora wanted - large star inlays, original Floyd Rose, 12 db mid boost. I think these were replaced by a more vintage-styled Sambora circa 1998.

Once these models were discontinued there wasn't a Fender with the contoured neck heel until the Jeff Beck was updated in 2001. Here are the rest of the models:

2001: Jeff Beck Signature version 2 - these came out in July 2001 if I'm remembering correctly; the model is still made this way.

2002: American Deluxe Strat version 1 - this was a late year change on the American Deluxes; I don't think that Fender even announced they were making this change; the American Deluxes just started showing up with the contoured heel circa November/December 2002.

2004: American Deluxe Strat version 2 (all veriations) - the contoured heel is now an "official" feature of the American Deluxe Strat. It is also added to the alder bodied American Deluxe Tele at this time. This model is made through the end of 2009.

2010: American Deluxe Strat version 3 (all variations) - current model.

I may be leaving some things out.


Last edited by John C on Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:07 am
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I'll bet it's comfortable,whenever I get to the heel I just kinda wrap my thumb and palm of my hand into some kind of position to deal with it.


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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:41 pm
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nikininja wrote:
The American Deluxes got the contoured heel in 2004.

Gotta say, I'm a big fan of it.


The contoured heel was introduced in 2002.

Fender introduced that feature on the Tele in 2004.


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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:43 pm
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Andybighair wrote:
Howdy!

Deluxe Strats have had a heel contour for a many years now.

Image

A very cool feature indeed. Below is my Big Hairy variation of a contoured heel..

Image Image

Image

Any excuse to spam the forum with pic's of that! :D

Enjoy!

Andy


Dude, your interpretation of the contoured heel reminds me the AANJ found on most ibanezes and Suhr Moderns!


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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:54 pm
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Rebelsoul wrote:
I mean it wasn't on a '54 Strat. :lol:


And fried eggs didn't start out on Cheeseburgers ...

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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:49 pm
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chromeface wrote:
nikininja wrote:
The American Deluxes got the contoured heel in 2004.
Gotta say, I'm a big fan of it.
The contoured heel was introduced in 2002.Fender introduced that feature on the Tele in 2004.

No one's mentioned the set neck guitars which I believe pre-date 2002. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:20 am
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orvilleowner wrote:
Rebelsoul wrote:
I mean it wasn't on a '54 Strat. :lol:


And fried eggs didn't start out on Cheeseburgers ...

yeah,but did fried eggs come before fried chickens? :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:08 pm
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ZZDoc wrote:
chromeface wrote:
nikininja wrote:
The American Deluxes got the contoured heel in 2004.
Gotta say, I'm a big fan of it.
The contoured heel was introduced in 2002.Fender introduced that feature on the Tele in 2004.

No one's mentioned the set neck guitars which I believe pre-date 2002. :wink:


True, but I didn't include them because they have a completely different neck joint that by definition is smoother than the traditional bolt-on. I believe they go back to circa 1991 on CS Teles, and 1992 on CS Strats - I'm recalling a set neck Strat in about 1992 (but it could have been 1993) that basically was a CS set neck Strat Ultra.


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Post subject: Re: Contoured/Beveled Heel?
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:28 pm
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ZZDoc wrote:
No one's mentioned the set neck guitars which I believe pre-date 2002. :wink:

Indeed. The earliest versions of the ShowMaster guitars were called Stratocaster ShowMasters and I think I first saw those some time in the mid to late 90s.

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