It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:23 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 23 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2015 5:44 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:54 am
Posts: 2573
Location: Laurel, MD
Is anyone else no impressed by Fender's attempt to recreate '70s era Strats? Using a 3-bolt neck, big headstock, ash body and bullet truss rod is a nice start, but if Fender really wants to step it up, they will need to change a few things.

I realize that this would be a nice example of an looking early '70s, but I'd like to see a bit more of the later '70s esthetics used.

The effect would be complete if all the parts were black (there are examples of white parts on '70s era Strats, it's rare for later guitars), abalone dot markers for rosewood fret boards and flush pole piece pickups. As for the bridge saddles, I haven't had any issues with the pot metal ones on my '70s era Strats, but they can get worn out pretty quickly.
Let know your thoughts.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2015 3:05 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
Functionally, the Classic Series '70s Strat is a better-built instrument than many of the originals it's meant to emulate, with more consistent quality control of the neck-pocket/neck-heel interface, a better bridge assembly with separate trem block, and a nicer finish (none of that resonance-robbing "thick skin" Plasti-Cote paint). Plastic parts are easily replaced if the black motif is desired and pickup swaps among owners of these guitars are neither uncommon nor all that expensive.

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2015 4:10 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:10 pm
Posts: 5646
Location: Gateway to the West
Retroverbial wrote:
Functionally, the Classic Series '70s Strat is a better-built instrument than many of the originals it's meant to emulate, with more consistent quality control of the neck-pocket/neck-heel interface, a better bridge assembly with separate trem block, and a nicer finish (none of that resonance-robbing "thick skin" Plasti-Cote paint). Plastic parts are easily replaced if the black motif is desired and pickup swaps among owners of these guitars are neither uncommon nor all that expensive.

Arjay


+1...And everyone of these I have tried was a fine player! If I run across one for the right price, I would snatch one up.

T2

_________________
-----------------------------------------------------------
What time is it? It's Fender Time.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 2:36 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Posts: 9640
Location: Indiana
I think that they are great. The 70's look, feel, vibe, in a much better quality instrument. Which is kind of ironic, because I used to not like the look of the big headstock. :o

This is my second one, the one that I wanted to begin with. It rocks! The only thing that I changed was to deck the bridge, tighten the trem claw screws down tight, and tune down a half-step. :D

Image

My first one is just as excellent, and although the natural is very nice looking, there is something about the Olympic White that I prefer. Maybe it is the Hendrix-esque look.

Image

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 9:06 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
shimmilou wrote:
This is my second one, the one that I wanted to begin with. It rocks! The only thing that I changed was to deck the bridge, tighten the trem claw screws down tight, and tune down a half-step. :D

Image

...there is something about the Olympic White that I prefer. Maybe it is the Hendrix-esque look.


+1!

That's a good-looking guitar, shimmilou.

8)

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 6:38 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:54 am
Posts: 2573
Location: Laurel, MD
I agree that quality has come a long way. I will say that I have played some awful '70s era Strats, but I've been lucky to own two very nice ones. The neck joints on them are pretty tight.

What are the pickup like? Anything like the CS '69s?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 10:22 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Posts: 9640
Location: Indiana
I can't really think of a comparable pup to these, other than maybe some 70s Fender pups. They have a nice, warm, articulate clean sound, and some growl when using distortion. Really a 70s rock sound. I like 'em.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 12:03 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2015 9:54 pm
Posts: 54
Location: Los Angeles
I'm in the market for another one of these. I currently have a Japanese reissue '72, and while I like the guitar (look-wise) it just doesn't feel and sound right. I've tried everything to changing the stock pickups to DiMarzios, and constant tinkering with the setup but still could not find the right feel.

_________________
1988 Fender USA YJM Signature Stratocaster - Sonic Blue/Maple
1996 Fender MIJ '72 Reissue Stratocaster - Natural/Maple
2008 Fender American Vintage RI '70s Stratocaster - Olympic White/Maple
1994 Gibson Les Paul Studio (Gold Hdw) - Ebony/Ebony


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 2:21 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:36 pm
Posts: 412
Location: Southern California
I find most who talk smack on the actual ones never even seen or handled any of them. There is much myth and lore that just was not reality about 70s Fender products in general. Sure there were bad ones but, even back then many did not know what they spoke of. This miss guided opinion just snow balled into what is "generally" believed and expected of Fender products from that circa.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 8:25 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:54 am
Posts: 2573
Location: Laurel, MD
JACSTRAT wrote:
I find most who talk smack on the actual ones never even seen or handled any of them. There is much myth and lore that just was not reality about 70s Fender products in general. Sure there were bad ones but, even back then many did not know what they spoke of. This miss guided opinion just snow balled into what is "generally" believed and expected of Fender products from that circa.


On the whole, I agree with you. I would also point out that even though I am fan of '70s era Strats, I'm not a fan of the material the saddles were made of. I've experienced several Strats from this period which need new saddles. The material is just too soft. I may have said this before, but the neck joint on my '75 is pretty tight. The neck join on my '79 on the other hand is quite loose.

As to the neck joints, a simple homemade shim fixes the problem.
1975 Strat. It originally had a white pickguard, but I swapped it out for the black one. I may put the white one back on in the future.

[url][URL=http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/parist1/media/DSC_0063_zps2b36d245.jpg.html]Image[/url][/url]

This is my '79 Strat. About the only thing original left on it is the neck, body, neck plate, bridge and tuning keys. The pickups are Van Zant true vintage and the electronics have a push/pull pot that allows me to use the bridge and neck pickups together.
[url][URL=http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/parist1/media/79Strat1.jpg.html]Image[/url][/url]


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 12:34 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
JACSTRAT wrote:
I find most who talk smack on the actual ones never even seen or handled any of them. There is much myth and lore that just was not reality about 70s Fender products in general. Sure there were bad ones but, even back then many did not know what they spoke of. This miss guided opinion just snow balled into what is "generally" believed and expected of Fender products from that circa.


Here's the reality, pal.

By 1972 the Strat's bridge was no longer made of steel. The bridge plate and the trem block were cast as a single part using a pot-metal alloy called Mazac. The bridge's saddles were also comprised of this material, so soft and malleable that the chrome plating used to conceal their composition was harder than the base metal itself. Sustain and tuning stability suffered and bridge saddles often fractured or crumbled into dust.

The woodshop tooling used to carve bodies (to include neck pockets) were the original machines that Leo purchased back in the 1950's. They were tired and replacement parts for them were either scarce or non-existent. CBS was loath to invest in any capital improvements so FMIC was forced to make do with the tools on hand. The result? Bodies with very little contour and neck pockets with excessive tolerances as fabrication technicians tried to extend the life of cutting and shaping blades.

Wax potting of pickups had been abandoned in the late '60s as a cost-saving measure and this foolish attempt at thrift consciousness carried over into the new decade. The coils were frequently microphonic and usually squealed uncontrollably at high volume levels.

Quality control throughout all phases of guitar construction took a back seat to production numbers as CBS continued to maximize profits at the expense of Fender's previously stellar reputation and the horror stories of piss-poor products shipped from Fullerton were legion.

These are the undisputable facts.

I was there......I saw these guitars and I handled them. Many of them were unmitigated crap.

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 12:58 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:50 pm
Posts: 4602
Location: ˚ɷ˚
True. The only consolation is probably that Gibson did even worse throughout the 70s. It's like the two big ones competed at mediocrity. And that opened the door for a few new and great guitar companies, which is the positive in all this. Companies like MusicMan (1976) and PRS (1985) came to be in large part to serve players who wanted higher quality.

More choice is not bad, and it forced both Fender and Gibson to turn around and clean up.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 1:48 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
arth1 wrote:
More choice is not bad, and it forced both Fender and Gibson to turn around and clean up.


+1

But it seems as though Gibson has reversed course again.

:(

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 2:15 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:36 pm
Posts: 412
Location: Southern California
What department did arjay work in at CBS Musical?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic Series '70s Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 2:16 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Fri Oct 10, 2008 6:45 pm
Posts: 2770
Location: Kansas
Retroverbial wrote:
arth1 wrote:
More choice is not bad, and it forced both Fender and Gibson to turn around and clean up.


+1

But it seems as though Gibson has reversed course again.

:(

Arjay


And Gibson has once again reversed course for 2016 - they now have 2 versions of each of the models made in Nashville under the "Gibson USA" brand (the Les Pauls and SGs). They are:

The "T" Version - back to the 2013 specs (but without the laminated fingerboards): 1 11/16" nut width, regular nut, and regular tuners (locking Grovers on the LP Standard, Kluson keystones on most others).

The "HP" version - these carry forward the 2015 specs like the G-Force tuners, wider neck, metal nut (the titanium replacement one, not the too-soft brass one), etc.

So at least you have a choice.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 23 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: