http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=516164
Anybody know why this uses ash for the body? It comes in solid colors too so I don't think its about having a better looking wood grain. Were 68 strats made out of ash? I didn't think so, but shed some light on me.
Even fenders website specs says its all made out of ash, any color. So I guess its not a musiciansfriend typo.
http://www.fender.com/customshop/instru ... 9230009812
68 Custom Shop Strat
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basile865
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Guitar-Sam
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cole
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The prices that Fender is charging for a mass produced 'custom beat-to-fuck' special is laughable. Have a look at the Music Zoo's Fender 'Master Built' Custom Shop
Les Paul Classic, Les Paul Standard Faded, Fender American Strat
Jackson Custom Shop Strat s/n 1226
JMP 2203, JCM 800 2205, Metro JTM 45
Metropoulos '68 12 Series s/n 12026
Marshall 1960 A/B 4 X 12's
Jackson Custom Shop Strat s/n 1226
JMP 2203, JCM 800 2205, Metro JTM 45
Metropoulos '68 12 Series s/n 12026
Marshall 1960 A/B 4 X 12's
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electricskychurch
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TomGibbs
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basile865
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I always felt the same way. My dad has a 66 jazzmaster and its really not in bad condition at all, theres a few dings here and there and patina, but not beat to shit by any means. Even at a guitar show I was recently at, almost all the real vintage stuff was in not that bad of condition. To have an instrument look like a heavy relic, the owner would have to be extremely careless about it.
Now if they relic'd squiers and made them even cheaper to buy, that would be cool. You could throw it in the back of the truck with no case and go somewhere and get wasted at a jam session and not give a shit!
Now if they relic'd squiers and made them even cheaper to buy, that would be cool. You could throw it in the back of the truck with no case and go somewhere and get wasted at a jam session and not give a shit!
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Tone Slinger
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I also bet that it's a 'slab' fret board, as opposed to the vintage correct 'lamenated' Rob, yeah, I dont now why Fender markets the '68 or '70's Strat' in ash. Fender used ash in the 50's, mainly '54-'57, if I'm not mistaken, BUT, ONLY on the sunburst, or see through type finishes. The solid colored models were alway's of Alder, though I have heard some say maybe a bit of Poplar wood may have been used. But this was early on in the strats history. Ash wasnt used hardly at all by Fender in the '60's, even the 3 tone sunburst finish was done on Alder then. Fender did start using the Ash again in the '70's, but here again, only on the see through finishes.
Rob, you can build a 'copy',decals and all of the most bad assed late 60's strat around, for under a grand. The guy who reliced mine does the best work I've ever seen, and he's affordable. The pics I posted dont show how it really looks. It looks and feels 'authentic'.
Rob, you can build a 'copy',decals and all of the most bad assed late 60's strat around, for under a grand. The guy who reliced mine does the best work I've ever seen, and he's affordable. The pics I posted dont show how it really looks. It looks and feels 'authentic'.
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yngwie308
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None of these guitars by Fender should realistically be priced over $2.5K.
My YJM Signature Strat is well built and at around $1300, 1400, what ever I paid, it is worth it, an awesome guitar.
Since I learned about the partscaster site, Reliable Fender, I have come to appreciate the ridiculousness of the overcharging that not just Fender, but Gibson does as well.
How a neck and body will sound together, it is hard to ascertain until they are actually bolted together. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and many, many others have bolted together there own Partscasters, with often spectacular results. Though Brownie, which started life at Fullerton, has always sounded better than Blackie, which was born in England via Nashville.. .
The neck is a very important component in this equation, the body, be it ash or alder, is somewhat less important, but usually the weight of it and the fit in the neck pocket and the finish are the pre determinant factors in the tone equation.
As I get older and unless we are talking about a Master Built Custom Shop guitar, which will set you back at least $10K realistically, the price for the sum of the parts, does not compute for the average guitarist.
I know from experience. that the Fender Mojo, on vintage guitars, is the result of many years of playing use and wear and the parts meld together to make an organic whole, with it's attendant vibe.
But that parts put together from an assembly line can have such a great total effect, is the essence of the Fender experience, right from the early Leo days.
That the Nash, as well put together as it is, can sound as great as a CS Strat, there is no doubt.
My next Fender will be a partscaster, as I feel the whole situation has gotten completely out if hand. If you had to buy all the parts that comprise a Strat seperately, how much would it add up to be?
Surely not $6500, we all know that.
I do believe certain guitars were 'born' at Fender in various eras, that were meant to be and the force is strong with them, as it were.
Others, even from the golden years, never sounded good, ever. They might look spectacular, even play well, but just don't sound that great!
I was reading about the guitarist in Cactus, he bought one of those Anniversary Custom Shop 1954 Strats, you know the ones made exactly ike a real 1954 and only 1954 were made.
He said that exact thing about his guitar, looked good, played well, but the sound..not as good as the other two qualities.
So when a neck through Gibson is born, the same thing may apply as well.
Many a Junior absolutely kills a more complex Les Paul Standard, and being simpler in construction, still outperforms it's more expensive brother.
The relicing thing is pretty much ridiculous, have a look at the LPF and the amount of money they spend there on a Historic, replacing the truss rod, inlays, pickups, rings, tuners, hardware, finish, ect., until the whole guitar is 100% different from when it left Nash Vegas.
Old is good, there is no substitute for experience in life and that we expect a guitar to go against the same truth, is just ridiculous.
But apparently not that ridiculous enough for the more affluent of us to not pay for the semi destruction of a perfectly good new guitar, to relic it, and therefore it should sound better??
I came to see the light with the recent foolishness that is the Yngwie Malmsteen "PLAY LOUD!" guitar, formerly known as the "Duck", before the Custom Shop decided to re-write history.
What is my point? Well I have one and it is that a good luthier will be able to assemble any guitar as well or better than a production line instrument, anyday of the week. So should guitars be custom built only, of course not, no one could really afford them otherwise. But this Team Built stuff, ect is quite ridiculous.
My two Heritage guitars are as well or frankly better built, than any Historic guitar I have seen from Gibson, ever. My Fullerton Strat, which apparently isn't considered vintage, by classification, but I feel is the last of an era anyway. It has the mojo, that thing you know whjat it is when you first pick it up. I wouldn't want to spend almost $3 to $4K for a Custom Shop '68 or '69 and find it to be a dissapointing dud, So for about probably just over $2k odd in parts, a great Fender can be born away from their factory.
Look at the controversy over Slash's guitars and how those custom built 'Gibsons' had that certain thing, that wasn't built into a production guitar.
The Blackie replica that I played at GC, part of it was the anticipation of playing it and obviously it's price, but I felt it to be quite ordinary overall, it had a killer feeling neck, that played well all over and the pickups had an 'aged' mellow tone to them, but it wasn't a guitar ecstasy experience.
So maybe Reliable Fender has the right idea, strip them down and let somebody else rebuild them.
Maybe Fender could change their marketing, to reflect a guitar with a little more attention to detail, that would be realistically priced.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0267558600
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0264137947
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0298154314
yngwie308
My YJM Signature Strat is well built and at around $1300, 1400, what ever I paid, it is worth it, an awesome guitar.
Since I learned about the partscaster site, Reliable Fender, I have come to appreciate the ridiculousness of the overcharging that not just Fender, but Gibson does as well.
How a neck and body will sound together, it is hard to ascertain until they are actually bolted together. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and many, many others have bolted together there own Partscasters, with often spectacular results. Though Brownie, which started life at Fullerton, has always sounded better than Blackie, which was born in England via Nashville..
.The neck is a very important component in this equation, the body, be it ash or alder, is somewhat less important, but usually the weight of it and the fit in the neck pocket and the finish are the pre determinant factors in the tone equation.
As I get older and unless we are talking about a Master Built Custom Shop guitar, which will set you back at least $10K realistically, the price for the sum of the parts, does not compute for the average guitarist.
I know from experience. that the Fender Mojo, on vintage guitars, is the result of many years of playing use and wear and the parts meld together to make an organic whole, with it's attendant vibe.
But that parts put together from an assembly line can have such a great total effect, is the essence of the Fender experience, right from the early Leo days.
That the Nash, as well put together as it is, can sound as great as a CS Strat, there is no doubt.
My next Fender will be a partscaster, as I feel the whole situation has gotten completely out if hand. If you had to buy all the parts that comprise a Strat seperately, how much would it add up to be?
Surely not $6500, we all know that.
I do believe certain guitars were 'born' at Fender in various eras, that were meant to be and the force is strong with them, as it were.
Others, even from the golden years, never sounded good, ever. They might look spectacular, even play well, but just don't sound that great!
I was reading about the guitarist in Cactus, he bought one of those Anniversary Custom Shop 1954 Strats, you know the ones made exactly ike a real 1954 and only 1954 were made.
He said that exact thing about his guitar, looked good, played well, but the sound..not as good as the other two qualities.
So when a neck through Gibson is born, the same thing may apply as well.
Many a Junior absolutely kills a more complex Les Paul Standard, and being simpler in construction, still outperforms it's more expensive brother.
The relicing thing is pretty much ridiculous, have a look at the LPF and the amount of money they spend there on a Historic, replacing the truss rod, inlays, pickups, rings, tuners, hardware, finish, ect., until the whole guitar is 100% different from when it left Nash Vegas.
Old is good, there is no substitute for experience in life and that we expect a guitar to go against the same truth, is just ridiculous.
But apparently not that ridiculous enough for the more affluent of us to not pay for the semi destruction of a perfectly good new guitar, to relic it, and therefore it should sound better??
I came to see the light with the recent foolishness that is the Yngwie Malmsteen "PLAY LOUD!" guitar, formerly known as the "Duck", before the Custom Shop decided to re-write history.
What is my point? Well I have one and it is that a good luthier will be able to assemble any guitar as well or better than a production line instrument, anyday of the week. So should guitars be custom built only, of course not, no one could really afford them otherwise. But this Team Built stuff, ect is quite ridiculous.
My two Heritage guitars are as well or frankly better built, than any Historic guitar I have seen from Gibson, ever. My Fullerton Strat, which apparently isn't considered vintage, by classification, but I feel is the last of an era anyway. It has the mojo, that thing you know whjat it is when you first pick it up. I wouldn't want to spend almost $3 to $4K for a Custom Shop '68 or '69 and find it to be a dissapointing dud, So for about probably just over $2k odd in parts, a great Fender can be born away from their factory.
Look at the controversy over Slash's guitars and how those custom built 'Gibsons' had that certain thing, that wasn't built into a production guitar.
The Blackie replica that I played at GC, part of it was the anticipation of playing it and obviously it's price, but I felt it to be quite ordinary overall, it had a killer feeling neck, that played well all over and the pickups had an 'aged' mellow tone to them, but it wasn't a guitar ecstasy experience.
So maybe Reliable Fender has the right idea, strip them down and let somebody else rebuild them.
Maybe Fender could change their marketing, to reflect a guitar with a little more attention to detail, that would be realistically priced.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0267558600
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0264137947
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0298154314
yngwie308
http://www.vintagewashburn.com/Electric ... evens.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.treblebooster.net/bolin.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.treblebooster.net/bolin.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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basile865
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yea. Being that I used to work at GC, they let me play lenny when it came in. It was very interesting to see up close, but on the same ticket, it wasn't anything special. I liked my american standard better haha.
I guess its just randomness. No rhyme or reason for the one that really speaks to you. The strat I recently assembled had such a tight neck pocket, you'd barely have to bold the thing in. I couldnt afford to have somebody do a real paint job so I just bought spray paint from home depot. haha. But the son of a bitch sounds really good! I was sure to keep the paint to a minimum. 1 coat of primer, probably 2 or 3 coats of paint and 2 of clear. All were sorta dusted on though, very light coats. You can still see the grain in the wood, not because its transparant, but the actual grain, its not bowling ball thick poly style. I also sanded out any paint in the neck pocket, including the finish on the back of the neck that goes in the pocket. Dont know that that's entirely necessary but I felt better about it. Its slowly becoming a guitar that I thoroughly enjoy more than the american standard. Has a nice Boat V contour, 5/8" thick CBS headstock. Flame maple. Only problem is I didnt have tools to slot the nut deep enough so somtimes the strings like to jump! Adding string trees helped a good bit. I'll get pics up sometime of my gear.
I guess its just randomness. No rhyme or reason for the one that really speaks to you. The strat I recently assembled had such a tight neck pocket, you'd barely have to bold the thing in. I couldnt afford to have somebody do a real paint job so I just bought spray paint from home depot. haha. But the son of a bitch sounds really good! I was sure to keep the paint to a minimum. 1 coat of primer, probably 2 or 3 coats of paint and 2 of clear. All were sorta dusted on though, very light coats. You can still see the grain in the wood, not because its transparant, but the actual grain, its not bowling ball thick poly style. I also sanded out any paint in the neck pocket, including the finish on the back of the neck that goes in the pocket. Dont know that that's entirely necessary but I felt better about it. Its slowly becoming a guitar that I thoroughly enjoy more than the american standard. Has a nice Boat V contour, 5/8" thick CBS headstock. Flame maple. Only problem is I didnt have tools to slot the nut deep enough so somtimes the strings like to jump! Adding string trees helped a good bit. I'll get pics up sometime of my gear.
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frenchie
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look ;
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-1972-FENDER ... dZViewItem
it's the real deal but no scratch at all , and still beautyfull ! just a few bucks more expensive than a masterbuild
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-1972-FENDER ... dZViewItem
it's the real deal but no scratch at all , and still beautyfull ! just a few bucks more expensive than a masterbuild
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Freedom
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basile865 my man, you can always buy a Fender Japan '68 RI, upgrade the pups etc etc and you are ready to go...
I bought mine 8-9 months ago, replaced the pups with CS69s (Texas Specials are way too hot for my tastes), sanded the neck to be even thinner (i do that to all my guitars), changed the radius from 7.25" to 12" (i need medium to low action but i do 2-2.5 tones bends on the E string and 2-3.5 tones bends on the B string all the time), refreted it with 6105s (again, vintage frets are not for me), finished the neck with nitro (maple and nitro its what my left hand needs)...i also replaced the electronics just because i had some spare pots, switch and cap (didn't hear or feel any difference)...i didn't care much about the body finish, nitro is very sensitive and i can't say i like reliced guitars...bought my RI '57 back on 1993 (my #1 guitar for 14 years) and nitro chips are all over the place...
Anyway, if wanted to stick to the vintage specs (and i have a feeling that you would
) i'd just replace the pups and maybe nitro-finish the neck...bridge/block/saddles are steel, the body is alder and so forth...
http://homepages.pathfinder.gr/fommof/G ... I68%2Ehtml
(actually these photos show the guitar before the customization)
PS: Fender Japan RI '68 comes in 3 colours (black, vintage white, sunburst) but only with maple neck (which i love anyway)
I bought mine 8-9 months ago, replaced the pups with CS69s (Texas Specials are way too hot for my tastes), sanded the neck to be even thinner (i do that to all my guitars), changed the radius from 7.25" to 12" (i need medium to low action but i do 2-2.5 tones bends on the E string and 2-3.5 tones bends on the B string all the time), refreted it with 6105s (again, vintage frets are not for me), finished the neck with nitro (maple and nitro its what my left hand needs)...i also replaced the electronics just because i had some spare pots, switch and cap (didn't hear or feel any difference)...i didn't care much about the body finish, nitro is very sensitive and i can't say i like reliced guitars...bought my RI '57 back on 1993 (my #1 guitar for 14 years) and nitro chips are all over the place...
Anyway, if wanted to stick to the vintage specs (and i have a feeling that you would
) i'd just replace the pups and maybe nitro-finish the neck...bridge/block/saddles are steel, the body is alder and so forth...http://homepages.pathfinder.gr/fommof/G ... I68%2Ehtml
(actually these photos show the guitar before the customization)
PS: Fender Japan RI '68 comes in 3 colours (black, vintage white, sunburst) but only with maple neck (which i love anyway)
Freedom of Music <=> Music of Freedom