My new '70s RI Strat.... the sound of sweetness :)

FenderBender03

FenderBender03

New member
Hey people :) Just wanted to post up about my new '70s reissue strat that i bought the other night. Very nice guitar! To be honest think it just barely beats out my Highway 1 Strat in the tone/pickups department, although they do share pretty much the same electronics/pickups. The ash body plus the big headstock maybe? Sweet tone is all i can say about it. I'd definately recommend this strat to anyone looking for something that looks cool and is full of '70s mojo!

I ordered a set of '70s style die cast bridge sections today in order to make it totally up to full '70s spec since Fender decided to make them with the 50s/60s style stamped saddles for some reason. But thats all i plan to change about it! Plenty cool just the way it is!


I just took some pics of it too, just click on the "My Gear" link in my signature to view my Photobucket.com page to see them, and my other gear as well. Tell me what you think!!


FenderBender
 
Re: My new '70s RI Strat.... the sound of sweetness :)

FenderBender03 said:
I ordered a set of '70s style die cast bridge sections today in order to make it totally up to full '70s spec since Fender decided to make them with the 50s/60s style stamped saddles for some reason.
FenderBender
Click to expand...

That reason is cost and as a side benefit, tone. Those saddles are not used on any current production product right now. They were used from mid 1971 into 1984. The current Mexican built guitars that use the vintage trem except for the JV Strat, are made by Ping (Korea) and have a diecast trem block and stamped steel saddles. The US built models use the US Vintage trem which is all steel (including the trem block). I had those same crappy diecast saddles (stock) on my (1979) 25th anniversary Strat. I replaced the complete tremolo with a Fender US Vintage trem. Big difference in sustain, attack and overall "Strat" tone. To each his own. I love big headstocks and you have a very cool locking guitar. Play it!
 
Re: My new '70s RI Strat.... the sound of sweetness :)

Congrats man, wow, that has a REALLY nice grain to it! Way to go man that makes me want one now! CLIPS!

As for the trem comment, I've been wondering...how easy would it be to install an american vintage trem into a mexi (standard)? Although my trem stays in tune pretty good now and stuff I'm sure it would benifit from it (and I hate the modern saddles).
 
Re: My new '70s RI Strat.... the sound of sweetness :)

sweet...i love 70's strat headstocks!
 
Re: My new '70s RI Strat.... the sound of sweetness :)

I'd thought the whole situation as far as the sound was concerned. Will a set of those die-cast saddles hurt my tone alot? I'm not sure if the saddles i ordered are made the same way as the one's Fender used in the '70s, i ordered them from Allparts.


Kamanda~SD..... as for your question, i don't think a vintage US trem will work on a MIM Strat. The main problem being that all MIM Standards have a narrower string spacing than the vintage models do, therefore not allowing the mounting holes to line up correctly. What i'd suggest doing is either getting a new '06 MIM Standard that has a redesigned, more vintage like tremelo block, or go to Callahamguitars.com and order an all steel trem block made especially for MIM Standards. I had a '99 MIM Standard strat for about 4-5 years and wondered why i couldn't get any sustain or real strat tone from it, then i realized that the factory blocks are about half the size and mass of a vintage style block. :-/


FenderBender
 
Re: My new '70s RI Strat.... the sound of sweetness :)

FenderBender03 said:
I'd thought the whole situation as far as the sound was concerned. Will a set of those die-cast saddles hurt my tone alot? I'm not sure if the saddles i ordered are made the same way as the one's Fender used in the '70s, i ordered them from Allparts.


FenderBender
Click to expand...

Only you can answer the tone question. Fender starting using these saddle in the middle of 1971 and they did it as a cost cutting measure as the casting process was cheaper than the stamping and plating processes. I personally like the tonal characteristics of the stamped steel saddles with a steel trem block.

You are right about the MIM Stds using an even different trem than the rest of the MIM line.
 
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