Show Your Strat

These details are interesting to us mere mortals who’ve probably never crossed paths with an actual 54. I bet many (myself included) would enjoy a thread poking at other popular reissues (57/62 etc).

FWIW my 54 is even less historically accurate than it might initially appear - these limited runs are in line with other runs I’ve seen for wildwood - the neck is a chunky C instead of the soft V I would have expected, larger frets, and a 9.5 radius, and custom shop fat 50s from the factory.

I bought it for the grain but have considered selling it for a more vintage correct version. At least for me, the 7.25 radius and vintage frets are part of the vintage Fender vibe.
This years 70th anniversary version and indeed the 60th one as well are probably the cheapest way to get close with the specs. The EJ Virginia strat has many of the details but with Erics mods.
It is one of my favourite non custom shop Strats and basically similar to my replica.
I would love to do a piece on vintage series guitars from 82 to date but I don't have the pictures .I actually see more originals in my line of work.
 
My heavily upgraded '07 Highway 1.
I always loved the feel of this guitar, the neck shape, the 10.5mm string spacing, the jumbo frets, and it always just sang. I bought it after trying several American Standards of the time and just preferring this one. It was originally matt nitro Daphne Blue, and was my first real strat.

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Upgrades:
Surf Green
Bone Nut
Faraday Cage
Gotoh 6 Point Trem
Loxx Strap Locks
Kinman AVN-69s with a Kick-in-the-Arse Heavy in the bridge in a Kinman K5 Harness.

I'll say this about the Kinmans, I upgraded from an '08 Woodstock Plus set to the Gen-2 AVN-69s and a Kick-in-the-Arse Heavy. They're monstrous, literally twice the set the old ones were. Horrendously expensive for pups, the website is poor, the shipping was expensive, the currency conversion is another hidden cost, but if you have the cash, they're totally worth it. This is my one-and-done guitar. It's outlasted LPs, a DGT, is my no 1 over a Custom 24. I've made it my perfect instrument.

I've recently tried a pearloid pickguard in tribute to Enema of the State era Blink-182. I'll see if it stays. Opinions welcome, forgive the rough picture, I'm not home at the minute.
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The neck is a chunky C instead of the soft V I would have expected.

I was just reading an interview with some old Fender guys who were around when the vintage re-issues were first being developed and somewhere along it one of them mentioned that the changes to some neck profiles was a conscious decision based on the current market demands for necks.

This would have been mid 80s-ish.
 
I was just reading an interview with some old Fender guys who were around when the vintage re-issues were first being developed and somewhere along it one of them mentioned that the changes to some neck profiles was a conscious decision based on the current market demands for necks.

This would have been mid 80s-ish.
This is correct.the vintage reissue necks are wrong until the revision in 96 and even then they are too thin on the 50s version.
 
This threads reminds me of just how iconic and timeless a design the Strat has. Also this video/commercial popped up in my YouTube feed:

 
This threads reminds me of just how iconic and timeless a design the Strat has. Also this video/commercial popped up in my YouTube feed:


The fact that the strat is equally at home in pop, surf, funk or hard rock is a testament to just how great it is. SSS with a fat bridge pickup can do anything. Listen to Mellon-Collie era Smashing Pumpkins or Biffy Clyro for huge strat bridge sounds.
 
The one in this thread is my only Strat… but it also makes up 50% of my current collection :rofl

 
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