Having owned and loved a 1988 Stratocaster Plus since new, I had always been dissappointed with myself for not looking harder at the time for a good 2nd-hand 70's model, as I personally think that the lines and curves of these models ( and the late '60's guitars with "synchronized tremolo" printed on the headstock sticker ) are amongst the most beautiful models ever to come out of the Fender factory. Mr. Freddy Tavares and Leo Fender created a beautiful re-design of an already beautiful guitar. These would also be the last changes to be made by these people before parting ways with the then new CBS owners.The bold large black Fender Stratocaster logo is also a favourite of mine. (aka the CBS logo).
So appart from the nostalgic point of view, what do these guitars have to offer me, especially when compared to the "Rolls Royse" model I already own ? The guitars are every-bit as good in terms of sound quality and playability, even against the Gold Lace Sensors as installed on the Strat-Plus. Plugging one in after the other offered no difference in sound quality or volume out-put, even to my friend who I'd asked to have his back turned and asked to guess which which guitar was plugged in. He's a professional sound engineer / mixer an my amp is a TubeWorks 4x10 RT2100 Combo. I've restrung the guitar with D'Addario XL115's, as they're awesome for tone and lifespan, and there was no problems with the standard nut accepting this heavier gauge set of strings. The neck is nice and chunky, though not overly fat, and has a nice radius that isn't too round to affect chording etc. All my guitars have the maple board / neck as I find them much smoother and easier to get my fingers around on. I also think that they look much nicer aswell. The staggered pick-ups have no holes or dips in output even when bending strings etc, and very much add to the era that the model is designed to replicate. There are subtle features all over the guitar that ultimately make it difficult to accurately date, but 1971 would not be too far away from the mark. The vintage tremolo with the stamped Fender string saddles indicate a pre-1973 guitar, however the double string-tree on the headstock indicates a 1974 or even later specification, so there's small features from all the '70's era in there, but predominantly the early 1970's ( eg., white pick-guard, staggered white pick-ups, vintage style tail-piece etc ). Truss-rod adjustment is straight-forward and simple, but it's not the "bi-flex" design, so tension can only be applied in the traditional and proper direction. Once set-up to your liking, the settings hold very-well, with only minor adjustments needed after a string-change, usually to re-set the string heights at the saddles. I've owned two of these guitars since 2003 / 2004, and have just bought another one since they are so good ! The durability has been fantastic, and I'm only buying another one because I've always wanted the Sunburst finish colour. I initially wanted the Olympic White colour in 2003, but when a Black one appeared in the store as a demo-model and I played it unplugged, I was so impressed that I bought it whilst I waited for my White one to arrive from the States. I've been playing now for around 30 years, and make no mistake, these are damned fine instruments !

Gibugs owns this item

I bought this guitar from Music Store last year for €700, and it's a great guitar. Mine's made in Mexico. I think the american version is around €1,600. I have to say the set up on this guitar when it arrived was the worst I had ever seen, all the strings were buzzing like mad and if you bent one up the neck it could rub off the frets and get cut off. I have corrected the majority of the buzzing myself but on the e & B strings if I bend them high up the neck past the 12th fret they sound kind of brittle and you don't get the full tone advantage, that's really the only problem with this guitar. I would also use 10 guage strings and I strongly recommend changing the tremolo block from the standard cast zinc block that comes in it to a solid steel callaham vintage repro block. I don't regret buying this guitar. it's lovely and I play it every day and use it at gigs. it just took some time to get right. If you don't like 'U' shaped necks don't be put off by this guitar's neck, it's not as 'U' shaped as you might imagine. it's just like a 'C' shape with some body to it. I was hoping it would be a chunkier neck myself but it's still grand, great sounding guitar and good response from the tone pots and pickups. as I said, use 10 guage strings because the guitar sounds extremely week with 9's on it and it doesn't do it any justice.

colinthelips owns this item

I bought a Strat in '77 and wish I had it back. My new one is from a limited run in Antigua, which is what my '77 was. Not much special about it other than the look but the pickups offer a great replication of that crisp, funky sound of the late 70s that found its way into the MTV era.