American Vintage Reissue Strat - 57 vs. 62

[JoeNewbie]

Does anyone own both reissues, or played both extensively?

I currently own a 57 Reissue and I'm considering getting another Strat. Are both guitars fairly different or do they sound pretty much the same?

[VaughnC]

The ash/maple '57 tends to sound glassier & crisper than the thicker mids of the alder/rosewood '62 but, as Strats go, each individual guitar should be judged on its own merits. FWIW, I think my Vintage Hot Rod '62 is the best Strat I've played in a very long time...and a set of Don Mare's pickups took it over the top.

[Jack Dotson]

Originally Posted by VaughnC

The ash/maple '57 tends to sound glassier & crisper than the thicker mids of the alder/rosewood '62 but, as Strats go, each individual guitar should be judged on its own merits. FWIW, I think my Vintage Hot Rod '62 is the best Strat I've played in a very long time...and a set of Don Mare's pickups took it over the top.

Tell me more about the Don Mare's. I love my Hot Rod, but was thinking about a pick-up change and the Mare's seem too keep coming up as really nice Pick-ups. Curious how they compare to say the Lollars?

[VaughnC]

Originally Posted by Jack Dotson

Tell me more about the Don Mare's. I love my Hot Rod, but was thinking about a pick-up change and the Mare's seem too keep coming up as really nice Pick-ups. Curious how they compare to say the Lollars?

Lollars are one of the few Strat pickups I have not tried (he makes killer P90's though)...but I tried most of the other Strat pickups that people rave about and, to my ears, Don's Josie wind's came closest to my old '64 Strat. Here's a link to my complete review...and several months later I still feel the same way:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...highlight=mare

[Jack Dotson]

Originally Posted by VaughnC

Lollars are one of the few Strat pickups I have not tried (he makes killer P90's though)...but I tried most of the other Strat pickups that people rave about and, to my ears, Don's Josie wind's came closest to my old '64 Strat. Here's a link to my complete review...and several months later I still feel the same way:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...highlight=mare

Wow! Thanks so much for the response and the review. Your experiences exactly mirror my own. I looked at his web site and see that he makes a few different models. Is the ones he made for you custom or one of the models on his web page?

BTW, what is your thoughts on the original Hot Rod 62' pick-up's? I can't seem to find any info on them other than they're "vintage custom" as Fender puts it.

Yesterday I brought home a $299 Squire Custom Vintage and as bad as I hate to admit it, I like the pick-up's in that guitar better than both of my American Strat's. They're a bit thin, but have very good balance and definition with no harshness what so ever. The only thing I know about them is they use Alnico III magnets.

[JoeNewbie]

Originally Posted by Jack Dotson

BTW, what is your thoughts on the original Hot Rod 62' pick-up's? I can't seem to find any info on them other than they're "vintage custom" as Fender puts it.

On the Hot Rod 62, I believe the pickups are the same as in the non-Hot Rod model, except positions 2 and 4 are wired differently.

[JoeNewbie]

Originally Posted by VaughnC

The ash/maple '57 tends to sound glassier & crisper than the thicker mids of the alder/rosewood '62 but, as Strats go, each individual guitar should be judged on its own merits. FWIW, I think my Vintage Hot Rod '62 is the best Strat I've played in a very long time...and a set of Don Mare's pickups took it over the top.

Thanks for the feedback - my 57 is made out of alder as well though.

I would really love a 62 to complete my Strat "collection"...

[fender753]

I was torn on which reissue strat to buy myself. I found that the '57 reissue was a bit more snappy than the '62, which was more warm. Overall I thought they were both great guitars. In the end I bought the '57 but the '62 hot rod looks like it might be my next strat.

[JoeNewbie]

Originally Posted by fender753

I was torn on which reissue strat to buy myself. I found that the '57 reissue was a bit more snappy than the '62, which was more warm. Overall I thought they were both great guitars. In the end I bought the '57 but the '62 hot rod looks like it might be my next strat.

Did you find the difference to be significant enough to make them "different" guitars?

I wish I could try a 62 myself but none of the stores around here seem to stock them.

[JoeNewbie]

Originally Posted by GuitarTone

Well, they're very different, one has a Rosewood neck and the other Maple...they feel & play different, they sound different, and they look different.

Agreed though I was wondering why kind of pickups are in your 68RI?

The 57 and 62 seem to have the exact same pickups - that's why I was concerned that they might not be different enough in sound.

[JoeNewbie]

Originally Posted by GuitarTone

My 68RI came with CS Texas Specials, I didn't like them, especially on a Maple neck Strat....I swopped them out for Di Marzio Virtual Vintages.

I think the difference in Maple and Rosewood necks between the 57 and 62 is the more important difference in your situation, because you can change the pickups if you want to.

Thanks for your feedback!

[Jack Dotson]

The necks are totally different. The 57 I played had a pretty hard V where my HR 62 has a beefy C neck. The 57 was much brighter overall and as someone said, more snappy. Both are nice and I would also like to have a 57 if it didn't have the V neck, but they are also very different. I played both at the same shop and didn't think they felt or sounded anything alike.

Had it not been for the necks I'm not sure which one I would have chose. Even though different, both were very good. I would describe one as bright and articulate and the other as warm and smooth.

Hope this helps. Oh yeah, the 62 I bought is Sherwood green which I really like and you can't get the 57 in this color.