Any one own a Fender American Vintage Reissue?

The specs of the '57 and '62 reissues were changed in '98 to make them more vintage accurate: The 12th fret dot spacing and body edge radius was changed IIRC

- Steve

 

+1

they also changed to a new set of pickups and I seem to remember the neck is a little bit bigger these days.

I have a´57 RI from 1986.Great guitar..

 

Mine's a Fiesta Red '94. The neck is quite a small C shape.

- Steve

 

So what is the difference between the newer re-issues and the older besides the 12th fret dot and the body radius? Does a re-issue made today play as well as one made in the 80s before all the changes?

The reason I ask, is because I sold the one I had (a 57 re-issue, two tone color and maple neck) that was made in the 80s (before all the changes)when I bought it new, it was needing a total fretjob on it anyway.

But I want to sell my other fender strat (2001 american standard) because I do not like the larger fret wire, as I am used to the smaller fretwire of a re-issue57 and get a new 57 re-issue strat....but I need to know which you guys think is better? Or does the changes they have made to the new production re-issues make any difference as far as playability? Are the electronics very different?

I will probably get a 80s re-issue, because that was what I was used to, but I was wondering if anybody was able to compare the re-issues (especially the 57) before and after the changes and A/B them?

 

Totally subjective opinion here: the Reissues from the 80s are the better guitars. If want a more accurate reproduction, go buy a new one, but the better instruments were made in the 80s. At that time the 57 + 62 RIs were the top of the line ( vintage) Fenders and it shows, I think.
I own a really sweet 57 RI which has everything a good Strat needs. Made in 86, nicely flamed maple neck, great dynamics, articulation, sustain and an attack and vibe to die for. I also used to own a 62 RI from the same era but sold it eventually in a moment of stupidity.

Christof

 

I`ve owned mine, a 92 `62 RI, for 7 years now, and refretted with big wire, is a great axe. More `Strat-like` than some origionals I`ve come up against. Great PU`s that sound clear, and not that noisy at all. Starting to wear nicely too.


CT.

 

The post-98 pickups sound better and the necks are larger (more comfortable IMO). That said, there are gems and turds from every year. You might find a brand new gem and a "made in Fullerton" dog. Or vice versa.

Play before you buy if you at all can. That said, most of the new models are very good guitars. Two caveats:

1) Fender often ships them before the neck finish has completely hardened. This can make the neck feel a little sticky, but it goes away over about a month.

2) Many stores have lousy setups. Insist that the store do a proper setup on any guitar you're otherwise seriously interested in. These are $1400 guitars, and usually $800-1000 used, so it's not an outrageous demand.

 

Try giving Chuck Levin's in Wheaton,MD a call.Unless there was some sort of production reason I would imagine they have several in stock.Also Cintioli Music in Philadelphia has plenty of Fender inventory.Both places generally have better pricing than GC.

 

Go for it!

 

ditto!


it's also very warm... almost as if it had a rosewood fretboard

 

I have an AV62RI. I've had it for about six months now, and it quickly became my main gigging guitar. When I initially went out looking for AVRIs, I had assumed that I'd buy a '57 due to the fact that I've always been partial to maple-necked strats; however, after ABing @ four '57s, a '62, and an American Series Strat, the '62 emerged the clear winner. All-in-all I found the tone of the '62 to be noticably bigger and more well-rounded than the '57s. As an aside, I thought that the American Series felt good and played well, but it sounded too compressed and "modern" for my tastes.

I bought mine from Chuck Levin's for about $1180, new. The neck had a bit too much relief for my tastes, so the tech did a set up to my specs while I waited.

If you don't mind small fret wire and a 7.25" neck, you'll really like the AVRIs.

 

It's black. I was kinda hankering for a sea foam green Strat, but I was buying strictly on considerations of tone, and the black one sounded best.

I think that Chuck's was asking around $1250. I just bargained them down. I've bought a fair amount of gear from them over the past 20 years, and I don't think that I've ever paid full price for anything (except for a Mesa Rect-O-Verb and, perhaps, my first Strat).

If you're familiar with Chuck's (since you live in MD, I assume you are), you'll know that it's super crowded and noisey, BUT they have the best selection (an important consideration when you want to AB things) and great salesmen.

 

I bought mine used, and the previous owner had the neck re-radiused down to 12", and larger frets installed. Not quite jumbo, but not as narrow as 6105 either. Kinda the EJ strat idea, I suppose