FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Fender Stratocaster Guitar

Question:
I picked up an almost new (1996/97 according to web site) Fender mexican stratocaster for my son the other day and was comparing it this morning to my 1964 (according to web site) strat I have had for years and years. My older one seems lighter, the neck feels slimmer and it definitely sounds a bit different. Much of this could I guess be attributable to wear and aging - does wood shrink?) and my perception - the old one has long since lost the original fiish. Obviously the setup could be different - like pickup height a bit. I was just wondering what the differences would really be - maybe detailed somewhere? The older one seems to have a bit more of a 'twang' to it and the newer one seems a little fuller/louder, but not as much depth to it. Not sure if this description makes sense since sound is so subjective and this is just sort of how it strikes me. I was wondering if they should both sound the same and maybe my old guy needs adjusting? Both nice guitars though......

Answer:
Even two Mexi Strats or two 1964's, wouldn't sound exactly alike, so expecting more that a *similar* sound from the two would be unreasonable. As for weight, the woods are probably completely different and could be Alder or Ash. The Mexi body is probably made with 5 piece construction. Neck thickness and feel varied greatly on the old ones since they weren't knocked off by a CNC machine like the new ones are. Pickups were wound using very different methods. Etc,,, Etc... I have a 1964 Jaguar (that I've had for years and years...) and bought one of the Japanese reissues a few years ago. They also were very different. The Pickups in the Jap Jag were thin sounding compared to the original, and it weighed a bit more than the old one too. The neck felt a bit chunkier and the frets weren't as low, or finished as well. In the case of these to, I much preferred the '64. However, I have an 80's Japanese Strat that I got for a couple hundred $$$ 15 years ago, and it is so good I sold my 70's American made 3-bolt.