1963 Stratocaster VS. 2015 Stratocaster 

Check out the guitar playing samurai silhouette over at www.shopsamuraiguitarist.com (btw it says "samuraiguitarist" in that Japanese lettering)

As Hendrix said. "It's just wood man."

Fender: "Hendrix played a strat from the 60's" Me: "that's because he lived in the 60's."

There is no comparison. Those guitars have different number of pickguard screws.

but they're different colours bro don't you know anything about tonepaint bro

Well...Cool, buuut I'll stick with my squier strat

The strings clearly aren't original, absolutely unwatchable

when Jimmy Hendrix recorded Little wing he had a 1960s strat but at the time the 60s strat was new.

When I had my eyes open it was close, but the vintage 63 sounded just a tiny bit nice. When I closed my eyes and listened, I couldn't tell a difference between the two. I think we all listen with our eyes to a certain extent, but some more than others.

That '63 Strat looks and sounds absolutely amazing, the fuzz seriously gave it a Hendrix vibe

$35,000 for a guitar? Nope... as a player, unless I'm Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck or David Gilmore. I certainly can't tell $30,000+ of difference in the sound. Too bad collectors have inflated the price way beyond to reach of most players.

* Norman's Rare Guitars laughs in the distance *

Tone-wise, spending over 25000 USD on a guitar is completely unreasonable. Change my mind.

Unless you're a collector, vintage instruments are never worth it

I'm never gonna get a *Vintage Guitar,* because it reminds me of *"Forgotten Knowledge"* cliche. Certainly not because I'm poor.

the way I see it, if you buy a guitar now, it will be "vintage" by the time you retire :)

honestly, if i had that 63 strat and it felt good enough, i doubt i'd ever put it back down until i'd played its value into the dirt. guitars are meant to be played.

Oh, $35,000 CAD. What’s that, like $15 USD?

You are a reallllly good guitarist dude!!!

Conclusion: just get a squier Oh, and a samuraiguitarist t-shirt

Both Sounds so charmingly mellow and fine... *looks at my bullet strat* oh dont worry dear I still love you more cause I can afford you

When you don't wanna get a copyright strike for playing Lenny lol

the 63 has less top end because the pickups have slightly demagnetized over time. often the secret "vintage" sound is just less hot pickups

07:50 it sounded like you were saying "so to samuraize..."

The vintage strat is only more expensive because of its historical value, not necesarrily because of sound.

Look away from the screen during the demos. You wont even be able to tell when the guitar changes

Guitars are not good investments. Taking the cost of living into account, you'd have to wait 30 years to make a few bucks. And sometimes the value goes down. They're instruments. Play them.

It's so nice to hear the variety of chords you play mixed with single notes vs. the typical fast shred guitar demos. There's so much dynamic range.

To be honest, I love playing vintage guitars because it feels like I’m inheriting and playing something from someone’s history

I love, love LOVE those chord progressions that you're playing. Could you maybe do a video on that some day?

They both sounded killer, and your playing was top notch! The oldest guitar I own is a ‘96 Fender Jagstang but only because they don’t make it anymore so I do agree with you on the vintage guitars

You did a fantastic job of answering the question of whether or not buying a vintage instrument would be worth it to YOU, but everyone is gonna have a different answer. It depends on your value system. Are you a collector? Do you enjoy owning a piece of history? Are you outrageously wealthy? Does the vintage instrument have specific sentimental value to you? Do you plan on playing it? Everyone will have different answers to these questions, and one person may have different answers depending on the instrument. I think for the average middle income player of intermediate skill, a vintage instrument is not worth it. I'm a mandolin player, and on Mandolin Cafe you can find plenty of people fawning over the specific tonal qualities of vintage instruments. For these things to have value to you though, a couple of things must be true. You need the skill to be able to get the most out them. You need the money to not feel bad playing them. Also, if you are a notable musician with a moderate amount of fame, and you tour a lot, that changes things too. I immediately think of Sierra Hull, who owns at least one vintage mandolin and a vintage fender mandocaster, maybe more. Because she has the skill to appreciate and bring out the tonal differences, it's for sure worth owning. Plus, if she brings an vintage instrument to a show or a festival, it will be recognized and appreciated by the people watching the performance. From what I've heard from her in interviews, not only does she appreciate owning a piece of history, but these vintage instruments also hold sentimental value. Then there is me. I'm trash on mando. I use my thumb to play chords, I choose often obtuse chord shapes for ease of play, my strum patterns are limited, I can't play any fiddle tunes very well at all, I strum way high up on the fret board where you get a lot of pick clicking... I'm just bad. I often plug my hybrid acoustic/electric Mando into an amp, and let distortion or effects hide these imperfections. I like to strum hard, write songs that are very personal, and although I strive to improve my playing, I have no shame in my lack of skill. Not only would I never buy a vintage instrument, I would never touch one.

For me, acoustics shows the biggest differences when talking about aged intruments. As proved by Paul davids Martin D28 1942 vs D28 of 2019.

man that 63' sounds amazing. but it doesn't sound 10x better. great vid man! always enjoy ur vids

Lovely strats both! Hair tutorials soon? Bun on point.

I have a 1955 Strat that had a similar story to your friend’s vintage instrument. It was my grandfather’s guitar, bought with a Telecaster when visiting America and brought back to Australia for his electronics magazine. They studied them and published articles about the components and the future of electronic musical instruments. My mother kept both guitars from her father’s death in 1960 until her own death in 2014. They are both in really good condition because they weren’t touched for 60 years. They have some corrosion but that’s all. The cases needed to be replaced.

I think the vintage just sounds so bright and beautiful and the reissue altough sounding amazing, there is just something so beautiful about the tone of the 63 version.

Awesome playing man. Both are beautiful, well made instruments

6:05 that sound you hear is placebo

To get closer to vintage tone you could get a powerful magnet and use opposing poles against newer pickups to demagnetize them a bit.

With my eyes closed, they sound literally identical.

Sound is almost identical tbh... But I will trust you on the feel :D

could here the difference, yeah. Both are insanely good and pretty. I can see the appeal for '63 - i have squier strat, not even the best of the line (affinity series) and one day i was playing an american strat in music store. The difference was so small, yet so big. However, i can't see myself buying guitar worth 2 months salary, but there are days when i still feel like i should've bought it. I bought Harley Benton Mustang instead for like 90 USD. call me rich boi

I'll stick to my pot with strings on it

The vintage sounds slightly warmer and more balmy. I dig how crisp and bright the newer one sounds!

5:41 i could listen to this for days

I wonder how a '63 Strat sounded new, that would be awesome to compare with modern Fenders. If only time travel was possible :(

Reasons or chances to buy/own a vintage guitar, or more than just one: 1) you are rich and can afford the musical instruments of your dreams with no problems whatsoever for your financial balance, without necessarily considering yourself a true collector 2) you are a rich collector or became one, or vintage instruments are your business and you make a living out of these professions in both cases, where buying/restoring/trading/selling them is your daily routine 3) you are a rich, famous and influent musician or became one, so you can be a collector as well AND being not afraid to modify guitar specs according to your specification/needs if you want/need it.You don’t care about the originality of instruments because you are a player. They will worth a lot of money anyway just because you played/owned them. 4) Somebody of your family bought it back in the days, when it was just a regular guitar and not an icon yet, they passed/gave it away to you as a legacy and now you own it 6) you were very lucky to find it somewhere cleaning a random basement, owners not interested on keeping it, or buying it from someone that doesn’t know the economic value (you hustled them, congratulations you own a vintage guitar but you are a thief, can you sleep tight at night?) 7) buy it as an investment, just like anything else, keeping it original and well preserved and safe, hoping that as time goes by the price and value goes up on the market. It’s not a guitar for you, it’s the money in it, just like a bottle of wine if you don’t even drink. If none of this 7 apply to you, go buy a Mexican strat.

If you own a vintage instrument like that, it becomes part of your life. As a guitarist, you care for it like a child. I have 'work' guitars, and I have old friends. If it's a special gig, then I'll take an old friend along, and look after him / her.

There is literally no difference in sound that makes the 63 sound better. You don't pay for a better sound, you pay for the history and rarity, just like baseball cards and other collectibles. That's it!

The vintage guitar just sounds like it's playing in an big open room. Sounds a tiny bit better not worth 10x more. The reissue will probably sound exactly like it in 50 years.

I dont know if any of the skeptics here ever played an vintage instrument from the 60s, but there is something about an instrument that has been played in for half a century plus. Something that no customshop can ever replicate and it makes you feel/play better.

This is truly the greatest way for a collector to use their guitars. Let someone as respectable as Samuraiguitarist document and compare it. It's like putting diamonds on display.

When I think of a Stratocaster, I think of one man. John Frusciante, and i always think of the solo from Scar Tissue live at Slane Castle.

Normally I'm pretty good at spotting differences when doing the sound comparisons blind but in this test the difference was so slight that I wasn't able to tell precisely which guitar I was listening to.

The major distinction is old growth wood. Trees that took 200 years to grow then vs the 70 year life now is why new never sounds like vintage. I did a controlled test on my own using a '57 Les Paul Jr and a '57 custom shop reissue. Played and recorded both, then swapped out all parts. The old wood trounced the new every time. Even people who knew nothing about music felt it. Old wood resonates better. Every part of the guitar feels vibrational to the touch. The only way to get close now, would be to buy salvage wood via old buildings, furniture etc. There was a guy in NYC that was making Tele bodies out of mahogany planks salvaged from a 100 year old pub.

The vintage Strat has a slightly mellower/smother tone and sounds a bit buttery as you said. Both sound great and your playing is also great, thanks for the video!

Unless they're owned buy someone famous as Albert KING , or Hendrix . Upside down flying V is well worth the money they go for today . Cheap Japanese guitars are worth the money also

0:52 that demo gave me chills man, and that's something that rarely happens to me when listening to someone play guitar

I owned a '63 back in the 70's. I traded my '72 Les Paul Deluxe for it. ( I bought the LP for $200 from a friend in '73.) The '63 was a wonderful guitar, but I sold it in 1977 for $200 to buy wedding rings (with no regrets). I can honestly say that I have enjoyed the sound and play-ability of the Don Grosh guitars I've owned so much more than my time with the vintage Strat. And by the way, the first thing I did with the '63 was strip it and gave it a natural finish, just like my buddy Jim did with his 1959 Strat (that he bought for $100).

I think the main difference that led you to love the vintage strat, is the worn satin feel of the neck. That makes such a big effect in the overall feel of the instrument.

It’s called mojo. The vintage instrument has it... But the reissue is can have that if you play it a lot.

brilliant video with brilliant guitars

Me, I plan to buy a new guitar for about $800 and turn it into a vintage Stratocaster by keeping it for the rest of my life. It always seems to me, on anything old versus new, it’s not about aging as much as conditioning. Every molecule of an instrument that has been used for decades is settled in. Even if it hasn’t been played much, every piece has melted together to form a whole. I saw a great video where Fender created a replica of Eric Clapton’s guitar after carefully examining it, taking it apart, and seeing whatever custom changes he made to it over the years. When Clapton played the replica he said, “It’s just like it was when it was new.” In other words, sure, it was an exact copy, but it was a new guitar and it played like a new guitar, versus the exact same guitar he’s been playing for nearly his entire career.

I have the impression that the vintage one resonates differently. To me it makes sense since the age of the wood is the largest difference between these two and therefore is a huge factor for the sound difference.

Interesting video for me, never having spent more than 700€ for an instrument (which was already extreme for me). Totally agree with your wrap up, I also love to mod and drill holes and stuff and make it my own and the best playable as possible for me.

Love that SRV runaround. Keep those copyright dogs guessing

One thing could be a possibility of why vintage instruments sound great is being that it was made from back in the 60s the wood could have been harvested from a tree that had been around for a long time and not farm raised wood that alot of companies use to keep up with production. Just my thought.

Listen to the comparison with your eyes closed. They sound absolutely identical. Aside from possible haptic differences based on production quality, the vintage hype and the following price inflation is just another one of those voodoo believes many guitar-collectors are so very fond of.

To me, it sounds like the '63 has more warmth or tone coming out of it. I heard it more in the clean demos. Nothing resonates like old wood. What a wonderful opportunity to play two beautiful guitars. I'm envious of your friends! (And you, too!)

both sounded amazin and i think it really comes down to the player, your'e one of my favourite players out of youtube guitarists and i think its up to the player to some extent to make the guitar sound good

A guitar is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. For those people where money is no object, 35k seems cheap compared to their multi million dollar house and 300k rolls royce. But for most people, 35k can buy a car, be a downpayment on a house, pay off debt etc. I think these reissues/VOS are sort of a sweet spot. Excellent quality, not insanely expensive (compared to vintage) and offers a sound quality as close as you can get to the real thing. They are "attainable dream guitars" for most people.

My answer: no. I'm a bass player, so I know it's not exactly the same thing, and I've never played any 'holy grail' Fenders (51 P, 57 P, 60 J, 62 J, etc.), but I've played a lot of vintage Fenders including a handful of nice pre-CBS instruments. Some of them were great, a couple amazing, but none of them would do anything a top-quality US bass (or equal quality import, say German, Japanese, etc.) made now wouldn't do, and the majority of them were just okay and virtually all had at least some problems associated with age (scratchy pots, hum, loose fret-ends, etc.). I get the draw of them, I really do, and if I were a collector I might even pay what they want for the instrument of my dreams. I'm not a collector, though. And now that you can have a custom instrument built, to your exact specifications, with torrefied woods to replicate age, to FAR tighter tolerances due to today's manufacturing techniques, and then have it set up by a skilled tech to replicate 'worn-in' neck, frets, etc. for like 3-5 grand? No way, man. Vintage instruments are awesome, and that placebo effect is very, very real, but they just can't compete in the real world with the best today has to offer. That really wasn't true for a BUNCH of years, but we've finally figured out how to get modern tech to equal vintage attention to detail. All that goes mostly out the window with acoustics, though...

Subtle Stevie Ray Vaughn is always a thumbs up in my book

neck pickup with crunch on the '63 🔥🔥🔥

The Vintage original has an essence within the pickups flowing thru the total build. I can Hear it. Very Nice.

“Part of me just wants to sell everything I own just so I can get one”, yep that fuzz tone is magical.

Wow that a cute price tag. *breaths heavily *starts sweating intensely

How to play guitar like Sammy G. Step 1: Get telecaster Step 2: Make every other guitar sound telecaster Step 3: Make it sound like people listening feel high Step 4: Stop trying

This is why the fender custom shop was created. Even the stars are scared to take their vintage guitars, amps, and pedals on tour. I’d love a 59’ Les Paul or strat but if I had the money for that then I’d also have the money to have the custom shops recreated the same guitar and from what I’ve heard there’s not a lot of difference in sound and feel between them. David Gilmour is auctioning off his famous black strat but if you check out the collection there’s a ton of recreated black strays he used for various tours because he wouldn’t ever take the original on an international tour. These guys even now don’t fly private jets from show to show so the instruments have to be put in cargo or shipped

In the beginning comparison, The vintage guitar was played with a different energy. More excitement and more feeling. Although important, not to discount that if an instrument makes you play a certain way, that may be the one

The neck pickup in the 63 was a lot darker on the clean setting

Dude that shirt is siiiiiick!

Your playing in this video is so wonderful. I keep coming back just to see you play! Not long after I watched this video, I decided that I HAD TO buy a guitar with a trem

Collector vs player. The age old question. I had a 63` which I purchased in 65 for a mere 125.00 with the original brown case. I gigged with that guitar until 96 when I sold it for a down stroke on my house. During that time of playing it there were two attempts to steal it from two separate gigs. At that time it became a liability to take it on the road. I didn't want to have that relationship with my guitar that you described. Now I play with current off the shelf models that are replaceable.

Maybe once I'm playing to sold out arenas but until then, I'll stick with what I got

Be careful of those chord sequences dude. There's s whole wave of copyright strikes being dished out at the moment. Just ask Paul Davids and Rick Beato ;-)

I played on a AmPro strat this week, it’s crazy how strats just play themselves. Any chord on a good amp is just amazing! Great video dude, the parts you played really seemed like your were enjoying the hell out of both strats.

In my opinion, the reason why vintage instruments play better is because the wood is older. The older an instrument gets, the more resonate the wood gets. Best example would be to compare an older Martin to a newer one. Also, the lacker gets broken in a bit on the necks, making it easier to move up and down the fret board. Not to mention, the electronics were of a better quality, especially the pots. The more you play your guitars, the better the guitar is going to sound.

you are the best guitar player iv ever seen and you inspierd me to start guitar thace you

You named it right : placebo effect. Sound is identical. I love strats. But i already think that the custom shop is overpriced. So the vintage...

Thereis most DEFINITELY a sound difference. Playing this video through an old iphone speaker and I can hear it. The new one sounds crisper and the old one is mellow. I saw a comment saying that if you looked away you’d never know when the switches came and that was dead dead wrong.

The vintages is thin sound the new a lil bit of fat Both are cool

Obviously the 63 is not worth it. placebo tones lol

The effects that time has on an object, especially when that object is made of many different materials that all interact with each other in many different and unpredictable ways depending on the exposure they all receive at any given moment over the long time period, simply cannot be duplicated. Another notable fact that needs to be pointed out is that back then, certain parts, materials, and manufacturing methods were done differently than today and can’t be replicated today due to bans or various other restrictions.

"I feel like the vintage guitar almost plays itself. It's effortless, smooth, buttery ..." That's the difference. I play flute. Many years ago when I was a teen my dad had the opportunity to buy a slightly-used super-high-end professional flute. (Long story, irrelevant here.) Anyway, I fell in love with it; it felt like it played itself, and I was just along for the ride. If you're a serious musician, that feeling is priceless. Is it worth taking to gigs in noisy bars? Doubtful. Is it worth playing for the sheer joy? Maybe.

you know what, why do I even try to play

I was just listening without watching you change guitars. I could totally tell the difference between them in every case. The 63 is just slightly clearer. Perhaps it's just that it feels more buttery to you so you play slightly differently. Is it worth the $30k+ difference? No. But there is a difference, however slight. I prefer the 63.

Holy fuck I didn't expect the 63 to sound so much better. So SMOOTH. The price difference between the two is ridiculous though.

It’s not always about just the sound. If that’s the case you could buy a Mexican strat and a great amp, pedal board etc. As John Frusciante once said “I feel like the ‘62 sunburst is an extension of my personality, on the white one I can’t extract as much out of it because we just don’t match up”