but in 1961 you bought a custom shop quality guitar for your money,now you buy mass produced guitars for essentially the same prices....much more attention to quality in the old days!
@@joellemaster998 that's a little too easy said. Fender's guitars were designed to be mass produced items, contrary to, say, Gibsons. The craftsmanship in those times may have been high but also inconsistent; one instrument varied greatly from another. The actual custom shop, with master builders and all that, didn't start until the late '80s. CNC isn't very romantic but it does give a baseline quality.
I have this exact guitar, had the same fret buzz out of the box. Even after personal adjustment. I did take it to a local guitar tech and they made it 100% perfect (for an additional cost), but do agree, it should have been better out of the box. Overall, for me - this is my best guitar, can’t complain about anything now. Not justifying the cost or lacklustre setup, but I am 100% happy with it now. Will have this guitar for the rest of my life (and it avoided me potentially paying substantially more for a “vintage” strat)
@@VALLAERION I believe the nut needed filing as the angle of the strings were causing the strings to buzz on various frets. Other adjustments didn’t really solve this, so I guess the nut was the issue from factory.
Not defending it, but at this point, there are two realities that are just a part of buying a guitar from one of the big companies: 1. They're probably going to need some amount of set up 2. They cost what they cost.
I have the same guitar left-handed. Totally worth it to me. Every complaint you have I've not experienced. Sounds fantastic (sounds better than my American Pro II even with the new pickups I put in it), plays fantastic, and looks fantastic. I bought it sight unseen over the internet because that is how we left handed players always get guitars. Guitar Center sucks. I haven't been inside my local store in over 20yrs. When you have close to $100k in custom shop Gibson's alone and only have 1 left handed Squire, you won't see me again.
@@markkeeler584 Back when Guitar Center and Sam Ash just moved into town we still had some pretty amazing locally owned music stores. At one of them I bought a left handed Music Man Stingray bass in a trans-teal. right off the wall Thing had a beautiful birdseye maple neck. I wish I had kept it. MM doesn't even do those birdseye necks anymore. Last time I saw them was a limited edition birdseye roasted for right handed players only. Even that has been a few years ago now. I think that bass was the last in store purchase I have ever made. That was literally 20 years ago this year. All of those locally owned stores are gone now. There were 3 good ones we had.
@@joeking433I'm tired of these comments. No it wouldn't be. This guitar can be plek'd and set up better than a classic vibe. If you prefer a classic vibe at that point then it's simply a matter of preference. And there isn't anything wrong with that! Stop acting like guitar companies are trying to rip you off when YOU have the power of choice. Go buy a classic vibe and be happy 🤷🏻♂️
doesn't matter what the cost of the instrument is. even if they did a perfect set up before shipping, things can still change over time, due to climate and other people playing it at the store. frets can sprout off the board, sideways, etc. it can happen to a 10k guitar made by a pro luthier. expensive guitars are worth it imo, but they're also made of wood (usually) that changes due to all kinds of factors. also, you need to consider labor costs, which people never do and it baffles me. yes, some charge way less. depends on location, reputation, brand, etc. it sounds like you're voicing some very personal complaints/opinions as though they were facts. you just like other kinds of guitars, frets, setup, etc. some people want vintage tall frets.
I don't understand why folks have to defend Fender. Their necks are almost never completed. I have so many guitars without fret sprout, same climate. It isn't just fret sprout, it is sharp as hell fret ends. Shipping doesn't effect the instrument much between California to NY. I can receive a guitar from California in perfect tune with a great setup. People just like making excuses for brands they are in love with. I just returned 3 2023 Aerodynes for incomplete necks. They wanted to send me more guitars. No thank you. If Fender wants to sell me a guitar, they will have to send it to a luthier to then ship it to me as a completed instrument.
@@thomastucker5686 Im shocked you had any issues with fender japan and quality. I own 3 Japanese fender guitars, traditional 60's jazzmaster, vintage modified 50s tele, and a JB-62 jazz bass and all have incredibly well made necks. Feel much better than the American standard neck I have.
@@leo._.vincentit broke me to send 3 instruments back to Sweetwater. They looked amazing. I thought about sending them to a luthier but that would add $900 to the purchase price. One neck had to be refinished on the back because there was dirt buried under the finish. The fretwork was what I expect for a $100 child's guitar, or worse. I had studio work planned for all 3 instruments. One was a bass. I am still pissed. 3 different models sent out of Japan not worthy of owning at the cost of doing so. I own 3 Mexican fenders, all with awful fretwork. I purchased the Japan guitars to replace the Mexican guitars. When the fret work was the same, I decided it is just what fender does. So I did some research and it turns out, you can't expect great fret work out of US models nor custom shop guitars. If folks get a good fender, it likely came from a shop that completes the guitar at their cost. fret ends that are capable of cutting into our skin are not well made instruments. The guitars I replaced all the fenders with were completed at the factory. I wish I had skipped fender on the first go. I am a drummer, I didn't know. After 6 fenders, 3 2021 75th Mexican and 3 2023 fender Japan, with horrible fretwork. fender just doesn't care, they are just a brand now.
About the tension, I think it's the springs. I dropped a set of Raw Vintage springs (all 5) into my AO60s strat and it solved a million issues it had from buzzing (like the beginning of your video) to tension issues. Brought in chime and jangle that I like. Went from an unplayable guitar to a great one.
This model (AVII) has a bridge that is set up floating out of the box. If you're having trouble with that, try decking the bridge by installing five heavy duty springs such as from Callaham.
@@danielstoddart I don't have an AVII strat. I do have an AO60s. The issue is that the springs that Fender currently manufactures are too stiff and made so you need 3 instead of 5. The Raw Vintage springs (must use all 5) are low tension and flexible. This makes playing much easier and more chimey sound.
@@GoodmanRecordingsTokyo Yes, it's often overlooked when setting up a Strat, but springs do matter. The tension of the springs affects how hard or loose the bridge plate is decked and the feel of the vibrato. Players should also experiment with how many springs they are using. I don't use the Strat vibrato arm, so my preference is to just deck it with 5 good broken-in springs.
@@danielstoddart I have never used the vibrato on any guitar that had one. I always block the bridge. I did buy a $200 Squier Bullet hardtail for my grandson. If Fender made a high quality hardtail, I would buy it, but they don't.
This is exactly why I got into guitar lutherie work as a side hustle. I got tired of realizing that just about EVERY guitar being sold new isn't properly set up to be as good as it can be. I currently believe that used guitars are the best way to go. Especially stuff that is 10+ years old. This is because after 10 years any changes the wood will make has already done what it is going to do. Once the instrument is set up, it will stay set up. Defective hardware has already shown its shortcomings and can easily be identified for replacement. This is especially true for guitars with very thin necks. A lot of the new ones may warp or twist because the wood isn't fully cured. If the guitar is 10+ years old and the neck is straight and true, it will stay straight and true. This is why I recommend used Ibanez guitars only if they are vintage, wouldn't take a chance on a new one. It's always a gamble with a new guitar.
Gibson is just as bad lately. Sent back a $3,000 standard AND a $5,000 Custom LP!! QC absolutely sucked!! Found an LA shop that imports guitars from overseas, then does a phenomenal setup here in SoCal. Best LP copy I’ve ever played!! Cost me $500! Then got a Strat copy! $560!! Plays AMAZING!! Look elsewhere people!! We live in a special time as far as gear!
it doesn't matter how many options there are out there for 2,500$. The fact is that people who are willing to spend that amount for that guitar do so for many personal reasons. It's not about what you can get for the same amount. It's about getting what you desire for an amount you can rationalize, and hopefully afford. Apparently this seems to work out fine for companies like Fender, Gibson, PRS, Martin, etc... They simply adjust prices based on market demand & sales on their products in order to maximize profits like any other company
I just got mine, and my brother bought one, I picked one over the other simply out of a slight slight feel, in fact really no difference. It’s like going to a store and buying two of the same candy bars and asking which one tastes better. Bottom line, at least for our purchases Fender completely knocked this into the outer limits of space. Wow, I am completely in infatuated with my 61!! This whole fret issue (not being the med jumbo and how it hurts one’s fingers when playing) I don’t understand or feel or see or get the issue! They feel perfect. I don’t wanna call bs on this commentator but he must of had a one off or …..I dunno. He traded it for a Les Paul? So when it comes to QC he went from a Cadillac to a Ford Pinto.
@@gregriddle3042 Glad you and your brother got some good guitars. The les paul is a higher quality build than a fender. It always has been. People have their preferences, but most can agree that a bolt on neck is a lower quality instrument, which is why I talk about a bolt on neck in the vid.
I couldn't hear the guitar over that shirt :) but anything with 7 1/4 radius is going to be a buzz machine unless the frets and the setup are immaculate. I've noticed that the price of a guitar doesn't necessarily equate to the quality of the guitar.
I had a similar experience. I ordered this same guitar through my local shop and was very excited about it. The guitar came in, the excellent luthier at my shop tweaked it, as he does every guitar that comes in. After a few hours of play, things were just off. It's hard to explain. I didn't like the sound, (subjective), I didn't like the feel (subjective), but something was just wrong with the guitar, (agreed upon by the shop staff). I took it back and they accepted the return. While they were doing the paperwork I picked up a Mexican Road Worn they had on consignment and I thought, "This guitar is better in every way than the one I just returned". I wound up putting a Fender CS Strat on layaway. Yes, $2000 more, but remember, the early hype was saying that the American Vintage II was "near" Custom Shop quality. Not in my experience.
I ended up putting my '61 reissue up for sale and wound up trading it for a Les Paul. I was thinking I might just throw my ideas about "quality" out the window and simply look for a strat that plays well and sounds great regardless of the make or model. I will probably end up with a Custom Shop strat one day. It's just a matter of when.
@@voyxu143 Try to find a deal on a used Strat. Even in the same year and model, there will be differences in sound and playability. You just have to find a good one.
I've had better luck with the Mexican stuff too; I have a Road Worn Jazz Bass with a stable, highly figured neck that puts most of their CS stuff to shame.
Fender really did a nose dive in the QC department in recent years. I suspect the layoffs and the increased sales during the pandemic played a role. Unacceptable on a $2k+ guitar.
I bought one of their GC-exclusive Player Strats last year and it had this nasty problem of buzzing when playing the open G and D notes. I had to go in for several setups, add a second string tree, and swap out the nut in order to get it under control. It was even more frustrating later on when I got a SQUIER contemporary strat, and the setup only required one truss rod adjustment to make it play perfect!!!
@@tomaslopez2940 I am going to basically play every model on the wall at the store and just find ONE that plays well regardless of model. They are all basically the same guitar anyway.
I picked one up at GC Clackamas, Oregon. It seemed like a nice guitar but I was absolutely shocked how bad the string/neck alignment was. There was a big gap at the side of the neck and it was clear that it needed adjustment. I seriously couldn't believe it that they let the guitar leave the factory in that condition. Especially for that price point.
Thanks for your input on this guitar. I was almost going to buy one of these - some other reviewers on the internet had favorable reviews but I held off to play one first which I have yet to do. I recently picked up a Japanese Fender Tele custom and it was $1300 - it played like a dream right out of the box - no adjustments no fret buzz nothing and one of the most comfortable guitars to play that I own. Thanks again for the frank honest review.
Yeah, after going back over some of the vids I watched before buying, I am now thinking many of the guys doing the "reviews" or presenting the guitar probably got paid by Fender. There are some real quality Japanese builds these days....!!!
@@voyxu143 It's no secret that the majority of reviews are sponsored, at least if we're talking about large channels. There are some reviews highlighting serious QC issues with Vintage II guitars out there, e.g. Puisheen's review of Vintage II Jazzmaster, or even Trogly's review of Vintage II 1975 Telecaster. Overall, quite disappointing quality for one Fender's most expensive American lines (outside of the Custom Shop).
@@boshi9 I saw the music shop guys showing the guitar and figured it was in their best interest to hype it up, but there were some small channels doing reviews that I later thought, "man, they must have gotten paid."
I'm so glad that I found my best Strat in the 90's. And got a L P studio from the 90's. Both are great now but have reputations of being "best of" at something. The L P is from" Good Wood" era. My deluxe plus was "As close to custom shop". Still fantastic to this day.
Me too. All the Fenders and Gibsons I bought were from the 90s up to I think 2002. Never a single problem and designed the way I like. If I were to buy another I would buy a used 90s one
Thank you for your review. I agree with all you said and my experience reflects the exact same problems. These issues shouldn't occur on any instrument at this level or price point. I left Fender and Gibson years ago because of such poor QC and the substandard products they were turning out. I loved my strats, but realized it was time to walk away. I went to PRS and could not be more pleased and have never looked back. My Silver Sky is one of my favorite guitars and an easy-choice strat replacement. It's what a strat could have been. My Core's are simply unmatched. Each PRS has been perfectly playable out of the box despite rarely having extremely minor problems that were easily corrected. This should not be the case today. It's sad that these two American icons cannot get something right despite once doing it so well and are comfortable charging more than ever.
I am going to check out the Silver Sky for sure. There aren't too many around in the stores that are not the SE(?) version. I have heard them online and they sound great.
@@voyxu143 I think even the SE stuff will surprise you. I have core versions. I would like to hear your thoughts on one when you do get ahold of one. Thanks for this review!
I'm still a fender guy and I got the 3 tone burst. But, I've owned 2 prs guitars and their qc is on freakin point. Those guitars came out of the box ready to go so prs is definitely a great product!!
Buddy, every problem you complained about here can be fixed with a proper setup. Guitars are made of wood, which swells and moves with changes in temperature and humidity. No matter how expensive a guitar is, or how well it was set up at the factory, there’s always a chance it will have changed in transit and will need a new one. Weird buzzing and what feels like excess string tension, along with a high action are all sure signs your guitar needs to be properly set up. Do yourself a favor, take it to a luthier or a guitar tech and have it set up right. I guarantee most if not all of your problems will go away. As far as the frets are concerned, that’s a non-issue, and complaining about them says more about you than it does the instrument. It’s a guitar with vintage specs. A vintage spec guitar is going to have vintage frets. That’s what they were using back then, so that’s what’s on it now. If you hate vintage frets, don’t buy a vintage specced guitar. It really sounds to me like you bought an expensive guitar without bothering to research it, expecting it to be perfect just because it’s expensive. Then when you realized it it wasn’t to your liking and needed a little routine maintenance, you decided to make a clickbait video to complain about problems that a little research and a proper setup would have completely negated.
the guitar was set up and adjusted. I gave the measurements in the video. No dealers were allowed to carry the guitar so I didn't get a chance, nor did anyone else to play it before purchase to try out the "vintage tall frets". So the guitar was set up and adjusted, now what????
@@voyxu143no you said YOU adjusted it. And going off of the numbers you gave in the video, it’s obviously incorrectly set up. If the action is higher than fender specs and you’re still getting buzzing, you probably need a truss rod adjustment. Pretty much everything else you complained about (excess string tension, difficulty getting around the fretboard, and excess hand fatigue) are all things that can be caused by an overly high action, which you already said it has. You should take it to a professional. As far as the frets go there are plenty of guitars with vintage frets in a guitar store for you to try. If you can’t get your hands on the guitar you want to purchase, you could at least try one of them to see if they were something you’d like. It just sounds like you’re blaming the guitar for you not liking the way vintage frets feel. And btw, per Fender’s return policy, you have 30 days to send it back for a full refund, OR exchange it for another. So it’s not like you spent all that money and then you’re stuck with what you get. You have an entire month to try it before you decide if you want to keep it or not. Every one of those I’ve played has played beautifully, so if a setup doesn’t fix it you probably just got a bad one that slipped through the cracks. That sucks but it can happen with any guitar at any price point, and isn’t grounds for making an entire video bashing it and the company that made it.
'I am not complaining about the quality of the frets, the frets are fine. They are just not good to have on a guitar.' I would kindly ask your permission to steal this phrase for future personal use 😉
A used Silver Sky bought thru GC is a better investment. Mine plays like butter, sounds awesome and no issues! Came in mint condition used for $1700!!!
$2,200 Made in the U.S.A. so why are you complaining about the price. Made in China price for similar or better quality guitar would be about 1/100th of US price or about $220. Labor costs in China are 1/100th of U.S. labor costs. You should be comparing this guitar to a $220 Chinese guitar for quality.
Thank you for being one of the few REAL reviewers of this guitar and keeping it honest. No one would spend 2200 and dog their own purchase unless it was called for, most people will naturally do everything possible to convince themself they didnt make a bad investment. Bottom line, if they're so great like most reviews say.... why are so many used ones on reverb for 30-40% off?
I’m not sure what you searched to find “so many for 30-40% off” because I just looked. Not counting left handed models, there are literally five used ones being sold. The cheapest one has damage and is being sold for only 25% less. The rest are about 10% off full retail. So…
Just bought a 1989 American Standard Strat in Gun Metal Blue and it’s awesome. All for about $1500. I think it’s worth even more. I have an ultra and the standard is way easier to play and sounds better to me.
Avri II ‘63 tele. Nut slot on the B string was cut too low. Absolutely choked playing open. Unbelievable. You know what the fix is for that? A new nut. A $2100 guitar needed a new nut
I think the lack of local shops where you can demo out higher end guitars (like this) does a real disservice to the overall quality control. Inferior products wont last on an inventory long in a guitar shop... dealers will hold off placing future orders or send back. However, over the internet - its hard to judge (high res pictures and all) if the guitar is truly setup well and plays properly without major fret buzz, poorly cut nut, improper neck relief tension, etc... I am of the opinion that when you get over 1200 - the guitar should not require any work beyond minor adjustments (certainly not fret leveling or nut replacement/shaping) It is a risk to buy on the internet. Ive been wanting to buy a higher end (possibly fender custom shop) guitar for longevity sake and to play of course - however, there is no way I could drop 4-5K site unseen. Harder and harder to get your hands these guitars to evaluate in person... good luck
I actually own two of these guitars, and both are excellent. And just for reference, I have owned over 20 Stratocasters at every level, including two custom Shop guitars. I can tell you that for way more money my Gibson custom shop list. Paul has had way more significant issues, and Gibson even held it for nine months at one point, and returned it to me without even fixing the issue. so, there’s that.
Yeah, I think you have to like the vintage tall frets and get a good one out of the factory. I'm sure they are out there, but I would say only 20-25 out of a hundred probably play well enough to justify the price tag.
I have one of these and have not experienced ANY of the issues you mention here. Mine plays and sounds like a dream. Very happy with my purchase. Maybe yours is a lemon. Oh, one more thing. I got mine for $1760. Signed uo for a GC credit card and got a 20% discount w free shipping. Im stoked.
I got one from Sweetwater. I’ve never purchased a bad guitar from them. I got mine set up medium/low and PLEK’d and it plays and sounds fantastic. The tone of these guitars are great!
You paid 250 to get it plek'd? Gibson plek's theirs at the factory. The one I got was set up but did not play well. I had no complaints about the tone!
@@voyxu143 Dude! You are one negative person. I trust in the luthiers I use and it plays great. You must be really picky but don't put me down for a Plek job. I Plek all my guitars and they are better every time. Get a life!
Thanks for holding Fender's feet to the fire. About the tension issue you mention. How could the tension be any different than what is standard for the scale length? Are the strings heavier than you are used to?
It's possibly down to the set up. When you're bending you're stretching the springs as you bend so you have to work it harder. Would be worth setting the trem flat to the body instead of floating and fit a couple of extra springs.
ON the subject of rattling....did you put anything in the rear cavity to knock out the spring noise? They all seem to do that, and it's hard to tell if that might or might not be the rattling you're hearing. On RU-vid it's hard to tell. Kinda simple but had to ask.
Your right. Pricing illusions. 🧙♂️ 🎩 Know that in 1962 Fender sold out to CBS... A 3 letter agency. So as if "pre-CBS" is ?. It's just an average 🎸 guitar nowadays. One can obtain a Great guitar for $1,000 new, w/warranty. Thanks for an honest look at "pre-CBS".
The nicest strat I ever played was the Clapton artist, but yea, sadly that guitar is not a strat (in the 62’ vintage strat sense). I can’t afford a real 61’ or a CS, so I settled on a Mexican road worn, from CME with pure vintage pups, all vintage specs except for the narrow tall frets which I believe are to offset the 7.25 radius somewhat. It was 1000 less than yours, and you get the relic look. If you like that…anyway that is my last strat my search is over.
You need to do more reviews like this. No click bait, no paid bullshit. Pure honesty! People need to wake the F up. I been going to music stores trying out Fender guitars for the last 10 years and I had the exact same impression. I want to own one, again.... but I just can't bring myself to shell out any kind of money they are asking because their QC is utter crap. Every guitar in their lineup is overpriced. You could get a new mexico standard strat (back in the day) for the today's price of a Squier. It's all a scam. They are cashing in on the headstock decal and thats it. The wood is not properly dried so the frets are all over the place. Truss rods not working properly. Twisted necks. Bodies too heavy. Sharp fret ends. Poorly cut nuts. I've literally played better finished and factory setup Squiers than the mid to high end Fenders. And it's sad because I've always been a fan of the brand but no more. If you buy a new guitar IT SHOULD BE PLAYABLE!! Minor tweaks here and there but no trips to the local luthier shelling out more money just because the factory doesn't give a F*ˆck. Thanks for the video and keep em coming.
I think this review makes sense. If I'm remembering correctly, this model has the OG 7.25 radius on it. I do wonder if that makes a difference. Those 7.25 guitars some people just can't get into. Combine the tall thin frets with 7.25.. and maybe It's more of a rhythm setup. Perhaps this is one of the reasons fender dropped that from their normal line.
Honest review. Fender, like many other big companies, are greedy, the price goes up all the time and the quality of the product deteriorates. Sad fact.
Welcome to the state of the modern American economy. I’m sorry to say, but Fender has to charge this much for an American made guitar. I could go on a long rant about how the American economy has made American products uncompetitive in the global market, but I think it’s rather self evident. At the end of the day, if you want an American made guitar, this IS the price you will have to pay.
I will not a 1961😮Buy reissue for the sum of 2,200 what's really going on we're being ripped off by fender Mr Leo fender would be turning around in his grave🎉!!!!? He made these affordable at one time guitars for us guitar players that were affordable at one point...
They were never affordable, they were $240 originally, thsts $2600 in today’s money. They were bolted together then by part time staff who were not luthiers, so all of the nonsense about vintage is rubbish. Bolt on guitars , simple.
Not for anything. I loved and dreaded in retrospect, my experience buying new guitars. More negative than positive for the very reason discussed here. When it came to Strats more often, no matter what the price range was. New guitars required an average of 2 visits to get a decent setup, and I am not super fussy. In ALL instances, I wanted to simply have no fret buzz and feel as if I was climbing a mountain to play. Having said that, I had a positive experience with an American Professional Strat from Sweetwater. But lastly, this plek thing has me worried. If you buy a 2000.00 dollar guitar, to be assured before it's shipped that the set up and frets will he good? Another 200 dollars. Can I get a "C'mon man?" To travel to and fro to get a tech to get it right was such a kill joy. But I agree with this gentleman here. There is no perfect solution, but at least Sweetwater, there is an inspection done, and you are assigned a rep to talk to. If you need a tech, well, that falls on you unless you're gonna go through the hassle of a return. And yes. I get the weather thing and all that stuff. But when you get a hornet's nest out of the box despite trust rod adjustments and such, it just sucks man.
Gibson Pleks all their guitars BEFORE coming out of the factory. PRS people have said in numerous vids that the guitars play fantastic right out of the box. The wildcard of internet guitar buying has magnified the problem because in the store, in your hands you can tell if a guitar plays well before you walk out with it.
OK... Time for a reality check. A dollar today buys what a dime did in 1961. If you were to buy a new Fiesta Red Stratocaster in that year it would cost $290 for the guitar,plus $29 for the custom color, plus $60 for the case. Total $379, the equivalent of $3,790.00, which is pretty close to TWICE today's cost AND you'd wait a couple of months for them to build it. Anything but sunburst had to be custom-ordered if you weren't living close to the factory. They didn't play any better then than they do now, but players didn't know any better then, either. Tension? Yup. That 25" scale is pretty stiff unless you're using .009's or lighter. Want it a little slinkier, play a Gibson. I just think that the OP is not aware how badly the American dollar has been gutted over the last 60 years and $2200 is pretty much chump-change now. TBH there are a lot of guitars available for much less, and they're better than the Danelectro, Kay, and Harmony instruments they put out of business, but no American player would ever want to live in the places those guitars come from. Thus endeth the rant.
Modern Fender is just such a ripoff. I pretty much only play Fender, but after spending months trying to find a decent new one - including CS - I just bought a vintage one. And by vintage I mean 70s. There's just no comparison. People that love the new stuff just haven't been exposed to decent guitars IMO.
Well, for starters, Fender's original Classic 60's series (now re-named Vintera 2), BOTH have a ONE PIECE ALDER BODY. Not so with the American Vintage 2 1961 model. The pickups on the Classic & Vintera just plainly blow the ones on the 61 away....PERIOD! The ONLY difference between a 61 & a 62 model are the clay dots on the 61, and pearloid ones on 62's and everything after! Fender added insult to injury by calling those pickups 1961. They should have used the're 57/62's.
What kinda baffles me is why you bought the guitar. I would think an experienced gigging guitarist would play a $2,200 guitar before buying it and discover that it's not right for you or of questionable quality. Of all things not to buy through the mail, a guitar ranks number one. That model guitar I have no opinion on as I'm not a vintage guitar lover. With every Fender and Gibson I've ever bought, the store offered a free setup which I only utilized once just to see how they would do, but was not necessary because I wouldn't buy a guitar if the setup were not right to begin with. After that I prefer to set them up myself, it's not difficult
Yes mike, buying a guitar online is dicey, which I did say in the video. I couldn't find any near me to actually play so I took the chance. I may still buy another guitar online again as the selection is staggering compared to local inventory, but yeah.....DICEY..!!!
Purchased a Clapton reissue a few years ago. Same disappointment. Took two years to sell it at 50% loss. Bought an American elite telecaster online just hoping to have some thing playable. Sent it back within 24 hours. My 2012 standard Strat that I paid $800 new for was a good guitar. Wish I had never sold it. I’m really glad the vintage two has been sold out for over a year. I’m glad I didn’t buy one because I couldn’t. Picked up a used sg standard recently, and it’s its joy jot play. Our local fender dealer lost their right to sell guitars last year. Small shop. He is very disappointed. Had nothing good to say about the direction fender is going.. I believe him now.
The Fiesta red was sold out and on back order when I first tried to get it months ago. Fender is probably making more money by NOT sending them out to dealers. Not sure if it will stay that way or not.
point no point . . . all guitars come with no setup, BECAUSE EVERYONE'S SETUP IS DIFFERENT! tell us what guitar passes this one for $2200? which one? vintage spec, and that's important as many are used to the feel and playability .. which guitars? if there's a bunch mention a few, I know the guitar world inside out and this is one of the only VS Strat I want lately, PERIOD
Thanks for the honest review. Its rare I've bought a guitar that's without "issues" out of the box. Got lucky with a Fender American Pro II Tele recently. First guitar ever for me that needed no dialing. Before they got too expensive I liked to buy from the Player series with the expectation I'd have to work on it new to get it where I like it. But then, my finger are still the limiting factor and not the guitar. Thanks again. Will check out your channel.
The guitar was adjusted. When I got it the thing was WAY worse. I am looking for a good Strat so at this stage in the game I am just looking for ONE, ONE strat that does not have the buzzing and is playable regardless of price or series.
@@voyxu143mate just buy the PRS silver sky. After my experience with this same one that I bought just to return it the day after I’m thinking about the SS. Everybody seems to agree that they come perfect out of the box. I’m seriously thinking to put down the extra cash
man, i don't know what the problem is but i suspect you pluck the string somewhat vertically and are blaming the guitar for your technique. i have recently purchased an american vintage ii '51 tele. it was set up at the dealer free with a new set of my preferred strings free. it plays better than an $8k custom shop gibson. it is the best playing guitar i have owned period. i have had 2 AVRI strats, a'62 and a '57(which i still own). the '62 was as good as a custom shop strat of the the cicra 2000 models. it was a flawwless guitar and played better than guitars worth twice it's price at the time. the '57 has the same pick guard warping as am original but otherwise it is every bit as good as a guitar worth twice it price also at the time of purchase. if you don't like the fender buy some imported brand with plywood body and cheap hardware/ electronics. i do agree that guitars of usa brands, reissued, are very expensive compared to the original versions but if you want the close vintage specs then the costs of a reissue is miniscule compared to an original. not all of us have the surplus cash to buy an original. ANY GUITAR PLUCKED WITH BAD TECHNIQUE WILL BUZZ REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH IT COSTS OR WHO MANUFACTURES IT. i think your technique is the problem.
My technique varies and can easily adjust to almost any guitar. The guitar played like garbage. There are some nice ones out there. That one was not one of them.
You are 100% correct. Fender seems to want a pat on the back for knowing how to make their own products, which are nowhere near as good as the stuff they built in the totally hand-built era. The one I tried at GC was junk, as all string bending past the 12th fret choked. BIG time. Most of these have high E too close to the edge of the fingerboard too. QC?? Also they are NOT vintage correct as they claim. Where's the aluminum shielding plate? It's just foil glued to the back of the guard. Why not use larger frets then, since it's not 100% original anyway? The quality of the wood isn't as good either. There's a reason that Frusciante and those pros who can afford it use the real McCoy. And I have a freak Squier that would burn even many Custom Shop pieces to death. These should be $1000 tops. Fender should do well to remember that they damn near went out of business in the eighties - so get rid of the corporate sugar daddies and start pricing these things right.
Nice playing, by the way. Liked your classical inspired playing position. Sorry that the guitar didn’t work for you. Mine turned out to be a perfect one for me. Though I bought it from a brick and mortar store, fully aware what those “vintage tall” frets are.
Thanks for your honest review. In Korea, every fender guitar price is 50% higher than US. Thanks to the importer. Btw, since fender has focused on their custom shop and master built, their "just" fender's qc is getting worse. So, I wanna blame them. But, in terms of price, I understand Fender. Wood price is getting higher, labor cost is getting higher. If you wanna buy this kind of guitar, recently it costs 3000 dollars(ex. SUHR classic s antique, PRS silversky.)
My main suspicion with the buzzing is neck relief, which can easily change with variations in climate. As for the "stiffness", that's probably a combination of the frets and fretboard radius. Vintage-spec'd guitars are honestly just "harder" to play, it's a fact of life. I won't blame Fender for getting things right, especially when the frets should be even smaller to be "accurate". It's all VERY subjective and all about personal preference. Maybe the specs just aren't for you.
It was adjusted for neck relief. The fretboard radius I already have on another couple guitars and it doesn't bother me. As far as Fender "getting it right", yeah maybe on paper, but the guitar left much to be desired.
The real question is: what's it cost to make ? Must be a nice profit margin. I'll take a 70's Japan built guitar any day. Name the brand, there are some great ones out there for 5-8 hundred.
This guy's opinion is valid... when I first saw this I thought he was crazy, then I went to the Guitar Center in my town and played two of them... THEY PLAYED WORSE THAN TERRIBLE; both had the thing where the high e-string is so close to the edge of fretboard that it keeps slipping off when you play aggressively. And also, the weird "tension" thing he's talking about was totally noticeable... I don't know what it was caused by... maybe cuz they comes strung with 10's, plus the issue people are mentioning with the stock trem springs being too weird/stiff... but it was horrible. Played one of the new Mexican player II strats a couple weeks later and it blew these AVRI's out of the water: $799 vs $2,200. So glad I saw this guy's review as I was just about to pull the trigger on buying one of these sight unseen of Reverb. I would have been so pissed to dump that much lettuce to end up with such a dud. Thanks Voyxu for the warning!
Did you set the truss rod? You said nothing about that, that is directly related to feel. Sure sounds like the truss rod was not set. And it will move in shipping. I use vintage tall frets in like 5 of my guitars. I have no issues . All American original necks that came before this one. Could it be that that the neck Has issues? It could. Hard to say being you did not show a truss rod setup and use a ruler to look at what’s happening with the neck any guitar that’s been shipped need neck relief looked at and most likely set. A straight edge will show why low e is buzzing, Even if you had a plek job to your exacting specs, the truss rod has to be set. Exactly as it was during the plek job. It’s very important. I am not making excuses for fender here, I saw a decline in quality in the American original line at the end, my early examples were stellar and light weight, the latter ones pretty bad, like 3 piece body’s on a burst and horrible grain match. Others that were boat anchors weight wise. Just saying if you did not adjust the truss rod, best start with that.
Prices for guitars are out of control to start with and if they don't play any better, were getting ripped off..And the whole "hand wound" thing is nothing but marketing voodoo..The pickups are mass produced and not very differentb from production runs previously..
Yeah and I think I made a mistake in the "Hand wound" statement because when I looked back at the specs when I listed the guitar for sale it just said "1961 pickups" so in this guitar they may not even be hand wound.
@@voyxu143 yup..and "hand wound" could mean anything..nobody is hand winding thousands of pickups..its done by software on a winder..It's all marketing bs.
Spending $2k+ on a guitar that you can’t test drive or try a few of the same model before buying is just not fair to consumers IMO. I don’t think this business model is sustainable and will hurt their sales long term.
You made some very fair points tbh. I was considering buying one of these but decided against going for the vintage vibe and went for the more modern ultra luxe model strat. I’m glad I did. The truth is guitar prices are ridiculous now especially at the custom shop end with fender and Gibson.
I don't see much difference in a $500 Squier Classic Vibe and a $2200 Fender these days. Change the pickups in the CV and get it Plek'd and it will sound and play just as well.
I have the allparts by fender and omg so unbelievable well made and especially the most important thing the tone and wow you ain't lying I won't sell my or trade it for anything that cost more than my guitar nope
$2200 isn’t as much as it used to be, and it certainly isn’t some magical number where perfection is a reasonable expectation. Perfect is the enemy of good and there’s no such thing as a perfect guitar, so to the extent you expect perfection you’re robbing yourself of joy. Boring topic.
@@voyxu143 Nah, I'm pretty content, but thanks for the thought. Making content that's nothing more than bitching about imaginary problems is the most inane form of creation, maybe look into that and don't get so defensive when someone calls you out on it. ;)
@@evanherb5900 When someone gives you good advice like I did, it's not being defensive. You imagining that I have imaginary problems, though, that is certainly a creation you need to defend, and you are doing so poorly.
I'm sorry to say that my 1961 Vintage II has the exact same issues as yours. I've had it professionally set up twice with adjustments, fret leveling, etc. and it just simply has spots on the neck where it buzzes annoyingly at a reasonably set action. This is not being ultra picky. The action is probably "medium" compared to my other electrics and simply sounds like a sitar in a couple spots and buzzes horribly when fretting on the A string on the 3-5th frets. The neck is perfectly straight but just is not enjoyable to play knowing there are spots to avoid. Question- is it dangerous to replace the neck with a strat Road Worn neck, or will that somehow not fit right and be a waste of several hundred bucks? I really do like the way the pick-ups sound and love the looks of the guitar and want to salvage it... I am so disappointed that this was able to leave the factory with the neck having very clear issues. one of the dangers of trusting the product of a huge guitar company sight unseen.
Yeah Shane, I was heartbroken so I can only imagine how you felt. I had not really thought about replacing the neck on this one. If you have a guitar tech, get their opinion on what would work. I also wrote Fender Customer Service an email to see if a current neck would fit on a 2002 model strat, and they gave me an answer in about 3 days. I am almost 100% sure that when and if you do get a new neck that you will have to have the guitar set up so once again, check with the tech that you will be using to set it up. IF you are setting it up yourself, check with Fender to see if the neck will fit and go from there. Good luck.
Have you compared it to other Strats? Honestly, most Strats set up with a medium action will have some amount of fret buzz. To completely eliminate it, the action has to be quite high. It's worth it for the increase in tone, though.
If the neck is “perfectly straight,” that’s not helping. You need a bit of relief in the neck. 0.010” to 0.012” measured at the 8th fret is Fender spec and what I use on all of mine.
Get a $50 Amazon neck and learn to level the frets. I have one that I leveled and it is the best neck of any of the hundred or so guitars I've played in my lifetime.
Basically,....this is a Mark Knopfler signature. This is not a $2200 guitar,....maybe a $1200. I would never buy one. And remember, this guitar has the vintage original bridge and saddles, which have always been garbage..
You are missing the point of that guitar. A real 61 buzzes like that too. Its an exact copy, warts and all. They MADE SURE, the E string does that. they made sure your fingers hurt, just like the real ones. Buy a compound radius ultra and tell me if fender can build a playable guitar out of the box. And a Lacquer finish is far from easy to do..........Each one is unique and needs to be adjusted to its player, that part of the charm of the stratocaster.
$2.200 would have got you a perfect playing music man or a PRs with absolutely no problems! I agree with everything you’ve said, I moved on to PRs and music man, their quality control blows fender and Gibson away!
I highly recommend you try out the Yamaha Pacifica 612. It's A LOT cheaper than the American Vintage ($750), has cooler specs (Flame Maple Top, Wilkinson Trem bridge, Seymour Duncan Pickups, Graphtech nut and string trees, Grover locking tuners), and the fit and finish is FANTASTIC! I bought it and a Player Strat around the same time, and the Player Strat needed several setups and modifications in order to eliminate the buzz on the open middle strings while the Yamaha needed only two setups!
The Pacifica is made in Indonesia, but all you have to do to see the difference is to compare the quality of the fretwork. It isn't even close at this point. Incredible that you can get nice fretwork like that on an Indonesia-made guitar. Fender had better get their act together.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve found that many vintage spec American Fenders fall very short of the mark. I’m at the point where I’m doing a Warmoth build, because my first Warmoth is the only guitar I’ve ever had that has zero issues. Let us know if you return it and replace it with something better!
I was just at a guitar shop and a guy had a Roasted Warmoth neck put on a tele. He said he has been using warmoth products for 20 years and loves them. He's a working touring guitarist. I have the 61 strat up for sale/trade. We will see what happens....!!!
Guitars, for the most part, are very subjective. What's good for one person may suck for another. I have that same guitar and played it before I bought it. In fact, I couldn't put it down so eventually I had to leave the store with it. Mine plays like a dream. The last guitar I bought before the 61 Strat was a custom '58 LP reissue for around 4k. So the 2k on the Fender felt great. For me, guitars are like Harry Potter's wand. When you pick up the right one, you just know it immediately. And you know a wrong one pretty quickly as well. I only bought one guitar online without playing it first and it was a Taylor 12-string. I'm a huge Taylor fan and assumed I'd love it. But it felt like I let a stranger in the house. Of course there are always set up issues to consider on any guitar and perhaps you got a bad one. They make a ton of these things and some slip though.
Not one store around me had a '61 reissue in it. So I was unable to actually play the guitar in person. Glad to hear you got a good one that you love. My main guitars are strats, just not the one in the vid.
Yeah, and check the neck fit in the pocket, people were complaining about that on the very early issue of the guitar. I have to say if I had played this guitar before purchase I probably would have passed on it. Happy Guitar Hunting....!!!
Last week, my son bought American vintage Jazzmaster... I paid substantially twice of money of this red start due to currency btw US and Japan..! But, I can't say that Jazzmaster has good quality worthy of the price. The center of strings is shifted to right, so I can't use vibrato on 1st string... Next time, I'll buy Japanese guitar that always have good quality..
If you really play Strat’s (or Tele’s) everyone with an ounce of knowledge knows that a setup is NOT universal. They vary depending on your preferences for things like string gauge, playing style, tonal qualities and feel. In addition, bolt-on necks actually allow you to experiment with neck replacements so you can switch radius size, fret size and fretboard types. (Try to replace a an LP style headstock break in 10 minutes…LOL). Oh yeah…..there’s plenty of YT Video’s to show people how to setup their Strats.
Glad to see a honest review on these. You have to love Fenders marketing. Vintage tall frets where did that come from? What vintage guitars came with narrow tall frets? I bought a Road Worn Strat with those and they were terrible. I just built a 62 copy for less than $1000 that beats these to pieces. Great video!
I owned a real 1961 Sunburst Stratocaster that lived under a bed in its case for ten years after the owner joined the military and just lost interest. I bought it in 1975 for $100. I was 17 years old then. I sold it two years later for $240 thinking ...o yeah I'll replace it sometime. 🤦♂ O well, Life goes on. But I can say this...to this day I can remember and KNOW what a real 61 sounds and feels like. Oily, smooth, hard, porous in all the right ways rosewood board. Not this dried out crap they are using today. The sound of the pickups. The sound of the ash body. And it was just different than what they have today. Vintage TALL frets?????? Never on an original. I KNOW better. I read that on the new 61 AVRI II that Fender is staining the rosewood to make it look darker I have a 1994 57 RI which I think is a great year for Strats with an alder body and maple. it is aging nicely and sounds great but will never be like that original 61.
I know it's painful to drop 2k on a new guitar... BUT if you calculate what a Strat cost in 1962 ($310 msrp) with inflation... that comes to 3,165.87 in today's money. So in a weird way it's actually not priced so poorly. I think we've gotten really used to low price pressure from mass produced imported guitars. 90s and 2000s were a golden age of cheap guitars. Other thing to consider, is American labor costs. We want high skilled local people who can afford their mortgages, and health insurance. It's going to cost something.
It was 2200 plus tax. I didn't mine paying the money for an American build, I was just disappointed in the quality of the build. All of my guitars except one are American Made.
I feel ya. I’ve been disappointed in build quality of ALL guitars after the pandemic times. I can’t believe what makes it past QC these days. Had a similar experience with the new J Mascus custom telecaster. Just terrible fit and finish.
I have the same model in the sunburst finish. I love it and I have had none of the issues you describe. I bought it in memory of the first Fender Stratocaster I ever had, a 1961 model purchased new in 1961. I don’t think the price is unreasonable.
@@voyxu143 No, I’ve been a Fender fan for over 60 years. I grew up in Southern California and Fender was dominant in that market. My Vintage II Strat feels and sounds like my original Fender. No issues, just a great player.
I spent some time learning how to work on electric guitars. I can now do all my own maintenance, but not only that, I can now buy cheap guitars and turn them into great guitars, and even better, I can now build my own. I would never spend $2,000, when I know I can build a better one for less than half the price. P.S. I own a Mex Fender strat, that I bought in 2001. It had 60's style, tall thin frets on it, which I eventually wore flat. I have since re-fretted it (myself) with 6105 stainless steal frets, which feel and play great. I have also done quite a few other mods, such as replacing the pick-ups with my preferred ones, and have installed 7-way switching, including a coil split for the JB Jr neck pick up. It also now has a Graph Tech nut and Fender locking tuners. With all the mods, it cost less than $1,000, and it's a great guitar, as good as (if not better) than any US Fenders I've played.
It sounds like a good guitar. I am not ruling out a Mexican Fender when I go looking for a strat The Fender Mexico plant is about 90 miles south of Corona CA.
@@voyxu143 The Mexican ones are definitely worth checking out. I was extra lucky with mine, the neck is made of a nice piece of flamed maple, that looks great when it catches the light. It wasn't a special or custom, I was just lucky to get one that had a nice flame on it. Vintage guitars, and replicas, can be nice (or not in some cases), but people forget that the original Strats were made with relatively cheap wood, and paint, what ever Leo could get his hands on. So, they varied a lot in quality and sound. P.S. I'm sorry that your new guitar doesn't live up to expectations, but hopefully you can "rescue" it, and turn it into a nice playable instrument.
@@fishypaw I have never owned a Mexican strat, but as you said, these guitars vary and some are def better than others. I played a Jimmie Vaughan mexican strat once that I almost bought. I will not be ruling them out in the future. I ended up trading the '61 for a Les Paul.
I completely agree with you! When I saw a few reviews, I couldn't believe that a guitar priced at 2200 had a poorly attached neck. Literally, the E1 string was hanging on the edge of the fret.
I bought a 2019 squier cv 50s strat and absolutely love that guitar after I did a minor setup and changed the strings to my preference. $399.00 was well spent.
you're literally referring to ONE video out there that showed the misaligned neck, I know which you're talking about. This is why new things have warranties. You can buy an $80,000 car and have some issues days later. Lol people need to relax. What is worth anything these days? Everything is overpriced. It's the price to play today.
