What is the main difference between a late 50's and early 60's strat?

[CaliStrat]

..mostly considering a maple neck sunburst strat and not sure if I'd be sacrificing much with the different necks between the two eras.

[Joshua]

Are you talking about reissues or original 50s and 60s Strats?

[Fendersenman]

50's Strats...V shaped neck vs. 60's C-shape or more or less thinner necks.
Pickgaurd was one ply than 2 or 3 on the 60's.
Hotter pickups in the 60's Strats.
More colors to choose from in the 60's
guitars with more Rosewood options.
Probably much more to mention but I can't remember off-hand but I do prefer the 60's strats in terms of playability.

[Sonny]

The price :-)

[mutato]

For me it was the necks. I had a '57 avri maple fretboard neck that was from the early 90's and was a deeper c shape. I recently got a 1986 '62 avri with the rosewood neck and it's a slightly thinner c shape.

[boof]

maple up to late 50s even into early 60. then went to rosewood. necks were about at the thinnest I think around 59 to 60. I also believe there were allot of pickguard changes going on around that time as well. 1960 didnt have dated stamps on the neck as well for the most part. very early 1960 necks you can find some date stamps though. That is on originals and off the top of my head if memory serves me right.custom colors started to become more standard around 62 as well reissues are more likely to be very different from the originals although the necks on the CS 60s seem to be in line with most of the late 50s early 60s strats that I have played. .

[otis66]

Originally Posted by CaliStrat

..mostly considering a maple neck sunburst strat and not sure if I'd be sacrificing much with the different necks between the two eras.

1961 fender stratocaster maple fretboard....$23,000
1959 Fender Stratocastermaple fretboad......$19000
Difference $4000

[otis66]

Originally Posted by CaliStrat

..mostly considering a maple neck sunburst strat and not sure if I'd be sacrificing much with the different necks between the two eras.

1961 fender stratocaster maple fretboard....$23,000
1959 Fender Stratocastermaple fretboad......$19000
Difference $4000

[StratMike10]

For some reason I was thinking 1959 as the last year for maple and first year for rosewood boards, not so?

[otis66]

Originally Posted by StratMike10

For some reason I was thinking 1959 as the last year for maple and first year for rosewood boards, not so?

Gruhn guitars has a maple neck 1959 Fender Stratocaster for sale. I'm thinking that in 1959 there were a lot of left over maple necks. Or Gruhn guitars could have gotten the year wrong.

[Ronkirn]

The real question should be what's the difference between a 50's Fender and an '11 Fender...

Ron Kirn

[otis66]

Originally Posted by Ronkirn

The real question should be what's the difference between a 50's Fender and an '11 Fender...

Ron Kirn

The wood used to build guitars were a lot lighter in the 50's. Better wood in general. If you could take the Tech that we have now and build a guitar with wood from the 50's....WOW. That would be an awsome guitar.

[Ronkirn]

If you could take the Tech that we have now and build a guitar with wood from the 50's....WOW.

You mean like using really old wood to make Teles and Strats.... OMG.... now there's an Idea.....


Ron Kirn

[amstratnut]

Originally Posted by Ronkirn

You mean like using really old wood to make Teles and Strats.... OMG.... now there's an Idea.....


Ron Kirn

Saaay, theres an idea!!!!!!

Mabye you could build some and sell them on the internet.

And give me a discount for giving you the idea!!!!!!!

[SeekTone]

Ron Kirn does some stand up comedy in his spare time right? When is his next show? I'd buy tickets.

[Ronkirn]

I know, I know... I could get a template, yeah, like a template from a umm... I know, from a '62 Strat... Shoot, I'd get one from a genuine '60 Strat.... like this... and use it to make guitars from some 400 year old Black Ash..... yeah that's the ticket.... and... and... OOo OOooo I know... some 150 year old Lobblolly Pine.... gawd... I shudda thought of this a long time ago....

rk

[Naradajim]

I'll bet if you did that, Ron, some people would pay pretty good money, especially if you sent them pictures of progress during the build. You'd probably want to finish them in Nitro too. Make sure you rub them down with mojo afterwards. I don't know where you get that stuff, but if you can buy sexwax for surfboards, a man ought to be able to buy mojowax for old wood guitars.

[amstratnut]

Uh, I don't want any mojo on mine thanks. I'll provide my own mojo. As much as I thin Ron probably builds kick ass guitars, I don't want his mojo anywhere near it.

[mymindsok]

I know you guys are being funny but there are people making big bucks byfinding Vintage woods, salvaging it and selling it to artists, guitarists, etc.

You know, Billy Gibbons had a guitar made out of a board from Muddy Water's families cabin!

If you want a nice strat, find someone who has some real old, well seasoned, superlight swamp ash!

[otis66]

Originally Posted by Ronkirn

You mean like using really old wood to make Teles and Strats.... OMG.... now there's an Idea.....


Ron Kirn

I mean old wood as in the trees that they were cutting down in the 50's. Old-growth Forest. A forest that has attained great age and there by exibits unique ecoligical features.