Thoughts on CBS strats?

Wow, you stated quite a case there, counselor. There is a '76 for sale near me and now I feel compelled to go check it out!

 

I still own a 68’ that I would never part with. 46 years together. I had a 74’ Hardtail I let go that I regret losing. It was OK .... now the boat anchor 79’ all black on black and maple was a dog but it was super cheap.... but I still didn’t keep it very long.

Honestly everyone played CBS Fenders back then... you’d see them on TV all the time. Nobody turned up there nose when Robin Trower had the bullet truss rod Black and Maple Strat on the gig. It sounded fine. Or Jimi at Woodstock or BOG shows. But as time passed thru the 70’s they got heavier and less curved and thicker.

I didn’t like them and would play them in shops and convince myself that my 68’ was better.... and for the most part it was. Still is. I mean when a good gig paid $50 and you lived on cheeseburgers, cigarettes and a $5 tank of gas buying a new guitar when you have a perfectly good one wasn’t that important. Heck I probably didn’t like new Fender’s until the late 80’s or early 90’s.

But hey if you own one and you love it and it makes your heart skip a beat every time you pick it up and you’ve slain a 1,000 or 2,000 one nighter with it .... I’m very happy for you...

 

Bloody Vikings...

 

It's genetic.

We're taught to ask ourselves three questions: Do I want it? Is it bolted down? Can anyone see me?

 

And by the same token there has been innovation since - 2 point trems, better tuners, more refined electronics .... and yet many guitarists seem to want the "good old days" and since pre-CBS is older than CBS to those same guitarists they are better still. Its all nonsense.

 

Yeah, they really made some huge technological advancements with pots and caps...

 

It's well documented fenders quality was horrible during the 70s.
Pot metal garage, sloppy neck joints and heavy woods.
Alot of dogs out there from this time period.

 

earliest I have ever played was a "73" model and it was a good guitar . Very sweet neck pickup was it anything special ? No. Just a good guitar . I I never played the pre-CBS ones so I can't comment , but I heard enough of them on recordings. SRV , Clapton ect To me they sound like any other strat . Lot of hype out there . Are there special ones sure , but I think those are few an far between . Just like today you have to play a few to find one that really speaks to you .

 

Two drops of Elmer's glue will do just fine.

 

Gospel! Love this. Shake it up!

 

I'd like this twice if I could but dude, you've ruffled some feathers and that's my job

 

Documented mostly by people with no first-hand experience and/or a commercial agenda. Pre-CBS nonsense and snob-ism. Pot metal is not that bad, neck joints can be sloppy anyway and heavy woods were just a trend. Strats are modular instruments. There are good and bad in every year from 1954 to the present day.

 

My 79 is as heavy as an LP
After going thru several Strats its the only one I kept
That includes a Dan Smith who's sound imo was dull
T

 

Man the Kool - Aid is strong.

I have two stripped out pot metal garbage bridges in my junk drawer.

I have owned more 70s strats than I care to.
I speak from my own experience also

Fender 70s is absolutely the worse era for guitars. You have to weed through way more guitars to find a keeper.

 

Gorgeous!

 

Nice I’m diggin the blue one next to it , what model is it?

 

I did exactly that. I must have looked at 50+ Strats in 1973 before I bought the blue one in my avatar. She has been with me since and has travelled the world and a million seedy bars and has never let me down - not even once. She has been a joy in my life and I would wish for all of you to find a guitar as good as my beautiful old girl.

There were some diamonds out there in 1973 but you had to look a little harder for them.

 

Congratulations ,pic s when you can. I own a late 82 and it’s a gigable workhorse . Nothing fancy , tried and true first Leo design with a few exceptions. Paint, plastic wiring , bobins, etc. not in production long and the line moved very slowly more space was used for the popular Avri. line. So they are becoming harder to find in decent shape. My alder body weighs 7.6 . Which in 82 people complained they were light and had no sustain. It is a vintage . (Fullerton.) Even though it was built with modern machinery unlike its predecessors. Which had quality control problems near the end 79 -81

 

Thanks!

The blue ine is just a partscaster that I did. It has a noname neck an a body that I finished myself.

 

Thanks