70'S Strats, how big were they?

robgilmo

I quite like the big headstock, I much prefer it to the little one, I think it sits better visually with the rest of the guitar.

DrBob

robgilmo said:

I quite like the big headstock, I much prefer it to the little one, I think it sits better visually with the rest of the guitar.

Me too, much prefer a big headstock

Schnozz

DrBob said:

robgilmo said:

I quite like the big headstock, I much prefer it to the little one, I think it sits better visually with the rest of the guitar.

Me too, much prefer a big headstock

+2

roberty

Schnozz said:

DrBob said:

robgilmo said:

I quite like the big headstock, I much prefer it to the little one, I think it sits better visually with the rest of the guitar.

Me too, much prefer a big headstock

+2

Same, and especially on deluxe Teles

JezWynd

ICBM said:

I have played many 70s Strats which weighed over 9lb, and I think a few over 10lb... the worst was a 1980 candy apple red 'The Strat' which felt like it was made from uranium or something - it felt heavier than a heavy Les Paul, but that may have just been down to expectation... we didn't actually weigh guitars in those days.

I purchased a new telecaster Custom around 1980, it's the heaviest guitar I've ever held. Wouldn't surprise me if it was 11lb but as you say, we didn't weigh them back then. I actually made it heavier by installing a solid brass bridge that must have added another half pound. And it had zero sustain, the guitar was so heavy any plucked string got discouraged and died immediately.

boogieman

ICBM said:

Henrytwang said:

We all hated the large headstock but I don’t think it added that much to the weight

Not overall it doesn't - but it does to the headstock, which is important to the resonance of the neck and hence the tone.

Yeah I  don’t get the hate for the big headstock either, I think they look fine. Likewise there’s nothing inherently wrong with the three bolt neck fixing. It works fine; it was the crappy machining of the neck pocket that went with it that was the bigger problem. The late 70s pickups weren’t great though and the cheese/metal mazak bridge was an abomination. 

NPP

I actually like mine (late-70ish lefty), big headstock included, but not much is original about it anymore. It only sounded good though after getting the full treatment explained by @ICBM above - finish stripped, new trem, contours reworked to earlier spec. I think setting it up so that the neck sits flat in the (now lacquer-free) pocket, without using the tilt mechanism, did make a difference, too.

I had that guitar for a long time (decades), so selling it was never an option, and being a lefty its value was questionable anyway, which made it easier to decide to modify it further (and take the risk of doing the job myself). 

ICBM

NPP said:

I actually like mine (late-70ish lefty), big headstock included, but not much is original about it anymore. It only sounded good though after getting the full treatment explained by @ICBM above - finish stripped, new trem, contours reworked to earlier spec. I think setting it up so that the neck sits flat in the (now lacquer-free) pocket, without using the tilt mechanism, did make a difference, too.

I forgot to mention that I lined the neck pocket on mine with veneers to make it a snug fit. I can’t remember if the tilt was necessary or not, but I don’t think so - remembering that stripping the Thick Skin finish allows the bridge to sit about 1/16” lower on the body!