Best year from Fender ?

RaymondLin

Just wondering…

If the best year of Gibson Les Paul is the 57. 58. 59 and the one they keep making reissue from.  What is the same on the Fender Strat and Telecaster side?

I see that there are 56, 60 and 62?  What are the differences between them?

meltedbuzzbox

Dig enough and every year is the best

64/65 stuff "L series" gets a lot of love.

MattFGBI

2019. 

andrewaward

I like 59 for Jazzmasters.

Even though that was the year they came with no strings...

Sassafras

Pre-CBS.

Strat54

'53 for Telecaster. Probably '62 for Strats. 

Tenebrous

Sassafras said:

Pre-CBS.

I hear this said a lot, but there was a video comparing each year of Strats through an original bassman, and if memory serves, my favourites was the 69, followed by the 64 and an early 70s one. Most people in the thread picked out the 69 one also, if I recall correctly.

ICBM

There is no best year. The best Strat I’ve ever played was a 1970. The best Tele I’ve ever played was a modern CS Relic.

For consistency and quality, current production is best... but random old examples may have ‘something special’.

Individual pieces of wood trump most manufacturing changes, assuming the basic spec isn’t too heavily altered. (eg ruling out things like the Freeshyte vibrato.)

Nikc

The current stuff is great what's not to like

dindude

I tend to work in CEO's for Fender - Leo obviously, then Bill Schultz, then Bill Mandello. The bit between Leo and Bill is dubious. Larry Thomas / Andy Moon, not so sure - quality usually decent, although my recent American Pro experience was of a good instrument trying to fight out of heavy weight, thick finish, and poor hardware in some places, but modern Fender just lacks the spark that brought us recent stuff such as the Cabronita.

RaymondLin

dindude said:

I tend to work in CEO's for Fender - Leo obviously, then Bill Schultz, then Bill Mandello. The bit between Leo and Bill is dubious. Larry Thomas / Andy Moon, not so sure - quality usually decent, although my recent American Pro experience was of a good instrument trying to fight out of heavy weight, thick finish, and poor hardware in some places, but modern Fender just lacks the spark that brought us recent stuff such as the Cabronita.

I am thinking the difference between a 2001 Customer shop 56RI vs a 2017 Custom shop 60RI.

CHRISB50

RaymondLin said:

dindude said:

I tend to work in CEO's for Fender - Leo obviously, then Bill Schultz, then Bill Mandello. The bit between Leo and Bill is dubious. Larry Thomas / Andy Moon, not so sure - quality usually decent, although my recent American Pro experience was of a good instrument trying to fight out of heavy weight, thick finish, and poor hardware in some places, but modern Fender just lacks the spark that brought us recent stuff such as the Cabronita.

I am thinking the difference between a 2001 Customer shop 56RI vs a 2017 Custom shop 60RI.

Play them both and judge them on their individual merits? The boards will be different, as will neck shape, the pickups etc. Spending that much, I think the proof is in the playing.

coffeehouse

Generally it's best to take each one as you find it, there are good ones & bad ones from every era. However it's clear that certain times were bad for Fender quality, mainly the end of the 70s. 

My 'number 1' is a May 1971 4 bolt strat ... hardtail, and as far as I'm concerned it's the best one in the world ;-) ... 

The more recent stuff I've tried from the custom shop is amazing though, it does feel like they've seriously got themselves together lately ... the Ltd edition relics are really really good. 

hubobulous

Which one looks nicest in photos?

guitars4you

In short there is not a best year for Fender

I think for Gibson the 'golden era' that is bestowed on the 57-59 period was part based on the arrival of the humbucker and a year later the burst finish - Yet due to initial poor sales the LP as we know it was discontinued - So at the time it was not seen as the 'best period' - It was a few years later, when the likes of EC started to play such an LP that players realised the 'golden years' were behind them - Add to the equation  that barely 1500 had ever been built (although only 2000 still exists today !!!!) so such low numbers re-enforced the 'hype' and demand

Fender made a number of changes to the Strat during the 1954-1965 era - Granted the pre-CBS period is seen as the golden era - But different players will prefer a 62 over a 57 or vice versa - Certainly in that era no one Strat, or Tele is better than another - Just which you prefer

Today, if we are talking about 'vintage replicas', then the Custom Shop team do a remarkable job in producing such fine guitars - I'd say they have got better over the last 10/15 years

If we are talking bout 'modern' Strats and Teles, then no vintage model to compare them to - So today is the best period

The 70's 80's and 90's was not Fender's finest period, for many reasons, but you can still find good examples within each model and year

fretfinder

RaymondLin said:

dindude said:

I tend to work in CEO's for Fender - Leo obviously, then Bill Schultz, then Bill Mandello. The bit between Leo and Bill is dubious. Larry Thomas / Andy Moon, not so sure - quality usually decent, although my recent American Pro experience was of a good instrument trying to fight out of heavy weight, thick finish, and poor hardware in some places, but modern Fender just lacks the spark that brought us recent stuff such as the Cabronita.

I am thinking the difference between a 2001 Customer shop 56RI vs a 2017 Custom shop 60RI.

Assuming they are standard spec, the 56 will have a fat, soft V neck (my favourite!) and maple board, and the 60 will have a slim C neck and a rosewood board. So they’ll feel completely different to play and you ought to try them both and see what you prefer. You could ask the owners what the spec is, neck shape and thickness, what pickups etc. And of course the weight - one might be a right clunker and the other one a lightweight resonant beauty!

In fact just ask for the weights and buy the lighter one. 

RaymondLin

fretfinder said:

RaymondLin said:

dindude said:

I tend to work in CEO's for Fender - Leo obviously, then Bill Schultz, then Bill Mandello. The bit between Leo and Bill is dubious. Larry Thomas / Andy Moon, not so sure - quality usually decent, although my recent American Pro experience was of a good instrument trying to fight out of heavy weight, thick finish, and poor hardware in some places, but modern Fender just lacks the spark that brought us recent stuff such as the Cabronita.

I am thinking the difference between a 2001 Customer shop 56RI vs a 2017 Custom shop 60RI.

Assuming they are standard spec, the 56 will have a fat, soft V neck (my favourite!) and maple board, and the 60 will have a slim C neck and a rosewood board. So they’ll feel completely different to play and you ought to try them both and see what you prefer. You could ask the owners what the spec is, neck shape and thickness, what pickups etc. And of course the weight - one might be a right clunker and the other one a lightweight resonant beauty!

In fact just ask for the weights and buy the lighter one. 

You are right on the spec, 56 is a Sonic Blue, maple board, 10/56 neck, Vintage 50 single coil.

60 is a Mid oval C neck in Olympic white, rosewood board.

Both Alder body.

They are both 7lb 15oz actually.

I can't try it probably until next weekend.

p90fool

It's a Fender, the best ones are the ones you bolt together out of all your favourite bits, with no compromises. 

PinstripePhil

Anything early 50s with an ash body. 

stickyfiddle

PinstripePhil said:

Anything early 50s with an ash body. 

Conversely, anything mid-60's with wonky body and neck binding

thebreeze

I do think there's something to the '64 and '65 grey-bottomed pickups that the others don't have.