Fender AVRI strats '56 '57 '59 '62 '65

Th4fonz

Ive been checking out the old AVRI American vintage reissue strats and there are quite alot of them. '56  '57  '59  '62  '65 then theres the hotrod models.

I played a '57 black one a couple days ago which sounded great but I dont like maple fingerboards.

Anyone thats owned multiple ones care to share some info.  Necks sound favourite models etc

terada

The 62 has the same pickups as the 57 and a rosewood fretboard. Might be worth checking out 

crunchman

terada said:

The 62 has the same pickups as the 57 and a rosewood fretboard. Might be worth checking out 

Different neck profile though, if you like the V on the 57.  The 62 is a C profile.  Rosewood board with the late 50s V is nigh on impossible to get from Fender.  You would probably have to order it from the Custom Shop.

The AVRI Strats do vary.  I have a really good 62.  Before I bought my Lazy J and mostly cured my amp GAS, I used to go into shops to try amps.  I often used to use an AVRI 62 if the shop had one in, as it should have been the same as mine.  I never found one that sounded as good as mine.  Most of them were dead in comparison.

I think you can find good Strats and bad Strats in any part of the Fender range.  I'd just go and try a bunch (including the Mexican Classic Series) until you find one you like that ticks all your boxes.

Funkfingers

I have a '65 and a pre-2012 revisions '62. 

The most obvious difference is the neck sections. The '65 is deeper than the '62. More of a handful without ever being properly big like a Nocaster.

The stock '65 style pickups are fine. The bridge position unit does not feel weedy compared to the other two. The overall tone of my example is pretty dark. It suits finger and thumb style playing beautifully. The one item I would change about this guitar is the value of the capacitor in the tone control circuit.

IMHO, Fender 57/62 pickups are shite. I replaced the trio in my AVRI '62 with Duncan Antiquity II Surfer models in the neck and centre positions. The bridge position pickup has varied over time. 

I have tried the old '57 and the newer '56 in a shop. The neck profile and the pickups on the latter were superb. No surprise that Greg Koch uses an AVRI '56 to demonstrate Fishman Fluence pickups at trade shows. 

I have briefly tried the new American Original series guitars but prefer the traditional 7.25" fingerboard radius of the earlier models.

DrJazzTap

I wish i had bought a 59, one of the best strats I've played

HandwrittenHero

Missing one from your list - they did a 1954 AVRI in 2014 only. Absolutely superb chunky neck (believe profile gets listed as a 54U) and the 54 pickups in it are awesome low gain and chimey.

chris78

I had a 62 hot rod that was very good. 9.5 radius, thin nitro finish. One of those I shouldn’t have sold. I’ve had a 65 and 59, both very fine indeed. The 65 has the fatter neck if that’s important to you. Personally, I love grey bottom pickups so that’s where my money would go

frown

Love my 65 - gets played almost daily, it’s that comfortable. I too, am a fan of the grey bottoms, but have never felt the neck is particularly fat, just a good handful. While I wish it were bigger [I have a few fatback Warmoth necks for comparison], it’s definitely not weedy or thin like some other profiles.

Also love the colour - Shoreline Gold, with matching headstock. Just wish that nitro finish would get its craquelure on, for that aged look!

strat84

I have a 62 and a 65. The 62 is a limited edition from 2011 in tropical torquoise (my profile pic). It has the stock 57/62 pickups which I think sound great, although I have played other guitars with those pickups and they sounded a bit thin, maybe it's just my guitar but they sound a lot warmer/fuller. Neck is slim and the small frets/7.25" radius make it a bit harder to bend but it's still doable. Great for chord work. 

 The 65 is Olympic white and has lots of dings and the lacquer has started to check nicely. The stock pickups sounded a bit thin in this one so I tried some Mark Foley 59 Reserve and they sound great! As said above, the neck is a nice handful but not too chunky. Although it has a 7.25" radius and small frets it is much easier to bend on this compared to the 62, maybe it's due to the neck size?..

 Both great guitars. I've never tried any of the 50s maple neck AVRI's but wouldn't mind trying a 56 some day

ICBM

They're missing a trick... they need to reissue all the years from 1954 to about 1975.

munckee

strat84 said:

I have a 62 and a 65. The 62 is a limited edition from 2011 in tropical torquoise (my profile pic). It has the stock 57/62 pickups which I think sound great, although I have played other guitars with those pickups and they sounded a bit thin, maybe it's just my guitar but they sound a lot warmer/fuller. Neck is slim and the small frets/7.25" radius make it a bit harder to bend but it's still doable. Great for chord work. 

 The 65 is Olympic white and has lots of dings and the lacquer has started to check nicely. The stock pickups sounded a bit thin in this one so I tried some Mark Foley 59 Reserve and they sound great! As said above, the neck is a nice handful but not too chunky. Although it has a 7.25" radius and small frets it is much easier to bend on this compared to the 62, maybe it's due to the neck size?..

 Both great guitars. I've never tried any of the 50s maple neck AVRI's but wouldn't mind trying a 56 some day

I had 57/62s in a classic player 50s strat, lovely pickups.

uncledick

Funkfingers said:

I have briefly tried the new American Original series guitars but prefer the traditional 7.25" fingerboard radius of the earlier models.

Someone else on my wavelength.  I can't cope with a flatter board on a big neck.

Philly_Q

chris78 said:

I had a 62 hot rod that was very good. 9.5 radius, thin nitro finish. One of those I shouldn’t have sold. I’ve had a 65 and 59, both very fine indeed. The 65 has the fatter neck if that’s important to you. Personally, I love grey bottom pickups so that’s where my money would go

Pretty fat neck for a '60s model, too.  And bigger frets.

HandwrittenHero

uncledick said:

Funkfingers said:

I have briefly tried the new American Original series guitars but prefer the traditional 7.25" fingerboard radius of the earlier models.

Someone else on my wavelength.  I can't cope with a flatter board on a big neck.

It depends on the shoulder for me. I’ve not got round to measuring, but there’s not a lot of anything between my Les Paul and Strat in terms of depth - but obviously 12” radius plays 7.25”...the amount of shoulder matters there - I.e. if there’s much of one I seem to want the fretboard to curve.

Adamski

My mate had an “old Strat from America” that he hasn’t used and has been sat in various places for years. Turns out when I picked it up for maintenance so he can finally flog it, that it’s a ‘62 Ri American Vintage in sunburst. It’s bloody lovely on first look. It’s not in amazing shape currently (got a big ol bit of paint missing by the heel and some of the lacquer on the side is peeling off) but I reckon it’ll be awesome with a bit of TLC, plus those marks give it a real authentic cool factor. 

chris78

Philly_Q said:

chris78 said:

I had a 62 hot rod that was very good. 9.5 radius, thin nitro finish. One of those I shouldn’t have sold. I’ve had a 65 and 59, both very fine indeed. The 65 has the fatter neck if that’s important to you. Personally, I love grey bottom pickups so that’s where my money would go

Pretty fat neck for a '60s model, too.  And bigger frets.

Yes, sorry I should have said. I remember people saying that the neck was the biggest fender had put on a strat. Then they released the ancho poblano.....

Th4fonz

cheers guys gonna keep an eye out for these

Philly_Q

chris78 said:

Philly_Q said:

chris78 said:

I had a 62 hot rod that was very good. 9.5 radius, thin nitro finish. One of those I shouldn’t have sold. I’ve had a 65 and 59, both very fine indeed. The 65 has the fatter neck if that’s important to you. Personally, I love grey bottom pickups so that’s where my money would go

Pretty fat neck for a '60s model, too.  And bigger frets.

Yes, sorry I should have said. I remember people saying that the neck was the biggest fender had put on a strat. Then they released the ancho poblano.....

I think it probably is the biggest on a non-Custom Shop Strat, it's quite thick at the first fret which is unusual for a '60s neck, they tend to be fairly deep at the 12th but skinny at the 1st.  But you're right, it's nowhere near the Ancho Poblano!