It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
My 61 strat has era correct transitional pickguard and finish but a thicker 65 neck profile, for example. I like the options Doug from Coda tends to select.
This is a good starting point but a total wormhole to geekery
This is is the best link
My 61 strat has era correct transitional pickguard and finish but a thicker 65 neck profile, for example. I like the options Doug from Coda tends to select.
That's exactly what I mean. Mine is a 60 with the 65 neck also. But what make's mine a 60 and yours a 61?
There are lots of different Custom Shop neck profiles so they're more likely to attach the "correct" profile neck to a specific-year Strat, but that's not a hard and fast rule.
As @TINMAN82 says, scratchplates and fretboards are the main indicators. And body woods. Then headstocks and decals when you get to the mid '60s.
Just couldn't work out what the difference was with some of the years. Now that I look closely, you can see the addition of patent numbers and the screw hole pattern in the guard changes from 61-63
https://imgur.com/gallery/JRlOta7
Was set up more or less perfectly and is easily the best strat I’ve ever played. For me, it’s worth every penny.
Today, vintage buffs exam such changes and make a big feature of them - To a large degree the Custom Shop team have done like wise
Today the Custom Shop team can build a 54 Strat , with the different control knobs, pick-up covers and trem back plate, to those of a 55 Strat - Note the serial number on the trem back plate on a 54 Strat - Like wise they would build a 54 with a chunky neck, similar to a Nocaster, whilst a 56/57 Strt would have more of a soft V profile that is a touch slimmer, so they are more vintage correct - As @Brize states above they will get more small details correct as required like the string trees and patent nos on the headstock logo etc
However, if look at the Custom Shop ala carte menu, and as the name custom shop implies, you can spec many different features to suit your needs etc on a mix n match basis - ie a 54 neck shape on a 62 Strat, with a maple or rosewood board - you can spec a 54 Strat with a 1960 Oval C neck profile, with 60/63 pick-ups and formvar windings - You could put 69 Hendrix era pick-ups on a 59 Strat and vice versa
Hope that makes sense
The more obvious changes are
54 to 55 different shape pick-up covers + control knobs + trem back plate with small round holes for the strings and the serial number stamped into the actual trem plate
mid 59 and the move to a rosewood fingerboard - plus a 3 ply scratchplate moving to 11 holes later
Late 62 and the slab rosewood board moving to a thinner lam fingerboard
As such, some years and there is little, if any obvious changes - 63 and early 64 Strat are basically the same other than a L prefix for the serial number on the neck plate - a 61 and 62 are pretty much the same - ditto 57 and 58 - yet look in detail and there are many tweaks on a regular basis - Hence the link that @musteatbrain listed previously
Again whilst with an original vintage model, certain colours were released at various points/dates in history - Custom Shop will allow you to have a '54 2 tone sunburst finish on '62' Strat if that floats your boat