UPDATED w/NGD video; Buying a 50's style Strat, which of these 2 would you pick?

smogfalls

Hey guys,

I'm after a bit of insight regarding which of these two very similarly priced options would likely be the better guitar.. my gut says "Custom Shop", but thought it worth asking incase some of you have high praise for these recent "AVii" guitars?..

https://www.projectmusic.net/fender-custom-shop-vintage-56-strat-nos-2ts-38265-p.asp

https://www.peachguitars.com/fender-70th-anniversary-american-vintage-ii-1954-stratocaster-maple-2-colour-sun.htm

Cheers in advance,
Alex 

Voxman

70th for me, based on youtube reviews and customer feedback, it seems to be even better than custom shops but I think views will vary. So the only way to know which is best for you is ideally to play both side by side. 

I think this would be nice to have as a special home guitar, but for gigging I personally prefer more modern features. My 69 had a 3 way and it was awkward to balance the inbetween positions so I had  5 way installed, and truss rod adjustment from the wrong end of the neck is so awkward and impractical. My 69s a hardtail but I also prefer a two point trem for easier set up and stability. 

At around £2,400 it's not cheap, but it is less expensive than a custom shop.  By all accounts it does seem to be totally period correct right down to the case candy, but experts on 54 Strats may be better placed to comment here. 

english_bob

Voxman said:

70th for me, based on youtube reviews and customer feedback, it seems to be even better than custom shops. But the only way to know which is best for you is ideally to play both side by side. 

One in Colchester, the other in Exeter. You'd have to fork out the £5k or so to buy both and do that at home.

smogfalls

Voxman said:

70th for me, based on youtube reviews and customer feedback, it seems to be even better than custom shops. But the only way to know which is best for you is ideally to play both side by side. 

interesting! You think it's superior to a custom shop? I have seen lots of favourable YouTube reviews of it.. but I always take them with a large grain of salt as they're strongly incentivised to be highly positive/hyperbolic. The one negative I've heard, (and is also reflected in the Peach listing), is that the 70th anniversary ones are quite heavy. I'm also not keen on the almost orange tinted neck to be honest.

I wish I could try them both first, but it would involve a rather large journey from Nottingham and I have very little free time at the moment unfortunately.

smogfalls

english_bob said:

Voxman said:

70th for me, based on youtube reviews and customer feedback, it seems to be even better than custom shops. But the only way to know which is best for you is ideally to play both side by side. 

One in Colchester, the other in Exeter. You'd have to fork out the £5k or so to buy both and do that at home.

hmm, and then the hassle of returning one.

munckee

I’ve had an AO and tried some others and always found them to be heavier which puts me off, personally id spend the money on a used custom shop where I could try it out first. 

smogfalls

munckee said:

I’ve had an AO and tried some others and always found them to be heavier which puts me off, personally id spend the money on a used custom shop where I could try it out first. 

I'm with you on the weight being a bit off putting. I had an AO jazzmaster that was near perfect aside from it's heaviness, (and binding which I didn't like at all).

Whitecat

Every 70th I have seen appear so far has been well over 8lbs. The weight on the CS one is perfect. I’d take a punt on that one first. Rare to see any CS guitars south of £3k new anymore, let alone £4k even. 

smogfalls

Whitecat said:

Every 70th I have seen appear so far has been well over 8lbs. The weight on the CS one is perfect. I’d take a punt on that one first. Rare to see any CS guitars south of £3k new anymore, let alone £4k even. 

Cheers mate, you echo my thoughts exactly. I do feel like it's priced surprisingly low for a new CS guitar!

NCo

£2.5k for an ash stratocaster weighing 8lbs 6 oz? That's almost a pound heavier than the CS guitar, which is average weight.

smogfalls

NCo said:

£2.5k for an ash stratocaster weighing 8lbs 6 oz? That's almost a pound heavier than the CS guitar, which is average weight.

Yeah it does seem quite a high price for the non-CS one doesn't it? Is Ash bad on a Strat?.. the CS one is Ash too. Does alder typically make for a better Strat wood?

Revolutions

The CS model has modern switching- does the 70th AVRI?

In my experience of CS models, very few of them are any better than a nice standard production model. If weight or grain are your biggest concerns, go CS. If not, for something like a 50s Strat, I’d be try the AVRIs until I found one that felt right.

JonJ1974

Revolutions said:

The CS model has modern switching- does the 70th AVRI?

In my experience of CS models, very few of them are any better than a nice standard production model. If weight or grain are your biggest concerns, go CS. If not, for something like a 50s Strat, I’d be try the AVRIs until I found one that felt right.

Spot on with that advice. 

Strat54

CS all the way. I had a look at a 70th the other day....8.5lbs....sticky neck finish....tiny frets and 7.25 radius didn't make it a joy to play. Great to look at and a nice package but that's not enough for me. People that tell you that recent AV's are better than most CS are deluded and usually folks paid to say that online. Go try and decide for yourself. 

smogfalls

Strat54 said:

CS all the way. I had a look at a 70th the other day....8.5lbs....sticky neck finish....tiny frets and 7.25 radius didn't make it a joy to play. Great to look at and a nice package but that's not enough for me. People that tell you that recent AV's are better than most CS are deluded and usually folks paid to say that online. Go try and decide for yourself. 

Thanks buddy, that helped me to go with my gut instinct. Just ordered the CS Strat.. really excited to get it! Seemed a bit of a bargain compared to other prices I've seen so thought it worthy of a punt.
Cheers for enabling me guys!

smogfalls

Voxman said:

70th for me, based on youtube reviews and customer feedback, it seems to be even better than custom shops but I think views will vary. So the only way to know which is best for you is ideally to play both side by side. 

I think this would be nice to have as a special home guitar, but for gigging I personally prefer more modern features. My 69 had a 3 way and it was awkward to balance the inbetween positions so I had  5 way installed, and truss rod adjustment from the wrong end of the neck is so awkward and impractical. My 69s a hardtail but I also prefer a two point trem for easier set up and stability. 

At around £2,400 it's not cheap, but it is less expensive than a custom shop.  By all accounts it does seem to be totally period correct right down to the case candy, but experts on 54 Strats may be better placed to comment here. 

P.S: good point re; 3 way switching. 5 way switch is essential for me.. I believe the CS has that already, but even if not, I can change it no probs.

HandwrittenHero

Can’t get at the specs of the CS anymore, but from the position of having had a 60th anniversary that’s basically the same as the AVRII - It’s down to what flavour of strat. I found the 54 to have all the plus points of being underwound and all the negatives too. Those were the bigger factors for me than radius etc. I ultimately sold it after replacing with my 56 CS which had more grunt to it and just suited me better. YMMV completely 

fastonebaz

Surely a £600 strat would suffice? 

fretfinder

Didn’t you see this?    
Hope yours is a good one, enjoy. 

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/261540/ft-fs-fender-cs-56-relic-strat-maple-board-trade-for-rosewood-board-cs-relic-strat-or-sell#latest

BigPaulie

Strat54 said:

CS all the way. I had a look at a 70th the other day....8.5lbs....sticky neck finish....tiny frets and 7.25 radius didn't make it a joy to play. Great to look at and a nice package but that's not enough for me. People that tell you that recent AV's are better than most CS are deluded and usually folks paid to say that online. Go try and decide for yourself. 

8 1/2 lbs would be a deal breaker for me.

But aren't 7.25" radius and small frets part of the vintage "charm"? Anything without those features can't be considered "50's style".

I'd be inclined to look for a Classic Lacquer Series at a good weight unless I was determined to get rid of the extra £2k-ish.

Whitecat

BigPaulie said:

Strat54 said:

CS all the way. I had a look at a 70th the other day....8.5lbs....sticky neck finish....tiny frets and 7.25 radius didn't make it a joy to play. Great to look at and a nice package but that's not enough for me. People that tell you that recent AV's are better than most CS are deluded and usually folks paid to say that online. Go try and decide for yourself. 

8 1/2 lbs would be a deal breaker for me.

But aren't 7.25" radius and small frets part of the vintage "charm"? Anything without those features can't be considered "50's style".

I'd be inclined to look for a Classic Lacquer Series at a good weight unless I was determined to get rid of the extra £2k-ish.

I’ve personally always felt that “50s” vs “60s” vs “70s” is more about tone and and aesthetic and that fret size and radius are more about outright playability. I tend to prefer the slightly warmer sound of 50s style Strats to the glassier rounder 60s, for example - and I much prefer a modern radius and taller frets!