I'm speechless. Except to say thank you Johan, an absolute perfect use of the RUclips platform bringing me something that could only be appreciated more if I were in person. This was priceless to me and the effort you made to film and edit it must be commended, even though I'm sure it was very fun for you. So Thanks to your man on the inside or your man upstairs, or wherever he is, cause he's the shit to! Keep this coming please.
I couldn't have put it better myself. This is a fantastic reference to have. Three things I learned after watching this was 1. Straight off the bat, the 54 Strat was a perfect rock guitar, not just the jangly instrument I associate with Buddy Holly 2. the sound of the hard tail Strat isn't hugely different to the vibrato versions. Sorry Ron Wood, maybe its a feel thing 3. as the sounds are so similar I'd pick the best looking one and thats the 59 :-)
Much like the amps, seems like Fender was trying to be cleaner with every new year. Interesting to see if that continues into the 60’s. Another EPIC vid!
Have a warm spot for my 66, my first real guitar, but love those 50's. The Christmas morning in 74 when I was 14 and opened the case to a well worn Strat that smelled of bars and concert halls was magic. Still have it along with my first real amp-a vintage Vibrolux I'm guessing was one of the first Silver Faces I bought the year before used.
I liked the '54 and '57 best. Great glassy tone on the neck pickup and really nice twangy tone on the bridge. A couple of the riffs actually sounded like they were on a tele. Great video!
They are so close but so different! I really liked the '57 better. It's so clean and cutting and has so much "air" in the sound! This must have been an extremely exciting experience to play all these legends. Thanks Johan, I can't wait to hear the '60s Strats!
Hoo buddy! That was a tough one but I like the clarity of the '54 and the '58 in this demonstration. Some of the other ones seems a little muddier sounding. I also love the "FUNK" of a '50s strat pickup, these are some of my favorite instruments of all time. I wonder how the '60s and '70s models will stack up! Thanks for this huge undertaking.
Wow, this is an amazing project, so much work, so many audio and video clips. Very cool. They all sound good to me. They didn't all sound the same, but I didn't think any single one sounded much better or worse in quality with any pickup.
Great video, lots of fun! The 59 was my favourite. It was very balanced and punchy. Bit of a mid hump as opposed to the rest, most of which seemed scooped.
Based on the comments for this video, the following guitars sound the best: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, and 1959, in no particular order. Ha ha. Well done, Johan and friend! For what it's worth, my favorites were the 1954 and the 1959.
Love the "dirt" and the presence of those early models. Seems like they were trying to smooth out the sound from '57. Looking forward to hear the '60's Strats. I have a '68 myself, and it has that classic Hendrix rawness, but can also sound sweet, when cranked down a bit. I would die before considering selling it, even if it is a CBS. It sounds good on almost any amplifier I've tried it on.
awesome video as always! will you ever do a video on unusual vintage guitars? a bunch of italian accordion makes gave guitars a shot in the 60s and are pretty cheap (200-400 usd) like meazzi and crucianelli stuff, and i'm sure you could rent a wandre for even less probably! greetings!
Be nice to go through the 80s Johan. I have an early 87 standard strat. Very little is known about that period. I've found snippets on forums over the years. It's a fascinating period of modern fender history
I think I liked the 59 the most. Not because it sounded any better than the others, but because of the beautiful sun burst! Btw, it would be really cool to see that Electric XII in action.
all were good but with fender each guitar is different but will always sound like a fender.. the great thing about a guitar is the way it's played and the who has who played it, will give each guitar it's own sound and personality great job on this Vid thanks for doing this Cheers
The 57 is awesome! It’s definitely the nastiest sounding. The 58 was the smoothest sounding. Probably the hardtail. I have a 79 hardtail, I recognize that tone. 😂 The 59 has a truly special neck pickup. Overall it’s the 57 for me
My favourite clean was the '55. Dirty, probably the '54, but I thought they all sounded great. I'd be happy if somebody gave me any one of them as a gift, but they'd have to include that amp!
My favorite is the 54. Best balance between brightness and body. Rich and defined sound reminds me of SRV the neck pickup... WOW. The 57 would come second. Brighter, spanky and punchy. It is similar to the PRS silverlight sound to me.
I know there is a lot of variability within each year due to manufacturing processes and the life the guitars led over the years but in this group the 54 and 57 sounded good.
Finally you've got it right! Fender guitar into fender cable into fender amp! Bravo! There's NO silly nasty noises! Clearly we can hear all strats are different and we can read the thinking of the designers who built them. You've proven the theories to be correct! Each has a unique sound and tone but the unique colour models have really distinctive tones. The difference between the hard tail and the spring tremolo bridges is HUGE! Dispite what that other moron has posted! Human ego likes to always minimise everything! This vid is better than a book on the subject! Thank you for this knowledge treasure for the human race! I bet even the pickup makers at fender had no idea what sounds they were told to make. This video can teach them what they'd built back then.
'54 wins for me. The high end is present but smoother and less harsh than the other guitars. Also the midrange was more solid which gave it a lot of clarity and the low end was very round without being overpowering. The '57 was cool too and sounded like Axis Bold As Love.
Man thats a hard one to decide....I really dont think theres one I liked better then all the others overall....but I was really digging the '59...oh and the '54....um... that '57 was badass too... ok.. I'll take them all.....};-}
Hi, Johan! Thank you very much for such so INTERESTING collection! Who is that HAPPY owner of those instruments? They all are with maple necks, and they all are different from my 2 strats. For now I cant say "that one is better", but 57 and 59 are little more delicious. Waiting, waiting for continue! Zigfrid
Sam Fosdick Thank you, Sam! You - too!:-) I have 1995 and 2004. But those old Fenders - mmmm!😄 I am "Made in 1973":-))) "My" Strat will be next week.:-))
This is something you probably already know but every strat back then was different. The story is the women that were winding the pickups would be chatting. So every pickup wasn't wound the same.
Guitar ocd I read that somewhere also. I love how organic that sounds...people actually touching things they are building. There's a huge difference between perfection and craftsmanship. I'll take hands on Craftsman over robotic perfection.
54 and 55 are so damn fat...loved those. Oh yes, and loved 56 also, which seemed very in-between the two earlier Strats and the, apparently brighter, later ones.
These are all very consistent compared to the les paul's And oddly alot more reminiscent of the now retired MIM standard than the current USA strat's, to my ear at least.
I liked the '57 the most, it has a certain character to the sound that none of the other strats have.
Yeah, it stood out!
Johan Segeborn Keep up the awesome videos man, one of my favorite channels on RUclips!
Jeremy McCant for me it was the 58 but the 57 was super tasty as well!
Jeremy McCant agreed the 57 had a very definitive sound the notes seemed tighter less smushy
57 got mojo 👍
I'm speechless. Except to say thank you Johan, an absolute perfect use of the RUclips platform bringing me something that could only be appreciated more if I were in person. This was priceless to me and the effort you made to film and edit it must be commended, even though I'm sure it was very fun for you. So Thanks to your man on the inside or your man upstairs, or wherever he is, cause he's the shit to! Keep this coming please.
Thanks Scott, we all had a blast doing this video!
I couldn't have put it better myself. This is a fantastic reference to have. Three things I learned after watching this was 1. Straight off the bat, the 54 Strat was a perfect rock guitar, not just the jangly instrument I associate with Buddy Holly 2. the sound of the hard tail Strat isn't hugely different to the vibrato versions. Sorry Ron Wood, maybe its a feel thing 3. as the sounds are so similar I'd pick the best looking one and thats the 59 :-)
The 54 had such a clarity to it. Definitely preferred it to the others
Thanks Nick!
Johann! I am reporting you to my Boss... it's all your fault why I can't get my work done. RESPECT FROM USA!
Hahahaha! ;-) Thanks my friend!
I was waiting for this video. You just read my thoughts, Johan. I’m so happy with my ‘74, even though my dream guitar is a ‘62.
The 55 and 58 sound best to me.
Thanks!
dakota ross Yep, definitely.
Simply the best channel on youtube!
Thanks, I'm really glad you like it!
By far
57, all the way. Thank you for your dedication, joy and imagination. Cheers!
I liked the 56 the best. This is probably going sound demanding, but would it ever be possible to do tele's, and thank you for this
Thanks! Yeah that will come up too soon!
It's like they are all Playboy centerfolds from each year!!! Love the '54! Such clarity and personality. Thanks so much.
The 58 sounded incredible, but I'd GLADLY rock any of those gorgeous guitars!
Thanks Stuart! :-)
Much like the amps, seems like Fender was trying to be cleaner with every new year. Interesting to see if that continues into the 60’s. Another EPIC vid!
The 60s are quite different to these actually :-)
Have a warm spot for my 66, my first real guitar, but love those 50's. The Christmas morning in 74 when I was 14 and opened the case to a well worn Strat that smelled of bars and concert halls was magic. Still have it along with my first real amp-a vintage Vibrolux I'm guessing was one of the first Silver Faces I bought the year before used.
Jesus Christus! Das ist geil!! Danke, Johan! Perfect video editing, soundwise and the splitscreen- just awesome
This is an extremely well made video. Outstanding job. Great idea and editing.
Thanks James, great to hear that! Cheers
I liked the '54 and '57 best. Great glassy tone on the neck pickup and really nice twangy tone on the bridge. A couple of the riffs actually sounded like they were on a tele. Great video!
I really like the 55 and the 58,awesome comparison vid mate,thank you! \m/
Thanks Clive! :-) \m/
Thanks Johan! Can’t wait for the next video! Cheers from Singapore!
Glad to hear it! Cheers from Gothenburg Sweden
Every time I think I've been wow'd by this channel, this happens. Wow!
Absolutely amazing, Johan. Well done!
The neck pup on that '57 was awesome...
They are so close but so different! I really liked the '57 better. It's so clean and cutting and has so much "air" in the sound! This must have been an extremely exciting experience to play all these legends. Thanks Johan, I can't wait to hear the '60s Strats!
Too many good ones to pick just one....or two...or....Got to keep them all! Great stuff as usual!
Thanks my friend!
Hoo buddy! That was a tough one but I like the clarity of the '54 and the '58 in this demonstration. Some of the other ones seems a little muddier sounding. I also love the "FUNK" of a '50s strat pickup, these are some of my favorite instruments of all time. I wonder how the '60s and '70s models will stack up! Thanks for this huge undertaking.
Wow, this is an amazing project, so much work, so many audio and video clips. Very cool. They all sound good to me. They didn't all sound the same, but I didn't think any single one sounded much better or worse in quality with any pickup.
Thanks!
The 57' Mary Kaye through an original 1959 Fender Bassman !!!
Twang and Sharp, the Strat sound, the Fender GRAAL !!!
Thanks a lot Johan Segeborn
Wow. What a great video. It's something about the 57.. 👌👌
The 57’ is glassy as we used to say - and the 54’ is creamy as we used to say - in the olden days. Great vid Johan.
‘57 & ‘58 for the win! That Mary Kaye sounds incredible, and I love the tone from hard tails.
Thank you for this! Beautiful video and looking forward to part 2! Cheers
Thanks, glad to hear that! Cheers Johan
Torn between 55, 56 and 58. If I had to own one, I’d go with the 58.....hard tail and lovely wear.
57,54,59. First video like this. It's a dream
What a nice Collection. Its awesome 🎸✌👍
That 55' sounds FABULOUS!!! Great Video like always.
Thanks, great to hear that!
Great tones from them all ...luv'd the 57... but the 54 is special from start to finish - cool
Hi Johan. Another great video as usual. You should make a tune with that contagious riff of yours, before someone else does! Cheers.
Wow, awesome. Really can't pick a favorite, they all sound great. Maybe my favorite hasn't come up yet.
The '64. 🎸
Great video Johan. 👌🏽
Mind Blowing stuff Johan ... Appreciated always 🙂
I know better than to try and pick one, I LOVE them all of course!Well done, appreciate the extensive effort!Thanks Brother's, Be Well!
Thanks my friend! :-)
Wow, this is great. Thanks for doing this one!
You got your swimming trunks on ready for a dip after the show 😊
Great video, lots of fun! The 59 was my favourite. It was very balanced and punchy. Bit of a mid hump as opposed to the rest, most of which seemed scooped.
Thanks!
Nice that 57 for me!, Very transparent and glassy! another amazing comparison johah! Thanks
Thanks Michael!
Based on the comments for this video, the following guitars sound the best: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, and 1959, in no particular order. Ha ha. Well done, Johan and friend! For what it's worth, my favorites were the 1954 and the 1959.
56 is amazing!
I always kept out of the vintage madness. Nevertheless this is a very interesting comparison, pretty unique indeed. Very well done.
The 54, 57, and 58 have a glassier and bell like tone which I find most appealing in vintage 50s strats.
Thanks Jimmy!
Yeah the sequel to the LP comparison my 2 fave guitars back to back.
My favorite was the 57 and the 59 but yeah the 57 had something to it man something special
I love your videos Johan, this one and the gibson reference are my favorite !! Thank you for doing amazing contents and keep it up :)
Thanks Max, it’s great to hear that! :-)
Wow! Looking forward to part 2. Cheers Johan!
Glad to hear it! Cheers
Love the "dirt" and the presence of those early models. Seems like they were trying to smooth out the sound from '57. Looking forward to hear the '60's Strats.
I have a '68 myself, and it has that classic Hendrix rawness, but can also sound sweet,
when cranked down a bit. I would die before considering selling it, even if it is a CBS.
It sounds good on almost any amplifier I've tried it on.
Sounds like he’s digging into the 57 a little more, but getting great results. The 58 also is my fav
1957 BUT ANY WOULD MAKE ME VERRRY HAPPY.
Great video, Johan. That's a lot of money in those guitars there.
Thanks Matt! Yeah a treasure indeed :-)
What a great showcase.
Thanks man!
I should have finished my comment with, I would be thrilled to own any of them!
awesome video as always! will you ever do a video on unusual vintage guitars? a bunch of italian accordion makes gave guitars a shot in the 60s and are pretty cheap (200-400 usd) like meazzi and crucianelli stuff, and i'm sure you could rent a wandre for even less probably! greetings!
Thanks, there will be many more vintage guitar shootouts like this one this fall. Cheers
:D i love you
Dear lord, so many strats! This is glorious!
Thanks Man! :-)
Super nice video. Never seen something like it. I liked the ´58 best.
Be nice to go through the 80s Johan. I have an early 87 standard strat. Very little is known about that period. I've found snippets on forums over the years. It's a fascinating period of modern fender history
I loved them all, but the tone of 56 and 58 was my favorites. I have a 69.
So far, I’m digging the ‘57....👍
I think I liked the 59 the most. Not because it sounded any better than the others, but because of the beautiful sun burst! Btw, it would be really cool to see that Electric XII in action.
Thanks! Hopefully that one will come up in a video later this fall.
Awesome! That'd be a ton of work! Bet you were sick of those riffs by the time you were all done.
You guess right my friend! ;-)
all were good but with fender each guitar is different but will always sound like a fender.. the great thing about a guitar is the way it's played and the who has who played it, will give each guitar it's own sound and personality great job on this Vid thanks for doing this Cheers
Thanks!
Nice! They all sound great but for some reason I like that '57!
Thanks! :-)
That hardtail is crazy nice!! 🔥👌🎸
Thanks! :-)
They all sound great to me! And if you’ve got ‘em all, no need to care about which one is best. :)
Wow, that Mary kay... tonewise I like the 54' and the 58'.
Thanks :-)
The 57 is awesome! It’s definitely the nastiest sounding. The 58 was the smoothest sounding. Probably the hardtail. I have a 79 hardtail, I recognize that tone. 😂 The 59 has a truly special neck pickup. Overall it’s the 57 for me
Very nice! I love the '57
Thanks!
My favourite clean was the '55. Dirty, probably the '54, but I thought they all sounded great. I'd be happy if somebody gave me any one of them as a gift, but they'd have to include that amp!
The neck pup on the 59 is excellent. The 55 sounded great on all 3 positions. Funny how the 56 was so timid, I'd guess the pups degaussed a LOT.
Thanks!
My favorite is the 54. Best balance between brightness and body. Rich and defined sound reminds me of SRV the neck pickup... WOW.
The 57 would come second. Brighter, spanky and punchy. It is similar to the PRS silverlight sound to me.
Thanks!
Nice recovery from Monday. :-)
Johan for president!
I know there is a lot of variability within each year due to manufacturing processes and the life the guitars led over the years but in this group the 54 and 57 sounded good.
the 57 mary kaye was tuned slightly down, less than a semitone. The 55 in riff 3, neck pu, too.
Finally you've got it right! Fender guitar into fender cable into fender amp! Bravo! There's NO silly nasty noises! Clearly we can hear all strats are different and we can read the thinking of the designers who built them. You've proven the theories to be correct! Each has a unique sound and tone but the unique colour models have really distinctive tones. The difference between the hard tail and the spring tremolo bridges is HUGE! Dispite what that other moron has posted! Human ego likes to always minimise everything! This vid is better than a book on the subject! Thank you for this knowledge treasure for the human race! I bet even the pickup makers at fender had no idea what sounds they were told to make. This video can teach them what they'd built back then.
'54 wins for me. The high end is present but smoother and less harsh than the other guitars. Also the midrange was more solid which gave it a lot of clarity and the low end was very round without being overpowering. The '57 was cool too and sounded like Axis Bold As Love.
YOU ARE A LEGEND!!!!!
Loved the 55
1954 bridge sounded really good
Im with 54 and 58.... cheers Johan!!!
Man thats a hard one to decide....I really dont think theres one I liked better then all the others overall....but I was really digging the '59...oh and the '54....um... that '57 was badass too... ok.. I'll take them all.....};-}
That '55 looks brand new and my friends brand new Strat looks like it has been in a washing machine. Damn relic hype.
LOVE THIS !
Thanks Eddie!
54 and 57 are my favorites....other has more bass in it..but I guess you can make them almost same with EQ pedal..
That 57, oh my!
Thanks Michael!
Sweet! U can really hear the tone difference between ash(54-56) and alder(57-...) body
Thanks man!
Great Work !!! Thx my Friend.
Glad you like it! Thanks my friend
55 for me, so much widespread sound
55 for me at least on the bridge pickup. For some reason sounded just a bit thicker than some of the others. Think I liked the 57 best on the neck.
Hi, Johan!
Thank you very much for such so INTERESTING collection! Who is that HAPPY owner of those instruments? They all are with maple necks, and they all are different from my 2 strats. For now I cant say "that one is better", but 57 and 59 are little more delicious.
Waiting, waiting for continue!
Zigfrid
Thanks Zigfrid, glad you like it! See you on Friday!
Zigfrid Washburn Ziggy!!! I liked the 58. Can't wait to hear the 60s models. I've got a 65 (year I was born) and then a 73. Happy Wednesday Zig
Sam Fosdick Thank you, Sam! You - too!:-) I have 1995 and 2004. But those old Fenders - mmmm!😄 I am "Made in 1973":-))) "My" Strat will be next week.:-))
This is something you probably already know but every strat back then was different. The story is the women that were winding the pickups would be chatting. So every pickup wasn't wound the same.
Guitar ocd I read that somewhere also. I love how organic that sounds...people actually touching things they are building. There's a huge difference between perfection and craftsmanship. I'll take hands on Craftsman over robotic perfection.
Great - my favorite so far -56!!
Thanks Leif!
Agree. Feel like it really has that hollow stringy tone.
54 and 55 are so damn fat...loved those. Oh yes, and loved 56 also, which seemed very in-between the two earlier Strats and the, apparently brighter, later ones.
F*** it, I can't decide. They are all amazing with each and own personality :-)
good video friend, good sound the guitars
Thanks my friend!
I really liked 54 55 and 57 some special sauce goin on there
Thanks Greg!
These are all very consistent compared to the les paul's
And oddly alot more reminiscent of the now retired MIM standard than the current USA strat's, to my ear at least.
Thanks, there will be much differences when we include the longer time span