My dream guitar! The 1969 Fender Stratocaster! Black Alder body with a White Pearl pickguard, Rosewood fretboard, Body matching large headstock. I had the chance to play one over at Huber & Breese Music over in Fraser, Michigan. That is the greatest guitar I ever played.
This video displays the best sound quality of this pickup. This is what they sound like; mellow, scooped mids, crystal clear highs that are not piercing and a tight, booming bass.
Yup. My Strat stays in tune perfectly with a vintage tremolo. I use five Springs and right now it is set flush, the tone is different and I needed it for awhile, but I do change it float sometimes. I have a 2000 Squier Afinity Strat too, all stock and I use threee springs, all stock and float to pull up three notes on G. Never goes outa tune.
The hand wound Abagail Ybarra 69's are probably the best sounding strat pickups I've owned . There are some still around if you look, Mine will be going in the box with me when I'm gone , we'll miss you AY.
I did. I traded my Paul for a Ash Deluxe Strat in tobacco sunburst/ rosewood with SCN pickups and S-1 switching. This Strat is the best sounding and playing Fender I've ever got my hands on or heard in person. I dont know whats better the cobalts w/ S-1 or the silky smooth C- shape neck. I give Fender an A-1+ on the Ash Deluxe. they are pricey but worth every penny imo.
Love the 70's style headstock. Even though I already ordered a Ritchie Blackmore Signature (and I'm STILL waiting for it) , I will definitely be checking one of these if they ever make it to Guitar Center here in Miami.
My dream guitar! I want the sunburst with the maple neck, just like the one Ritchie Blackmore used to create some of the most memorable guitar moments in rock history: Machine Head, Fireball, Made in Japan, In Rock, etc. His was a late '69 though, with the recessed truss rod and skunk stripe. If this reissue was exactly like his I'd pay those 3K without thinking, even if I had to sell my Yngwie signature and my ES-175! :)
he played pre cbs fenders a lot too. to say that the new ones are all around better is a grossly general statement. thinner bridgeblocks, more mass produced pickups that dont match the neck radius, different wood in more pieces, and the new style of tuning machines as well as other stuff can be seen as cut backs while stuff like improved electronics, smoother and more durable hardware and more comfort could be seen as pluses. its all in opinion. player is the most but everything goes into tone.
The 6 point tremolo system when used with FIVE springs just like leo intended and adjusted properly is more reliable than that modern two point mess with three springs. I use the 6 point with Five springs and I never go out of tune when i use it.
The custom shop strats always come with the Tremolo setup to stay in tune, be it VIntage or 2 point. Go play one at a store. I had a two point trem on one of my strats and I didn't like it as much as a vintage, the tone wasen't as good and it flutters too much. With the right setup on vintage it rocks. He probably just didn't happen to have the tremolo arm around.
I like the using the tremolo on my american standard. my guitar style surf music. so the tremolo comes in handy. THe Two point trem feels great and i think its easier to use, perfect amount of resistance. I like mine to float. when you have the spring tension close to the string tension, its perfect. People are sometimes to lazy to set it up right then bitch and complain about it. Six point one trem is also cool but i prefer the two point on mine 08 american standard stratocaster.
i used to not like the big head stock style until i saw this fuck that black with rosewood fingerboard look fucking sweet. this is the Camaro Z28 of guitars. thats what fender guitars remind me of is Muscle Cars.
@gajaorange I agree but it has to do with settings on the amp and the volume knob is to far down i believe. This video didnt do it justice. Seen and heard better
People taking everything for granted.... Whining about the price, thinking it is overpriced. It's not only about the parts (but they DO use better wood than most) but have you felt it? When you have a custom shop in hands, you immediately understand the price. $700,-, that's a joke! If you want it for $700, you would need inferior parts.
I've had american elite which is around 2k usd which I returned after two months as the price is too damn high. Now I owe an 2009 american special with 69 pickips which I have bought for 650 usd used. I can tell you, quality wise there is no difference in the components except for elite's locking tuners which are sub80usd in price. The neck is a different size(elite's neck is a better fit for me thouh) but the finishing is equally great on both. Pickups on elite are N4 and sound way worse than my new, used 69. Idk man, I feel like Fender is truly overcharging on high-end models.
@bradnotreally you sure can. and itl only take a week or so and probably 5-10 hours of labor... not to mention all the work of getting the materials such as a grip, resin, and laquer. but when fender does it, they dont keep the guitar. so how do they pay themselves? they have to pay employees and shipping costs. not to mention the enormous taxes. id say it costs them about a grand to hand make these guitars in america with everything paid for with no profit. you pay for the craft, not material.
A lot of Leo Fender's designs are over engineered. If you have a guitar with properly seasoned wood (not kiln dried) and the bridge screws are all perfectly lined up then I agree. However, if they out by even tiny amounts then the bridge 'walks' across the screws and goes out of tune, hence the tendency of taking the centre two screws out. There is an argument for two point in regards to purity of tone however we are talking sound creation not hifi so 6 point could well have more character too!
and what is so bad about mexican laborers? theyre probably just as good as the next guys as they are still people. and unskilled? hardly so as they gain experience and training for their job and probably wouldnt be hired in the first place if they didnt know what they were doing. plus quality control wouldnt let bad stuff get by then or now unless there were serious cutbacks. 69 strats were kind of meh but the tone is legendary. its that one step towards tone that people gotta be willing to take
I could hear too much of the guitar acoustically through the vocal mic so it sounded thin, wirey and frankly awful - turn the amp up next time! :o) ...Oh, perhaps a Marshall amp too? Well, a JTM45 *is* a Bassman so the latter would do!
the year don't matter it's the player that is 100 percent of tone. I bet if jimi hendrix were to pick up a 2011 Mexican Strat, he would still sound like Jimi Hendrix or does somebody want to challenge me on that argument. Stop wasting your money on these 'vintage' guitars. Everybody knows 1969 strats were made by unskilled mexican laborers. But now everybody praises them and calls them AMERICAN MADE STRATS. OLD and OVERPRICED. Stay up to date people. New ones are better.
player isnt 100% of the tone but definitely the majority. hendrix would still sound like hendrix on a mexi strat definitely, but would he sound as good? probably not. back then they would use fewer parts of wood with thinner finishes so the guitar would resonate more and more overtones would go into the scatterwound and more open sounding pickups. thus sounding better. 69 though is post cbs so it had machine wound pups and a thick finish and probably cheaper wood. still the ingredients matter.
My dream guitar! The 1969 Fender Stratocaster! Black Alder body with a White Pearl pickguard, Rosewood fretboard, Body matching large headstock.
I had the chance to play one over at Huber & Breese Music over in Fraser, Michigan. That is the greatest guitar I ever played.
This video displays the best sound quality of this pickup. This is what they sound like; mellow, scooped mids, crystal clear highs that are not piercing and a tight, booming bass.
Mike Eldred is THE MAN.....i used to own his old Charvel hot rod flames guitar from early 80s :-)
My current guitar is a REAL '69 strat....my baby!
Yup. My Strat stays in tune perfectly with a vintage tremolo. I use five Springs and right now it is set flush, the tone is different and I needed it for awhile, but I do change it float sometimes. I have a 2000 Squier Afinity Strat too, all stock and I use threee springs, all stock and float to pull up three notes on G. Never goes outa tune.
I did it to my '89 Fender Stratocaster (American Standard). I installed the Custom Shop '69 Pickups in that guitar and they have a fantastic sound.
FENDER IS THE BEST.
The hand wound Abagail Ybarra 69's are probably the best sounding strat pickups I've owned . There are some still around if you look, Mine will be going in the box with me when I'm gone , we'll miss you AY.
My tone secret!
I did. I traded my Paul for a Ash Deluxe Strat in tobacco sunburst/ rosewood with SCN pickups and S-1 switching. This Strat is the best sounding and playing Fender I've ever got my hands on or heard in person. I dont know whats better the cobalts w/ S-1 or the silky smooth C- shape neck. I give Fender an A-1+ on the Ash Deluxe. they are pricey but worth every penny imo.
I live for gems like that guitar!
That's what i'm gonna do too. The pickups are their best in a guitar which already has best quality woods etc. Probably a match made in heaven!
they sound gorgeous, I just put them in a homemade strat and they sound just as great.
Love the 70's style headstock. Even though I already ordered a Ritchie Blackmore Signature (and I'm STILL waiting for it) , I will definitely be checking one of these if they ever make it to Guitar Center here in Miami.
I have an early 1971 4 bolt Strat I bought new. I don't remember the neck ever being as pale as this one.
My dream guitar! I want the sunburst with the maple neck, just like the one Ritchie Blackmore used to create some of the most memorable guitar moments in rock history: Machine Head, Fireball, Made in Japan, In Rock, etc. His was a late '69 though, with the recessed truss rod and skunk stripe. If this reissue was exactly like his I'd pay those 3K without thinking, even if I had to sell my Yngwie signature and my ES-175! :)
this particular guitar sounds great, the neck mostly
he played pre cbs fenders a lot too. to say that the new ones are all around better is a grossly general statement. thinner bridgeblocks, more mass produced pickups that dont match the neck radius, different wood in more pieces, and the new style of tuning machines as well as other stuff can be seen as cut backs while stuff like improved electronics, smoother and more durable hardware and more comfort could be seen as pluses. its all in opinion. player is the most but everything goes into tone.
The 6 point tremolo system when used with FIVE springs just like leo intended and adjusted properly is more reliable than that modern two point mess with three springs. I use the 6 point with Five springs and I never go out of tune when i use it.
they need to do a Buddy holly strat and Hank Marvin strat, ya know early practitioners of the stratocaster.
The custom shop strats always come with the Tremolo setup to stay in tune, be it VIntage or 2 point. Go play one at a store. I had a two point trem on one of my strats and I didn't like it as much as a vintage, the tone wasen't as good and it flutters too much. With the right setup on vintage it rocks. He probably just didn't happen to have the tremolo arm around.
Top Shelf Revue!
@SaypheZonE Exactly. I personally think an amp can change your tone way more than any vintage $10k guitar.
That is the model that Pete Townsend was playing in 1967, after Rickenbacker era. Then came Gibson and after that Pete just did not care.
I like the using the tremolo on my american standard. my guitar style surf music. so the tremolo comes in handy. THe Two point trem feels great and i think its easier to use, perfect amount of resistance. I like mine to float. when you have the spring tension close to the string tension, its perfect. People are sometimes to lazy to set it up right then bitch and complain about it. Six point one trem is also cool but i prefer the two point on mine 08 american standard stratocaster.
i used to not like the big head stock style until i saw this fuck that black with rosewood fingerboard look fucking sweet. this is the Camaro Z28 of guitars. thats what fender guitars remind me of is Muscle Cars.
they have one in west palm if your willing to drive 45 minutes!
@yatah yea i would invest in a good tube amp to get full and rich tone
oh yea and a G&G tweed case too.
@bradnotreally
So what would you say about les pauls and their prices then?
I love Fender but, they should do a better job shielding and grounding the wiring on their single coil guitars.
j en voudrai bien une !!!!!!!! ce son est superbe
@andrewt248
if you don't hear the electrons moving, you can't get the tone
What's the neck radius on these ones? 9.5 or 7.25"?
3 way or 5 way switch?
@gajaorange I agree but it has to do with settings on the amp and the volume knob is to far down i believe. This video didnt do it justice. Seen and heard better
People taking everything for granted.... Whining about the price, thinking it is overpriced. It's not only about the parts (but they DO use better wood than most) but have you felt it? When you have a custom shop in hands, you immediately understand the price. $700,-, that's a joke! If you want it for $700, you would need inferior parts.
I've had american elite which is around 2k usd which I returned after two months as the price is too damn high. Now I owe an 2009 american special with 69 pickips which I have bought for 650 usd used. I can tell you, quality wise there is no difference in the components except for elite's locking tuners which are sub80usd in price. The neck is a different size(elite's neck is a better fit for me thouh) but the finishing is equally great on both. Pickups on elite are N4 and sound way worse than my new, used 69. Idk man, I feel like Fender is truly overcharging on high-end models.
@playlikemicktaylor but do you think, cs 69 pickups sound the same?
moi aussi j aimerai en avoir une ..........mais bientot ...hi hi hi hi
Why? It's Fender... :)) :D
some guy has one of these with a maple board and wants to trade fro a les paul which i have..... im thinking about it.
j aimerai une strat de 69.merci
@bradnotreally you sure can. and itl only take a week or so and probably 5-10 hours of labor... not to mention all the work of getting the materials such as a grip, resin, and laquer. but when fender does it, they dont keep the guitar. so how do they pay themselves? they have to pay employees and shipping costs. not to mention the enormous taxes. id say it costs them about a grand to hand make these guitars in america with everything paid for with no profit. you pay for the craft, not material.
A lot of Leo Fender's designs are over engineered. If you have a guitar with properly seasoned wood (not kiln dried) and the bridge screws are all perfectly lined up then I agree. However, if they out by even tiny amounts then the bridge 'walks' across the screws and goes out of tune, hence the tendency of taking the centre two screws out. There is an argument for two point in regards to purity of tone however we are talking sound creation not hifi so 6 point could well have more character too!
He always says the same things, regardless of the guitar he's reviewing. Surely Fender has people who can talk and play better?
and what is so bad about mexican laborers? theyre probably just as good as the next guys as they are still people. and unskilled? hardly so as they gain experience and training for their job and probably wouldnt be hired in the first place if they didnt know what they were doing. plus quality control wouldnt let bad stuff get by then or now unless there were serious cutbacks. 69 strats were kind of meh but the tone is legendary. its that one step towards tone that people gotta be willing to take
how many "ahhmm"s do we have here ??
I could hear too much of the guitar acoustically through the vocal mic so it sounded thin, wirey and frankly awful - turn the amp up next time! :o)
...Oh, perhaps a Marshall amp too? Well, a JTM45 *is* a Bassman so the latter would do!
awesome guitar! too bad its 3 grand, screw you fender.
oh aren't you mature.
the year don't matter it's the player that is 100 percent of tone. I bet if jimi hendrix were to pick up a 2011 Mexican Strat, he would still sound like Jimi Hendrix or does somebody want to challenge me on that argument. Stop wasting your money on these 'vintage' guitars. Everybody knows 1969 strats were made by unskilled mexican laborers. But now everybody praises them and calls them AMERICAN MADE STRATS. OLD and OVERPRICED. Stay up to date people. New ones are better.
I want to challenge you; I bet Hendrix would sound different on a 69 custom shop than on mn strat. The pickups matter alot for the tone.
first
player isnt 100% of the tone but definitely the majority. hendrix would still sound like hendrix on a mexi strat definitely, but would he sound as good? probably not. back then they would use fewer parts of wood with thinner finishes so the guitar would resonate more and more overtones would go into the scatterwound and more open sounding pickups. thus sounding better. 69 though is post cbs so it had machine wound pups and a thick finish and probably cheaper wood. still the ingredients matter.
its cool , but definitely overpriced :(
no sound very good really