It's clear that mans hates this guitar

@anthonyroach7974

7 ай бұрын

Yes my thoughts 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂so funny

@josephstrange2305

7 ай бұрын

@@anthonyroach7974 I bought this guitar and I don’t care what he says it’s a fantastic instrument in a sweet color.

@rolandodacion7093

6 ай бұрын

This guy is just honest

@josephstrange2305

6 ай бұрын

@@rolandodacion7093 still bought it and I think it’s sick

@PXR5-PXR5

6 ай бұрын

Yeah, somebody didnt like his guitar.

Maybe I missed it -- how much does this guitar cost?

@identifiesas65.wheresmyche95

4 ай бұрын

$399.95 I think it was

@Razmataz_

3 ай бұрын

twenty-two hundred dollars

@USNVA-yn6cp

3 ай бұрын

2200

@alshotrodgarage4779

Ай бұрын

Hahahaha…….😂

@timetraveler_0

Ай бұрын

$2.99

I have the same guitar left-handed. Totally worth it to me. Every complaint you have I've not experienced. Sounds fantastic (sounds better than my American Pro II even with the new pickups I put in it), plays fantastic, and looks fantastic. I bought it sight unseen over the internet because that is how we left handed players always get guitars. Guitar Center sucks. I haven't been inside my local store in over 20yrs. When you have close to $100k in custom shop Gibson's alone and only have 1 left handed Squire, you won't see me again.

@voyxu143

11 ай бұрын

Left Handed guitars can be hard to find.

@twintriode

9 ай бұрын

@@markkeeler584 Back when Guitar Center and Sam Ash just moved into town we still had some pretty amazing locally owned music stores. At one of them I bought a left handed Music Man Stingray bass in a trans-teal. right off the wall Thing had a beautiful birdseye maple neck. I wish I had kept it. MM doesn't even do those birdseye necks anymore. Last time I saw them was a limited edition birdseye roasted for right handed players only. Even that has been a few years ago now. I think that bass was the last in store purchase I have ever made. That was literally 20 years ago this year. All of those locally owned stores are gone now. There were 3 good ones we had.

I have this exact guitar, had the same fret buzz out of the box. Even after personal adjustment. I did take it to a local guitar tech and they made it 100% perfect (for an additional cost), but do agree, it should have been better out of the box. Overall, for me - this is my best guitar, can’t complain about anything now. Not justifying the cost or lacklustre setup, but I am 100% happy with it now. Will have this guitar for the rest of my life (and it avoided me potentially paying substantially more for a “vintage” strat)

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Good to hear that you enjoy it. I was hoping that mine would be around for a while too, but ended up trading it.

@VALLAERION

9 ай бұрын

What was the problem with it? Were the pickups too high?

@darrenwoodiwiss1987

9 ай бұрын

@@VALLAERION I believe the nut needed filing as the angle of the strings were causing the strings to buzz on various frets. Other adjustments didn’t really solve this, so I guess the nut was the issue from factory.

@user-do2ev2hr7h

9 ай бұрын

Not defending it, but at this point, there are two realities that are just a part of buying a guitar from one of the big companies: 1. They're probably going to need some amount of set up 2. They cost what they cost.

@OldGrowthRedwood

5 ай бұрын

Every new guitar will need a set up. Terrible review

doesn't matter what the cost of the instrument is. even if they did a perfect set up before shipping, things can still change over time, due to climate and other people playing it at the store. frets can sprout off the board, sideways, etc. it can happen to a 10k guitar made by a pro luthier. expensive guitars are worth it imo, but they're also made of wood (usually) that changes due to all kinds of factors. also, you need to consider labor costs, which people never do and it baffles me. yes, some charge way less. depends on location, reputation, brand, etc. it sounds like you're voicing some very personal complaints/opinions as though they were facts. you just like other kinds of guitars, frets, setup, etc. some people want vintage tall frets.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Yes, those are certainly my opinions, and I do think it's fair to expect a nice guitar for the price tag of $2200.

@thomastucker5686

9 ай бұрын

I don't understand why folks have to defend Fender. Their necks are almost never completed. I have so many guitars without fret sprout, same climate. It isn't just fret sprout, it is sharp as hell fret ends. Shipping doesn't effect the instrument much between California to NY. I can receive a guitar from California in perfect tune with a great setup. People just like making excuses for brands they are in love with. I just returned 3 2023 Aerodynes for incomplete necks. They wanted to send me more guitars. No thank you. If Fender wants to sell me a guitar, they will have to send it to a luthier to then ship it to me as a completed instrument.

@gregs8685

8 ай бұрын

Agree 100% this review is moronic.

@leo._.vincent

6 ай бұрын

@@thomastucker5686 Im shocked you had any issues with fender japan and quality. I own 3 Japanese fender guitars, traditional 60's jazzmaster, vintage modified 50s tele, and a JB-62 jazz bass and all have incredibly well made necks. Feel much better than the American standard neck I have.

@thomastucker5686

6 ай бұрын

@@leo._.vincentit broke me to send 3 instruments back to Sweetwater. They looked amazing. I thought about sending them to a luthier but that would add $900 to the purchase price. One neck had to be refinished on the back because there was dirt buried under the finish. The fretwork was what I expect for a $100 child's guitar, or worse. I had studio work planned for all 3 instruments. One was a bass. I am still pissed. 3 different models sent out of Japan not worthy of owning at the cost of doing so. I own 3 Mexican fenders, all with awful fretwork. I purchased the Japan guitars to replace the Mexican guitars. When the fret work was the same, I decided it is just what fender does. So I did some research and it turns out, you can't expect great fret work out of US models nor custom shop guitars. If folks get a good fender, it likely came from a shop that completes the guitar at their cost. fret ends that are capable of cutting into our skin are not well made instruments. The guitars I replaced all the fenders with were completed at the factory. I wish I had skipped fender on the first go. I am a drummer, I didn't know. After 6 fenders, 3 2021 75th Mexican and 3 2023 fender Japan, with horrible fretwork. fender just doesn't care, they are just a brand now.

Fine review. With regards to the price, I used an Inflation Calculator: $250 in 1961 is > $2500 in 2023 money. So essentially, they've become cheaper.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Cheaper in many regards for sure.

@joellemaster998

Жыл бұрын

but in 1961 you bought a custom shop quality guitar for your money,now you buy mass produced guitars for essentially the same prices....much more attention to quality in the old days!

@CaesarTjalbo

Жыл бұрын

@@joellemaster998 that's a little too easy said. Fender's guitars were designed to be mass produced items, contrary to, say, Gibsons. The craftsmanship in those times may have been high but also inconsistent; one instrument varied greatly from another. The actual custom shop, with master builders and all that, didn't start until the late '80s. CNC isn't very romantic but it does give a baseline quality.

@dreamlifter2701

Жыл бұрын

True but it costs a whole lot less to manufacture a guitar these days

@CaesarTjalbo

Жыл бұрын

@@dreamlifter2701 Why is that then? Did wood and parts become a lot cheaper? Labor? We're not talking about guitars made in the Far East here.

About the tension, I think it's the springs. I dropped a set of Raw Vintage springs (all 5) into my AO60s strat and it solved a million issues it had from buzzing (like the beginning of your video) to tension issues. Brought in chime and jangle that I like. Went from an unplayable guitar to a great one.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

I put some Raw Vintage saddles on a strat I have. I also have a couple sets of their pickups. They have some great products.

@danielstoddart

Жыл бұрын

This model (AVII) has a bridge that is set up floating out of the box. If you're having trouble with that, try decking the bridge by installing five heavy duty springs such as from Callaham.

@GoodmanRecordingsTokyo

Жыл бұрын

@@danielstoddart I don't have an AVII strat. I do have an AO60s. The issue is that the springs that Fender currently manufactures are too stiff and made so you need 3 instead of 5. The Raw Vintage springs (must use all 5) are low tension and flexible. This makes playing much easier and more chimey sound.

@danielstoddart

Жыл бұрын

@@GoodmanRecordingsTokyo Yes, it's often overlooked when setting up a Strat, but springs do matter. The tension of the springs affects how hard or loose the bridge plate is decked and the feel of the vibrato. Players should also experiment with how many springs they are using. I don't use the Strat vibrato arm, so my preference is to just deck it with 5 good broken-in springs.

@geraldscott4302

Жыл бұрын

@@danielstoddart I have never used the vibrato on any guitar that had one. I always block the bridge. I did buy a $200 Squier Bullet hardtail for my grandson. If Fender made a high quality hardtail, I would buy it, but they don't.

This is exactly why I got into guitar lutherie work as a side hustle. I got tired of realizing that just about EVERY guitar being sold new isn't properly set up to be as good as it can be. I currently believe that used guitars are the best way to go. Especially stuff that is 10+ years old. This is because after 10 years any changes the wood will make has already done what it is going to do. Once the instrument is set up, it will stay set up. Defective hardware has already shown its shortcomings and can easily be identified for replacement. This is especially true for guitars with very thin necks. A lot of the new ones may warp or twist because the wood isn't fully cured. If the guitar is 10+ years old and the neck is straight and true, it will stay straight and true. This is why I recommend used Ibanez guitars only if they are vintage, wouldn't take a chance on a new one. It's always a gamble with a new guitar.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Great info and advice. I was going to make a vid on "Old" guitars vs Vintage and if I do I will def present some of these ideas and give you credit.

@giulioluzzardi7632

10 ай бұрын

"LIFE IS A GAMBLE" and Fender will become victims of thier own success. Learn to to DIY your Guitars even if it takes years to get it perfect.

@jackblack2321

7 ай бұрын

Somebody thinks $2200 is a lot of cash.

@chadwickhurlburt6529

7 ай бұрын

@@jackblack2321 $2200 is a lot for me. Thank goodness a great guitar doesn't have to cost anything close to that much.

Thanks for holding Fender's feet to the fire. About the tension issue you mention. How could the tension be any different than what is standard for the scale length? Are the strings heavier than you are used to?

@semilog643

Жыл бұрын

Exactly. For a standard scale, string gauge, and tuning the tension will be identical or nearly so. That's freshman year physics.

@goopee76

Жыл бұрын

Not necessarily if you start bending or using vibrato. The tension of the springs of tremolo will let you feel less or more comfortable.

@litteldave

5 ай бұрын

It's possibly down to the set up. When you're bending you're stretching the springs as you bend so you have to work it harder. Would be worth setting the trem flat to the body instead of floating and fit a couple of extra springs.

@rp89d28

3 ай бұрын

He has the action set pretty darn high 1/8th at the 17th, that will make a guitar really hard to play, more tension. A floating trem adds to that.

I had a similar experience. I ordered this same guitar through my local shop and was very excited about it. The guitar came in, the excellent luthier at my shop tweaked it, as he does every guitar that comes in. After a few hours of play, things were just off. It's hard to explain. I didn't like the sound, (subjective), I didn't like the feel (subjective), but something was just wrong with the guitar, (agreed upon by the shop staff). I took it back and they accepted the return. While they were doing the paperwork I picked up a Mexican Road Worn they had on consignment and I thought, "This guitar is better in every way than the one I just returned". I wound up putting a Fender CS Strat on layaway. Yes, $2000 more, but remember, the early hype was saying that the American Vintage II was "near" Custom Shop quality. Not in my experience.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

I ended up putting my '61 reissue up for sale and wound up trading it for a Les Paul. I was thinking I might just throw my ideas about "quality" out the window and simply look for a strat that plays well and sounds great regardless of the make or model. I will probably end up with a Custom Shop strat one day. It's just a matter of when.

@patdalymusic

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 Try to find a deal on a used Strat. Even in the same year and model, there will be differences in sound and playability. You just have to find a good one.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@benallmark9671 will do. Thanks.

@jcesare1

5 ай бұрын

I've had better luck with the Mexican stuff too; I have a Road Worn Jazz Bass with a stable, highly figured neck that puts most of their CS stuff to shame.

It’s good to see an honest review once in a while

I compared the vintage 2 to the Am pro 2 when looking for a Tele. The pro 2 was perfect and I preferred the specs. What was I gonna pay 500$ more for ? A nitro finish ?

it doesn't matter how many options there are out there for 2,500$. The fact is that people who are willing to spend that amount for that guitar do so for many personal reasons. It's not about what you can get for the same amount. It's about getting what you desire for an amount you can rationalize, and hopefully afford. Apparently this seems to work out fine for companies like Fender, Gibson, PRS, Martin, etc... They simply adjust prices based on market demand & sales on their products in order to maximize profits like any other company

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Well said.

@williamcampbell163

Жыл бұрын

MONEY.

@rodnyg7952

Жыл бұрын

@@williamcampbell163 money

@gregriddle3042

Жыл бұрын

I just got mine, and my brother bought one, I picked one over the other simply out of a slight slight feel, in fact really no difference. It’s like going to a store and buying two of the same candy bars and asking which one tastes better. Bottom line, at least for our purchases Fender completely knocked this into the outer limits of space. Wow, I am completely in infatuated with my 61!! This whole fret issue (not being the med jumbo and how it hurts one’s fingers when playing) I don’t understand or feel or see or get the issue! They feel perfect. I don’t wanna call bs on this commentator but he must of had a one off or …..I dunno. He traded it for a Les Paul? So when it comes to QC he went from a Cadillac to a Ford Pinto.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@gregriddle3042 Glad you and your brother got some good guitars. The les paul is a higher quality build than a fender. It always has been. People have their preferences, but most can agree that a bolt on neck is a lower quality instrument, which is why I talk about a bolt on neck in the vid.

was considering this guitar but i played in store n didnt love it either you mention you have other guitars that are easier to play n that but what guitar would u recommend

@voyxu143

11 ай бұрын

My favorites are The American Deluxe from the early 2000's off the shelf. Many of my other guitars are custom made out of Fender Parts. The Eric Clapton signature is a good guitar, the Eric Johnson signature is a very good guitar. Some of the older Vintage reissues are really good. There are so many good guitars out there. It is important to actually play the guitar, or buy from somewhere you can return it easily if purchased online.

Thanks for your input on this guitar. I was almost going to buy one of these - some other reviewers on the internet had favorable reviews but I held off to play one first which I have yet to do. I recently picked up a Japanese Fender Tele custom and it was $1300 - it played like a dream right out of the box - no adjustments no fret buzz nothing and one of the most comfortable guitars to play that I own. Thanks again for the frank honest review.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, after going back over some of the vids I watched before buying, I am now thinking many of the guys doing the "reviews" or presenting the guitar probably got paid by Fender. There are some real quality Japanese builds these days....!!!

@ryangunwitch-black

Жыл бұрын

I played one and it was fantastic

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@ryangunwitch-black Some people love them.

@boshi9

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 It's no secret that the majority of reviews are sponsored, at least if we're talking about large channels. There are some reviews highlighting serious QC issues with Vintage II guitars out there, e.g. Puisheen's review of Vintage II Jazzmaster, or even Trogly's review of Vintage II 1975 Telecaster. Overall, quite disappointing quality for one Fender's most expensive American lines (outside of the Custom Shop).

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@boshi9 I saw the music shop guys showing the guitar and figured it was in their best interest to hype it up, but there were some small channels doing reviews that I later thought, "man, they must have gotten paid."

I'm so glad that I found my best Strat in the 90's. And got a L P studio from the 90's. Both are great now but have reputations of being "best of" at something. The L P is from" Good Wood" era. My deluxe plus was "As close to custom shop". Still fantastic to this day.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

I've got some good ones too, the '61 reissue just ain't it. haha.

@mikeb5372

10 ай бұрын

Me too. All the Fenders and Gibsons I bought were from the 90s up to I think 2002. Never a single problem and designed the way I like. If I were to buy another I would buy a used 90s one

John Suhr has the perfect quote "I won't be in business if Fender had good quality control." By a used Anderson or Suhr, 2200 -2400

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I am looking at the SUHR guitars, but once again, never actually seen one in person or in any store around here.

I am a lower end guitar guy and had several guitars at that price range. Now discovered that I really love strats. Modified a Squier 40th anniversary a little and now feels and sounds nice. What in your opinion is a really nice Stratocaster style guitar in the higher price range?

@voyxu143

7 ай бұрын

They do vary a bit, but the Strat Ultra, the Eric Clapton signature and the Eric Johnson Signature are usually pretty good, but you do have to play a couple to find a good one. For the money, I would also buy one of these used. The early 2000's American Deluxe stratocasters have never let me down.

My buddy just bought that exact same guitar. His dream guitar forever has been a Fiesta Red 61 with a Rosewood board. When I was playing it before he purchased it, I also noticed some fret buzz (and mind you, this was at a very prestigious guitar shop whom I would assume set up the guitar)... I hope he has the time of his life playing that thing but I wonder if he wasn't just star struck by having one in his hands for the first time and knowing he could walk home with it.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Hopefully he will enjoy the guitar.

I think this review makes sense. If I'm remembering correctly, this model has the OG 7.25 radius on it. I do wonder if that makes a difference. Those 7.25 guitars some people just can't get into. Combine the tall thin frets with 7.25.. and maybe It's more of a rhythm setup. Perhaps this is one of the reasons fender dropped that from their normal line.

@voyxu143

10 ай бұрын

Yeah, it's vintage specs all the way. Very hard to get around on.

Fender really did a nose dive in the QC department in recent years. I suspect the layoffs and the increased sales during the pandemic played a role. Unacceptable on a $2k+ guitar.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Not sure what's going on over there. Def not worth $2k+.

@tomaslopez2940

Жыл бұрын

I bought one of their GC-exclusive Player Strats last year and it had this nasty problem of buzzing when playing the open G and D notes. I had to go in for several setups, add a second string tree, and swap out the nut in order to get it under control. It was even more frustrating later on when I got a SQUIER contemporary strat, and the setup only required one truss rod adjustment to make it play perfect!!!

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@tomaslopez2940 I am going to basically play every model on the wall at the store and just find ONE that plays well regardless of model. They are all basically the same guitar anyway.

Thanks mate for clearing up some doubts about purchasing this guitar. the main question still remain. what do i buy in order to have a trusty sounding instrument? i mean fender strato.

@voyxu143

8 ай бұрын

Lots of them out there. The American ones are usually pretty good, but I have played a couple MIM's that played great. Just make sure you get your hands on the guitar and play it for at least an hour before purchasing.

Great review. I appreciate the details. Have you tried lowering the pickups on the bass side?

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

I can't remember the pickup heights, but I do generally like them lower. I traded the strat for a les paul so don't have it anymore.

Nice playing, by the way. Liked your classical inspired playing position. Sorry that the guitar didn’t work for you. Mine turned out to be a perfect one for me. Though I bought it from a brick and mortar store, fully aware what those “vintage tall” frets are.

Thank you for your review. I agree with all you said and my experience reflects the exact same problems. These issues shouldn't occur on any instrument at this level or price point. I left Fender and Gibson years ago because of such poor QC and the substandard products they were turning out. I loved my strats, but realized it was time to walk away. I went to PRS and could not be more pleased and have never looked back. My Silver Sky is one of my favorite guitars and an easy-choice strat replacement. It's what a strat could have been. My Core's are simply unmatched. Each PRS has been perfectly playable out of the box despite rarely having extremely minor problems that were easily corrected. This should not be the case today. It's sad that these two American icons cannot get something right despite once doing it so well and are comfortable charging more than ever.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

I am going to check out the Silver Sky for sure. There aren't too many around in the stores that are not the SE(?) version. I have heard them online and they sound great.

@lifeenvironments

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 I think even the SE stuff will surprise you. I have core versions. I would like to hear your thoughts on one when you do get ahold of one. Thanks for this review!

@fj5144

Жыл бұрын

lol my PRS "core" are only $10k each and they are unmatched! Haha OK

@josephvega3763

11 ай бұрын

I'm still a fender guy and I got the 3 tone burst. But, I've owned 2 prs guitars and their qc is on freakin point. Those guitars came out of the box ready to go so prs is definitely a great product!!

@lifeenvironments

11 ай бұрын

@@josephvega3763 I would love to see Fender and Gibson make a quality come back. Everyone would win!

I enjoyed this review. Thanks for doing it! Have you tried a comparably priced G&L? You might like it better.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching...!

'I am not complaining about the quality of the frets, the frets are fine. They are just not good to have on a guitar.' I would kindly ask your permission to steal this phrase for future personal use 😉

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

haha..... future personal use granted in an unlimited capacity.

The nicest strat I ever played was the Clapton artist, but yea, sadly that guitar is not a strat (in the 62’ vintage strat sense). I can’t afford a real 61’ or a CS, so I settled on a Mexican road worn, from CME with pure vintage pups, all vintage specs except for the narrow tall frets which I believe are to offset the 7.25 radius somewhat. It was 1000 less than yours, and you get the relic look. If you like that…anyway that is my last strat my search is over.

I'm sorry to say that my 1961 Vintage II has the exact same issues as yours. I've had it professionally set up twice with adjustments, fret leveling, etc. and it just simply has spots on the neck where it buzzes annoyingly at a reasonably set action. This is not being ultra picky. The action is probably "medium" compared to my other electrics and simply sounds like a sitar in a couple spots and buzzes horribly when fretting on the A string on the 3-5th frets. The neck is perfectly straight but just is not enjoyable to play knowing there are spots to avoid. Question- is it dangerous to replace the neck with a strat Road Worn neck, or will that somehow not fit right and be a waste of several hundred bucks? I really do like the way the pick-ups sound and love the looks of the guitar and want to salvage it... I am so disappointed that this was able to leave the factory with the neck having very clear issues. one of the dangers of trusting the product of a huge guitar company sight unseen.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Yeah Shane, I was heartbroken so I can only imagine how you felt. I had not really thought about replacing the neck on this one. If you have a guitar tech, get their opinion on what would work. I also wrote Fender Customer Service an email to see if a current neck would fit on a 2002 model strat, and they gave me an answer in about 3 days. I am almost 100% sure that when and if you do get a new neck that you will have to have the guitar set up so once again, check with the tech that you will be using to set it up. IF you are setting it up yourself, check with Fender to see if the neck will fit and go from there. Good luck.

@patdalymusic

Жыл бұрын

Have you compared it to other Strats? Honestly, most Strats set up with a medium action will have some amount of fret buzz. To completely eliminate it, the action has to be quite high. It's worth it for the increase in tone, though.

@400_billion_suns

Жыл бұрын

If the neck is “perfectly straight,” that’s not helping. You need a bit of relief in the neck. 0.010” to 0.012” measured at the 8th fret is Fender spec and what I use on all of mine.

I got an American ultra. That thing is slick to me. I play with my thumb over the top when I play so the rolled edges on the neck are nice. Then again I don’t think I’m on the same level of guitar. One question though is it seems my pick ups are loose. I don’t have much adjustment to them and they seem loose and then the screw comes essentially completely out

@voyxu143

8 ай бұрын

The Ultra is a good one. The pickup adjustment is probably an easy fix, but it would involve taking off the pickguard. So you might want to take it somewhere to get it looked at.

I love how you keep saying this guitar is not worth the money and then you proceed to play beautiful awesome blues likes it's hysterical

@voyxu143

9 ай бұрын

Haha.....yeah, I had no complaints about the sound of the guitar.

Thanks for the honest review. Its rare I've bought a guitar that's without "issues" out of the box. Got lucky with a Fender American Pro II Tele recently. First guitar ever for me that needed no dialing. Before they got too expensive I liked to buy from the Player series with the expectation I'd have to work on it new to get it where I like it. But then, my finger are still the limiting factor and not the guitar. Thanks again. Will check out your channel.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

The guitar was adjusted. When I got it the thing was WAY worse. I am looking for a good Strat so at this stage in the game I am just looking for ONE, ONE strat that does not have the buzzing and is playable regardless of price or series.

@watchtheflow3880

5 ай бұрын

@@voyxu143mate just buy the PRS silver sky. After my experience with this same one that I bought just to return it the day after I’m thinking about the SS. Everybody seems to agree that they come perfect out of the box. I’m seriously thinking to put down the extra cash

Thank you for being one of the few REAL reviewers of this guitar and keeping it honest. No one would spend 2200 and dog their own purchase unless it was called for, most people will naturally do everything possible to convince themself they didnt make a bad investment. Bottom line, if they're so great like most reviews say.... why are so many used ones on reverb for 30-40% off?

@voiceofexperience

5 ай бұрын

Tells you everything you need to know about most reviews.

@SchmittySchfin

5 ай бұрын

I’m not sure what you searched to find “so many for 30-40% off” because I just looked. Not counting left handed models, there are literally five used ones being sold. The cheapest one has damage and is being sold for only 25% less. The rest are about 10% off full retail. So…

Purchased a Clapton reissue a few years ago. Same disappointment. Took two years to sell it at 50% loss. Bought an American elite telecaster online just hoping to have some thing playable. Sent it back within 24 hours. My 2012 standard Strat that I paid $800 new for was a good guitar. Wish I had never sold it. I’m really glad the vintage two has been sold out for over a year. I’m glad I didn’t buy one because I couldn’t. Picked up a used sg standard recently, and it’s its joy jot play. Our local fender dealer lost their right to sell guitars last year. Small shop. He is very disappointed. Had nothing good to say about the direction fender is going.. I believe him now.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

The Fiesta red was sold out and on back order when I first tried to get it months ago. Fender is probably making more money by NOT sending them out to dealers. Not sure if it will stay that way or not.

$2200? It should be FLAWLESS. It’s not. Fenders tend to be good purchases because of the resale value (musicians are fickle). Still, there are SO many other large brands and small builders wherein your $$ will go way further. I really love Fender for a variety of reasons: Tonemaster amps, affordable/great pedals, and beautiful paint colors with bolt-on necks. Should Fender and Gibson continue to ride their own historical street-cred while dropping the ball for customers?

Hello, Could you tell me if the fender ultra is of better quality? Musically

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

A guy was on here complaining about the Ultra too, so I would check it out. The Ultra is much more modern with many features that are NOT on the '61 reissue.

@Anthony-ru9hz

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 Thank you

I think I got that one out of thousand with the highest quality. I think I really got lucky because mine really plays nicely and I love the tone.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

It thought the one I had sounded good, it just played bad,.

And then he bought that shirt and the rest is history.

@RideAcrossTheRiver

Ай бұрын

Oh, c'mon, Ry Cooder wears Hawaiians.

What about the American pro II? It’s a bit more cheaper but have more playability?

@voyxu143

9 ай бұрын

I haven't had a chance to play the American Pro II, I have heard it's a better value for the money. If you want to get the 61 reissue, I would highly recommend playing it in person first.

@RideAcrossTheRiver

Ай бұрын

The best is American Original series.

This is interesting. I have an AO60s - excellent guitar. I had an issue with the bottom strings sounding muffled that was fixed with just a tiny bit of extra relief in the neck. I messed around with the set up quite a bit to get to the point that this is what it was. I dont find it too stiff at all but there is a different feel when i go to other guitars with same scale lenghts but a 7.25 rad. I wonder if the 7.25 is just that bit stiffer feeling? However - interested in the points about the springs. Might try that myself.

You are 100% correct. Fender seems to want a pat on the back for knowing how to make their own products, which are nowhere near as good as the stuff they built in the totally hand-built era. The one I tried at GC was junk, as all string bending past the 12th fret choked. BIG time. Most of these have high E too close to the edge of the fingerboard too. QC?? Also they are NOT vintage correct as they claim. Where's the aluminum shielding plate? It's just foil glued to the back of the guard. Why not use larger frets then, since it's not 100% original anyway? The quality of the wood isn't as good either. There's a reason that Frusciante and those pros who can afford it use the real McCoy. And I have a freak Squier that would burn even many Custom Shop pieces to death. These should be $1000 tops. Fender should do well to remember that they damn near went out of business in the eighties - so get rid of the corporate sugar daddies and start pricing these things right.

@voyxu143

5 ай бұрын

100% agree.

Avri II ‘63 tele. Nut slot on the B string was cut too low. Absolutely choked playing open. Unbelievable. You know what the fix is for that? A new nut. A $2100 guitar needed a new nut

@voyxu143

11 ай бұрын

Hopefully Fender paid for it.

Please do report back on Silver Sky, I’m curious to hear your opinion.

Which Strat would you buy? I’m considering purchasing one. Thanks.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Used: A early to mid 2000's American Deluxe with an Ash body. New: Any one that was playable off the rack.

@NDFlyFisher

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 Thanks!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve found that many vintage spec American Fenders fall very short of the mark. I’m at the point where I’m doing a Warmoth build, because my first Warmoth is the only guitar I’ve ever had that has zero issues. Let us know if you return it and replace it with something better!

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

I was just at a guitar shop and a guy had a Roasted Warmoth neck put on a tele. He said he has been using warmoth products for 20 years and loves them. He's a working touring guitarist. I have the 61 strat up for sale/trade. We will see what happens....!!!

@stevenblues4170

Жыл бұрын

The best fender USA reissues were the previous American vintage series , these new and improved vintage ii' s fall way short

@dbarnes544

Жыл бұрын

Warmouth is my go to for necks n bodies. I have 3 Warmouths now. You can build a Fender vintage spec clone for around a thousand.

I’m sorry to hear about your experience. I bought this exact model when they launched and I have nothing but good things to say about mine.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

I was hoping to love the guitar. I know a lot of people do love the guitars. Glad you got a good one.....!!!

@williamcampbell163

Жыл бұрын

2200 dollars...nah.

@timothyvaher2421

Жыл бұрын

Your right. Pricing illusions. 🧙‍♂️ 🎩 Know that in 1962 Fender sold out to CBS... A 3 letter agency. So as if "pre-CBS" is ?. It's just an average 🎸 guitar nowadays. One can obtain a Great guitar for $1,000 new, w/warranty. Thanks for an honest look at "pre-CBS".

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@timothyvaher2421 Yeah, you can buy a lot of guitar these days for $1-2000.

@martijn_yt

Жыл бұрын

​@Timothy Vaher I would even say you can buy a great guitar around 500 dollar :)

so whats causing the rattles? what makes it hard on your fingers besides "tension"? the height of the frets?

@voyxu143

19 күн бұрын

Never solved the rattle problem. Yeah the frets Iv found very uncomfortable. Traded the guitar away.

I couldn't hear the guitar over that shirt :) but anything with 7 1/4 radius is going to be a buzz machine unless the frets and the setup are immaculate. I've noticed that the price of a guitar doesn't necessarily equate to the quality of the guitar.

My main suspicion with the buzzing is neck relief, which can easily change with variations in climate. As for the "stiffness", that's probably a combination of the frets and fretboard radius. Vintage-spec'd guitars are honestly just "harder" to play, it's a fact of life. I won't blame Fender for getting things right, especially when the frets should be even smaller to be "accurate". It's all VERY subjective and all about personal preference. Maybe the specs just aren't for you.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

It was adjusted for neck relief. The fretboard radius I already have on another couple guitars and it doesn't bother me. As far as Fender "getting it right", yeah maybe on paper, but the guitar left much to be desired.

@matthewskipper2732

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 Did you return it, then? I feel like that would solve a lot of problems for you...

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@matthewskipper2732 No, I ended up trading it for a real nice Les Paul.

A used Silver Sky bought thru GC is a better investment. Mine plays like butter, sounds awesome and no issues! Came in mint condition used for $1700!!!

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Thinking about a PRS or Suhr next.

I have one of these and have not experienced ANY of the issues you mention here. Mine plays and sounds like a dream. Very happy with my purchase. Maybe yours is a lemon. Oh, one more thing. I got mine for $1760. Signed uo for a GC credit card and got a 20% discount w free shipping. Im stoked.

@voyxu143

3 ай бұрын

In any production there are going to be gemstones. Glad you got one. I was hoping mine would be the one, but alas, no such luck. Cheers.

Fender's quality control appears to be non-existent these days.

this guitar costs $500, the rest is logo

@voyxu143

11 ай бұрын

Accurate

@johnsmith-ug5tp

9 күн бұрын

Take a course in economics and manufacturing costs.

Never buy a guitar without trying it first. Some guitars are made on a Friday. Never. I only buy guitars that speak to me at a very high level.

@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342

Жыл бұрын

funny I got most my guitars online and they ended up great. Cept for one that I sent back lol.

I was a Fender man for most of my 50 years playing life and to me, Fender went downhill the day Custom Shop arrived. They want to sell you a Custom Shop guitar, not standard off the shelf ones like the ones that made Fender become Fender. I started to build my own guitars and although after market value is poor if you want to sell it…..which I never would, I have the guitars Fender would have built 50 years ago.

@voyxu143

8 ай бұрын

Good theory. My fave "fenders" are also custom builds I did, and like yours the value is certainly not going to be realized in aftermarket value.

Thank you for your honest review. I was close to buy this modell. After this i don´t think so i am going to do that. Have you tried some Fender models which are great? I ´ve heard att Ultra series is really good. Thank you!

@voyxu143

5 ай бұрын

I prefer the older stratocasters, the American Deluxe Series from around 2002-2015. Off the shelf, the Ultra is said to be good. There are many models in their lower price range that are better than the AVII. Best advice is to play the guitar, whatever one you want, in person. Good Luck...!!!

@deandee8082

5 ай бұрын

THIS is why knuckleheads that don't know what they are talking about should be making videos impairing others opinions on what they should be buying, this guy is an idiot, no two ways about it, bang for buck closest to originality and it is a USA fenner its the best one on the market period.. go buy a custom 61 strat in fiesta red, $5k, $10k, there is a guy in Italy build you one hardly discernible from an original made with the same tooling, same original lacquers so on so forth, old lumber the works, about $14k , this one isn't perfect but at #2200 it will do until perfect comes down to $2200

@predigr

3 ай бұрын

Maybe, the Vintera II Mexican strato is a better product for the money. It has very good reviews.

I highly recommend you try out the Yamaha Pacifica 612. It's A LOT cheaper than the American Vintage ($750), has cooler specs (Flame Maple Top, Wilkinson Trem bridge, Seymour Duncan Pickups, Graphtech nut and string trees, Grover locking tuners), and the fit and finish is FANTASTIC! I bought it and a Player Strat around the same time, and the Player Strat needed several setups and modifications in order to eliminate the buzz on the open middle strings while the Yamaha needed only two setups!

@danielstoddart

Жыл бұрын

The Pacifica is made in Indonesia, but all you have to do to see the difference is to compare the quality of the fretwork. It isn't even close at this point. Incredible that you can get nice fretwork like that on an Indonesia-made guitar. Fender had better get their act together.

@gpunkvideo

10 ай бұрын

yamaha pacifica 😮😵‍💫

Can anybody guess the drinking game??

First off, thank you so much for you review. Your not just praising guitars like so many videos but are discussing the pros and the cons. I played the 50's, 60's, and 70's Vintage II Fender guitars and I like the 61 Strat the best out of all of them. The tone is not as bright and thin as the 50's reissue. It has a great tone. I agree you can buy a lot of pickups for just a couple of hundred dollars. But the thing is, people want the sound and tone of the 61 Strat, not another brand pickup. After playing this guitar, I decided to go for the even more expensive PRS Silver Sky. Why? Because of what you said, if your going to pay this much money for a guitar, it better be perfect. Well, the Silver Sky is perfect. No buzzing, everything was installed properly, no issues with the paint, frets, nut, tuning pegs, or whammy bar. Everything on it is what I expect it to be. The Silver Sky has the bridge flat against the body and the tenson is very low compared to my 1982 Fender Strat that has a floating bridge. You are also correct, my Sam Ash and Guitar Center do not carry these guitars in stock. You can order them for these company's on line. My one question for you is why did you keep a guitar that you don't like

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Keef....!!! What up? Yeah, I agree I have no issue with the sound of the guitar outside the buzzing. I love the sound of the pickups, so no complaint there. I will look into the PRS as I do enjoy the sound of the stratocaster and the lower tension of the bridge does appeal to me. I kept the guitar to trade for something, and ended up trading the Strat for a super nice Les Paul so it worked out for me in the end.

I bought one in may and had to exchange it for new ones 3 times because every single one was screwed up in a different way, I ended up just refunding the money in the end cause I couldn't stand waiting for another one to arrive and it have the same fate as the others. If you buy one it will be messed up period.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Damn....yeah at one point the fiesta red was on back order so the wait is probably lengthy. I ended up trading mine for a Les Paul.

Prices for guitars are out of control to start with and if they don't play any better, were getting ripped off..And the whole "hand wound" thing is nothing but marketing voodoo..The pickups are mass produced and not very differentb from production runs previously..

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Yeah and I think I made a mistake in the "Hand wound" statement because when I looked back at the specs when I listed the guitar for sale it just said "1961 pickups" so in this guitar they may not even be hand wound.

@michaelsteven1090

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 yup..and "hand wound" could mean anything..nobody is hand winding thousands of pickups..its done by software on a winder..It's all marketing bs.

I have the same model in the sunburst finish. I love it and I have had none of the issues you describe. I bought it in memory of the first Fender Stratocaster I ever had, a 1961 model purchased new in 1961. I don’t think the price is unreasonable.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Did Fender send you over here to comment?

@ericoswood1856

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 No, I’ve been a Fender fan for over 60 years. I grew up in Southern California and Fender was dominant in that market. My Vintage II Strat feels and sounds like my original Fender. No issues, just a great player.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@ericoswood1856 Cool, glad you got a good one. I wish mine had been a keeper....!!!!

IMHO, Your paying fo the Nitro Fin THATS the game changer. They aged, they change, they sound warmer and fuller. Poly fin might sound great but it will not change that much.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

I liked the finish. It was a beautiful looking guitar, that's for sure.

What song is the the riff played in 5:09-5:22 from?

@voyxu143

6 ай бұрын

Lenny by Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Glad to see a honest review on these. You have to love Fenders marketing. Vintage tall frets where did that come from? What vintage guitars came with narrow tall frets? I bought a Road Worn Strat with those and they were terrible. I just built a 62 copy for less than $1000 that beats these to pieces. Great video!

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

I guess they are spec for '61.

@agoogleuser7832

9 ай бұрын

I owned a real 1961 Sunburst Stratocaster that lived under a bed in its case for ten years after the owner joined the military and just lost interest. I bought it in 1975 for $100. I was 17 years old then. I sold it two years later for $240 thinking ...o yeah I'll replace it sometime. 🤦‍♂ O well, Life goes on. But I can say this...to this day I can remember and KNOW what a real 61 sounds and feels like. Oily, smooth, hard, porous in all the right ways rosewood board. Not this dried out crap they are using today. The sound of the pickups. The sound of the ash body. And it was just different than what they have today. Vintage TALL frets?????? Never on an original. I KNOW better. I read that on the new 61 AVRI II that Fender is staining the rosewood to make it look darker I have a 1994 57 RI which I think is a great year for Strats with an alder body and maple. it is aging nicely and sounds great but will never be like that original 61.

If you really play Strat’s (or Tele’s) everyone with an ounce of knowledge knows that a setup is NOT universal. They vary depending on your preferences for things like string gauge, playing style, tonal qualities and feel. In addition, bolt-on necks actually allow you to experiment with neck replacements so you can switch radius size, fret size and fretboard types. (Try to replace a an LP style headstock break in 10 minutes…LOL). Oh yeah…..there’s plenty of YT Video’s to show people how to setup their Strats.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

"If you really play strat's"??? Who me? "ounce of knowledge"??? Me?

@JohnJones22856

Жыл бұрын

@mazsenior, you’re an idiot! With the relief listed(high), there shouldn’t be any fret buzz. Those frets are up and down to rattle like that!

@goopee76

Жыл бұрын

Lol man, for this money the guitar should have a basic setup to specs done AT LAST!!!!

Truss Rod adjustment? Lighter strings? Angle the neck with shims in the neck pocket?

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

The guitar was adjusted. I ended up trading it for a les paul

@danielstoddart

3 ай бұрын

You shouldn't need to shim a brand new guitar. It should come out of the box playable without having to do any hacks to get it to play well.

I wonder if an E. Clapton signature iteration from the custom shop would have the same issues??

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Doubtful. According to his guitar tech EC plays the Custom Shop Clapton Signatures straight out of the shop.

ill be sure to grab and play one in a store to see for myself. This review convinced me not to take a chance with buying online.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, and check the neck fit in the pocket, people were complaining about that on the very early issue of the guitar. I have to say if I had played this guitar before purchase I probably would have passed on it. Happy Guitar Hunting....!!!

I will not a 1961😮Buy reissue for the sum of 2,200 what's really going on we're being ripped off by fender Mr Leo fender would be turning around in his grave🎉!!!!? He made these affordable at one time guitars for us guitar players that were affordable at one point...

@hsyduddj

3 ай бұрын

They were never affordable, they were $240 originally, thsts $2600 in today’s money. They were bolted together then by part time staff who were not luthiers, so all of the nonsense about vintage is rubbish. Bolt on guitars , simple.

My '61 had all the buzzes mentioned here. Luckily I know how to fix it. It took a complete fretboard level and recrown, but now plays as it should. I swapped the p'ups out to get the tone character I prefer, although there was nothing bad about the stock setup.

The AVII Series has been a QC disaster, and the pricing is a sick joke.

If you play the original 1961 vintage Stratocaster I bet you it would be the same as the reissue. That’s just how they made the guitar back in the day. I have a Custom Shop 1962 Strat with 9.5 radius and bigger frets,and it plays fine, it’s not original spec from 1962 but fender decided to change it to a modern spec for more comfortable playing.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Guys back then didn't rip it up Hendrix style. The bigger frets in your CS probably make a big difference. I bet a fraction of real '61's still have the original frets.

No Bueno! Send it back. Sounds like a horrendous setup. Maybe it would play better after a good work over.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Yeah it might, but damn, 2200??? Too much,.

So there is two types of guitars - Production guitars and Custom Shop guitars. Production guitars are slapped together - maybe about 1 of 10 will be a great guitar (estimating). Thats all it comes down to. It's not a premium handmade product anymore. Not really- expensive guitars need a setup even more I feel like due to expectations of quality.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

10% is a low quality production line year.. A good year is when 25-40% come out great.

@GhostFace_OG

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 I agree. It's unfortunate but won't change until people boycott kind of like what Gibson had to do recently and go back to more traditional manufacturing.

@danielstoddart

Жыл бұрын

They never were a "premium handmade product" even in 1961. The point, as he mentions at the beginning of the video, is that these are bolt on neck guitars. Making these isn't rocket surgery-they are mass produced instruments on a production line. Where the magic is supposed to happen is once the guitar comes off the factory line and is set up and finished by hand.

I feel the the guitar industry is full of disappointment at the moment. the quality control for some major company's has dropped so low. i just bought a custom shop Les Paul and had to send it back because the the nitro job was awful, this was a 6k guitar. when i was at the store for the return i was playing a Vintage 2 57 strat, the pick guard was all warped, the neck joint was awful.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Damn.....6K? Wow, it should basically play itself...haha. I am probably going to just buy used guitars I can play from eras where I know the companies were doing good builds.

I completely agree with you! When I saw a few reviews, I couldn't believe that a guitar priced at 2200 had a poorly attached neck. Literally, the E1 string was hanging on the edge of the fret.

@chrisullery3386

Жыл бұрын

I bought a 2019 squier cv 50s strat and absolutely love that guitar after I did a minor setup and changed the strings to my preference. $399.00 was well spent.

@mikec3454

9 ай бұрын

you're literally referring to ONE video out there that showed the misaligned neck, I know which you're talking about. This is why new things have warranties. You can buy an $80,000 car and have some issues days later. Lol people need to relax. What is worth anything these days? Everything is overpriced. It's the price to play today.

@a071831x

5 ай бұрын

I had Exactly the same problem with the E string as you with an American Original 50’s strat. This is so unacceptable.

Sounded great to me. Sounds like a bad retailer failing to set up the guitar. And an expectation for a vintage spec'd guitar to not have vintage spec'd frets. So, seems to me to be a review based more on opinion and expectation, rather than the actual quality of instrument, which is different from quality of setup.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

I was expecting the vintage frets, wasn't expecting them to hurt. The guitar is set up. It doesn't play well. Sure, it's my opinion which is based on playing many guitars. I have 9 strats. Selling this one ASAP.

@jdorr111

Жыл бұрын

Where'd you buy it from?

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@jdorr111 What difference does that make?

@jdorr111

Жыл бұрын

I meant preference, not opinion, earlier. We all have preferences though, and vintage spec'd instruments fall outside of most people's preferences, from my observations. It matters because I'm still convinced that the reason for your bad experience isn't Fender, it's the setup policy of the retailer you purchased from, and I want to avoid them. Obviously they don't value your opinion or your warrantee if your forced to sell on your own.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@jdorr111 I bought it online with no "set up policy" because that would require me sending it back. Yeah, we all have our preferences. You may love the guitar. I wonder how many people have real 1961's and when they got it refretted they actually got the same frets put on it.

Not for anything. I loved and dreaded in retrospect, my experience buying new guitars. More negative than positive for the very reason discussed here. When it came to Strats more often, no matter what the price range was. New guitars required an average of 2 visits to get a decent setup, and I am not super fussy. In ALL instances, I wanted to simply have no fret buzz and feel as if I was climbing a mountain to play. Having said that, I had a positive experience with an American Professional Strat from Sweetwater. But lastly, this plek thing has me worried. If you buy a 2000.00 dollar guitar, to be assured before it's shipped that the set up and frets will he good? Another 200 dollars. Can I get a "C'mon man?" To travel to and fro to get a tech to get it right was such a kill joy. But I agree with this gentleman here. There is no perfect solution, but at least Sweetwater, there is an inspection done, and you are assigned a rep to talk to. If you need a tech, well, that falls on you unless you're gonna go through the hassle of a return. And yes. I get the weather thing and all that stuff. But when you get a hornet's nest out of the box despite trust rod adjustments and such, it just sucks man.

@voyxu143

22 күн бұрын

Gibson Pleks all their guitars BEFORE coming out of the factory. PRS people have said in numerous vids that the guitars play fantastic right out of the box. The wildcard of internet guitar buying has magnified the problem because in the store, in your hands you can tell if a guitar plays well before you walk out with it.

All the reviews I read were positive but yours was honest. I still bought one and I too was very disappointed to the degree that I sent it back for a refund. Maybe mine was a bad one but it was not worth the $2200 price. The problem is you can't play them before you buy one. No music stores stock them you have to buy online. Every other guitar or bass I've bought in the past I played multiple models before I found the one for me.

@voyxu143

8 ай бұрын

If I had been able to play this guitar before buying, I would not have bought it. Could not find one locally to get my hands on.

I got this guitar and I love it. It is worth every penny, of course you have to set them up to your liking like every other guitar you buy. But you are very honest with your review. I love mine!

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

It was set up. Didn't like the frets. Glad to hear you enjoy yours. I traded mine for a nice Les Paul

@plantagenant

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 Problems with a Les Paul?...Lovely, but they don't sound like a fender if you want that sound and , crucially , finding one under 9Ibs.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@plantagenant The Les Paul plays great, but it's a traditional, and yes, Damn it's heavy....!!!!

@plantagenant

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 I never thought about it until I got one that was 9.8 Ibs....and boy does it give me backache..and it's not even that heavy for a Les Paul. Still 3 pickup Black beauty with gold parts and bigsby..who could say no to that!

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@plantagenant I have yet to weigh mine but it's def 9lbs+.

OK... Time for a reality check. A dollar today buys what a dime did in 1961. If you were to buy a new Fiesta Red Stratocaster in that year it would cost $290 for the guitar,plus $29 for the custom color, plus $60 for the case. Total $379, the equivalent of $3,790.00, which is pretty close to TWICE today's cost AND you'd wait a couple of months for them to build it. Anything but sunburst had to be custom-ordered if you weren't living close to the factory. They didn't play any better then than they do now, but players didn't know any better then, either. Tension? Yup. That 25" scale is pretty stiff unless you're using .009's or lighter. Want it a little slinkier, play a Gibson. I just think that the OP is not aware how badly the American dollar has been gutted over the last 60 years and $2200 is pretty much chump-change now. TBH there are a lot of guitars available for much less, and they're better than the Danelectro, Kay, and Harmony instruments they put out of business, but no American player would ever want to live in the places those guitars come from. Thus endeth the rant.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Pretty good rant Dave. Informative as well. Overall rant rating: 8 out of 10.

@voyxu143

11 ай бұрын

@theinnerreachhour9067 Heard a lot about Tom Anderson guitars. Will def check them out.

Fender needs to be plekking their guitars. If Gibson USA does it for every guitar out of their factory, Fender can do it to these expensive Strats.

You can build a really nice strat with custom specs for half that price if you have some skills . I ve just built a 67 replica with Musikraft neck, 65 pure vintage pickguard, pickups, tremolo, cts pots, CRL 5 ways, a body from Rockinger that i painted in Olympic white nitro, i had to do the set up and dressed the frets . It was really a cool process to choose the parts, order the neck with 67's specs and to build the whole guitar, it really worth it .

Ive had 2 guys that own vintage strats say they love the avii 61. I went to a shop that had a 57 and 61. I played both against 3 custom shop ones and i would have taken the avii over the cs stuff i played. So that tells me only a handful of them play good and the rest dont? I happen to prefer small thin vintage frets and 7.25 radius boards so that might be why

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

The own real '61's? Yeah the vintage frets threw me for a loop. I have a custom shop strat that plays way better than the reissue. May come down to being subjective, but that buzz man....damn.

I bought an used one and had the same buzzing issue. They recommended a rod adjustment and when putting the neck back in the nitro finish cracked at the joint 🙃. Ended up selling it a few weeks ago.

@voyxu143

7 ай бұрын

I ended up trading mine.

Last year I bought a Fender performer strat arctic white, RW, entry level MIA fender with 10% off. It came perfectly set up with floating trem and not a single flaw. This 61 vintage II is going to be the next Fender I buy. If it has issues like yours it will be returned. Simple as that.

@voyxu143

9 күн бұрын

I'd play a guitar with VINTAGE TALL frets on it before I ordered the guitar. They threw me for a loop.

@johnsmith-ug5tp

8 күн бұрын

@@voyxu143 You reminded me, the last time i played a guitar with VTF I was 15 yo. I had a LP and my friend had a strat with VTF. His strat felt like a piece of junk/odd to me after playing on my LP for one year. ha That was decades ago, maybe thats why his 60s strat felt so odd to me? Time will tell. When I get the Vintage II 61 strat and if I can't adjust to the tall frets I will return it.

$2200 isn’t as much as it used to be, and it certainly isn’t some magical number where perfection is a reasonable expectation. Perfect is the enemy of good and there’s no such thing as a perfect guitar, so to the extent you expect perfection you’re robbing yourself of joy. Boring topic.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

If it's so boring why bother to elucidate?

@evanherb5900

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 An abundance of downtime at work, and an abundance of insufferable people online. Why do we breathe?

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@evanherb5900 Sounds like you need to find a more rewarding line of work, and stay off the internet.

@evanherb5900

Жыл бұрын

@@voyxu143 Nah, I'm pretty content, but thanks for the thought. Making content that's nothing more than bitching about imaginary problems is the most inane form of creation, maybe look into that and don't get so defensive when someone calls you out on it. ;)

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@evanherb5900 When someone gives you good advice like I did, it's not being defensive. You imagining that I have imaginary problems, though, that is certainly a creation you need to defend, and you are doing so poorly.

I have that same model and it is flawless this guy is going to have a problem with any guitar he spends his money on just return the guitar get your money back and stop bitching he mentions the money multiple times obviously nothing is going to make him happy I bought a 61 and a 57 and by the way the 61 is not $2200 dollars the 57 is the 61 is $2000 $200 dollars cheaper both my guitars were excellent I honestly feel sorry for the people in his life by the way guitar center and sweet water sold out of these guitars as well as everybody else I bought both of mine online have zero complaints DON”T LISTEN TO THIS GUY!!!!!!!!

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

"this guy" is me. The guitar lists at 2090 and with tax it comes out to $2234 or around there. That's why I rounded it off to $2200 so you are already mistaken in just stating basic facts, the rest of your comment is equally off. No need to feel sorry for ME, my friend. I ended up getting a great Les Paul in trade for the '61, so unlike your statement "nothing is going to make him happy", I am indeed happy with the trade. Brian, please don't bother commenting on my videos in the future. You literally have nothing to say that's positive. 😸😸😸😸

I think this is for people who want a cool guitar from the 60s and don't actually play guitar that much. That fret size and radius became unpopular for a reason. It's just a nostalgia fad.

I assume neck relief is to small - that cause buzzing and too much tension on strings. I had similiar issues with my 1978 Tele when neck was set pretty straight (buzzing, fretting out and lot of tension, bending was hard). I’ve learned that Vintage spec Guitar (7.25 radius mainly) needs Vintage setup.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Maybe so. Neck does look straight. It's def high tension on the strings.

@ryangunwitch-black

Жыл бұрын

Lose a spring or two. Tweak the truss rod. Tune down to E flat. My Road Worn became an entirely different guitar after I put five springs on, strung it with 11s, tuned down to E flat and it became amazing.

Why complain, when you are charged 10 bucks for a warm beer in a Restaurant? Its your system, that is collapsing right now!😂

Your frustration is relatable. I hate the feeling of realizing you don’t like a guitar that you take a leap of faith on that ‘should’ be everything you would love. It takes a lot to be honest with oneself about that after the money has been spent (especially if guitar is non-returnable). I will say though, the vintage spec guitars are a bit more temperamental and they do make you work harder for it than the pristine modern guitars. Can’t really fault the guitar for that or for not being set up to your specifications of what you think a guitar should be. Everyone’s got different tastes. Also, altitude, humidity, and temperature can all affect the neck, which could cause the buzz. I just picked up a AVRI ii 57 and it’s awesome. Sure, it’s not perfect and I had to tweak the setup immediately to remove the buzz, but it’s got mojo for sure. Seems like the one in your hands has mojo too, even if it’s not a love connection for you. Sell it to me! 😊

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Nick....yeah, I really had no complaints about the tone or sound of the guitar. I thought it sounded great. I have a 50's reissue that is not as difficult to get around on as the '61, but yes, I do agree the vintage guitars are a bit more work to get the tone from than a modern day playing machine. There are also guitars that come off the line better than others, and I'm glad to hear you got a good one. I had it up for sale.....so you already missed it...!!! I ended up trading the '61 reissue for a Les Paul Traditional.

Guitars, for the most part, are very subjective. What's good for one person may suck for another. I have that same guitar and played it before I bought it. In fact, I couldn't put it down so eventually I had to leave the store with it. Mine plays like a dream. The last guitar I bought before the 61 Strat was a custom '58 LP reissue for around 4k. So the 2k on the Fender felt great. For me, guitars are like Harry Potter's wand. When you pick up the right one, you just know it immediately. And you know a wrong one pretty quickly as well. I only bought one guitar online without playing it first and it was a Taylor 12-string. I'm a huge Taylor fan and assumed I'd love it. But it felt like I let a stranger in the house. Of course there are always set up issues to consider on any guitar and perhaps you got a bad one. They make a ton of these things and some slip though.

@voyxu143

11 ай бұрын

Not one store around me had a '61 reissue in it. So I was unable to actually play the guitar in person. Glad to hear you got a good one that you love. My main guitars are strats, just not the one in the vid.

I didn't catch how much it cost could you say it again?

@voyxu143

9 ай бұрын

It's become a drinking game at this point. haha.

I tried a lot of strats one day and wasn’t sold. Tried a silver sky and was. It lacks the super high fender presence, but EQ solves most of that. The playability and quality are way better.

@voyxu143

8 ай бұрын

you could certainly buy a nice PRS SS for the price of the '61 RI.

Had so many issues with Fenders over the years, when I was looking for a vintage sounding strat in 2019: I settled on a PRS Silver Sky. Still super happy, might want to put a baseplate under the bridge pickup, but it is not needed.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

Seems like many people have gone with the Silver Sky. I will have to try one.

@LLVG83

Жыл бұрын

The 2019 ones are apparantly a bit more pokey, if you're into that. I tend to use a very subtle compressor as well (ThorpyFX Fat General) as an always on (bit more sustain, added fatness). Then I can do everything I need out of a guitar.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

@@LLVG83 I was going to get one of those Thorpys. I ended up with a Jackson Audio, Bloom. If I get a PRS it well def be a used one....!

@sixstringoverdrive6837

8 ай бұрын

Love my silver sky.

$2,200 Made in the U.S.A. so why are you complaining about the price. Made in China price for similar or better quality guitar would be about 1/100th of US price or about $220. Labor costs in China are 1/100th of U.S. labor costs. You should be comparing this guitar to a $220 Chinese guitar for quality.

@voyxu143

Жыл бұрын

All my complaints are in the video. Did you watch it?

@lovannie

3 ай бұрын

1/100 * 2200 = 22

I have a 2011 standard Strat that plays well. Recently bought a Vintera ll in LPB color, had a setup done on it and switched the pickups with Fralins, big difference. I played the American 61 re issue and decided that the Vintera was not far off this one.

I like how the review points out at the beginning that it is a bolt on neck and an easy guitar to manufacture. It is easy to manufacture for that reason and others such as it being simple slab construction, dot inlays and so forth. I'm a Gibson guy and I understand the complaints with them, but I always hate to see people complain about the price and them categorize them with guitars like Strats. Huge difference in production cost and issues between a slab guitar with a bolt on and a guitar with a set neck, carved top, more expensive woods, block inlays, nitro finish and binding and far more things that go wrong. You can get a LP studio with all that minus the binding for five hundred less than the guitar in this video so this really is a pricey for what it is delivering so my expectations would be high like the reviewer. That said, I think this strat is a very cool guitar and I get the draw for people.