I also just turned 70. Damn. Happier for the Strat!

@danabiondo9243

4 ай бұрын

"Forget" The Number. It's Just a Number. Start Telling Your Self, What Ever Number. Sounds Good to You. "Maybe" 30, 32, 38, 44. 55. You Choose. You have Nothing to Loose. ✨️✨️✨️🙂

@Tonetwisters

4 ай бұрын

LOL! I'm 76! My very first guitar was a '54 I got for Christmas of 1963. $75 from one of the downtown Jacksonville pawn shops on West Bay Street. This is probably just another Stratocaster they are calling a "1954." But it darn sure looks tempting ...

@bladeoflucatiel

4 ай бұрын

​@@TonetwistersDo you still have it?

@cosmicraysshotsintothelight

3 ай бұрын

They age well... our husks do not. :-) I thought I had a couple more decades in me, but my skin and Psoriasis has other plans. Happy 70. And the Strat too.

@julesleyhe

3 ай бұрын

What's your serial number? JK, Happy 70 laps around the sun!

The only thing wrong with your videos, is that we have to wait too long between them!! Nice to see you again, young man! Play those guitars!!

@MatthewScottmusic

4 ай бұрын

I'm sorry I was gone too long. I'm back on it. ✌🏻👊🏻

@trainnerd3029

4 ай бұрын

Quality takes time my friend!

@whynottalklikeapirat

4 ай бұрын

The greatest joy is in the expectation - science actually bears that out, it’s how the brain chemistry works …

@stephenstevens6573

4 ай бұрын

@@MatthewScottmusic man!! I'm just teasing!! I Love your work! Just keep em coming!!

@bluekoi455

4 ай бұрын

It’s always a nice gift to see anew vid drop! This one doesn’t disappoint!

The unique and priceless thing about Leo Fender's original design (apart from body and neck shape) was the three pickup, single coil configuration and exactly where (harmonically) and at what angle they were positioned. I recently purchased a second hand Squier Strat for £60 and after some hours filing and smoothing fret ends, adjusting nut, truss rod, intonation etc she has at least 90% of the very best of the very best Fender sound. Plays beautifully and stays perfectly in tune after using extensive trem ♥ Never owned a Strat of any kind before but they're amazing!

@GCKelloch

4 ай бұрын

I have several Strat type guitars, and while I like a lot about the pickup configuration, I think, much like the 6 screw trem bridge plate, the spacing of the pickups had more to do with looks than string harmonic mode considerations, with the exeption of the angled bridge pickup and posssobly the neck pickup pos. The Strat has a well-proportioned look, and people are attracted to things that look that way i.e.facial feature proportions.

@predigr

14 күн бұрын

I am very eskeptical a Squier can be as good as a Fender. Very skeptical. My first guitar was a Squier and it was a very bad guitar in comparison just with a Koean Fender, not even American (however, my Korean is probably better than many Americans...). I also have a modern Squier and it is way better than my first guitar but still, miles away from a good Fender. Bridge has a bad design that can hurt you. Tunners are terrible. Pickups have less dynamics. The neck is a good Squier one, but still, miles away from a good Fender in playability. Now, regarding recorded sound, that is no longer a point because you can play with a milk carton that can sound as good as a custom masterbuild Fender...

I graduated in ‘96, which was Fender’s 50th anniversary. I used some scholarship money I received from the local Masons to buy myself a brand new American Standard 3-tone sunburst Strat with a rosewood fretboard. Still have it. Hadn’t played it in a few years because the frets were shot. Intonation was out of the question. Watched some KZread videos to gain some tips and successfully refretted it myself. Now it’s back in playing order and in the fold. Thank you KZread. I wish you were around when I was a kid. I’d probably be doing something in the music industry instead of testing switchgear.

@RoryOBrien85

4 ай бұрын

96 would have been their 42nd anniversary considering 2024 is their 70th?

@SeanOHanlon

4 ай бұрын

​@@RoryOBrien85 Fender was founded in 1946.

the custom shop should relase a 140th anniversary strat NOW !! thats how ahead of his time leo was back then, what a guy 😇thanks matthew, superb 👍👌

@OMARA.OFFICIAL

4 ай бұрын

I got that “HM” strat re-issue been my main gig guitar since. Fender is killing it 🤘🎸🤘

Rhett Shull said head over here for a review by Matt Scott who does a good job and really knows what he's talking about. Thank you Matthew! I am 70 and have been guitar in hand for 66 years. Great review. I will start looking!

The Stratocaster body design simply cannot be beaten in my humble opinion. I finally managed to buy a new sunburst USA Highway One in the mid-2000s, and I’m never going to part with it. Yes, I am currently having an affair with a low-cost pretender, more precisely, with its streamlined heel joint which suits my ageing digits, but in the end, it’s the Fender that will stay with me forever. Thank you so much Mr Leo Fender for creating this iconic instrument.

I'm an old guy that's been playing guitar since surf music was popular back in the sixties. I've owned two fifty four Stratocasters I paid less than a thousand dollars for each of them. To be perfectly honest I really didn't like the way they played. The best stratecaster I ever owned was a nineteen sixty three with the b neck. Absolutely fantastic. Really should have held on to that one. Oh well.😢

@GreenDistantStar

4 ай бұрын

I've had the good fortune to play a couple of '54 Strats. One was okay, the other was not. It hummed, squealed, had thin, short frets and didn't feel right in my hands at all.

@Jim-ro5sl

4 ай бұрын

@@GreenDistantStar I agree. The ones I had were really hard to play.

@colevanbalen7205

4 ай бұрын

dont be afrraid to type numbers out

@slimturnpike

4 ай бұрын

Early 60s strats are the best

@michaelbartgen7096

4 ай бұрын

@@colevanbalen7205😂

The Fender 60th anniversary '54 Strat is actually more period correct (including the single-seam, center pocket case and pickups); and the bodies are noticeably lighter (mine only weighs a hair over 6.5 lbs-2 piece swamp ash...)!

Thank you!! I’ve been listening to your album almost daily since it came out. Awesome stuff.

Beautiful playing Matt, the incredibly crisp snap of the new strings on new frets give it away as just off the line, regardless of the 'vintage' tag. Really highlights your love of well played instruments and their unique character. I'd bet in a head to head, same guitar/different (modern) amp it would not sound 'special'. Appreciate you taking the time and effort/equipment for us to evaluate.

Awesome video. I always dreamed of owning a Les Paul as a kid. They're all I dreamed about. As I became a gigging musician years ago, despite my best efforts at resistance, I fell in love with Fender. My #1 is a 1959 Custom Shop relic Strat. To say I love that guitar would be an understatement. I have a Mexican Stratocaster that I bought new when I was 16 (I'm 44 now) and that thing has traveled with me all across the US and EU during the late 90s and early 2000s. Our band was playing festivals and opening for larger acts, and the scars and memories that thing holds are priceless. I know that once I'm dead and gone it will just be a beat up junk Mexican Strat for someone to throw away, but there is no amount of money I could be offered to part with it. I don't believe Mexican Strats are junk, but lets face it, unless it is American made, a beat up Strat has no collector or "vintage" value outside of its sentimental worth to me.

@Riverdeepnwide

4 ай бұрын

Groove it's really great to read your post thanks this.

@scottenglert4083

4 ай бұрын

I doubt it will be considered a junk Strat... I think it would live on and be making cool music for a long time to come !

@BillyMac812

4 ай бұрын

What type of music did your band play?

@arocker23

4 ай бұрын

I love your story. I’m 45 and I also have a 90s Mexican Strat that I absolutely love. I learned to play guitar on it. I upgraded it to Fender 57/62 reissue pickups back in the 90s. I also wouldn’t get rid of it.

@GuitarIv69

4 ай бұрын

My mexican Jim Root Telecaster is one of the most stable and in tune instruments I ever played. An absolute workhorse for gigging. I replaced the EMGs with passives and the black hardware with chrome so it is more traditional and less metal and I play lots of blues and hard rock on it. She's beaten and the nitro finish is wearing but damn she's great! Guitars are tools, you just need to find reliable ones. Doesn't matter if Mexican or US :)

8 lbs? What a tank!! My 50th Anniversary 54 was 6lb 14 oz. I regret selling it now.

Wonderful playing as usual. Always a pleasure to hear you play!

Hey Mr. Matthew Scott, congratulations on having your very own 1954 Fender Stratocaster! I saw you did a video about it years ago despite it wasn't yours, but I'm happy to see you finally have your dream guitar from Fender. Happy 70th Anniversary, Fender Stratocaster. From Vietnam with love. P.S. I also have that same guitar as well, but it's Vietnamese made based on the original design.

Matt, you sound so good playing your 59 thru a Super Reverb or your Bassman. You have your own unique sound. When you play through something else or you play a different guitar, you sound like anybody else.

I could just sit and listen to jam sessions all day! Thanks for putting out the videos. 🤙🏼

Great video - loved how you verbally covered the bases before playing. Nice and unique.

Here's my little PSA to you all: If Fender has done the same thing with this reissue as they did with the 60th, remove the knobs immediately if you'd like to play it regularly. The knobs will inevitably crack if they are using the period correct bakelite knobs. I had one crack on mine and when I listed it for sale, I got TONS of inquiries of people asking if I'd be willing to sell the knobs, (even the cracked one). Great playing as always Matthew.

@forester057

4 ай бұрын

Selling your knob. Sounds like a dream job.

@jerryyeaaah15

4 ай бұрын

@@forester057lmao

@Mark70609

4 ай бұрын

Good point. Thanks for the tip.

@rebelcat420

4 ай бұрын

I contacted fender to get a replacement knob for one on my 60th custom shop strat that cracked, and they told me to take the guitar to a repair center, which would involve shipping it…just for them to give me a damn knob!

@anthonycraig1458

4 ай бұрын

I wish they'd make the 54 knobs available separately (and more robust). I bought a 60th anniversary strat from someone but the knobs were later replacements as presumably the originals had broken. Nice guitar though and luckily the switch tip and pickup covers were intact.

Beautiful guitar! Congrats. Dude… your videos are SO GOOD!

The first few years of the Stratocasters were all over the map in terms of shapes and contours. I wonder if sourcing the lightweight ash is hard even for Fender. Nice playing as always! 👍

@ericweissberg1101

4 ай бұрын

Apparently, it is. I believe they save the lightweight ash for the custom shop guitars. But 8 lbs 12 oz is Les Paul territory!

Matthew, You should give me this Guitar, I was Born in 1954, And I turn 70 this Month, Thank YOU , Cousin Figel

@Em_Dee_Aitch

4 ай бұрын

I concur wholeheartedly.

@ronnie5129

4 ай бұрын

@@Em_Dee_Aitch Thank You,

@giulioluzzardi7632

3 ай бұрын

Agreed , you deserve it!

can’t wait to come back and watch this one after work. always inspired when you upload matt.

Enjoyable as always. Love your Toys. Good to see & hear you again. Best Regards Always.

It sounds crisp like my old 74 ash strat. Great demo.

That bridge pick up though 🔥🔥🔥

Sounds incredible to me!! I could listen to you play all day long. Great vid!!

Luvit Matthew! And I hav to say, Fender seem to've tried a LOT harder with this than my one... I bought the 25th Anniversary Strat as a youngster, (God I can'tbeleive they're on 70 years already! 😱). It was ridiculously heavy, (and quite possibly damaged my left shoulder over time...). Also, some bad-mouthers said that Fender made the '25th' from 'Old Unused Parts' swept up at the factory!... Not sure that's true, but can definitely say this '54/70th sounds wonderful in your capable hands mate... Lovely stuff, thanks!... Bobby 🙏

Nice playing!

Looks gorgeous! Also sounds fantastic in Matthew’s hands! 🎸🔥🎸🔥🎸

That’s just like the one I just bought! I LOVE IT! I did a complete setup, and it’s now amazing both to play as well as look at!

Hi Matthew, new sub here, love the exploring old guitar videos!! Watched giging videos and the studio stuff ...pretty cool!! Have a great day!!

@Charles-xq6mr

4 ай бұрын

So, how about this... Of the guitars you've done an autopsy on, how many do you still have? Bought, sold or traded? Did you ever finish the red body? That was cool ...there's the next episode. Btw doesn't sound as good as your 59

thank you for your video on the 70th anniversary i like that Antigua Finish , it appears to be the only large headstock limited 70th i have seen so far .

It does not matter which guitar you play, everything you play sounds warm and nice! And most of the time no effects! ❤

Great !! Rocking Out !!

That is a sweet guitar & case combo.

Excellent! Thanks for sharing.

I looked it up on Sweetwater & these 70th Anniversary Stratocasters are all over the ma as far as weight goes, ranging on the low side from 7lb 8oz up to 8lb 12oz (whoa!)

Dude, I could listen to you play for hours

Nicely done,got some great tones out of that Strat.

Great video, thank you

I would agree. Best guitar, period. And the early '54s had the serial numbers in the top of the springs plate. Mine was 0517. This thing sure sounds good!!

I was really hoping for the 54 headstock with the rounded edges. that would have been icing on the cake

Amazing Fender is killing it! I got my first strat 2 years ago the MiJ limited re-issue “HM” Stratocaster and currently using as my main gig and studio guitar 🤘🎸🤘

@yetimatzenightcat8702

4 ай бұрын

Woow congrat's to your MIJ 👍

What a great guitar, you really show cased this one well brother 👌🤙

FANTASTIC Video. Thank You VERY Much. Subscribed for life.

Nice tone

Sounds terrific by the way!

ALWAYS love your videos and your MUSICAL ABILITY. A EXCELLENT guitarist!!!

The Mirrors album has no filler songs. My man is out here putting his soul into these songs and making a true classic album from start to finish. I think Matthew has too much respect for the culture to give anything less. I don't wanna hear anyone cry about the state of music if they aren't out there buying this album 😉 seriously.

@MatthewScottmusic

4 ай бұрын

Wow thank you so much. Record #2 inbound! 🙏🏻🤟🏻

@zino4073

4 ай бұрын

​@@MatthewScottmusicwoohoooooooo

@Flametopology

4 ай бұрын

Matt's our Stevie Ray 😊

First I have heard of the 70th. I currently own a Custom Shop 2004/5 50th anniversary Strat built by Master Builder JT English. Found it at a little boutique online shop... it included the original 2 cases and all case candy... I'm a nut so I put together a little time capsule with the original Fender Frontline 2004 catalog with the add for the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary Stratocaster, a Fender Authorized 1995 reprint of the original folding Sales Catalog from 1954, a reprint of the Custom Shops JT English obituary found online on Fenders website in 2008, a 1954-2004 Custom Shop license plate, Tom Wheelers "The Stratocaster Chronicles" a history celebrating 50 years of the Stratocaster and a real 1954 Franklin Half Dollar (for posterity). I also own the 2004 American Deluxe Stratocaster 50th Anniversary Edition. At the age of 42 in the year 2000 I began a serious journey of learning to play guitar and the above equipment was all part of that journey. Today I am 65, have been playing for 23 years and have never regretted one moment of guitar collecting and playing. Thank you Matthew for your videos, I love seeing your journey of the older equipment finds you have made. Keep up in tune...! nwh

@Em_Dee_Aitch

4 ай бұрын

That’s John English! Never let it go!

Thank you!! Great video and beautiful sounds. One question, can we change the 3-way to 5-way? Or just put something to keep the switch position in-between, with 3-way switch. Thank you again I love your channel.

i listen to your albuns everyday bro. Love your stuff

In your demos regular open chording will also show extra tones of the guitars rather than only ever single notes,

My one and only electric 6 is a 2010 Standard Strat, two piece ash body, one piece maple neck. Sunburst too. Looks remarkably like that one, but cost £500 and weighs a gnat's under 7lb. Maybe the extra thousands in that 70th's price is all down to that extra 1lb. Bar o' gold, maybe?

If you started out in the neck position, the guitar sounds extremely bright to me. -Nice looking. If it doesn't break the bank, it would be a nice addition to a player's arsenal.

@joeltunnah

4 ай бұрын

Yeah all I heard in this demo was treble and bite. Some off-putting overtones too. Maybe it's the heavy ash body?

Nice video as always. 0:08 what's the signal chain here? How did you get this thick sound?

Maybe I should have paid more attention to what was said during that excellent video but I was just wondering if the neck had a 7.25" radius and a 3-way switch like the original models ?

Great reviews! First thing I noticed that was NOT present was the body neck pocket corner angles are not the sharp 90*... they have the curve of later models.

Great review !

Fender just casually sends you a 70th Anniversary Strat....that's wild!!!!

@Angel-fz8dr

4 ай бұрын

Don’t worry, they will have it back, after he makes his videos.

Sounds great!

I have a 1994 anniversary strat i bought new back in the day. After pre agreeing on price i spent a few hours in a room full of strats being able to pick whatever one i wanted. While some had more expensive options the one i choose was basically a straight up American standard with the anniversary badges on it. I still use it everyday especially when recording because it just records better than any other guitar i own. After all these years its never needed to be set up or repaired, although well worn the frets dont buzz and the intonation is good. My old hands prefer my tele these days, but when i want to lay down something i always end up using my trusty old strat to avoid disappointment during playback.

I love to watch and hear your playing. I was curious about your take on playing a new guitar with the metal buttons on your shirt 😲⁉️🙂

Beautiful...From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ✌

@mauriciom.jr.1829

4 ай бұрын

What do you have?

fabulous guitar!

I never wanted a '54 Strat before - but I do now.

Back in the days before the internet very few people cared about the weight of a guitar. In fact, at the local stores the heavier guitars were more likely to sell quicker than the lighter ones. Of course, we were in our teens and 20’s then. As we age or deal with health situations heavy has fallen out of favor. Interestingly enough the best sounding Strat I ever had was 9 LBs. A fantastic ‘69 Strat I wish I’d kept. Thanks for the demo and rundown. For what it’s worth, I think it sounds really good.

While interesting, your videos of true vintage guitars are more exciting to me. It is always a pleasure to hear your playing.

I fell in love with Strats as soon as i saw one. They look like rock and roll to me. I'm on the cusp of 69. I have a late 90s MIM one and a much newer, bought in a garage sale, MIC Squire. Love them both and wouldn't sell them for the world. A real Fender is sadly out of my budget.

What back in 54 that cost about $100....How much is it now?I love all strats.A heavier strat is better.Susutain.The 70's strats lighter.Neat guitar overall.

Cool video you're playing is incredible as usual...maybe do a sound comparison with your '59...

Im always interested in the trem set. Free movement up and down? Sounds beautiful.

Sounds great Matthew. For a heavy guitar it has great tone.

I would have to say I've picked up super light guitars that had awesome tone as well !

@petdoe8938

4 ай бұрын

Me to I have a pine telecaster sounds beautiful being old I only buy light guitars

Dunno if it’s the guitar or you, but man it sounded good. Probably you. Dang I love strats. Every time I just start thinking a teeny bit about playing something else I am reminded why I love them so much.

hey nice post , you don't miss a note in guitar world, i like that about your KZread site / page ... something old, something new, something borrowed, something to play the blue...s and anything else i suppose keep rock-in' :)

IMO I’m with you on the weight. Lighter body less finish more resonance.However; I believe that the thicker the neck the better the tone, and roasted necks are even better. IMO I did and A/B with a 54 reissue that had a smallish C and put a Mayer Sig USA neck on it and it was so much fuller, warmer and just more everything period. I do like what I’m seeing here, how big is the neck? Is it 59 John English big or maybe more Mayer US big if you’ve played one? Thank you for what you do. You’re doing what you love and doing it well.

Great playing style. Very nice.

Looks pretty cool! The minute you said 2 piece ash I thought “This will be a Heavy one haha. Good thing Sweetwater shows the weight on each guitar

how does the lacquer feel? is it the same as AVII Poly under nitro?

Looks good and sounds good, I guess that's what matters! I'd like to see more makers using maple necks!

That’s sweet. I’m gonna wait until the 75th. 😀👍

Would have loved to hear your assessment of the guitar once you played it. I have had two of the 60th anniversary customer shop, and those are fantastic guitars. Only models that used a special version pickup. They also sold those pickups and I found a place that still have then new a couple of years ago, so I bought 6 sets, lol.

Nice demonstration.

Matt you’re a great player, and sounding great. Did fender send this to you for free to review? If that’s that case, let’s see some smiles!

Thank you for testing this Anniversary Strat right away. I own an American Vintage II Strat and I wonder if the Anniversary version is really worth it for a US$1000.- more (in Europe) than the AVII?

That is a sweet guitar. I would love to have it.

I ordered a Strat through the MOD shop. I wanted a '57 looking Strat like (Buddy Holly) but with a modern compound radius neck. Mine came in at 7lbs 7ozs. alder body that looks like 1 piece, 2 tone burst. single ply pickguard etc. Fender far exceeded my dreams, it's incredible and I'm super picky. Even 8 lbs seems heavy now, close to 9 lbs would be tough to live with.

Would love to know what noise gate pedal Matthew is using on his demos? Or if it's a plug-in, what that would be?

a short guitar cord into the jack, connect an OHM meter ? the toggle switch to chose a pickup ? and find the OHMage I just learn t something no more taking the pickups out of the guitar first thanks Mathew😊

my wife got me a 75th Anniversery, let me pick out the pickupd setup. i never had a strat before. i got it like my Ibanez Jem: Double, Single , Double. I love the single in the middle for cleaner stuff and somewhat dirty picking. I dont like single in neck or bridge, but these doubles came with issues. I had to turn both around so i can raise the posts to improve the sound at the right locations. I lowered the neck one and really brought out magnet posts away from neck, sounds like a p90. Bridge was too bright on 10, so i slightly lowered it and slightly brought up magnet posts away from bridge. Sounds like a p90 backed off to 7 or 8 and now very ballsy and not brittle on 10.

Good on Fender for at least trying to keep the history / legacy of Leo’s original masterpiece alive . Too damn many things these days that are “ Old or outdated “ just get passed over or buried in history books somewhere. At least we can get a small peak at what it must have been like when these first burst on the music scene back then . To say these Fender Stratocasters changed the course of electric guitar type music is about the greatest praise anyone could get, and change music they did . My buddy had an original ‘57 Strat , and it was a fantastic guitar. He’s long gone now unfortunately, but I believe either his widow or oldest daughter still has it stashed away somewhere, and it was signed by One Edward Van Halen who actually played it a bit one afternoon out here in California at Valley Music in El Cajon around ‘82 or ‘83 when they played here at Sports arena . To say it’s probably worth a few dollars now would be an understatement. Thanks Matthew , as usual , For your great content & playing 😎👍

Sounds incredible

Purty and it sounds good but you always sound good brother

Matt- thanks for posting this. I had to think for a second.. 2024.. yikes, it is 70 years! Agreed on the weight. Also, neck seems to be a bit more orange than I'd like to see on an "NOS" guitar neck. Cool piece overall. Peace!

It's different watching you play such a clean guitar.

WOW. That Strat sounds amazing… I’m more of a telecaster guy. But if I had a Strat that sounded like that, I would play that.

@Angel-fz8dr

4 ай бұрын

Maybe it’s the ash?

I never take the back plate off to change strings . Just push down the trem arm and the holes line up with the block 👍

Are these US made, or are they MIM like the 75th Anniversary Teles ? I got one for my B'day when they were released, I love my Tele, in the silver metallic Diamond.