My #1: a '57 Reissue from 1982

My Stratocaster will be 30 years old in August, so I thought I'd dedicate a thread to her.

The owner before me had a locking nut of some sort on it, hence the plugged holes on the headstock. Aside from the nut, all else is original. The wear is 99% authentic. The back of the neck was wearing but there were thin strips that still had some finish on them and I found it really annoying on the palm of my hand. So I sanded those bits of finish down. Which to me is not relicing, but 'adapting' the guitar in the name of playability.

More pics.

Nice, it's funny how the vintage reissues are now vintage themselves. What pickups are in it? Red bobbin?

Nice, it's funny how the vintage reissues are now vintage themselves. What pickups are in it? Red bobbin?

In 1982 the original '57s were only 25 years old. This one is now almost 30.

Black bobbin pups.

What a great looking strat.

Cool totally worthy of its own thread.

Barely see the holes from the previous owner. Killer strat!! It's aging nicely, SWEET!

I had a Candy Apple Red 57 reissue.......bought it when they first came out. Was that 1982? Great guitar.

Hi res pics...
http://i47.tinypic.com/r27254.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/2eek9w6.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/2ryn76b.jpg

more high res pics...
http://i46.tinypic.com/2nkjext.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/24462c7.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/35be6i8.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/2uiuc6a.jpg



@clinchriver
yes, 1982 was the first year

here is my june -82 with red bobbins.

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/mabley/fullerton82.jpg

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/mabley/63MINE00.jpg

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/mabley/63MINE4-1.jpg

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/mabley/fullerton82b.jpg

i also have a july-82-57 reissue body that i am using for a partscaster.

i really like the bodies on these guitars but i do not like how wide and how thin the necks are.

i believe this neck is 1 11/16th and thin as far as thickness goes.

i also have a set of original 82 black bobbin pickups.

these guitars sound really good.

gilmores signature strat has a copied 83 -57 avri neck on it.

his neck on his original guitar is an 83 reissue neck so all of the gilmore signature guitars have an 83 fullerton copied neck.

i bought this guitar 2 1/2 years ago from a froend that is going deaf...i picked it out for him new in 82 and he never learned to play..so it sat under the bed for 27 years. all it has is a couple dings..no body checking or fret wear.

i was offered 4500 dollars for it the day after i got it and i have a standing offer from a local doctor that collects guitars that wants it...but i will never sell it..i may have usacg make a different neck for it...i like the neck ok but it does not inspire me to play it like me 71 4 bolt guitar....but the tine is second to none.

i like the sound so much i paid 450.00 dollars for an original set of 82 black bobbins with no caps or pots.

here is my june -82 with red bobbins.
...


i also have a july-82-57 reissue body that i am using for a partscaster.

i really like the bodies on these guitars but i do not like how wide and how thin the necks are.

i believe this neck is 1 11/16th and thin as far as thickness goes.

i also have a set of original 82 black bobbin pickups.

these guitars sound really good.

gilmores signature strat has a copied 83 -57 avri neck on it.

his neck on his original guitar is an 83 reissue neck so all of the gilmore signature guitars have an 83 fullerton copied neck.

i bought this guitar 2 1/2 years ago from a froend that is going deaf...i picked it out for him new in 82 and he never learned to play..so it sat under the bed for 27 years. all it has is a couple dings..no body checking or fret wear.

i was offered 4500 dollars for it the day after i got it and i have a standing offer from a local doctor that collects guitars that wants it...but i will never sell it..i may have usacg make a different neck for it...i like the neck ok but it does not inspire me to play it like me 71 4 bolt guitar....but the tine is second to none.

i like the sound so much i paid 450.00 dollars for an original set of 82 black bobbins with no caps or pots.

Thanks for sharing yours, she's a beaut! That's a great score.

That's interesting info regarding Gilmore, I had no idea.

I've grown accustomed to the neck on mine. I can honestly say this is the sweetest sounding guitar that I've ever played. How many people can say that they own the best sounding guitar they have ever played? I've played a number of original 50s and 60s guitars, and none of them sound as good to me as my little black '82.

As per the pickups, I've played a couple early reissue guitars and all of the pickups sound very different. I don't think it has anything to do with the bobbin colour. There seems to be huge differences in the output of these pups from one guitar to another. They all sound good, but different. Some of the best pups I've ever played have been in these early reissues. The bodies, as you mentioned, are magic! They must of had a great stash of wood, as every early reissue I've played is of very nice weight (low 7lbs) and extremely resonant.

I've been offered good money for mine too, but I'll never sell it. My old man plays in the Canadian rock band Lighthouse and the guitarist has an oly white '62 fullerton reissue. I've got my eye on that guitar, and if he ever wants to sell it the money is already put aside.

here is a couple photos of my-82-57 body im going to use as a partscaster.

along with a usacg neck i just had made.

it is a roasted maple neck with african blackwood fretboard and 6125 frets.

eventually though i will have a maple neck put on it and put the one i have now on an 84 tokai body.

i gve 900 dollars for the body.

it used to have a floyd rose on it so it has a couple extra screw holes that were filled.

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/mabley/57MINE2.jpg

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/mabley/57strat1bk.jpg

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/mabley/NNVB.jpg

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/mabley/NNNLI.jpg

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg617/mabley/KUbmp.jpg

Very nice.

I think one day those early reissues, now old in their own right, may become serious collector's items.

The only really obvious thing that tells me it's a reissue when it's as old as it is occurs with the the dot spacing on the 12th fret. Fender USA made it a point to make at least that different but Fender Japan kept the fret spacing correct but put the decal under the finish. If either had both the vintage wide spacing of the 12th fret dots and the decal over the finish on the headstock, it would have been much easier have them be fake pre-CBS strats. What Fender knew was that after at least 20 years if the reissue was aged then it would look almost identical to its much more expensive pre-CBS causing huge problems with fraudulent behavior.

When I first started collecting I had a chance to buy a 1960 Stratocaster but I was suspicious because it had no decal on it but a sunburned looking area around it indicating the decal was above the finish. I had incorrectly thought back then that the old guitars were like the new ones with decals under the finish (as all Fenders and most other makers had by the 1980s) and I passed on it. It was later that I saw a 1960 Jazz Bass with same issue that I found out the pre-CBS decals were over the finish and often rubbed off completely.

In 1982 the original '57s were only 25 years old. This one is now almost 30.


Man. Perspective is a bitch sometimes. I remember when I bought Zeppelin IV around 1981 or so. It was ten years old. TEN YEARS. IT WAS ANCIENT.

Now it's almost 20 years since Cobain died. Over 15 years since Foo Fighters "Everlong" was a hit. And it seems like yesterday.

I say you can officially call your beautiful, well worn Strat a "vintage" guitar.

Tim

Hi res pics...
http://i47.tinypic.com/r27254.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/2eek9w6.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/2ryn76b.jpg

stunning.. happy birthday!

more high res pics...


@clinchriver
yes, 1982 was the first year

Thanks for the information. I did some research, I still have my original pickups and the 5-way switch that came with the guitar.