Got myself a 60's Strat "reissue"...

I played french horn in high school and college, haven't picked the dumb thing up since I graduated, going on 5 years now... So, I decided to dump the horn and get something I will play instead. After poking around, I found a music shop that sells both guitars and band instruments. I walked in to the store, showed the owner my horn, and he offered me a really generous trade in value. So, I sat down and started playing every strat in his shop. I tried my best to choose on how if sounded and how it felt. I played Mexican Standards, American Series, and a few of the various other series guitars. The one that stood out to me was a MIM "Classic Series" 60's strat. It was "burgundy mist metallic".

I surveyed the bunch of Stratocasters in the shop before I started playing, and to be honest, that guitar was not even on the radar screen as a possibility. It not a color I would have ever picked, it has a rosewood fretboard (I prefer maple), and it's got all those 60's "shortcomings", kluson type tuners, butt end truss rod adjustment, stamped saddles, 7.25" fretboard radius, etc.

Strangely, once I started playing it, none of that stuff mattered anymore. This guitar just seems to be "right". It's got great tone, and the neck feels awesome. It even sounds good unplugged! The pickups sound soooo much better than the ones on my Squier strat. Out of the guitars I tried, this "ugly duckling" was the one I couldn't put down. I think the Fender Fairy must have given this one an extra sprinkling of mojo dust or something...

When my wife got home from work, she started picking on me because I bought a "pink" guitar. I told her to have her eyes checked...

I ordered an ash tray for it, I'll probably only put it on once, but it ought to have it in the case for posterity's sake. I've got a tweed strap on the way too. I've got one on my Telecaster, and I love it.

The best part, he said that this one had been sitting around the shop for about 4 years, so he gave it to me for what he had it priced at in 2000, which was $479. These things are $629 on MF. I walked into the store with a horn in a case, I walked out with the Strat, a Fender hard case, and a wad of cash. I think I did pretty good.

The good news is that the color is starting to grow on me. The neck is a really gorgeous dark amber color, and it's got a really pretty piece of rosewood for a fretboard. I'll try to post some pictures of it...

Now I just gotta find some other twenty-somethings with day jobs who want to get together once in a while to play classic rock...

Later,

Mwieczorek

Ha!! The "shortcomings" are all the things I love. Yeah that pink one is nice, but I don't know if I'd get one. There was a thread i startedlast year on the pink 60's reissue. Had quite a few replies if I remember. You might want to scroll back and find it. Good price, and it is kind of cool looking with the dark neck and vintage knobs and covers. 8) The thread was back in March,2005.

Mwieczorek,

I picked up the exact same guitar, an NOS 2000 Classic 60s strat in Burgundy Mist, last September. Great guitar! I was always a maple board guy, too, but I decided to add rosewood board to the arsenal, and I am glad I did. Also, I like Burgundy Mist and have since I bought the Strat book and saw a picture of one years ago. Mine came pretty nicely set up, but the pickups were low in the guard. I raised them up to the guidelines on the Fender site but a little higher on the treble side and lowered the E strings a bit to go more with the 7.25 radius, and now it is a great sounding and playing guitar. The ping kluson tuners don't seem quite as robust as the gotoh kluson types, but I worked a little chapstick and graphite into the holes with a toothpick, and they work fine.

I think you got a great deal, especially including the case.
Enjoy your new guitar!

Mike