Fender American Vintage Series

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How many times can they re-market the same thing???

"The Wheel vintage reissue. Closer than ever to the original blue print, with the period accurate deviation from perfectly circular!"

or

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

The sad truth is that the vast majority of preCBS era Fenders and Gibsons of the same time weren't actually any better than the later ones. It took the Japanese replicas of the 80s for Fender and Gibson to actually get their acts together and start actually introducing quality control, so all this harping on about their vintage guitars is a con. The best and most consistent US Strats were actually made during 1982, before Fender started getting strange ideas about redesigning the range.
 
Here are a few random jottings on the matter...

The 1982 Stratocasters (from the Dan Smith era) were themselves like re-issues in a way, casting aside the big headstocks and 3-bolt neckplates of the 60's.

No trying to apologise for Fender here. Although my current Stratocaster is a lowly Squier, I sold my Goldstar last year mainly due to the advance of arthritis.

I think Leo got it right first time and most folks just prefer the look of the pre-CBS models, but the rolled edge on the fingerboards of the current recreations is a step forward in my opinion.

The fist time I saw a Stratocaster in the flesh was 50 years ago but it's hard to imagine what a youngster is thinking on first having one in the hand these days.
 
Hiya.
The 82 Stratocaster had a four bolt neck and smaller head. I only ever saw them in sienna sunburst and cherry sunburst with rosewood boards. I believe they were a limited run/end of the line model, before they started making the Standard and Elites in 83.
Like you say, he got it right first time, apart from the rocking point on the trem being in the wrong place. The problem is/was that the quality control at Fender was non-existent from day one, not a result of CBS - the first Hank Marvin/Cliff Richard Strat is a good example, poor pickups/sound, colour was wrong - it would be a reject these days, Eric Clapton's 'Blackie' had to be cobbled together from half a dozen guitars to make a decent guitar. Don't forget, it cost ten weeks wages for one in 63. It speaks volumes that both players don't even own either guitar preferring modern post-90/brand new Fenders.
There are some spectacular 50 and 60s Fenders, but they were the exception, not the rule. The designs were brilliant, the workmanship wasn't always so.
 
These Strats were available in several finishes-I had a natural one with maple board with the small head and four bolts-bought new in 82. Not one of the lousy two-knob Strats-this one wasn't bad.
http://smg.beta.photobucket.com/user/serial/media/image_zpsd5593e34.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

My guess is that they used up the leftover necks from "The Strat" guitars!
 
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