It's at all times a deal with to get our arms on a vintage Stratocaster, but here we're in reality being spoiled. each of these guitars are very particular for fully different explanations; one was owned and played by using the golden-eared Eric Johnson and the other possesses a combination of points that may additionally make it the simplest illustration of its form produced by means of Fender all through the pre-CBS era.
Gibson Les Paul requisites from the late 1950s are rare guitars. Flying Vs and Explorers are rarer nonetheless, and Modernes are so infrequent that some question even if ever existed in any respect. In distinction, Stratocasters from Fender's golden era are seldom linked to rarity as a result of they were made in such large numbers – after all, ease of mass-construction become kind of the factor, and the genius of the instrument's design.
Gibsons have been made with the aid of hand, the use of painstaking average methods and the manufacturing facility produced a extremely extensive latitude of models. Stratocasters are just about flat pack guitars and Fender produced quite few fashions, so what would make this 1963 illustration now not most effective rare, but potentially the rarest of all vintage Stratocasters?
The nitrate look after has shrunk again significantly to reveal the sides of the aluminium look after plate the most obvious answer is that it's comprehensive in Surf eco-friendly, which is a seldom-considered customized coloration. but more thrillingly, the body looks to be korina – or African limba, if you opt for. It was best after its latest custodian ATB Guitars received the guitar and eliminated the neck that the invention changed into made.
via 1963, Fender had begun the use of 'paint sticks' when bodies were being sprayed. all the time attached on the bass side of the neck pocket, they allowed the grownup spraying the guitar to cling the body and alter the perspective, and then hang the body up while the lacquer dried.
casting off the paint stick would exhibit a large area of bare timber interior the neck pocket and it's constructive in case you're attempting to investigate no matter if the body is ash or alder – the two timber kinds prevalent for Stratocaster bodies returned within the day.
The grain sample and coloration of the timber point out that this is an extremely-infrequent illustration of a korina-bodied Strat There are, youngsters, rare exceptions. probably the most smartly regularly occurring are mahogany bodies, and examples do pop up over a fairly wide early-Sixties date range. much less well documented are the korina-bodied Strats, and documented examples all originate from a fairly narrow time window that spans the end of 1963 and very early 1964. In different words, the birth of the L-collection.
Why Fender briefly used korina is anyone's bet. The change from ash to alder became made to speed up the completing method, and because korina is open pored like ash, it will had been a backwards step.
wood burr alongside the rout is thinly coated in lacquer, which indicates Surf eco-friendly is the most effective colour ever utilized to this body
timber burr alongside the rout is thinly coated in lacquer, which indicates Surf eco-friendly is the most effective coloration ever applied to this physique
timber burr alongside the rout is thinly coated in lacquer, which indicates Surf eco-friendly is the only shade ever utilized to this physique
It may be that some korina turned into delivered accidentally and Fender didn't want to waste it, or there became a temporary shortage of alder at Fender's bushes suppliers. It may even be because korina turns yellow amber beneath clear lacquer, and that could have obviated the staining technique essential for sunbursts, however it seems doubtless we'll on no account be aware of.
ATB's korina Strat is especially light in weight if you happen to select it up and it's in such pristine situation, you get the odd sensation that it's a recently manufactured guitar. a clear indication to the contrary is the style that the mint-hued however mint-situation pickguard has gotten smaller back very a little bit, exposing the aluminium safeguard below and pulling the pickguard screws inwards.
the entire wiring looks manufacturing facility usual and there's the define of a 50s-fashion preserve on the underside of the 60s-fashion aluminium shelter however the neck lacquer retains its light, factory sparkling appearance, and there are no signs of playwear or checking, the steel paint within the decal has begun to oxidise and acquire that old greenish tint. It's enjoyable to notice that nobody has ever tried to tweak the neck relief without first detaching the neck to reveal the truss-rod screw. consequently, the enviornment of timber and eco-friendly lacquer instantly in front of the truss-rod continue to be in ultimate situation.
Fender used some amazing Brazilian rosewood for slab and veneer 'boards but if you appreciate wood figuring, here is a very first-rate illustration. It varies in shade from darkish chocolate brown to near ebony black, with vivid grain patterns in some areas. Beside just a few deposits of grime in the control pot mouldings, there's scant evidence that this guitar changed into ever played. The bridge and saddles are basically manufacturing facility fresh and there is not even a hint of corrosion on the vibrato block.
The coloration of the physique is a bit unusual and it differs somewhat from what we're used to seeing on extra contemporary 'Surf green' guitars – together with custom store Relics. no doubt a darkening of the clear coats has caused this change as a result of below the pickguard and spring cowl we will see what Surf eco-friendly have to have gave the look of when it changed into freshly applied. however we can not state categorically that it's an customary manufacturing unit conclude, with its paint-free screw holes and very herbal lacquer checking, we see nothing to point out that it isn't.
anyway a small patch on the letter 'F', the Surf eco-friendly guitar's decal is in exceptional situation Having access to a 'closet classic' in extremis also displays different wonderful particulars. The frets are without doubt long-established and virtually unplayed. as a result, we are able to see that Fender levelled frets however didn't trouble crowning them. Faint file marks are certainly seen and every be concerned is more or less flat across its complete width.
there's a question mark over the saddles since the tooling marks which are constantly evident on the flat area at the lower back – on all but the rustiest examples – are missing. they are additionally fairly shiny and the lettering stamps appear a little bit shallower than general.
due to the fact the saddles can corrode and tarnish some distance prior to the car-high-quality chrome plating Fender used on bridge and jack plates, it's possible that a outdated owner decided to have the saddles re-plated to maintain their look on a par with the rest of the guitar.
obviously any Strat Eric Johnson considered decent adequate to play reside and use for recording is going to be a stellar illustration. This Fiesta pink mannequin from 1961 is available in its customary candy-loaded brown Tolex case, together with an image of Eric playing the guitar and a handwritten letter that confirms that not best did the famous person own and use it radically on stage and within the studio, it's one of the "two widespread rosewood neck Strats" he's ever owned. high praise indeed.
taking a look at this smartly-preserved instance, it's handy to see why Fiesta red become regularly erroneously referred to as 'salmon pink' back within the day. It looks nothing like the anaemic farmed fish, but noticeably near the wild Alaskan range.
put on on the body displays Dakota purple, wilderness Sand and yellow stained alder under the Fiesta red conclude
This Fiesta pink is blown over Dakota pink, which is sprayed over a barren region Sand base coat. where the lacquer has chipped or rubbed away, that you would be able to see the yellow-stained alder underneath. be aware, this is the period before Fender begun the usage of Fullerplast.
by means of any specifications, the conclude is in remarkable form for a 1961 Strat, nonetheless it's obtrusive that this guitar has been smartly used in addition to being well cherished. The entrance is in more desirable form cosmetically than the back, which has some unusual however not unattractive spiral-formed marks. They may well be dents, or areas the place whatever sizzling melted the finish.
The pickup covers and knobs are in miraculous circumstance, having became very somewhat creamy and developed verdigris within the lettering. The pickguard is best too, protecting a lighter colour that's more mint than pistachio.
Judging with the aid of the immaculate fingerboard and light clay dots, the 'board may additionally were levelled when the guitar turned into refretted The slab 'board is unquestionably Brazilian rosewood and it's in striking circumstance, having been levelled when the guitar turned into refretted. we are able to't say if the refret was done during Eric Johnson's custodianship, but the work turned into clearly performed by way of a first-rate luthier.
The fretwork is perfect – so respectable, in fact, that the completely smooth and flat fingerboard is the best precise giveaway that any work has been completed. Fretwire of a vintage sympathetic gauge become used and there's no proof of sanding alongside the sides of the 'board or repaired chips on the good. All hardware looks appropriate, together with the tooling marks at the rear of the saddles, and the only-line Kluson tuners. The screws in and around the pickguard are rusty, to a greater or lesser extent, however it's all a part of the vibe.
The guitar's normal brown tolex case incorporates a letter of provenance from Eric Johnson together with photos of him enjoying the guitar a couple of adjustments have been made to the wiring and components. Eric Johnson is usual to decide on having the center-pickup tone handle shifted to the bridge pickup, and that effortlessly reversed change continues to be in location. surprisingly, the long-established three-approach pickup selector has been modified to function as a 5-manner swap – making the in-between positions less demanding to discover.
Fender made lots of Fiesta pink Strats in the pre-CBS period, so this guitar's most distinguishing function is the grain on the neck. The maple has very potent and clear strains that run throughout the headstock face and along the returned of the neck. It additionally seems closer to flat sawn than quarter sawn.
In useWe begin with the aid of evaluating the typical consider of both guitars. The Fiesta crimson 1961 mannequin has a reasonably general weight for an alder-bodied, early-60s Strat, however you don't need weighing scales to discern that the korina instrument is lighter. There's little to choose from the necks; the Surf eco-friendly guitar has a a little rounder depth, while the Fiesta red has greater of a classic Nineteen Sixties think, beginning out skinny and regularly filling out in opposition t the body.
It's serendipitous that we get to are trying the Surf eco-friendly Strat while we're within the manner of working on a korina Epiphone Flying V. Korina is a light-weight timber, which we've already cited, however experiences with the Flying V suggest it additionally has a extremely loud, vibrant and airy tone. That's very much the case right here, since the eco-friendly Strat sounds very distinct to the red model – or certainly any alder-bodied, veneer 'board Strat from this period. The acoustic tone is extraordinarily ethereal, conspicuously vibrant and doesn't generate lots of low end.
In contrast, the previous Eric Johnson guitar is darker, a lot thicker in the midrange and extends lower. In other words, it's a lot more balanced throughout the frequency latitude. Korina truly sounds way nearer to swamp ash than alder, nevertheless it's in all probability not as robust in the bass or as compressed and to our ears, it's additionally the loudest of the two.
These acoustic discrepancies carry over into the amplified tones, with the '61 Fiesta crimson producing a clean and full-bodied growl. In contrast the '63 Surf green is tremendously brighter, clearer and more spanky. It appears and feels like an early 60s Strat but sounds and responds more like a mid-50s illustration, so cognitive dissonance abounds.
An ethereal treble characterises Strat pickups from this era, so the korina serves to exaggerate the effect. then again, it by no means veers into shrillness and we understand a superior degree of clarity and detail. besides the fact that children, the place the green guitar snarls, the pink guitar roars and we find every pickup setting different yet equally pleasing. The alder-physique guitar sustains more suitable, too, with that clean and fluid high-quality it really is so a good deal part of Eric Johnson's tonal palette.
The Surf eco-friendly 'sixty three is tough to beat for crystal-clear Hendrix tones, wiry blues and slicing funk rhythms, but we discover ourselves favouring the neck and core pickups and infrequently venturing onto the bridge. In a straight shootout, the sonic transformations between korina and alder are clear and obvious. The green 'sixty three Strat is a fascinating rarity, each when it comes to shade and sound, but it surely's far away from the quintessential early 60s Strat tone of Eric Johnson's former squeeze.
Key elements 1961 Fender Stratocastertake a look at ATB Guitars' offerings here, and our S-class buyer's guide here.
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