HOW THEY COMPARE

Our first impressions of these two glorious guitars plugged in Given the uniqueness of Gary’s Strat and the scarcity of the new John Cruz replica, we were privileged to be able to get both in the same room to make a plugged-in comparison, playing through a Gear Of The Year-winning Fender ’57 Custom Tweed Twin. Our test pilot was Neville Marten, who had already played Gary’s Red Strat around 10 years ago. Here’s what Nev had to say about how the two guitars compare: “They are very similar in weight – there isn’t an obvious difference in that regard. The neck on the ’61 has worn totally smooth, however. It’s like running our fingers over silk. To say you can ‘feel edges’ on the replica is not correct, because it’s been aged and fettled very skillfully, but 40 years of playing means there isn’t the faintest suggestion of a hard edge or even a corner or anything, anywhere on Gary’s Strat.

“Sonically, the reissue was a touch more powerful – it went into natural feedback and sustain quicker than Gary’s did, which could be a plus if that’s what you’re after. But crucially, the tonal similarity between the two guitars is definitely there. Both played really great and there was no significant difference in that regard.

“In conclusion, the replica is a stunning piece of work and a superb guitar in its own right. The ageing was incredibly accurate, and while you could produce a micrometer and find small differences here and there, I would never, ever feel short-changed by the essential accuracy – leaving aside one or two deliberate differences such as the pickups, as the poles have a different stagger on the replica. As for Gary’s ’61, I would count it among the top three or four Strats I’ve ever played. And, weirdly, Gary’s natural-finish ‘bitsa’ one that I played in issue 403 was one of the other great Strats I’ve played! He could certainly pick a good one!”