Project Makeover
A VINTAGE STRATOCASTER IS OUT OF REACH FOR MOST OF US – BUT, WITH THE CORRECT PARTS AND SOME DILIGENT MODDING, A VINTAGECORRECT MODEL THAT APES AN ORIGINAL IN BOTH APPEARANCE AND SOUND COULD BE YOURS. BUT WHICH YEAR WILL IT BE: ’54, ’63 OR ’74? THE CHOICE IS YOURS… Project 1: 1954-style Stratocaster
When Fender released the Stratocaster in 1954, it was still a work in progress. There were several di erences between the very earliest Strats and those that Fender was making by 1955. Some early features are merely cosmetic, while others have an audible e ect on the tone. Here’s our checklist for a vintage-correct early 1954 Stratocaster replica.
Body, Neck & Finish
Although pre-1958 Stratocaster sunbursts are usually described as ‘two-tone’, from late 1954 onwards there were actually three distinct shades: yellow, medium brown and tobacco brown. Only the very earliest 1954 Stratocasters had genuine two-tone sunbursts.
Achieving this look isn’t hard and advanced spraying skills aren’t necessary to achieve vintage-correct results. This is largely because the sprayers at Fender were still guring out how to spray sunbursts at that time and it shows in uneven shading and lots of stray dark-brown blobs in the light area of the ’burst. The following is not quite how Fender did it, but the results should be fairly convincing.
An ash body is a must, and after grain-lling and sanding sealer coats, spray the sides of the body and the edges with tobacco brown or black lacquer to create the sunburst. To save on lacquer, you can stain the sides with Jacobean Oak before spraying. With the ’burst complete, spray the whole body with amber lacquer and follow up with several clear-gloss coats.
Go through the usual stages of wet and dry sanding followed by polishing compound and relicing, if that’s the look you want. For a donor guitar, see if you can track down a Fender Lite Ash Strat from the mid-Noughties.
Plastics
The very earliest Strats have no serial number on the neckplate and the spring cover was stamped instead. Rather than the elongated string holes of later years, 1954 spring covers had round string holes that were just big enough for the ball-end.
Unlike the tapered switch tip we’re all used to, 1954 switch tips are nicknamed ‘football’ tips. To avoid confusion, we’re talking American football here and the reason is obvious once you’ve seen one. The knob shape is also dierent, with a short skirt and straighter sides culminating in a wider top. These knobs were moulded from a white plastic that had a marbled appearance.
The pickup covers stayed very white and the edges were noticeably rounded compared with later covers. They were also notoriously imsy and would wear through to expose the tops of the pickups. 1954 repro plastic parts are sold in sets by Armstrong Music, RebelRelic and others.
Hardware & Electronics
In 1954, Kluson tuners were unstamped, so were neither single- nor double-line. You’ll need a round string-tree and, while you’re considering the headstock, note how ’54 edges were rounded over. Fortunately, a regular jack plate and vintage-style bridge will suce. Just ensure you have pressed-steel saddles and a cold-rolled steel vibrato block.
Strats started out with 100k potentiometers, rather than 250k; this mellows the brightness and gives a smoother tone with a atter frequency response. Couple these with a repro Orange ‘phone book’ paper/foil capacitor if you have the funds, but any 0.1F capacitor should suce.
Fender introduced staggered slugs with Strat pickups, but the early 1954 stagger had the G slug lower than the D slug. Alnico III magnets with a 1/5-inch diameter were also used, and most boutique pickup winders should be able to replicate a ’54 set. The early stagger might not sound quite right with plain G strings, so that’s one detail you may choose to omit. Check out House Of Tone’s aged vintage-correct 1954 set, complete with rounded covers and 52.8mm slug spacing.
“1954 switch tips are nicknamed ‘football’ tips, and we’re talking American football here – it’s obvious once you’ve seen one”
Project 2: 1963 Stratocaster
For a vintage-correct 1963 replica, you’ll need an alder wood body, preferably 2kg (4.4lb) or less, and a neck with a rosewood veneer ’board. Some of the Mexican-made vintage reissues are a great starting point, and we recommend Tokai Goldstar copies from the early 80s.
Body, Neck & Finish
If you want the vintage look, complete with grain lines and checking, a reliced nitrocellulose nish is the way to go. The same goes for the neck because many players prefer the feel of nitrocellulose or a neck that’s been stripped to simulate wear. Stripping a poly-nished body can be time consuming, but the only requirements are a heat gun and plenty of patience.
You’ll nd a wide range of vintagecorrect colours in aerosols from suppliers such as Manchester Guitar Tech and Rothko And Frost, so if you want to go the DIY route, check out some YouTube tutorials and give it a go. Alternatively, most professional guitar nishers are able to spray and relic nitro nishes, and getting a guitar renished is a cheaper option than buying a custom-made or Custom Shop instrument.
Plastics
The green nitrate pickguard is one of the most striking features of any original 1963 Stratocaster. However, vintage examples have become eye-wateringly expensive and genuine celluloid repros are incredibly scarce. Occasionally, somebody will do a production run and they do show up at retailers such as Crazy Parts, or on eBay and Reverb.
Lashing’s celluloid pickguards are worth checking out, but noncelluloid green ’guards are cheaper and widely available. During 1963, the screw between the neck and middle pickups shifted from dead centre towards the middle, but both versions are ne for a 1963 replica.
After 1956, Fender began using a di erent type of plastic for knobs, switch tips and pickup covers. These parts could turn quite creamy or even light brown in colour. If you’re creating a replica, there are plenty of aged plastic parts to choose from in various shades of o -white. The spring cover always remained single ply and originals stayed fairly white.
Hardware & Electronics
You will need a ‘buttery’ string-tree with a metal spacer, and if you’re buying Kluson tuners, make sure they’re single- rather than doubleline versions. Otherwise, for practical purposes, the bridge, block and saddle specs are identical to a 1954’s. The same cannot be said for the electronics.
One striking di erence is the full-sized aluminium shielding plate, which was presumably Fender’s attempt to reduce single-coil noise in the wake of humbucking pickups. In our experience, the plate has a subtle e ect, softening the glassy upper midrange and giving Strats a smoother character. Since they only cost between £10 and £15, it doesn’t make any sense not to t one. Check out Charles Guitars for options.
By 1963, Fender had started using a cheaper ceramic tone capacitor, but the value remained 0.1F. You can buy nice replicas from Fake58 complete with the short length of yellow insulation tubing that ts between the capacitor and the neck pickup’s tone control solder tag.
But most importantly, from mid-1962 Stratocaster pickups had narrower 3/16-inch slugs. This focuses the magnetic eld more directly under the individual strings and provides a bit more space for extra windings. These later preCBS pickups can sound hotter than earlier examples, with a sweet response, added weight and tighter lows. For the correct 1963 specs, check out Bare Knuckles Pickups’ Veneer Board set.
“If you want the vintage look, complete with grain lines and checking, a reliced nitrocellulose finish is the way to go”
Project 3: 1974 Stratocaster
The notion that all 70s Stratocasters were a bit rubbish has been well and truly debunked. Comparing them to pre-CBS Strats makes as much sense as comparing Blackguard Telecasters with mid-1960s Teles. They are suciently di erent to be judged on their own terms, rather than su er in spurious comparison. With interest in 70s Strats increasing, along with their prices, maybe it’s time to think big headstock.
Body, Neck & Finish
By 1974, Fender had ceased using nitrocellulose and the bodies and necks both had poly
nishes. Modern donor guitars and the bodies and necks o ered by parts suppliers generally come with poly
nishes, so there’s no need to budget for an expensive re
nish – you only need to decide which colour you prefer.
Most aftermarket bodies are pre-drilled for a four-bolt neck, but ‘partscaster’ bodies sometimes come undrilled and three-bolt kits are readily available online. Ocial Fender ones can be found on Reverb and eBay, but many consider the four-bolt arrangement superior, both sonically and structurally, and this is one period detail you may choose to forgo.
The headstock is the most important bit. It has to be big, it has to have a ‘bullet’ truss-rod adjuster and that iconic bendy logo decal. Your best bet will almost certainly be a Fender Classic Series neck. You might even consider a Classic Series Strat or one of the other Mexican reissues. Alternatively, check out Squier SQ, Greco Super Sounds and Tokai Silver Star models from the 80s ‘golden era’.
Plastics
By 1974, Fender was using cheaper vinyl plastic-style three-ply ’guards, which look o -white with a black centre layer. The black/white/black pickguards didn’t appear until 1975, and the pickup covers and knobs didn’t di er that much from the later pre-CBS plastics.
For a 1974 replica, we’d be inclined to
nd a set of lightly aged and slightly o white-or cream plastic parts. You often see a bit of greening of the lettering on 70s knobs, and some replacement parts capture that quite well. Those of a DIY persuasion may consider relicing their own and there are plenty of tutorial videos detailing a range of methods.
Hardware & Electronics
The cost-cutting CBS corporation had stopped using aluminium shield plates by 1974, and 70s pickguards usually have some foil glued to the underside around the control area instead. Tone capacitors were ceramic disk types, but the value had changed from 0.1 F to 0.05 F. The modern equivalent is 0.047 F, and 0.003 F doesn’t make an audible di erence, but both will make a Strat sound a tad brighter and glassier than a 0.1 F capacitor.
1974 pickups featured plain enamel magnet wire, an average DCR of around 5.5k and, for the
rst time, non-staggered slugs with no edge bevel. This combination gives a fairly bright and sparkly tone, with plenty of bite and de
nition. They’re not as fat or warm as early 60s pickups, but it’s a classic tone nevertheless.
Fender made changes to the bridge assembly and, in 1974, they were single-piece units moulded from a cheaper alloy. So were the new ‘blocky’ saddles, and the alloy used was zamak aka ‘Mazak’. These parts are named ‘monkey metal’, but that doesn’t mean they sound bad. After all, some vintage Gibson fans will pay big sums for 1950s Mazak tailpieces and ABR-1 bridges.
Mazak has a warmer, fatter tone than steel, and is therefore a good match for 70s Strat pickups as well as PAFs. You may prefer steel bridge parts if sustain and brightness are priorities, but Mazak bridges contribute massively to that mid’70 tone, and you can top that o with two ‘buttery’ string trees with nylon spacers and a set of repro ‘F’ stamped tuners.
“The headstock is important. It has to be big, and has to have a ‘bullet’ truss-rod adjuster and that iconic bendy logo decal”