1965 Fender Stratocaster AMAZING Sounds !

[drugo]

hi @Mudman
i have watched the new video on youtube Fender CS MASTERBUILT vs '65 STRAT
I like the 65 , clean sounds are so the iconic fender crystal clear even the bridge pickup , is not harsh at all (well even in the cs)
cruch and distortion i like a lot the 65 , more harmonic and rich ,in short foaming at the mouth , Hendrix
but i guess you should have to add at least few information , like strings brand and gauge , plectrum -pick
by the way , a plexi and a vibrolux is the best with few pedals

 

[drugo]

@Groundwire

Hi Drugo,

While I’m not Anand, I am a fellow ‘65 Strat player and I do have experience with Highwood saddles, so I can comment here.

I’ve used Highwood saddles on a couple different Strats previously.

The good: Great tone, and they feel nice under the palm, all while retaining the vintage look.

The bad: For me personally, the string guide groove in the middle of the saddle is a big negative. This is because vintage wider string spacing tends to put the low and high E strings very close to the edge of the fretboard. Many players, myself included, tend to nudge those strings over on the saddle to give a bit more room on the fretboard to avoid pulling the string off the board when using vibrato or bending. You cannot do that with the Highwood saddles.

Hi Groundwire
I agree totaly on the bad side
the original fender saddles and i guess the raw vintage saddles too are easy to worn if you bend often or with vibrato
soom or later there will be some grooves , on high E , B and G ,wit the high possibily to break strings and have the strings not so smooth for bending and vibrato
i guess the only solusion in these case , it's the sandpapaer to fix these grooves , how do you fix them?
at the beggining I tought it was only a mim stratocaster , after i have notice on the the mia standard and vintage too
thanks , appreciate it , sorry for my poor english , take care

 

[Nick L Plate]

Why is it necessary to put someone down like some of these comments?

Good question. I think I do have an idea as to why some people have that need -- and it is a need -- but it makes for unpleasant and depressing conversation so I'll put a lid on it. In some ways, I find the recurring "my new Squire sounds just like your old Strat" comments (or the Les Paul version: my Epi sounds better than my friend's vintage burst that I heard him play once") to be hilarious in a dark way, because they're so obviously really a reflection of the poster's hangups. And it's not as though they're even true. The day someone who owns a genuine 60s Strat and trades it for some dude's Magic Squier because the Squier sounds and plays so great is the day I'll stop thinking "load of sad crap" when I read yet another "your guitar's not so great" post. I think most of us would be beyond super-happy with the OP's guitar. Heck, I might even trade my Affinity Tele (that sounds just like Roy Buchanan's Tele, if not better, sure) for it! Though I'd need some cash as well, because, well, it's a great Tele. It sounds as good as the one Julian Lage played on the YouTube video I watched on my laptop.

 

[Groundwire]

@Groundwire

Hi Groundwire
I agree totaly on the bad side
the original fender saddles and i guess the raw vintage saddles too are easy to worn if you bend often or with vibrato
soom or later there will be some grooves , on high E , B and G ,wit the high possibily to break strings and have the strings not so smooth for bending and vibrato
i guess the only solusion in these case , it's the sandpapaer to fix these grooves , how do you fix them?
at the beggining I tought it was only a mim stratocaster , after i have notice on the the mia standard and vintage too
thanks , appreciate it , sorry for my poor english , take care

Hi @drugo ,

I have not had this issue myself. The plain strings will start to wear grooves into the saddles eventually, but I don’t find this to be an issue. I never, and I mean never, break strings. I haven’t broken one in at least 5 years on any guitar, and I play with a pretty heavy hand.

I do a couple things that I think help with this. First, I change strings fairly often, and when I do, I take one of the wound strings I am removing (like the A string) and lightly run it over the saddles to remove any buildup. See, I don’t think it’s the grooves in the saddles that cause string breakage, I think it’s corrosion and burrs that build up on them that eat into the strings. The wound bit of string is abrasive, but much more gentle than sandpaper. It works great to lightly sand and clean the saddle.
The other thing I do is to use lubricant in the nut slots and saddles. You can use Big Bends nut sauce, or a synthetic grease like Superlube. A tiny dot is all you need. Make sure the nut slots are filed properly so they are not binding the strings. You should be able to bend strings behind the nut and have it come back in perfect tune.

The saddles and nut are the main contact point of friction, and so if you keep these as smooth as possible, string breakage should not be an issue. The grooves in the saddles actually help keep your strings in place, which reduces friction and rubbing.

Here is a picture of the saddles on my ‘65 Strat. They are worn, and you can see some string grooves, but they are not rusted and corroded, especially in the areas that contact the strings.

Hopefully this is helpful. Cheers!

 

[drugo]

hi @Groundwire
maybe i used the wrong strings , ernie ball 11/48
maybe do you use the 10/46 or the 09/44
but make sense clean them with a lube and clean with a string , i have always used balistic /machine oil on the saddles and graphite on the nut
about

synthetic grease like Superlube

is a sylicon grease ? Because i have good white sylicon grease?
here i can find the superlube on amazon for 20€
in a video , i didn't understand what the guy does use in the custom shop, i have understood graphite , sandpaper plus vaselline but i use this stuff that Renee Martinez develop .. lost the rest
is vaseline (that could bought in every store ,used for men/women) ?
thanks ,take care
minute 2:36

 

[Strat Jacket]

I've had a 64 in my possession for 27 years and owned it for about 12...
I have 2 extraordinarily well crafted and assembed partscasters.

And every time I get ready to sell the 64 I plug it in "one last time" and...

...cannot bring myself to go through with it.

There is something that I can't quantify in the tone and timbre and sensation and...a metric I haven't a name for...
that sets this apart from every other guitar I have, and have performed alongside.

@Anand Mahangoe
I know exactly what you are talking about.

Me too.

 

[rolandson]

I wonder if others are similarly...I don't have the word to convey the thought..."perplexed" maybe, with this phenomenon?

Me too.

Perhaps, Gentlemen and Ladies, it should become incumbent upon us, and all of the others who struggle to find, or create a name that accurately descibes this ... this...
'Je ne sais quoi'

@Bazz Jass , would you care to invite the participants over on the
https://strat-talk.com/threads/member-owned-precbs-serial-numbers.538189/page-7
to join in the quest?

And @Anand Mahangoe , be sure to add yourself to the list in the linked thread !

 

[Bazz Jass]

@Bazz Jass , would you care to invite the participants over on the
https://strat-talk.com/threads/member-owned-precbs-serial-numbers.538189/page-7
to join in the quest?

I will gladly second your invite. Please see the last post in the Member Owned thread for instructions https://www.strat-talk.com/threads/member-owned-precbs-serial-numbers.538189/post-4979240

 

[Groundwire]

hi @Groundwire
maybe i used the wrong strings , ernie ball 11/48
maybe do you use the 10/46 or the 09/44
but make sense clean them with a lube and clean with a string , i have always used balistic /machine oil on the saddles and graphite on the nut
about

is a sylicon grease ? Because i have good white sylicon grease?
here i can find the superlube on amazon for 20€
in a video , i didn't understand what the guy does use in the custom shop, i have understood graphite , sandpaper plus vaselline but i use this stuff that Renee Martinez develop .. lost the rest
is vaseline (that could bought in every store ,used for men/women) ?
thanks ,take care
minute 2:36

I think it has no silicone in it, but I’m not sure. I use Big Bends Nut Sauce on the saddles/nut. It’s pretty expensive, but it works and since I don’t know what’s in it, I don’t want to mess with a good thing.

I use the superlube on tuners and other moving parts. It’s way cheaper and is a good product.

For some reason, I feel like I’ve heard that you do not want silicone in the product. The superlube says “synthetic grease” and that it’s made with “syncolon” and that it’s food grade. I think it’s specifically silicone free.

Regarding strings, I use 10-38 Pure Nickel Round Core. This is sometimes referred to as the “Hendrix Gauge” but it’s just what Fender used to call the “rock and roll 150” set. Lots of players in the 70’s used them. The round core is easy to bend, and has a warmer tone with more fundamental and less brash highs, at least, to my ears. They also last a long time. Just be sure to follow the crimping instructions before cutting them to avoid the wrap coming loose.

 

[IMMusicRulz]

Nancy Wilson playing a 65 Strat, which is now in the Experience Music Museum in Seattle:

 

[Anand Mahangoe]

I wonder if others are similarly...I don't have the word to convey the thought..."perplexed" maybe, with this phenomenon?


Perhaps, Gentlemen and Ladies, it should become incumbent upon us, and all of the others who struggle to find, or create a name that accurately descibes this ... this...
'Je ne sais quoi'

@Bazz Jass , would you care to invite the participants over on the
https://strat-talk.com/threads/member-owned-precbs-serial-numbers.538189/page-7
to join in the quest?

And @Anand Mahangoe , be sure to add yourself to the list in the linked thread !

Will do , thanks !!

 

[Anand Mahangoe]

hi @Mudman
i have watched the new video on youtube Fender CS MASTERBUILT vs '65 STRAT
I like the 65 , clean sounds are so the iconic fender crystal clear even the bridge pickup , is not harsh at all (well even in the cs)
cruch and distortion i like a lot the 65 , more harmonic and rich ,in short foaming at the mouth , Hendrix
but i guess you should have to add at least few information , like strings brand and gauge , plectrum -pick
by the way , a plexi and a vibrolux is the best with few pedals

Thanks man and I use Chickenpicks 2.6mm and Elixir 0.11-0.49 strings....Both guitars the same strings of course , thanks !

 

[drugo]

Nancy Wilson playing a 65 Strat, which is now in the Experience Music Museum in Seattle:

View attachment 621441

hi
with only 4 screews , she has removed the central screews
the saddles are weird, maybe the pickup switch modded