By Brian Stewart
The first electric guitar I owned was a 1968 three-color sunburst Fender Stratocaster my parents bought me in 1974. Since then, I’ve been very fortunate to have had three record deals, toured with well-known acts and opened for major artists in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. From then on, I’ve focused on songwriting and recording and had the honor of having some incredible GRAMMY-winning artists perform on my music that has been aired on radio, film, and TV. One of the greatest honors I’ve had was writing an entire album with Phil Everly that I recorded at the renowned EastWest Studios. The one thing in common in most of my live performances and recording experiences is the pure and distinctive sounds of the Stratocaster.
I felt lucky to receive a Sonic Blue Fender Vintage II 65 Stratocaster the very first day they were available because by the end of the week they were out of stock. It arrived in an exact rendition of the original black tolex case with an orange plush interior and the chrome logo that was first introduced in 1965. Upon opening the case I was sucked into a time warp by the look of this Sonic Blue beauty laying over orange plush with a hint of fresh nitro lacquer in the air. The other cool colors they pulled from the past for this edition are Shoreline Gold and Candy Apple Red. There were many updates for the Stratocaster in 1965, including subtle alterations to the routing on edges of the body and headstock, the one millimeter larger pearloid fret markers, a nylon string guide bushing, a very comfortable medium “C” shaped neck and the new grey bottom pickups updated with enamel coated wire replacing Formvar coated wire adding more bass and midrange. This would also be the last year for the small headstock with one of the bigger visual changes being the transition logo which was only in use from December ‘64 to December ‘65 on these versions and in 1966 on the large headstock versions, making original models from 1965 quite rare indeed.
The guitar is light at seven and a half pounds and is set up with a floating bridge that is perfectly intonated. The high-quality thick laminated rosewood fretboard is dark in color with a touch of red and tight woodgrain with an extremely comfortable 7.25 radius. Before I plugged it in, I played it acoustically and it has a very full, rich, chiming, and resonant sound. Then, I put the guitar through its paces with a 65 Deluxe Reverb, a 68 Vibrolux, a Supro Keeley Custom, and a Vox AC-4. First, I plugged straight into the amps with the bass and treble set halfway up and it sounded full, with a bold tight bottom end and a punchy midrange without losing any of the sparkle on the high end that vintage Stratocasters are known for. Then I played it through a Xotic Super Sweet Booster and SP compressor and the guitar sounded amazing on everything from R&B to Rock and Country to Pop with rich articulation and sustain. I then added a J Rockett Archer, and an Ibanez Tube Screamer played individually then stacked, revealing beautiful medium crunchy rhythm sounds and everything from singing blues to blistering lead solos. The sonic range of the pickups are perfectly balanced, and the bridge pickup handles heavy modern rock with ease. The vintage tall frets play like a dream and the tremolo bridge unit is very stable as I slammed the whammy bar all the way down till the strings were slack more than once and it came back perfectly in tune every time.
For over 70 years, the Fender Stratocaster has remained as timeless as the music it helped to create. From the beginnings of rock ‘n’ roll and R&B to the countless hit songs in every popular genre from every decade since its inception, the Stratocaster can clearly be heard. Currently with 120 Stratocaster models to choose from on their website, Fender’s biggest competition must be themselves. Their popular artist signature models that cover every era from the early days with revered pioneer artists like Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton to contemporary artists such as Jim Root, H.E.R., and Bruno Mars prove the staying power of this marvelous instrument. If you ever wanted to own a Strat actually made in 1965 then you know the price is out of reach for most of us at $40,000 to $50,000, which as we all know is about the cost of a decent new car. The good news is, this 65 Stratocaster reissue is an exceptional and exact recreation that you can own for about 20 times less at about $2,400. In fact, I like this guitar so much that I purchased another in Shoreline Gold. For me, the Fender Vintage II 65 Stratocaster is as good as it gets.
