[NGD] 1976 Fender Strat
- marginwalker
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[NGD] 1976 Fender Strat
My first ever electric guitar was a 1999 MIM standard strat I got for my 10th birthday. It was black with a white pickguard and maple neck and was my #1 guitar for years until I got a ‘61 Reissue SG at the end of high school. I also got bored of the “Clapton” aesthetic of the strat so I played it less and less until one day I needed money for rent and decided to put it on the chopping block…
Fast forward 12 years later and my guitars since then have nearly all been offsets, save for two 70’s SG’s, a brief pair of teles, and a G&L Legacy Special I had for probably less than a week. When the AVII series was announced the ‘73 strat immediately caught my eye. There’s just something about the combination of a natural ash body, rosewood fretboard, and the large CBS headstock that just looks so cool lol. I tried one in my local shop but wasn’t wow’d enough by it to want to take it home.
A couple days ago I saw this ‘76 strat posted locally and was able to get it for a good price! The neck has a great fullness to it without being too thick, and I love the wood grain pattern of the ash body. Also, back in 1984 someone had installed a set of active EMG’s in it, the originally receipt for which was still in the case lol. I’ve never been much of a fan of EMG humbuckers but these single coils actually sound pretty great! I’ll still probably swap them out for some PV 73 pickups or something eventually though. It’s currently with my tech for a proper setup and to replace the brass nut with a bone one. Despite never thinking I’d have a strat again, I’m overall pretty happy with it and might keep this one for a while!
Fast forward 12 years later and my guitars since then have nearly all been offsets, save for two 70’s SG’s, a brief pair of teles, and a G&L Legacy Special I had for probably less than a week. When the AVII series was announced the ‘73 strat immediately caught my eye. There’s just something about the combination of a natural ash body, rosewood fretboard, and the large CBS headstock that just looks so cool lol. I tried one in my local shop but wasn’t wow’d enough by it to want to take it home.
A couple days ago I saw this ‘76 strat posted locally and was able to get it for a good price! The neck has a great fullness to it without being too thick, and I love the wood grain pattern of the ash body. Also, back in 1984 someone had installed a set of active EMG’s in it, the originally receipt for which was still in the case lol. I’ve never been much of a fan of EMG humbuckers but these single coils actually sound pretty great! I’ll still probably swap them out for some PV 73 pickups or something eventually though. It’s currently with my tech for a proper setup and to replace the brass nut with a bone one. Despite never thinking I’d have a strat again, I’m overall pretty happy with it and might keep this one for a while!
- MattK
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Re: [NGD] 1976 Fender Strat
That is a VERY good looking Strat. I’m guessing it was stripped rather than factory natural?
- marginwalker
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Re: [NGD] 1976 Fender Strat
Thanks! I can’t decide if I should keep the all black aesthetic of the pickguard/pickup covers when I get new pickups or go with white/aged white like on the AVII 73 strat. Leaning towards keeping it black though.
Yeah I’m thinking it might be a home strip job, the finish is a bit more worn and checked in some spots, especially compared to the condition of the neck finish
- JVG
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Re: [NGD] 1976 Fender Strat
Very nice guitar. I’ve got a thing for large headstock strats.
Looks like it got pretty solidly “eightified”, with the EMGs, brass nut and weird string trees. It seems to have dodged the Floyd Rose mod, luckily!
I’d probably go for parchment plastics, but that’s just me.
Looks like it got pretty solidly “eightified”, with the EMGs, brass nut and weird string trees. It seems to have dodged the Floyd Rose mod, luckily!
I’d probably go for parchment plastics, but that’s just me.
- kamillebidan
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Re: [NGD] 1976 Fender Strat
Very nice, I love modifed 70'a Strats. I saw one recently that was mocha and very tempting but the price was a bit generous for a modded instrument.
I'd go with parchment pickup covers and knobs but keep the black pickguard personally! But the AVII color configuration is great too.
I'll throw my hat in and suggest DiMarzio pickups too if you're looking for good humbucking Strat PUs.
I'd go with parchment pickup covers and knobs but keep the black pickguard personally! But the AVII color configuration is great too.
I'll throw my hat in and suggest DiMarzio pickups too if you're looking for good humbucking Strat PUs.
- marginwalker
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Re: [NGD] 1976 Fender Strat
Agreed, there’s just something about that cbs headstock that adds a nice balance to the aesthetics!JVG wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 4:43 amVery nice guitar. I’ve got a thing for large headstock strats.
Looks like it got pretty solidly “eightified”, with the EMGs, brass nut and weird string trees. It seems to have dodged the Floyd Rose mod, luckily!
I’d probably go for parchment plastics, but that’s just me.
Yes thank goodness no Floyd Rose mod! Don’t think I would’ve touched it if it had lol. It’s currently in the shop to get the nut replaced with a bone nut but I’ve recently come across a potential trade opportunity for a 70’s Jazzmaster, so I might not end up keeping the strat much longer
- marginwalker
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Re: [NGD] 1976 Fender Strat
Thanks for the rec! I’ll definitely need to sift through some DiMarzio strat pup sound samples soon!kamillebidan wrote: ↑Sat Oct 28, 2023 10:12 amVery nice, I love modifed 70'a Strats. I saw one recently that was mocha and very tempting but the price was a bit generous for a modded instrument.
I'd go with parchment pickup covers and knobs but keep the black pickguard personally! But the AVII color configuration is great too.
I'll throw my hat in and suggest DiMarzio pickups too if you're looking for good humbucking Strat PUs.
- Maggieo
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Re: [NGD] 1976 Fender Strat
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I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.