Strat Tremolo Questions? Edited

[Larsongs]

So, after being corrected by Editors & other Terminology Experts for my poor Spelling & usage of the incorrect age old term Tremolo….

Does anybody know the answers to questions pertaining to my Thread?

I remember a few years ago the MIM Lacquer 60’s Jags & JM’s.. Which were most USA Fender Parts that were assembled in Mexico.. For half the Price of a USA AV65 Jag or JM.. They had limited colors which held many back..

Are any of the current MIM Strats comparable the Lacquer 60’s concept? Utilizing top of the line USA Parts but assembled in Mexico?

Thank you

[JSett]

A lot of the parts used in both US and Mexican guitars are made overseas anyway. Knobs, pickguard material, pickup covers, saddles, bridges, tuners, fret wire (maybe), paint, wire... The only real difference is where the parts are assembled and some minor spec differences.

What are you trying to achieve with the knowledge you seek?

I've got an idea for a thread: "what Strat vibrato springs are the best? Chinese made ones used in MIM, Chinese made ones in MIJ or Chinese made ones in USA Strat?

[timtam]

IIRC the classic 60s lacquer jags and JMs you mention were mostly imported hardware (eg Korean-made 0081138000 trem*, now on the Player JM) with MIM necks/bodies.
* https://reverb.com/au/item/1599505-genu ... 0081138000
https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Orig ... -04-14.pdf
http://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Origi ... -04-14.pdf

Regarding strat trems, according to Fender, the 2-pt 0992079000 trem is used on "most Player, Deluxe, Classic Player, and Vintera Modified Series Stratocasters " ie most MIM models.
https://www.fender.com/en-AU/parts/brid ... 79000.html

That trem is made in Taiwan (by Ping ?).


OTOH the 2-pt 0075091049 trem is used on "on most American and American Standard series Stratocaster models manufactured from 2008-present"
https://www.fender.com/en-AU/parts/elec ... 91049.html

That trem is MIA ...


Regarding 6-pt trems, the 0071014049 is used on "most Standard, Deluxe, Roadhouse™, Lone Star™, and Blacktop Stratocaster models manufactured from 2006-present."
https://www.fender.com/en-AU/parts/elec ... 14049.html

The 0071014049 trem is made in Taiwan (by Ping ?).


Then there is also the 6-pt 0054619000 "for use with U.S.- and Mexico-made Stratocaster models that take a vintage-style bridge, including Classic Series models manufactured 2004-present and Highway One™ models manufactured before 2006."
https://www.fender.com/en-AU/parts/brid ... 19000.html
Also made in Taiwan by Ping ...


One of those Taiwanese 6-pt trems is probably (?) what is on the current Vintera 50s and 60s strats, but there is no parts manual yet for those guitars AFAIK (the 'modified' Vinteras have 2-pt trems, ie 0992079000).

So the scope for any MIM strats with stock MIA trems would appear to be very limited.

You can search for similar evidence on the origins of other strat trems by part number as listed by Riley:
https://darrenriley.com/product-categor ... -tremolos/
The two 6-pt "Fender Mexico" trems he lists are the 0054619000 and 0071014049, ie made in Taiwan.

Finally, since all the above strat trems that are either MIA or imported from Asia, that might suggest that no trems are actually made in Mexico. And indeed IIRC I have not seen hard evidence of any metal parts that are MIM.

[Larsongs]

I was under the impression the Fender Lacquer 60’s JM’s & Jags were Assembled in Mexico but were mostly Fender USA Parts including Fender USA AV65 Pickups & a Hard Case.. Map was $999.00 if I recall. Les than half what the new USA Fender AV65’s were selling for..

I did end up getting an AV65 JM & Jag but the Lacquer 60’s were really good Guitars.. It was the Color thing..

I would be interested in another Strat & if they made something like those Lacquer 60’s in a Strat for about half the cost of the new USA Strat’s I’d be interested….. I’m ok with MIM but would want mostly USA Parts & USA Fender Pickups though..

[sal paradise]

Are you just trying to figure out the best quality MIM strat vs USA models?

The Baja Tele is a useful example that they’re not far apart & small changes can make a good guitar a great guitar.

[Larsongs]

Are you just trying to figure out the best quality MIM strat vs USA models?

The Baja Tele is a useful example that they’re not far apart & small changes can make a good guitar a great guitar.

I’m trying to find the MIM’s with the most Fender USA content.. Especially Pickups but other Parts as well. An included Hard Case would be a huge plus..

[sessylU]

I really don't think it matters all that much. Some people will disagree, but I think that a strat trem is a strat trem is a strat trem. They all sound like a strat trem and they all do their thing exactly like a strat trem if you set them up as you would a strat trem.

I say that as someone who loves them. I sort of wish they were a bit fancier looking, because their ubiquity makes them more or less a non-feature on a lot of guitars, but they are probably my favourite bridge type.

[Embenny]

I really don't think it matters all that much. Some people will disagree, but I think that a strat trem is a strat trem is a strat trem. They all sound like a strat trem and they all do their thing exactly like a strat trem if you set them up as you would a strat trem.

I say that as someone who loves them. I sort of wish they were a bit fancier looking, because their ubiquity makes them more or less a non-feature on a lot of guitars, but they are probably my favourite bridge type.

I get the sentiment, and in the context of Mexican Fenders I agree, but in a broader context I do not.

A cheap 6-screw strat bridge and a high-end dual-fulcrum one are miles apart. The G&L "strat bridge" is vastly, vastly superior in just about every way to the 6-screw unit on my MIM Sixty-Six. The American Fender dual-fulcrum models are a notch behind G&L, but not that much.

I've also had guitars before/after a swap from a cheapie thin block to a chunky, heavy one, and there's a marked impact on the tone and overall acoustic properties/feel of the guitar. They're not the type of changes that make an audible impact for a listener, but they totally have an impact on the experience of the player.

But you don't get any of those nice dual-post versions on MIM Fenders, as far as I'm aware, and you don't get the wafer-thin and weightless zinc blocks found on a Squier Affinity. You just get competent but not spectacular 6-screw vintage style units, and that's fine. I upgraded the saddles on mine to improve the feel while palm muting, but didn't feel that I stood to gain much from shelling out for a whole new high end unit (especially since the mechanically superior 2-post versions require different routing).

Oh, and let's let Leo Fender, the cause of the tremolo/vibrato argument, end it. His ultimate design was the G&L Dual Fulcrum Vibrato, not the Dual Fulcrum Tremolo. He obviously learned that he was wrong, and had he been at the helm at Fender, he might have ended this silliness sooner. By 1980, he was naming the DFV appropriately, so he knew what was up. He started the whole controversy with a strat bridge and he ended it with one.