That Guitar is a beauty, I got a 61 rosewood fretboard. I have discovered that tuning down a bit to A432HZ or E flat really helps at first, in fact I prefef the general feel and tone and you get better dynsmics too on a Strat. On a Telecaster(Esquire) I noticed that I enjoy that "challenge" between you and the instrument, it makes you listen closer and even the 7 1/4" radius feels flatter. Great sound BTW, I could listen to "Mr Sandman" all day long in that Guitar, you chose well.

Nice review and playing, Nick. I own an AV2 '51 Telecaster that is absolute butter, and came with zero issues. I only had to dial in the action to my taste and it's been amazing.

Beautiful and nostalgic. This will only get better with time.

Nick, I had a Fender Custom Shop 61 Sunburst Strat and finally sold it because of the same attribute you said you were looking for, a big fat neck! This particular guitar actually had a 59 style neck, rosewood over flamed maple, beautiful to behold but it was such a baseball bat that I just couldn't get used to it. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts on the Strat. Looks like a keeper!

Boy, you went way back for that opener! That guitar's a little bright (color) for me and I prefer the 9.5 board; but they all sound different, that's why we need so many! My oldest son LOVES the 7.25. I have an American Original '50s White Blonde, and that neck is bigger and super! Wish it had the medium jumbos on it, but I can't have everything! Even with the narrow-tall, it is a wonderful guitar, and I've been playing Fenders for 61+ years! And yeh, I had to spend $100 having the nut adjusted (also had the 3rd string polepieces dropped on all three pickups) and some shorter bridge screws installed as well as the neck shimmed ... so it needed work. Had to have similar nut work done on a CS Gibson SG Standard '64 VOS, so it's not just Fender! Nice demo, and you have a real fine on-camera presence.

Nice guitar! Im looking at the 61 possibly. I have 2 of the older Mexican classic series stratocaster and one tele classic series as well and think they're pretty great at what they do and how they sound and feel. Somewhat chunky necks too . Cheers

Hey Nick, I still have my EJ Strat in sunburst. She’s Amazing thank you. Im always ready to buy that 59’ sonic blue Strat you have. 🤙🏽

Thank’s . Great review.

I have this one in Surf Green from the early 90s! Got it second hand about 15 years ago. The wood quality and tone are very good. I hate the pickups, I hate the frets, I hate the radius and I hate the feel of the lacquered fingerboard. Luckily mine doesn't have a V-profile; feels more like a Gibson slim taper, which I find very comfortable.

Loooooove the color on that strat! Sounds great too!

I have the 61, It is a gem, as you said in another video, it has a certain MoJo :)

I really want one of these or the 61. The only thing stopping me is the heavier weight and some fit/finish issues that have become more consistent (at least on the 61's). These issues should be non-existent on a $2000 guitar, especially when I don't have these issues on any of my MIM or Squier guitars.

View schon's strats. Floyd equipped, he also has very rare reverse head stock strat. Stellar piece.

That color! Love it!

Like the sound of the alder ones, little bit warmer. The surf green is also beautiful. Had my heart set on the ash blonde 57 which i am happy with. Feel the same way about the 7.25 radius, thinner 42mm nut, wider 2.25" bridge. Takes a little getting used to. If your used to playing a modern straight 10 radius, tall narrow frets, modern medium 43 nut and a modern 2.125 bridge. It is the other end of the spectrum. A 9.5-14 compound radius with 22 frets and tall narrow stainless frets. Forget about it, like something futuristic. But it is what they used back then. Like the thinner soft v. Tried an American original soft v with a 9.5 radius and didn't like it. Felt all wrong, surprisingly fat even though it was a flatter radius. Felt like it should have been thinner. Like go full modern or go full vintage or go home. Lol. Love the vintage ii series, too. Like all the guitars I dreamed about but passed me by cause I started playing in the 80s. Already looking at the other ones as well. Built a modernized warmoth version of a 72 thinline with the CuNiFe wide rhumbuckers. So im am good there. Have a lot of ash maple neck guitars going on. So I am looking at the 61 strat and 63 teles. Need a good alder rosewood guitar. That transparent amber mahogany tele is interesting. Mod that with some Joe Barden hot rails. The deluxe, the 63 tele are jumping out at me. Deluxe and the 72 have a more modem melodic feel to em. While the 63 is warmer than the 51. More bluesy.

I would love to see you compare the 1957 to the 1962 AVII.

Great sounding guitars but I’d find it hard to spend the cash on a guitar with tiny frets as I prefer medium jumbos or even jumbos on a 9.5 board. You see a lot of vintage reissues as first time buyers of a 7.25 with tiny frets is a shock to some that are used to 9.5 and medium jumbos. The Vintera is as far as I went with the “vintage thing” as I prefer hot pickups and modern features on Fender Strat or Tele. I did order the Fiesta red AV2 but changed my mind and bought an American Special Tele and a HW-1 Tele instead.

You should take the sticker off the bridge and remove the spring that tends to rattle around in there.

I just bought one today not here yet but I been playing Fraser for so long I get them all built 12” radius I thought I’d give it another try

I own this guitar (ok, one just like it) … there are several things about this assessment of the 57 RI that I’m in agreement with and several that I’m not… 1 completely agree about Quality Control issues…possibly the worst that I have ever seen on new guitars. I used to have my own shop after touring for over 25 years. So I saw quite a few new guitar problems but not on this scaleThe first one that I ordered gad a serious neck lacquer crack on the back of the pocket… I personally know of several others that had problems with this new line of AVRI-II’s… but, those without the QC issues were fantastic. I also disagree that the guitar is stiff out of the box. Mine was ready to go as soon as I plugged it in. So, not sure about the stiffness but man, what a guitar. I owned one of the fits AVRI’s in 1988 and I have missed it dearly ever since …this one has found its home and isn’t going any where soon. I love everything about it. It’s the reason that you play a Strat for in the first place!

Nice Job!

Wow that colour looks amazing!!

I have the 61 Av2.. It's a wonderful guitar.

I loved it at first but it was missing something, so I got the 61 sunburst. The neck is a little more comfortable than the 57. I couldn't find the bond, maybe it's just me?

I bought the '57 blond with the ash body. The guitar sounds and plays great. The horn strap button (maybe) could have been installed better, but the rest of this guitar build is stellar, and this guitar is just beautiful. The sound just sparkles and spanks. Great touch sensitvity. I really like that is has its own authentic mojo instead of custom shop fake relic mojo (nobody's fooled). So the guitar is highly recommended. The case however is problematic, It's not a G&G (again, nobody will be fooled). It lost a few rivets immediately. Like the first time I picked it up. This may be a biggie for some. The case looks nice, but the hardware is super cheap (the handle mechanism is poorly designed and flimsy). So cheap that I wouldn't trust it outside of anything but storage at home.

I’m going for it . If I don’t love the playability it’s a cool piece of wall art .

I know exactly what you mean about the neck thickness. I picked up an American Original 1960s Strat a year ago, it has a fat “C” neck. I don’t think I can ever go back to a thin neck profile going forward. It’s the most comfortable neck to play.

I tried one of those ! It was lush ! (Lush = Welsh for something great)

What IS there that could be hated? Same goes for any edition of Strat and/or Tele... They're just AWESOME. I've got a "poor man's Fender" - Squier by Fender - traditional 3-pickup design, and when I plug it in my 5-Watt Vox, I'm on the Moooooon... I also own an Epiphone Les Paul 2-humbucker, and it has an extremely slick, thin, "fast" neck an' all, and I love it too, but if I had to choose between them...........without moment's hesitation, my red-white "Strat" would've stayed with me...

Did you play around with the setup? Narrow/small frets have no bearing on string action.

The stiffness is ALL about setup my friend - get a good tech & you'll never look back ! Great content 😎

I think the stiffness comes from the springs Fender uses. Try a set of Raw Vintage (all 5). You said the shell pink AO was amazing, but mine was hardly playable despite many setups.. until I put in Raw Vintage springs then it transformed into a very easy playing guitar.

I liked when the American Original had 9 1/2" radius, it made all the difference to me. The really historically authentic one has appeared in a lot of interpretations. Been done enough times. Great guitars, but 7 1/4" is just not realistic anymore, unless you just want to play '50s music. Damn what a beautiful guitar though! killer tones and also nice playing. The stiffness of the strings is due to the scale length used on almost every guitar being made now that isn't a Gibson, made a little more apparent by the radius, probably even more than the fret size is responsible for that. the color isn't that authentic but man is it BEAUTIFUL. Nice video.

Why did it come with the bad neck? Was it second hand?

Cool color!

Hey Nick! Do you plan on getting the ‘73 strat next?

I have a 40 the anniversary squire and it don't sound bad

I have a 1990 ‘57 AVRI Strat, and it is just that, a ‘57 spec re-issue Strat. If you want a shredder guitar, this model is not for you. If you are looking for a guitar from the 50’s era, but can’t shell out $25,000 or more for an original, this is the guitar for you. Definitely a little more difficult to play, but the tone is excellent. The finish on the AVRI guitars seem to chip a lot easier than the modern urethane finishes. Other than that, great guitar. Have had mine for over 20 years and love it.

I have this guitar and this same seafoam colour and it is so worth it.

I like the 57 myself i like the soft v and the radius but it seems to me after searching youtube the most popular year is the 61

Any owners of this guitar that are able to comment on how the color appears in person? In various photos it looks either really blue or extremely green, so I assume it's just one of those colors that camera's have a hard time picking up and/or are drastically affected by lighting.

So, 7.25" radius but what does it mean? for playability/ bending? you had it a month Nick!

whats the song in the intro, Its on the tip of my tongue, but I cant recall

I don't know whether to get the 57 or 61. I play all the stuff from the late 60s. But i never had a maple fretboard before so i prefer the look of the 57.

0:32 Is that a chunk out of the 'F' in the decal?

Did Fender offer Surf Green as a custom color in 1957? Asking for a friend.

I personally like the 7.25” radius fingerboard

Which one do you prefer sound wise, between the 61 and the 57?

Is that the classic player 60s sonic blue strat on the wall?

The AV2 line is really top-notch, and I love everything about them for the most part... but I can't make friends with 7.25 radius fretboards. I have tried. I can't. They are just too difficult to get hugh bends without jacking up the action to the point where it's annoying. At least for me.

Love the first song you played in the intro. What is it?

So I have a fender Vintera made in Mexico, but it's the same Strat just Mexican made? It's also a 1950s Strat everything looks the same! Beautiful instrument!

I think I saw that ‘61 of yours on Strat Talk

Lucky guy nick, she a beauty.

the problem is, a lot of places like GC won't have them in stock to play them first, so you have to buy them to try them...

Really happy to see that I'm not the only one loving fat necks ! My 1958 had a baseball neck , man that was fat ! I just prefer chunkier necks , feels like home !

Nice Mr. Sandman!! damnit now I have GAS

Do you spend as much time playing as you do collecting? Haha, nice guitars!

Fenders have had a poly base coat since the mid-sixties.

They are making the cases in house now

Fender 😘

Poly with nitro over it?

If you want a guitar that is butter right out of the case you should order it through a dealer and not the company direct. Any music store worth going to should check the guitar before they send it off to you.

Is it green or blue?

There are no bad guitars out there anymore...only bad guitars for the money....this is one of those times...strats like that shouldnt cost several thousands but a couple of hundreds and the whole "vintage" thing in order to sell these things and convince hard working folks to part with their cash disgusts me..... thank god for learning to do guitar work and got into modding cause i realised that i would have spent a small fortune buying whatever the admen want me to buy.....

The cases are made in China. There is a tag usually in the back left that says Made in China. Most people cut the tag out.

Nice to look at but...with a 7.5 radius it is unplayable by most pro's standards. I just don't get Fender these days. They either use crappy wood and great necks or visa versa. IMO, if you are going to use a 7.5 radius for a neck at least make it a compound radius to 9.5 or 10. Sadly for me, in the last three years or so there has not been one single guitar with a decent radius, Soft V or Mid sixties C neck and alder or ash body in the 1k to 2k category. There has only been one guitar I even considered buying (Fender American Original '50s or 60's Stratocaster) but at $2500.00 new (when it first came out) it was, IMO too costly for what it was. Just my 2 cents worth. Peace.

"Wasn't as thick as I was expecting..." Thats what she said! haha

5:30

If you love fat necks then the Fender Original ‘50s Strat may appeal. It may be interesting if you ever have the chance to try the Fender Vintage ‘57 reissue Strat with the Ash body to see if there are any tonal differences between that and your Alder body version.

I I own an AVRI '52 tele (2004) and a AVRI '62 strat (1988). Both are stellar which is why I just bought a 'AV2 '57 strat which is on it's way to me. Just curious: you have a few American Vintage RI guitars. Have you compared them to a Custom Shop strat? I've owned quite a few CS strats but for some reason, which I can't put my finger on, I sold them because I prefer the AVRI strat. I'm wondering if it's because the AVRI strat that I have is almost 40 years old, or if the AVRI strats are just closer to the originals than the Custom Shop models.

to those bitching about misaligned necks/neck pockets and high E hanging off the edge, I admit it does irk me also but after @75 years of making the strat fender knows how to cut a neck pocket and/or align a neck. With a 7-1/4 radius fingerboard there is essentially less surface area across the finger board due to the extreme curvature. This was present on the old vintage examples as well, is was/is part of the deal if you want a TRUE vintage replica that was manufactured using the same tooling as the originals. I,ve played 5K CS strats that had the same issue...aggravating but true to the originals. In otherwords, Fender is aware of it and makes them that way. What bugs me more is a vintage reissue that should have a 7-1/4 radius and uses a 9.5 in place of the correct radius to fix that issue.It is not present on any other models except for the vintage strat reissues. @ 50% of high dollar real vintage examples also have this issue, people have devised all sorts of methods for correcting it, like ACTUALLY misaligning the neck to correct the high E issue with varying amounts of success. It sucks but thats what they were and if you want a TRUE vintage experience you learn to deal with it. Part of the reason pros switch guitars for different songs so often. Got to plat a lead above the 12th fret? not on that guitar!

I can see… the fretboard has the shine. Not the vibe. They gotta stop glossing the fretboards.

Explain....why would one like to work harder to play?.....is this a form of masochism?

You won't do well with Mosrite.

Prs silver sky is better

No one seems to mind how over priced it is for what you get. Weird.

sucks. idk why people love the annoying strat features from that era.

Women; do not trust any man who cannot be happy with one special guitar.

The neck pocket problems are back. I cannot believe that in the age of cnc machining this issue still persists. For a 2k+ $/€ guitar it’s absolutely unacceptable. It’s a joke that you get proper craftsmanship only from pricey custom shop guitars. There are much better S-Style guitars from small manufacturers like Haar f.i. that are on par with the custom shop for the price of a vintage reissue.

Sire or Harley Benton ! Just saying better specs better quality - 😊 1/2 the price