coldwaraudio said:
Its hard to compare an original to a reissue. The only thing thats the same is the basic shape. All the rest: how it was made (by hand vs. CNC, one at a time vs. mass produced), fit and finish, materials, electronics, pickups, even the wiring harness, etc... all are vastly different. Alot can change in 40 years.
Fender did use machines back then for some manufacturing, so the old Mustangs are not fully handmade, but there are small differences between the decades I'm sure, because by the 70's, Fender was moving to making bodies on a Computer controlled milling machine (hence why the Telecaster body changed slightly in the 70's). I'd almost be interested to get my hands on a 70's stang and see how it compares to an mid-66 and the reissues.
And yes the reissues are different in minute details like hex wrench sizes required to turn hex screws, standard or metric thread (Japan vs. USA), the originals have a rubber nib that rests against the whammy bar when it's locked into the tailpiece, instead of a bare piece of metal. The knobs are very different (they use a knurled shaft rather than a solid one and are much smaller than stock vintage Mustang knobs), and the switches seem to be made of a more solid design than the reissues. Also, the bridge screws are longer for the saddles on the reissues, and they don't have the dome "rivet" on top of the action adjustment legs on the reissues either.
After having played 2 Vintage stangs and the Reissues, I think they are both great and valid instruments. Mine is slowly becoming something of a "stratocaster replacement", especially on Deep Purple covers.
