Conference napalm::guitar

    Are you sure it was a '68 re-issue and not a '62? Fender has
    been making reissues of the '57 and '62 strats for a while;
    they are generally thought of as excellent instruments. I
    never heard of a '68 reissue. Also, you can get a really
    GOOD Squire Strat (also made by Fender) for about half of
    what the reissue costs.
    
    -Dave

	I would suggest you look into USED Strats. They can be
	had for $300-$450. Look for one that hasn't been beat
	up by some kid, or modified to death.

	If you get one in good shape, and decide to sell or trade
	it in a few years, you are less likely to loose money than
	if you buy a brandy new one.

	The original strat design was a very playable and durable
	guitar. It has not changed dramatically over the years,
	and I don't believe that there is any earthshaking new
	technology in the newer versions.

	They seem to vary in color, weight, type of woods used
	and the way the serial numbers are marked. Small variations
	in the shape can be noted, especially in the headstocks.

	I bought a used 1971 natural finish Strat with a maple neck
	about 5 yrs ago. It was in very good shape, no scratches,
	and all original. One fret was worn a bit, and the wammy bar
	was missing. It came with a almost like new case. It cost me
	$385, in a music store. I'd bet I could get $450 or $500 for
	it today, but it will never be sold. 

	If I had to do it over again myself, I would look exclusively
	at the used market.

Good hunting

    I second what Dave has to say about the Squire. It is a very good
    guitar for it's price. I don't think you'll really feel (or hear)
    a difference between a Squire and a '62 re-issue.
    
    Dan

    Only my opinion, but, I have owned a 74 Tele-thinline, a squire
    bullet, a squire strat, a Japanese Fender strat, and a custom American
    standard from the custom shop. 
    
    My observations were this....
    
    74 Tele thinline - nice warm sound almost infinite sustain, felt
    good.
    
    Squire bullet - not bad for a budget guitar, not the sound of a
    strat.
    
    Squire strat - better yet, decent quality, nice action, but definitely
    not the same sound as a Fender strat.
    
    Fender Japanese strat - nice guitar, nice sound, good action (after
    I had it set up at the local guitar store).
    
    Custom American standard - best I have owned, plays nice, the neck
    is special, fits like a glove, sounds different than the Japanese
    Fender strat (more punch on the high end, probably due to the PBX
    tone control). Stays in tune nicely (no locking tuners or nut).
    
    All of these guitars had a distinct sound all of their own. No two
    sounded alike to me. Personally I like the American Standard Strat
    best. You can get them with a case for around 490.00 brand new.
    I have seen them as low as 380.00 at special shows.
    
    Just my opinion....
    
    Tony

    Yes, it's definitely a '68 reissue.  I'd guess it's relatively new
    on the market since the Strat brochure did not include it, only
    the '57 and '62.  I don't recall if it's marked as such on the
    headstock, but the 3 '68's in the store were ticketed as '68, and
    some sort of invoice ticket attached was dated early July.
    
    Funny thing, now that I think of it, is that I remember seeing those
    same 2 cream colored '68 reissues about 5-6 weeks ago while browsing.  
    It's starting to make me wonder now........why haven't they sold
    yet?  Is it because an American Standard is about the same price?
    
    Interesting comments about a Squire Strat and a Japanese Fender
    Strat.  I `felt' the Squire, which had the Rosewood fretboard, then
    I felt the maple '68, and realized immediately that I prefer the
    maple neck.  Does a Squire come in a maple fretboard too?
    
    Also, concerning used.  I realize what many people say about finding
    an older used Strat in good condition however, I real picky when
    it comes to used stuff, and I don't think I have the time and energy
    to spend hunting around till I'm satisfied, which I may never be.
    But I hear what your saying.  I also like to be the first owner
    of something that costs serious money and something that I'll probably
    own forever (well, till I give it to my kids, who will be grown-up
    when the time comes).
    
    Like the replies so far.  Keep 'em coming especially about the low-end
    Strats (and compared to the high-end ones).  Thanks.
    
    John

    We bought a squire strat for our oldest boy and I thought it was
    an excellant guitar. However, I tried several squires before picking
    the one we bought...it was every bit as good as my early '70's strat
    with one exception: the pickups. Since I would change the pickups
    anyway from stock to stacks of some sort (stacked humbuckers sound
    strat-ish but don't hum, especially at high gain settings) this
    was a non-issue for me...
    
    The re-issues I tried were the '62 (I think) I found them to be
    good but at the time (several years ago) overpriced (IMO).
    
    As far as I know you can get any neck you want, ie: maple or rosewood
    on a squire. The reissues usually only come with one or the other.
    
    dbii

    I agree, Squire's definitely have different sounding pickups. What
    I tend to like though is the new PBX tone control on the new American
    Standards. You can get just about any tone you want. Also, I really
    like the stock pickups. I usually play using the in-between position
    on the pickup switch (position 2). On the new American Std this
    is a hum cancelling position. I also like the new bridge design,
    the old strats High-E always felt like it was going to fall off
    the fretboard. The American Std. has solved this problem.
    
    Regards,
    
    Tony