Mid 70s Fender Strats

I believe they are a bit hit and miss, Ive played a couple of sub par 70's but I've also played some wonderful 70's most noteably a late 70's Candy Apple Red it had such a fine neck and sound I really wished I owned it alas it was someone elses the guy let me try it out after his gig, which was nice of him
It wasn't really worn either nothing like you see on these relics from CS, it had some laquer cracks etc but that just added to the look...

Best bet is to find some and try them imo 70's will eventually raise in price. If it was a guitar to be played alot I'd be temped by a reissue...

Played one '73 beat up,worn strat, it was heaven,really,really great, nice big neck....played two '79 strats, one was really nice,other was not:) so try, before you buy I don't think that 70s strats will be so valueable in future, it was mass production, and quite unpopular production

I have the book "Stratocaster at 50"  One thing I read was the bride block is all cast molded so it was one solid piece instead of 2 pieces that are held together with 3 machine screws.  The saddles were molded as well and everything was chromed.  I understand that they chip very easily.  Next the neck plate had 3 bolts that Leo was designing before he left and it was implamented in the 69' to 79' Strats.  The didn't take the time to get it right and the neck had the tendancey to rock back and forth.  The new strats have this fixed but the old ones you quote 1 out of 10 decent one that are not that bad.  They knew they were bad but deemed it cheaper to fix in the field then to fix all the strats coming off the line messed up.  Next they used less coils on the pickups.  The pickups from the fifties had wax brushed on the coils every so often after winding the pickup up, in the 70's that wax was put on at the end of the process and never penetrated the coils to get all the way through, so microphonic feedback might be another issue.  Last the later Strats were made on the first CNC routers in the world.  when they went to this the computers were so hard to program they would just get it close and go with it.   The result is over sized bodies compaired to the originals or the ones that were routed by hand the year earlier.  It wasn't noticable but if you picked up 2 strats routed by hand and then one routed by CNC you'd know.  This again has been fixed since the early 80's after CBS left.  All this was from my book.

Now let me also advise you of this.  The 70's was a decade of recession.  Cars were made so that they were as cheap as possible.  Electronics was made so it was as cheap as possible.  Guitars are no different.  They made them cheaper to save the companies butts but didn't pass the buck.  Its possible to get a good guitar out of buying a 70's guitar but my opinion is why chance it?  You could buy you that "HEAVENLY" 60's CS Reissue and get a killer guitar that as long as you leave it stock in 20 year WILL BE A CLASSIC!  Remember were playing today tomorrows classics.  Ditch the 70's strat and get you a Custom Shop they really are better instruments.  Even the MIM 70's Stratocaster (which is a damn fine guitar) is better overall in number then a CBS Stratocaster.  Dodge CBS Fender like the plege unless your willing to work on it, but then it won't be worth a thing to a collector.

Yeah I think so too, but only if he plays it.  If your just going to let the guitar sit around the house I guess any 70's guitar would be fine, but I also think from my perspective that a guitar worth buying is a guitar worth playing.  If its an early 70's Strat and it rocks then get it!   If it is a late 70's Stratocaster and it rocks get it!  But make sure your happy with it before you buy it, because you don't know who will buy this guitar in the future.  If it sucks when you buy it, and if it sucks when someone your selling it to buys it, it will hurt the cost.  Better playing, better sounding, sought after pieces will alway get the sale or the big numbers.  I personally would look into a low number CS guitar limited to maybe 300 guitar.  It may cost the same amount as the 70's Strat but I promise you when that guitar is 40 years old its going to be worth a lot of money. 

Thank you all for your input here. I find very good arguments in all the posts for both solutions. Buy an old one and buy a new one. Since I have posted this thread, I have checked al ot of guitars. The Fender CS guitars are really very fine instruments, but I still doubt them being a good investment. Of course I want to kill two birds with one stone. Playing an old Strat that has a story, that has the Mojo and sounds great on the one hand and knowing that this instrument will go up in value on the other hand. I have my eyes on a 74 Strat currently and will personally play and check it at the end of the month.

I'd go CS as well,

Some of those weighed a TON
Like 10lbs and over

Quality was not on the menu those years, cost was
Some bodies were many pieces, 5 or 7 piece bodies even

Not a fan of those at all