1974 Fender Stratocaster Natural: The CBS Strat People Are Wrong About

BLAST FROM THE PAST. A guitar that came through our shop at 316 E 84th St, sold, and moved on. This instrument is no longer available.

Say "seventies Strat" in a guitar shop and somebody will start complaining about CBS within ten seconds. Heavy bodies. Three bolt necks. The big headstock.

Some of that is fair. Most of it is repeated by people who have never spent an afternoon with a good one.

What it was

A 1974 Fender Stratocaster in natural, listed at $3,000.

• Finish: natural, showing the grain rather than hiding it
• Neck: maple, bullet truss rod, three bolt plate with Micro-Tilt
• Headstock: the large CBS shape with the bold black logo
• Radius: 7.25 inches, 21 vintage frets
• Bridge: synchronised tremolo
• Condition: original throughout, apart from one thing

The brass nut

The one non original part was a brass nut, fitted at some point in the seventies.

That is not damage, that is a period modification, and it was a fashion for a reason. Brass nuts were everywhere in the mid to late seventies because players believed they improved sustain and evened out open strings against fretted ones. Whether the physics fully supports that is an argument older than the guitar. What is not arguable is that it was done at the time, by somebody who was playing this guitar in the era it was built.

We would rather have a period modification with a story than a modern part fitted last year.

In defence of the three bolt neck

The three bolt joint with Micro-Tilt gets blamed for everything. The truth is more boring: the design is fine, and the ones that developed problems were usually the ones nobody ever adjusted properly.

Micro-Tilt lets you set neck angle with an allen key instead of shimming with a matchbook, which is genuinely better engineering than what came before it. Combine that with the bullet truss rod, adjustable at the headstock without removing the neck, and a seventies Strat is one of the easiest vintage Fenders to keep set up correctly.

Common questions about the 1974 Fender Stratocaster

What did this 1974 Stratocaster sell for?
It was listed at $3,000 at Bros Guitar Shop in New York City. For a current figure on your own guitar, ask us for an appraisal.

Are 1970s CBS era Stratocasters any good?
Yes, with variation. Quality control was less consistent than the sixties and bodies got heavier, so seventies Strats need judging one at a time rather than by year. A good one is a genuinely great guitar at a fraction of a pre CBS price.

What is a bullet truss rod?
The truss rod adjustment nut sits at the headstock end, behind a bullet shaped fitting, instead of at the body end. It means you can adjust neck relief without taking the neck off. Fender introduced it in 1971.

What is the three bolt Micro-Tilt neck?
A three screw neck joint with an allen adjuster that changes neck angle without shims. Introduced in 1971 and used through most of the seventies. Widely criticised, largely unfairly, and easy to keep tight.

Does a brass nut hurt the value of a vintage Strat?
Any non original part costs something. A period correct seventies modification costs a lot less than a modern one, and to many players it adds character rather than removing it.

Does Bros Guitar Shop buy vintage Fenders?
Yes. We buy outright, take trades, and take consignments. Details below.

Where it went

Sold. Brass nut and all.

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Come see us at Bros Guitar Shop

We are a family owned guitar shop on the Upper East Side, and we do more than sell instruments:

• Buying, trades and consignment on used and vintage gear
• Repairs and setups at our bench
• Appraisals. Bring it in or send photos and we will tell you what you have
• Guitar lessons in the studio downstairs
• Pickup and delivery available for a fee. Give us a call and we will sort it out

Bros Guitar Shop
316 E 84th St, New York, NY 10028
646-559-8771 and brosguitarshop@gmail.com
Mon to Fri 12 to 8, Sat 10 to 8, closed Sunday

Got something in a case under the bed? That is usually how the good ones turn up.