Fender Stratocaster SHOOTOUT | 1955 vs 1964 vs 1979

My Dad finally gave me his 1979 original ‪@fender‬ Stratocaster!
It seemed the logical thing to do to shoot it out against my Custom Shop 55’ and 64’ guitars!
Lemme know which is your favourite!
00:00 - Intro
00:38 - Intro Chat
04:06 - Sound Of Each Pickup
07:45 - Twin Sister
13:54 - SLO
15:55 - VX100
18:00 - Summary
Video edited by John Hollingworth
#rabeaafro #fender #fenderstratocaster
⬇️⬇️⬇️ Feel free to read this ⬇️⬇️⬇️
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[@Xenious]

Having a father's guitar in your collection is always an honor and a joy.

[@Terribleguitarist89]

Concur, I have my dad's 60's Hofner acoustic he bought new as a teen. That thing just oozes musical ideas from the moment you pick it up. Same with his 63' Hofner bass, but he's still too attached to let that one transfer to my home studio and I can't blame him honestly.

[@horizonishere]

There’s something about the ‘79 into the twin sister that says “push me”. Then with the way you play it with your emotional attachment feeds into the guitar. It’s truly great.

[@colasnativelle4421]

Fell in love with the 70’s when looking at it Fell even more in love with it listening to it, so much output and versatility

[@garrettboomerbender]

To me the 70s strat has that Smashing Pumpkins tone and I love it. I really enjoyed the 60s strat as well and the 50s was good too. They all sound great so you can't really go wrong.

[@kennyblackbird5674]

I believe the 79 Strat was the epitome of evolution in Fender guitar technology with the Mirco-tilt adjustment and Bullet truss rod. My dream guitar would be a late 70's maple fretboard white Strat with black pick guard!

[@phill4967]

Those chords on the 55 were heaven, loved them all the finger board on the 79 was a stand out for me as was it's bite from it's pickups.

[@stephenturner8102]

70s stands out to me, pickups sound great!

[@GiantPinhead]

The 50s Strat sounds the best to me in terms of balanced "color" and how I think a good Strat should record. To be fair, I play mostly cleaner than most, so my preference runs toward the underwound, and I think your rig excels in that regard. Well done, and enjoy your father's guitar. What a great time to be alive!

[@syntience_music]

Impossible to choose one. Leo Fender nailed perfection with the strat design. Can't be even described with words. And your playing is awesome!

[@caramelvette]

One thing that will always be absolutely mental to me is how perfect his playing is in the sense that the strings only move if he moves them. And I mean watch his fretting hand. The strings stay perfectly straight on the board until he adds vibrato. Thank you sir, thank you.

[@19spunky81]

This guy is theeee best guitarist out there right now 🎸 🤘🤘🤘

[@tyrantstomper]

The production values of this video are superb. Keep it up, Rabea/Rabea's editor!

[@tristanlamarque1043]

You are one of my favorite guitarists and you’ve inspired my playing so much, thank you

[@hyperbolekid]

man, your playing and tone through that twin sister is incredible! Like all 3 fiddles through it.

[@petewhitten3778]

Thanks Rebea, that was a cool video. I love the 55 . I agree with you on the tones 🎸🎸🎸😎

[@hanomag251]

I remember the old shoot out!!! :) The 64 is a beast!!! Love the 55 with the bare knuckle pickups. And the 79 is amazing as well. Hard to tell which one is the best!!! They all have a little something!!! And by the way, I still enjoy playing Rita!!! She might not be a real Strat but she has her own identity!!!

[@demantoid418]

This was fun thanks for bringing us along 🤘😎

[@papakefis4252]

79' for me ,all day long.... I really appreciate the top end witch is something I didn't expect. Cheers and keep on rocking.

[@joshuabeeAlafia1]

Real nice playing, Rabea. I felt like the 70 brought something out of you that was the most soulful and the tone just really stood out. something about the vintage always seems to be my favorite in these tests.

[@semplicemorte]

Sad to hear you no longer have Rita. Great sounding guitar, always loved watching you play it! Thinking of the old musicisum jam...

[@richardsp2794]

Thanks for this. I've got a few S type guitars, but none of them in a stock fender original configuration. I knew I wanted a 'traditional' instrument but didn't know where to start. This really helped.

[@nadyanmrtz]

I REALLY like the 60's. I've always thought it sounded amazing and looks stunning and now that you've compared them, judging by sound alone, it's my favorite of the 3. It has the right amount of output, dynamic, and bite for my taste.

[@johnsonw.7853]

I’m torn between the 60’s and 70’s. They have that nice single coil gain tone I like!

[@soulassasin10]

Oh man that 70's is gnarly 🤘🎸🔥 love it

[@_RLP]

There's something otherworldly about that '64, man...

[@ParaBellum2024]

I owned and gigged a 1979 Strat identical to yours for many years! Sold it when I played a Tele more, but have since bought a Squier CV 50s Strat.

[@vinnyb9017]

Very very interesting. There is some beautiful sparkle in the top end of the 70's, but my prefer sound is from the 60's (more open sound and clarity). Awesome playing as usual, thank you Bea 👍

[@siegriedroy6467]

Unbeliveable, your Dads Strat sounds for me best! 79 is normally not the best year for a Strat!? Best regards! Seb

[@firespoon]

I’ve always found 70’s strats to be a bit thin and bright for cleans but works so well with gain which I think you seemed to gravitate to naturally! All three are dream guitars, 55 for me.

[@beestew79]

I'm excited to watch this one.

[@gregbetts8057]

love late 70's 3 bolt rigs . great vid

[@PowerInOne22]

LOL I didn’t realize I clicked on a Rabea video and during the intro I was like good lord this dude can play like an absolute savage…. Then saw the Fro

[@eddaymusic]

‘55 is the one to my ears. I recently purchased a 1993 MIJ ‘54 Reissue Strat and love it.

[@pappyodanial]

I finally got the chance to play a 62, and it was just amazing the sounds that came out of it. Guitar was so sick.

[@thomasfontenot4881]

Hey Rabea the first time i heard you was at few months ago catse im on youtube everyday. Dig your style and love for the instrument, its uniquely epic. I play strat style guitars mostly, i love the video and the siund but you definitely need raise those pickups up some i notice they are almost flush bellow the BBB ig styings i kniw it makes a big difference on all my single coil pickups, it makes them come alive mate! Keep on pucking!

[@ianmartens5286]

What a great video. Thanks

[@nsbomb]

I just recently bought a 1979 3TSB in pretty clean condition. Sounds and play’s amazing, definitely my main Strat at the moment. I would prefer a 60’s one but my wallet doesn’t match the price tag ^^ Nice vid mate, thanks for doing this!

[@OSHomestead]

Another awesome video

[@TheJuggernautv2]

Thanks for sharing!

[@elevenAD]

The maple board makes a difference! a lil smoother, less overtones, bass and highs. The 2 with rosewood boards sound very similar to me, all 3 sound Killer!

[@1siriuswolf]

I'm sure you already now, but the strat your dad gave you has mojo.. Absolutely fuckin magical✨✨✨

[@comethmordor]

They had unique voices but all sounded great! The 55 was my favorite.

[@ZL1LoVeR]

That 79 is a beast!

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

Lets face it, I'm gonna click like whatever you churn out, it's always superb.

[@mariodriessen9740]

You certainly can hear the differences, but I'll tell you something. When I studied jazz guitar at the conservatory of music I used to bring a strat with me. My teacher did as well. Although they were both strats, looking at all the specs, even the details, there was absolutely nothing the same. It was an early seventies vs an early eighties, the seventies one fitted with a Floyd Rose vibrato unit vs a hardtail with die cast saddles, alder vs ash, rosewood vs 1 piece maple neck, locking nut vs plastic (?) nut, seventies standard pu's vs the newer X1 pickup in the bridge position, tilt neck construction vs 4 bolts...., these two strats literally had nothing in common, but one very essential thing. The sound. Both well trained musicians with a good pair of ears. We played through the same amp (not sure, but I think it was a Roland Jazz Chorus 120). We just couldn't tell the difference. Both guitars sounded exactly the same. There's no real point in telling this, but it's just something that always puzzled me. I mean, you can buy two of the exact same guitars and you will almost by definition be able to notice a bit of a difference when it comes to sound. But to have two completely different guitars that sound exactly the same? That's just mind boggling. 😄

[@davroshalfbeard8368]

They all sounded great 🤟

[@gregderosier5166]

I wish you would just jam for like an hour and put it on spotify or something like that. Great playing as always.

[@aaronlaguda]

The black one with the small head stock smokes the other guitars by miles. Thanks for the guitar lesson to . Sick channel

[@Traski]

The black Strat with the black pickguard sound amazing.

[@chocobloc7765]

But IMHO not with the Soldano

[@curtspoerer4424]

Loved the BN pickups in the 55, just so much clarity! What are the settings on the SLO crunch channel? And all that delay and verb were in front of the amp ?

[@lancehall3897]

My preference was by pickup selector position. For the individual pickup positions I, III, V, I enjoyed the balanced clarity of the 55. For positions II and IV, I would opt for the 64 as the 55 was muddled and anemic sounding. The 79 was excessively bright and harsh relative to the other 2. With EQ one could likely get any strat tone needed with any of the three for a wide range of music genres.

[@travisbartley58]

I like the 1970s strats because of Ed King. I read he used a 1973 strat in Lynyrd Skynyrd.Out of my price range though.

[@martinthor749]

…50’ SLO 13:56 on - took me to a different place…place I LOVE to be✨

[@andrelacourse]

String up a length of limp celery and Rabea would make it sound amazing when strummed 🎸

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

The pickups on the dark one are cooking 🍳

[@vintagepipesnightmares]

I like the maple neck one and the one with bigger headstock. They sound the best to me.👍✌️✌️

[@aleksandrrostovtsev]

Second is win for me.👍

[@Rustocaps]

I’d love to get a 79 tele. Year of my birth seems about right to own.

[@ayyveezee2079]

Bareknuckles in the 55' are so clear and articulate.

[@flowjoe100]

Black custom shop 64' all day for me!!!!!!!

[@hotwheel6663]

I love the 70s big headstock yeah I know 3 bolt neck but still love it.

[@jed10800]

Thanks for the videos. Enjoyed this one. What pickups do you have in the 64?

[@waynebrown1394]

In the clean the 55 and the 64 sounded kind of the same on the first test the 79 sounded better to my ear. Then you started playing and I really wanted your dads guitar to win me over but if I had to play one tomorrow it would be the 55 and that surprised me.

[@kungfooo]

Winner of all of them: The SLO.

[@Zed1984US]

happy holidays

[@yjmsrv]

So I'll add opinions as I listen- for the first demo through the Twin Sister- the '79 is a clear winner to me- which surprises me. It just has SOOO much chime and sustain- it's seems to have MUCH better harmonic overtones- even through my laptop speakers it's noticiable- I had to go back and put on headphones to see if it was real. Definite winner in round one for me. On the SLO the '55 won out for me- just did it some how- on the VX100 it was the '55 at first- then the '70's was next- wasn't bright enough in my opinion which is opposite of what you thought. I love the look of the '70s best- that big headstock and really dark ebony fretboard is just magic!

[@lfscrazy]

Those 70s pickups are unpotted and the Ash is heavy. I've been looking for a Strat recently and just keep coming back to videos of 79s. They just seem to have more meat. I'm now on the hunt for one that doesn't weigh 10lbs!

[@gregorydickie9667]

I like the burst the best!

[@bm7760]

My guitar collection used to consist of nine Strats. To me they were all different. I think I could now spec my ultimate Strat (no commercial one ticks all the boxes) which would be closer to the 50s than any other era. I enjoy my '79 a lot too though. People talk such nonsense about the CBS era guitars. Expensive or cheap, old or new, all guitars have their own thing.

[@LucasMastropasqua]

They are all legendary and sound killer but for me the ‘55 is just it! I’d never want to put it down!

[@rockmovieswithtyler1989]

Like them all but I am curious about which one you'd experiment with a 10 way switch on?

[@optimus3305]

I miss my 79 ash body 3 bolt so much, nothing like it.

[@kempire4623]

What happened to the josefina's in the 55!?! I know bare knuckle shows you love, but those pickups were really nice. Great collection btw! A family heirloom is always an awesome add. For what it's worth I like the look of the 50's, the 60's was my overall fav, but the 70's sounded the most "alive".

[@Particle67]

When i started guitar 34 years ago my preference was 70's then 60's and actually i play excusively on the 50's

[@aaronsmithey4044]

'55 is a BEAST! '79 overall favorite.

[@Utubewrk123]

Rabea, Remember the Friedman candy yellow it looked orange it was a Cali shredder? You played it at namm with the SLO? I think you really matched well with it. I wished you had gotten one. You looked like you loved playing it. I still think of it now and then and watch it. Off topic. Sorry.

[@drivenmad7676]

55 custom shop. However i don't have catchers mitts for hands like you my friend, so i'm not sure the neck would work for me. heheheh

[@biol00p]

How does the “neck feel” compare? Let us know. Personally I think a pickup change for the 79 is where you will end up, but all three sound amazing !

[@martinclayton7260]

I loved them all, but I like the 64 the most.

[@firas3226]

i have the same exact 79’ and am so lost on whether i should sell it and get some reissue or stick with its badass attitude

[@heikkileppanen9605]

That ´55 has the most beautiful knopfler-y cleans, ´64 and ´79 shine in the more bluesy stuff.

[@rabsas]

With high gain the ‘64 is the best sounding, overall is my favourite too. ‘55 has a classic low output sound, but imo with josefinas sound better, and the ‘79 is awesome overall, maybe a surprise coz you’re expecting a dog and it excels your expectations. Great playing though

[@sethmccollum7101]

Guitar 2 was my favorite sound

[@gimmenames9039]

The 55 has my vote!

[@andyhayes7828]

The '55 reissue was a good bit better than the other two. The '60's reissue sounded like it was light weight alder, which is resonant,but a bit soft,muffled and undefined. The '79 was the opposite end of that, sharper, less full and resonant, but lots of bite (heavy ash). It was the only one with a 7 1/2 radius fretboard (the two reissue's are a 9 1/2 radius I believe) the 7 1/2 radius has a more twangy type attack as you dig in. Again, the '55 is some really nice light to medium weight ash, and the fat maple neck is a plus as well. VERY nice sounding strat, the playing was really connected to that particular guitar as well. I'd say that guitar weighs around 7 to 7.4 lbs ?

[@deadinside0586]

The 55 sounds perfect! I want these pickups. PS: Which wood's on the body of her?

[@kristiandawe85]

Dad's guitar definitely sound more edgy to my ears, it's awesome, but my favorite it the 55 sunburst, but honestly they are all sweet, how can anyone pick just one.

[@elianmusic7452]

Bea, is the black strat in this video the same as the '61 reissue video? The one with the Custom Shop Fat 60's pickups? Or this another guitar, because two different years

[@colinparks619]

Was not expecting to like the 70s the best ...but i did....

[@bindiki]

The ‘79 is absolutely fuckin god tier. End of. And it’s your father’s which is the most heart warming of all. It’s killer.

[@robertmills9767]

I can kind of hear a harmonic resonance in the background at 5:49 for example. Not in a bad way, just interesting.

[@aristipposk]

Really nice shootout! But if you had to choose ONLY ONE of these, which one would you pick and why is it the '55 one?

[@danielsaturnino5715]

Dont mind me just here for the tones and the riffage

[@kcd2120]

Me, too! He’s a master riff-monger, for sure.

[@xandosreign]

Just off of the position tests the 50 feels like it has a bigger deeper resonance, the 60 is a bit shinier with a very clean high note and the 70 feels like it is smack dab in the middle. To me that screams 70 is the live show since it can probably do both the 50 and 60 justice just won't be quite as pronounced. Did I hear an Opeth riff on the Twin Sister?

[@douglasnisbet1189]

54 sounds the best and looks the best, although personally I think the smaller headstock lets it down a bit. Nothing cooler than the lates 60s, 70s big headstocks.

[@MRxr400]

funny you use the 55 for rock. to me it had a classic warm lush tone tame top end. the 64 was hotter and brighter, 79 more again, both sounded great to me for rockier high presence tones. my favorite tone came from your 55, but with a bat type neck, it would be the greatest challenge for me to play.

[@Scoots1994]

You've got most of your name right. I agree on your assessment of the guitars too. They sound very different to each other to me, that tamer lush 55 is the one for me, but that may be in part because I play a G&L with MFDs.

[@MRxr400]

@@Scoots1994 that clean 55 guitar part sounded amazing to me. the open string sound was such a sweet tone. sorry about my name, it was forced on me....

[@ALTURAS-CR]

Ngl the 79 kinda my fav

[@Nicknikol]

The 55 sounded the best to me maybe the brk always sounds good to my ears

[@marcuskohlquist7676]

New Rabea Bareknuckle singelcoil pickups ??? 😀😀 or am I lost ??

[@didierserval2171]

J adore ton ta facon de jouer,et pour moi la 70 bien meilleur👍

[@javierromantejada5071]

What pickups are on the 55?

[@voxfazer9154]

For some reasons the 70's one (which should be tuned in DADGAD...obviously) sounds like a "mature" instrument. Don't know how to explain. I have a Sheraton II from mid 90's, played since day 1 (6th of august 1995 to be accurate): she has a voice.