Yep the micro tilt is not a problem iff as in if and only if its properly executed. Shimming and micro tilt posted on may 4, 2015 by orpheo there are many different factors that go into the playability of a guitar, including the string height, the quality of the frets, the smoothness of the fretboard edges, the shape of the neck the list goes on and on. Mounts to guitar body using two flat head screws fender pn 0084699049 fits american vintage series 70s us and 70sstyle classic and road worn mexico instruments using a 3bolt neck plate manufactured from 1999present. The first known ad for it appeared in that aprils issue of international musician magazine, and a small preproduction run began that month. There are claims that the neck pockets were so loose that the neck could actually shift and pivot on the micro tilt. Microtilt on fender reissues discussion in basses bg started by alexit, feb 27, 2008. Keep your fender genuine with replacement parts for your 70s vintagestyle microtilt system. Fender s micro tilt necks provide an easy mechanism for adjusting the necks angle. Fender also switched to the threebolt neck microtilt adjustable neck and the bullet truss rod in midtolate 1975 before reverting. To mark the 60th anniversary of fender backbeats introduced a new completely revised third edition of this bestseller. The shop set of 12 includes one each of every size, shape and taper. Genuine fender microtilt strat tele jazz bass 70s reverb. This example of a natural finish fender stratocaster with maple fingerboard was built during 1972 in the fender fullerton, california plant. The microtilt necks are also found on the fender coronado.
Fender lower body mounting disc for 70s micro tiltsystem for electric guitar. To make this a simple diy adjustment, fender introduced microtilt in 1971 when it switched the stratocaster from four to threebolt neck plates. It is distinct from the precision bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less. Fender 1420x38 modern style micro tilt adjustment hex screw for american. Playing cards are already highly compressed so they shouldnt change as regular. Fender also switched to the threebolt neck micro tilt adjustable neck and the bullet truss rod in midtolate 1975 before reverting to the more standard fourbolt neck fixing and dotshaped fretboard markers in 1983. This gives you the versatility of tilting the neck instead of the old method of resorting to shims. When tightening this screw, it protrudes past the surface of the neck pocket and pushes the bottom of the heel up, increasing the neck angle. The fender micro tilt was a dramatic improvement in the ability to service these instruments, and is still in use though many current implementations use four bolts again, for neck stability. With an illustrious history dating back to 1946, fender has touched and transformed. This is my short history video on the fender telecaster.
The first known ad for it appeared in that aprils issue of international musician. Fender musical instruments corporation of scottsdale, arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as. Over the long and iconic history of fender custom shop, thousands of stratocaster variations have been. Genuine fender 4bolt micro tilt guitar neck plate corona w ebay. The decade opened with fender still under the ownership of cbs. Ok, so first of all, in every discussion about microtilt3bolt. Genuine fender replacement parts for your 70s vintagestyle micro tilt system. Before the broadcaster and precision bass, leo fender was tinkering with speakers and amplifiers in a little shop in fullerton, california. The fender vintage series 75 jazz bass revisits a high point in the evolution of this fender bass legend. Introduction of the threebolt neck plate with microtilt adjustment system.
Well also add a nodrill bigsby vibrato system by zz. If you love 70s strats, then you need to get your hands on the vintageaccurate fender fsr american vintage 70s stratocaster. The micro tilt feature is an adjustment, making it easier for the consumer to set up a guitar the way he wants it in a much quicker manner. But these essential strat features of the 70s era are just the beginning for this beautiful reissue guitar. George clarified by saying, these bodies used the cbs fender contours identical to american vintage reissue strats avri, but with swimming pool route, 2point tremolo and microtilt adjustor. Make sure your neck is where it needs to be as far as. A complete history of fender electric guitars, 2nd edition 9780879305543. Having a neck resting on a tiny screw is a bad idea,and one of the reasons 70s fender guitars got a bad rep. With my micro tilt backed off untll flush, i have to deck the bridge trem plate or else the action is too high. Nov 27, 2019 in this video, well take my 2005 fender american standard blonde telecaster and add a custom tooled leather pickguard by driftless leather. Fender and his company helped change the sound of popular music with an everinnovative line of guitar and bass amplifiers. The neck plate features fender corona, california engraved. And in the mid to late 70s, fender wasnt much good at consistent quality execution. This small steel mounting disc fits into the cavity bored into the neck heel of a guitar body and mounts to it using two flathead screws.
Fender musical instruments corporation fmic, or simply fender is an american manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers. Finally, the stratocaster was introduced in spring 1954 as fenders new topline guitar, in tremolo and nontremolo versions. A complete history of fender stratocaster guitars guitar reference tony bacon on. Fender timeline the history of fender guitars 1909 august 10th, clarence leonidas fender is born. Genuine fender 4hole chrome neckplate with a tilt adjustment hole. For service diagrams for instruments currently in production, please visit the instrument listing on fender.
Mounts to guitar body using two flat head screws fender pn 0084699049 fits american vintage series 70s us and 70sstyle classic and road worn mexico instruments using a 3bolt neck plate manufactured from 1999present genuine fender replacement parts for your 70s vintagestyle micro tilt system. Originally introduced in the early 1970s, the microtilt neck adjustment is an easy way of tweaking the angle of your guitar or bass neck in relation of the. Finally, the stratocaster was introduced in spring 1954 as fender s new topline guitar, in tremolo and nontremolo versions. The microtilt gets such a bad reputation because cbs basically cranked out the product as the 70s wore on the production tolerances got really. Fender american vintage 70s stratocaster black sweetwater. You are controlling the angle of the neck which directly affects the whole guitars action height and nothing else. Fender micro tilt reduces contact in the neck pocket. Remove the stock neck plate and install the micro tilt neck plate with 2 screws one in each crossed corner. Micro tilt adjustment fender stratocaster guitar forum.
Fender 72 telecaster deluxe made in mexico 2010 rare. Plugging in the strat after a quick play of our reference. Blank shims were designed for odd screw spacings, smaller neck pockets, and custom designs like the fender microtilt. The history behind the development of the stratocaster plus series is quite interesting. Fender produces acoustic guitars, bass amplifiers and public. It is conceivable for fender to have considered this and have added more forward tilt to the pocketneck, but i dont think they ever did. Such a big deal in fact, fender offers many ways to celebrate the strats glorious legacy. Youll recognize the reissue fender 70s stratocaster electric guitar by its ushaped neck, large headstock, and bullet truss rod. This allows you to adjust the angle of the neck so you can get the action very low and equal. I buy the neck plates all the time because i like to build guitars w the contoured heel for easier access to the upper frets.
You argument would be like saying a guitar shouldnt have a tone control just because the company cant set the tone at a proper level, thats suitable for everyone, from the factory. Accessible thru a small hole in the neck plate, an allen head screw can be used to increase the necks angle. Micro tilt neck plate fender micro tilt plate 1032 furniture nut 1032 x 38 set screw 2 small wood screws so on with the boring stuff. A history of fender musical instruments and founderleo fender as. Rare fender 72 telecaster deluxe electric guitar, 3tonesunburst with factory fitted vintage tremolo system. The huge hatred of micro tilt necks was, from what i can gather, is that when they came about in the seventies with cbs controlled fender when quality control was terrible. It replaces the need for a shim by using a hex screw against a plate installed in the butt end of the neck.
Truss rod adjustment switched to the bullet style at the. Includes the neck plate, neck screws, and both side of the neck and body plates with install screws and allen screw. I go from the first prototype to the end of the cbs years and the beginnings of the many, many vintage reissues that have been done since. In this fender university video, chris fleming and john dreyer discuss the microtilt feature, which allows you to adjust the pitch of the neck. Fenders micro tilt necks provide an easy mechanism for adjusting the necks angle. Like many of the later usa strats, these necks have the microtilt adjustment, which is an allen screw under the fender neck plate that pressed against a trussrod grommet on the backside of the neck. On many american series guitars, a microtilt adjustment is offered. Like many of the later usa strats, these necks have the microtilt adjustment, which is an allen screw under the fender neck plate that pressed against a. The fender stratocaster turning 60 years old is a big deal. Yesterday, insync s guitar of the day featured fender custom shops 60th anniversary stratocaster. If you look at the pictures above, the 87 plus body in fiesta red is a bob contoured body.
The strats larger headstock, its televisionfriendly logo in large block letters, and especially the threebolt microtilt neck, didnt sit well with fans. This is the first ive heard of the theory of microtilt. Made in mexico in 2010 see photos for serial number. This is a simple inbuilt system which lets you adjust the neck angle without actually removing the neck itself. It covers the spectrum of every fender guitar made and includes a handy reference guide in the back as an assist to help one determine the manufacture period of his or her fender guitar.
Just loosen the strings and the neck screws then adjust the bolt in the microtilt mechanism, which in turn adjusts the neck angle. May 09, 2019 this is my short history video on the fender telecaster. This is an excellent book about fender guitars and the history of the companys founding. Fender produces acoustic guitars, bass amplifiers and public address equipment, but is best known for its solidbody electric guitars and bass guitars, particularly the stratocaster, telecaster, precision bass, and the jazz bass. Fender pure vintage 16inch medium amplifier tilt back legs 2. Fender timeline the history of fender guitars soundunlimited. Fender also switched to the threebolt neck micro tilt adjustable neck and the bullet truss rod in midtolate 1974 before reverting to the more standard fourbolt neck fixing and dotshaped fretboard markers in 1983. The neck plate reads fender 1994 40 years and still rockin you will see it has a micro tilt hole in the neck plate. If your guitar is equipped with a microtilt device, all the better. The fender jazz bass or j bass is the second model of electric bass created by leo fender. How to use the built in neck angle adjustment on your fender guitar. While it suited the new improved micro tilt adjustment of the neck previously requiring neck removal and shimming, the bullet trussrod system, and a 5way pickup selector on most models, it also resulted in a greater propensity toward mechanical failure of the guitars. Sep 21, 1992 this is an excellent book about fender guitars and the history of the companys founding. My local guitar tech suggested shaving the neck pocket to a slight angle.
Modifications to an existing fender instrument currently under warranty, or service performed on a fender instrument currently under warranty by any person other than. Fenders micro tilt neck adjustment adjusting neck angle on. Fenders micro tilt neck adjustment adjusting neck angle. Musicians by and large arent very good at thinking things through all the way. Fender classic series 70s stratocaster electric guitar. The strat plus series was introduced by fender in 1987 and was the. Contrasting bound fingerboards and block inlays are standout. Jun 20, 2018 like many of the later usa strats, these necks have the micro tilt adjustment, which is an allen screw under the fender neck plate that pressed against a trussrod grommet on the backside of the neck.
I go from the first prototype to the end of the cbs years and the beginnings of the many, many vintage reissues that have been done. It covers the spectrum of every fender guitar made and includes. The american professional series from fender replaced the american standard series. Fender switched to pearloid blocksbinding on all necks in midtolate 1973. The micro tilt necks are also found on the fender coronado. It also features a 3bolt neck plate with the micro tilt adjustment. Fender fsr american vintage 70s stratocaster solidbody electric guitar at a glance. Buy fender pure vintage 16inch medium amplifier tilt back legs 2. Fender musical instruments corporation fmic, or simply fender is an american manufacturer. Shimming and micro tilt posted on may 4, 2015 by orpheo there are many different factors that go into the playability of a guitar.
It features a durable polyurethane sunburst finish on an alder body, a treblebleed volume control, twopost tremolo with bent steel saddles with a popin trem arm, vmod singlecoil pickups, a dualaction truss rod and micro tilt adjust neck pocket, and a molded fender case. As mentioned, the series was going to be the first fender strats with the new. Through the 50s and into the post64 cbs era and beyond, the look of fender. You argument would be like saying a guitar shouldnt. Fmic continued to use the 4bolt micro tilt when they brought out the american standards at the end of 1986 these were introduced in january 1987 but they started production circa october 1986. The important thing here is that the new trussrod adjuster as any music man owner will attest to means neckrelief adjustments are now dead simple. The tilt angle of the neck adjusted with the microtilt or shims is to adjust the angle of the entire neck, not to raise just the higher frets. Other fender guitars of the early 1970s, such as the telecaster custom and telecaster deluxe, subsequently featured threebolt microtilt necks. Add only the numerical characters of the item number. The fender microtilt was a dramatic improvement in the ability to service these instruments, and is still in use though many current implementations use four bolts again, for neck stability. Truss rod adjustment switched to the bullet style at the headstock instead of at the body end of the neck. Genuine fender strat tele jazz bass 70s style 3 bolt upper neck tilt disc disk 0020220049. Fender guitars have long been the instruments of choice for artists such as jeff beck eric clapton jimi hendrix and stevie ray vaughan.
The neck plate for the coronado are the 4 bolt variety w the contoured heel. It was a sleekly beautiful instrument bursting with great features and. There are claims that the neck pockets were so loose that the neck could actually shift and pivot on the micro tilt bolt. The microtilt feature is an adjustment, making it easier for the consumer to set up a guitar the way he wants it in a much quicker manner. Since being purchased by cbs in 1965, fender had radically modified the stratocaster and telecaster models on which its existence was essentially based. The microtilt is indeed convenient, howevera common playing card can be used just effectively. Please, follow these basic instructions to place your order.