Looking at some 80's and 90's Strats on eBay.

What dates were the 'bad era' that people talk about and what was it about the guitars at that time that make them undesirable?

That would be the CBS years. 1965-1985

The CBS Period is known to be a very poor period for Fenders build quality.

I think it ran from about 1965 to 1985 but I'm not sure if they were all bad.

Jimmy Hendrix did ok with them anyway!

Russ

Are you talking about the CBS-era? Most people would associate the 70's with Fender's "Dark Age". When Fender was purchase by CBS things were done to cut cost and maximize revenue while at the same time trying update the Stratocaster with new features, ie 3-bolt neck, micro tilt system. Quality control suffered as production numbers were increased. This is when the "vintage" guitars started, players didn't liek the changes or the idea of a big corporation running Fender so they were back to what they knew. There's a good chapter about it in "The Stratocaster Chronicles".

I own a 1978 strat and even though it has the classic 70's flaws it still sounds amazing.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

In early 1965, Leo Fender sold his companies to the Columbia Broadcasting System, or CBS for $13 million.[2] This was almost two million more than they paid for The New York Yankees a year before. [3]CBS entered the musical instruments field by acquiring the Fender companies (Fender Sales, Inc., Fender Electric Instrument Company, Inc., Fender Acoustic Instrument Company, Inc., Fender-Rhodes, Inc., Terrafen, Inc., Clef-Tronix, Inc., Randall Publishing Co., Inc., and V.C. Squier Company), as well as Electro-Music Inc. (Leslie speakers), Rogers drums, Steinway pianos, Gemeinhardt flutes, Lyon & Healy harps, Rodgers (institutional) organs, and Gulbransen home organs.

This had far-reaching implications. The sale was taken as a positive development, considering CBS's ability to bring in money and personnel who acquired a large inventory of Fender parts and unassembled guitars that were assembled and put to market. However, the sale also led to a reduction of the quality of Fender's guitars while under the management of "cost-cutting" CBS. Several cosmetic changes occurred after 1965/1966, such as a larger headstock shape on certain guitars. Bound necks with block shaped position markers were introduced in 1966. A bolder black headstock logo, as well as a brushed aluminum face plate with blue or red labels (depending the model) for the guitar and bass amplifiers became standard features, starting in 1968. These cosmetic changes were followed by a new "tailless" Fender amp decal and a sparkling orange grillcloth on certain amplifiers in the mid-1970s. Regarding guitars, in the early 1970s the usual four-bolt neck joint was changed to one using only three bolts, and a second string tree for the two middle (G and D) strings was added in late 1971. These changes were said to have been made to save money: While it suited the new 'improved' micro-tilt adjustment of the neck (previously requiring neck removal and shimming), the "Bullet" truss-rod system, and a 5-way pickup selector on most models, it also resulted in a greater propensity toward mechanical failure of the guitars.

During the CBS era, the company did introduce some new instrument and amplifier designs. The Fender Starcaster was particularly unusual because of its semi-hollow body design, still retaining the Fender bolt-on neck, and a completely different headstock. The Starcaster also incorporated a new Humbucking pickup designed by Seth Lover. This pickup also gave rise to 3 new incarnations of the classic Telecaster. Though more recent use by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead has raised the Starcaster's profile, CBS-era instruments are generally much less coveted or collectable than the "pre-CBS" models created by Leo Fender prior to selling the Fender companies to CBS in 1965.

The culmination of the CBS "cost-cutting" may have occurred in 1983, when the Fender Stratocaster received a short-lived redesign lacking a second tone control and a bare-bones output jack, as well as redesigned single-coil pickups, active electronics, and three push-push buttons for pickup selection (Elite Series). Additionally, previous models such as the Swinger (also known as Musiclander) and Custom (also known as Maverick) were perceived by some musicians as little more than attempts to squeeze profits out of factory stock. The so-called "pre-CBS cult" refers to the popularity of Fenders made before the sale.

After selling the Fender company, Leo Fender founded Music Man in 1975, and later founded the G&L Musical Instruments company, which manufactures electric guitars and basses based on his later designs.

quoted from Wikipedia

Man YZF JOE, you are one fast typist, that post was only two mins after your previous post!

I remember shopping around for my first premium electric guitar in 1983. I was a Hendrix fanatic so the first guitars I looked at were Fender Stratocasters. I remember not liking the feel of them. Compared to other brands Yamaha and Ibanez, Strats of that era seemed lacking to me. I end up buying a Yamaha because Santana was playing them and it was a sweet guitar. I'm very happy with the quality of modern Fenders.

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"If I don't see you no more in this world I'll meet you on the next one and don't be late... don't be late." -Jimi Hendrix

Thanks Chaps.

Don't think I've ever seen such a comprehensive answer to a question within the time it took me to make a cup of tea!

That's the miracle of copy & paste my friend.

From what I've seen and experienced, the entire 70s decade was when CBS was at their absolute worst.

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You dig?

This probably explains the rise of disco in that decade.

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

That's not entirely true. There were some even worse years in the early 80's. There were also some questionable years in the early 90's but the early 80's were the absolute worst.

HEY NOW!
I still own a 1974 Strat. It was my main guitar throughout the 80's and it never let me down.

A lot of the complaints about the CBS era were just "guitarist gripes" about CHANGE:

Oh God they went with a 3 bolt neck! I needs my 4th bolt!
Oh God they went with a more durable poly finish!
Oh God the headstock is bigger!
Oh God the tummy cut is smaller!
Oh God the Strats are heavier!

Lots of complaints about marginal issues. Yes QC was not as good because CBS was focussed more on production volume than quality, but the guitars weren't that bad. Certainly no worse than Fenders MIM line.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Oh, I beg to differ on this, BIG time!

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You dig?

Well, the 4th bolt is known as the "tone bolt," you know.

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.