Magic Boy

I'm no mod mate. All I'll say is theres no sense in adding fuel to a fire eh? It's not the way things tend to run around here. Though we're all human and suffer foot in mouth disease at times.


I myself would want to spend a bit of time with the unit before I made up my mind as to whether I liked it or not. I simply can't rely solely on someone elses judgment of it.

What I will say about the guitar is that it obviously led to Fender's all time best selling model, the Clapton. The similarities are quite apparent. TBX, Mid boost and some quite lace sensor looking pickups.

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No no and no

You're dumping on the test bed of Fender's interest in active electronics and what eventually became the Eric Clapton Stratocaster. R&D's crap oftimes results in R&D's genius. For nearly a quarter century now, that guitar has been a staple of the company's offering. Just goes to show you how my genius of a mate over there and I are on the same page.

Over the year's Fender has kept what worked and discarded what didn't. According to information available on this guitar, it was available as a hardtail, though I've never seen one fitted out as such. There was also a Tele Elite. The crap that was going on in the early 80's was, in fact, the re-emergence of the company in new and capable hands, and the creation of the VRI series of guitars as the first step on the road to where it is now.

With respect to Orville's observations, the back of the guitar is characteristic of a hardtail Strat with the exception of the battery box, the same which eventually appeared on the Powerhouse Strat. I wonder if a 9V battery could be designed like a AA and carried in a cylinder casing which would be inserted into the bottom of the guitar, the cap of which would complete the circuit. The cap would have a slot cut in it which either a flathead drive or coin could engage, to remove it. This would obviate marring the back of a hardtail which had a finish like the one above.

Now this idea might be crap to one, but you never know about the other guy.

Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"

About battery access.

I wonder how hard it would be to house a AAA battery in the strap pin, like how electro acoustics have their jack socket. Discrete and easy access.



Kinda like this

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No no and no

There ya go.! I've seen jack sockets in Les Paul's and David Gilmour's guitars the size of which suggest to me that the same could be done for a cylindrical 9V battery to power an active pickup circuit such EMG's, for example. Thus, the need for a battery box the likes of which was traditionally used in certain Stratocaster models could have been obviated. I suspect that cost factors are involved. However, when you think of the size of the battery box in the VG Strat, one wonders.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Okay maybe the word " example " was the wrong word. I didn't mean it as an example of crap, and by crap I meant hectic: The years of 80-84 were rough for them-----BUSINESS WISE. They were failing. They needed a good leader. Another Leo ( that will never ever happen ). In the early 80's both Fender and Gibson were losing it. Everybody was either getting custom guitars from Jackson/Charvel or Hamer, or they were buying Japanese ( Ibanez, Yamaha ). No one was exactly racing out to get that new sunburst Les Paul in the shop, or read about the latest signature strat in a magazine. And while new good things came along like Squiers, Japanese Fenders, and the Vintage Reissue, trust me they weren't what they were, or are now. The Elite failed because of the Freeflyte tremolo, and while it was a purveyor of the EC strat, it just wasn't a guitar that could be up there with the regular Stratocaster and Telecaster. Even their standard line was unstable. Beleive me, if I was a working musician in 1983 I would probably be wailin' on an Ibanez Destroyer than trying to play that new SG or the standard strats of the era. Now, its way different, but back then they were sticks in the mud. Maybe if there was a new version of the elite strat but with modern hardware and a USABLE VIBRATO SYSTEM than maybe it will fly, but I wouldn't buy it anyway.

You've reiterated the history of the company during that time which is known to anyone who has read "The Stratocaster Chronicles". The new founding fathers knew what was happening to their product, which is why they took over the company. As for the 'new' version of the Elite...well...it's prototype took final form in 1986, went into production in 1987, and went through a change in pickups as it too evolved. Been a workhorse Stratocaster ever since, while others have come and gone. Certainly can't ask for better than than.

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"Another day in paradise!"

The guitar you're talking about is the Vintage Plus, a vintage reissue Strat fitted with the Elite pickups and electronics. This model never went into general production.

I believe the Vintage Plus was the precursor to the early American Deluxe line with the Lace Sensors, introduced in 1987.

The "new" Elite" was essentially a Japanese-made Strat featuring a 22-fret neck with a 9.5" radius and chrome hardware. The other features were the same as the original USA versions. This guitar was introduced in late 1983, lasted only three years then discontinued.

The Elites (and the 2-knob Standards) were products of their times. A lot of players were leaving the traditional electrics and their '50s designs behind, and Fender was trying to keep up.

Serious point of history thought - the 2-knob Standards and the Elites were products of the team that eventually bought Fender, and one of the designers of these models was none other than Dan Smith. Hey, they incorporated what it appeared the marketplace wanted - wide, thin necks with a flat radius, active electronics (on the Elite), and a lower price point (the 2-knob Standard was $350 less than the 1982 "Smith Strat" it replaced). If you wanted the old-school model you could get a reissue. But it was Bill Schultz, Dan Smith, and others who oversaw this direction. While I was around back then, The Stratocaster Chronicles has filled in a lot of detail. For example, Dan Smith was first charged with getting the Stratocaster back on it's feet (resulting in the return of better body contours, the 4-bolt neck, and a smaller headstock). This was in parallel with another team developing the US Vintage Reissues. However, Dan Smith was next charged with producing two variations - a lower-cost standard model, which did result in the 2-knob Standard and a "upgraded" model, which resulted in the Elite.

Of course they learned a lot from these guitars and the public's reaction to them. They were fortunate enough to buy the company from CBS and got another bite at the apple, which resulted in the American Standard, the Strat Plus, and the Eric Clapton Strat - while all have changed (some more than others, specifically the Strat Plus lines were replaced by the American Deluxe line) they are still essentially around.

I am familiar with the Elite leading to the creation of the EC Strat, and the history behind it. When I purchased it new in 83 it worked well for what I was playing.

However I am interested in playing more Jeff Beck style music and also going for the "sounds" as well, hence the interest is the JB model.

Thx. for the info on the Elite to all that contributed, may the search begin.

I'm still waiting for his response to my question as to how he acquired it.

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"Another day in paradise!"

I got mine from daddy's junky music

Is that the kind of gear one can expect to find there? Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

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"Another day in paradise!"

I have been checking their new "used" section everyday for 6 months now. That one popped up and I grabbed it right away. As long as their return policy is good, I'm willing to take a chance. I also bought a Strat Plus and a Marshall Class 5, and everything has been great.

Amazingly well kept piece as you can see by comparison and, based upon Chromeface's input, even more rare. Is theirs an online venue, then?

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"Another day in paradise!"

Is theirs an online venue, then?

I think this is the place he is referring to.http://www.daddys.com/