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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:50 pm
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John C wrote:

Sorry Rob; I thought you had mentioned that the skeleton crew you were part of installed these. So there were two "skeleton crews" then - one during the tail end of the CBS era and then a second crew after the sale to FMIC? Not to be nosy but since those of us who remember that era (I was in between college graduation and grad school in January/February 1985) are getting older and I don't want the Fender history to get lost.

I agree with you - the Elites were a good try by Fender to do something "modern"; it's too bad the guitar buying market wasn't ready to embrace something different and "modern" from Fender at that time. I guess they were looking to companies like Charvel/Jackson or Schecter for something modern but still looking at Fender for traditional designs. Of course by 1987 everyone was ready for "modernized" instruments from Fender as the American Standard series was a winner (and was followed by the Strat Plus and other models).


Hiya JohnC!
No worries! I should probably add disclaimers-- "my recollection is" and "from my perspective" perhaps. When I left I was given the choice of severance or no severance and being "on call"...I took the cash and moved on to Jackson for a small while. I visited Fender in the fall after I left, and I also spoke with a guy with the same seniority who took the "on call"--worked through the fall and was let go in January---kind of a Union out---temps in-- move. My perspective is "worker bee". There were some key Mgmt folks that worked all the way through that period. One day they were CBS employees---the next they were FMIC.
So yeh, small worker crew after most workers left, that pretty much installed nuts at night (who were still union) and were let go once it became FMIC....and a crew that came in as temps (circumventing the union) once FMIC was purchased---who did imports and dismantled the warehouse in spring/summer 85.

Probably hard to follow cause I blather on so much lol.
Cheers,
rob

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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:46 pm
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ZZDoc wrote:
Coupl'a things need to be said here.....
-if my eye has it right, this appears to be a walnut finish which was something special for that series of guitar.
-this guitar, its trem system and electronics was the product of Fender's R&D into active electronics and the progenitor of a guitar which has been a mainstay in the line since 1987.
-I would also venture to say that the Strat Plus series, though not having active electronics, was an offshoot of this project.


The Strat Plus became the basis for the Jeff Beck signature model which was introduced in 1991.

From what I recall the CS did a graffiti yellow '62 Strat for him in 1987. Discussions between Jeff and Fender about the idea of a signature model took place a couple of months before the launch of the Plus series with El Becko rejecting the offer. His bandmate Eric Clapton becomes the first artist to be honored with a signature Strat in 1988.

Clapton asked Fender to make a guitar with the distinctive neck shape from one of his high prized Martins. He also told the R&D team to improve the Elite circuitry and replace the Low-Z pickups with Gold Lace Sensors. Three prototypes were built by George Blanda, two of which were updated with a 22-fret neck built by Mike Stevens. Initially the MDX preamp had 21dB but Eric wanted more "compression" prompting Fender to increase the gain volume at 25dB.

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It was around 1990/91 Jeff changed his mind opting for a signature guitar based on the Strat Plus having a fat baseball bat neck with a rosewood fingerboard and a humbucking Gold Lace Sensor "Dually" in the bridge with a special push-push button to cut the front coil from the humbucker.

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Reflecting the changes made by the two former Yardbirds to their personal axes in 1998 and 2000 respectively, the EC and JB signature models were updated with Vintage Noiseless pickups and new neck shapes in 2001 with the Custom Shop versions following three years later.

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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 5:15 am
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[quote="John C] Of course by 1987 everyone was ready for "modernized" instruments from Fender as the American Standard series was a winner (and was followed by the Strat Plus and other models).[/quote]
.............slapping the Malmsteen and Clapton names on a couple of new models certainly helped to jump start that 'readiness' :wink:

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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:01 am
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Here's an Elite bass from 1983 that someone is trying to sell for $6500. Looks real nice, if it was a lot cheaper.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/msg/4388289186.html


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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:40 am
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JasonSD wrote:
Here's an Elite bass from 1983 that someone is trying to sell for $6500. Looks real nice, if it was a lot cheaper.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/msg/4388289186.html

Outstanding piece. Looks like Collectors Condition. Worth looking at, the close up pics are nicer.

Can you imagine what this might be worth in 15 or 20 years?

A good $3,465 to $3,895, EASY! :lol:

the listing:
83 FENDER WALNUT ELITE II P-BASS...........SUPER RARE BASS
FENDER'S TOP OF THE LINE BASS IN '83
PURCHASED AT MANNY'S, NY/NY. ORIGINAL 1 OWNER
ALL ORIGINAL AND UNPLAYED....FINISH IS MINT
AMERICAN BLACK WALNUT BODY AND NECK........EBONY FRETBOARD
ORIGINAL VOYAGIER FLIGHT CASE............THIS WAS THE FACTORY CASE THAT CAME WITH THIS BASS ( SEE PHOTO )
GOLD HARDWARE.....
$6,500 CASH ONLY....NO TRADES..........623-825-6589 ONLY FOR MORE INFO.......

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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 11:21 am
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JasonSD wrote:
Here's an Elite bass from 1983 that someone is trying to sell for $6500. Looks real nice, if it was a lot cheaper.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/msg/4388289186.html

Ouch!! I'd query as to how these things come down through the ages in such pristine condition, but when you consider how little my '02Les Paul has been played these past 10 years, it's easy to understand what the future will hold.

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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 2:11 am
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The walnut Elites were the first Fenders to sport an ebony fingerboard though ebony became an official fingerboard material with the introduction of the Strat Ultra in 1990.


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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2014 9:04 pm
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I've been using the Freeflyte trem on my Elite for years and I'm surprised at how well it stays in tune. Sometimes for days of constant playing. It is after-all only a matter of balancing the spring tension with the gauge of strings you use. My big mistake and I'm sure I wasn't the only one, was trying to get it to work with .oo9 light gauge strings. Best to use regular .010 gauge.

I now use Fender .009 to .46 and I've found that works for me. Also, I use one of those plastic protractors to slide under the trem to set up the float height above the body. It would only be around 1.5 millimetres thick. I hardly do any up-bending and mostly just wiggles and down bends. Nothing too extreme. If I need to lock it down I just slip the plastic protractor under the trem and turn the allen key so it's nice and tight, makes it easy to tune up too. Otherwise I let it float mostly. Tune up, then just turn the allen key anti-clockwise until until the protractor falls out. While the allen key is still in just fine tune your A string to pitch using the allen key, then take it out, all done! Not that difficult.

I had to change the pickups a while back due to some strange popping sound that no guitar tech could work out how to fix, so put in Kinmans.

I'm going to do some more videos to show how trem actually does work, too much bad press about it for my liking. Here's a demo for those that are interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k492T8zU1kE

In this one I have the trem locked down because the song didn't need trem. You can see the protractor under the trem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oivnj-7YCcY


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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 2:03 am
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The Freeflyte is regarded by many as the worst bridge assembly ever made.


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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 3:33 am
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chromeface wrote:
The Freeflyte is regarded by many as the worst bridge assembly ever made.

Obviously Onimok disagrees. Interesting, from the videos, it appears that he's completely redone the circuitry in that guitar. I don't see the push buttons.

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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 4:12 am
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Apparently he ordered a replacement pickguard for the 5-way switch, that's why the push-push buttons are no longer present.


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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 4:43 am
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For all of you Elite owners, do you have any beef with the guitar? I have a read the vibrato system is not that good. Any thouhts?


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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 5:48 am
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paris wrote:
I have read the vibrato system is not that good.


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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 6:02 am
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I think many times the opinion is based on what people have read and not from their experience of actually owning one.


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Post subject: Re: '83 Stratocaster Elite
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 11:59 am
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chromeface wrote:
Apparently he ordered a replacement pickguard for the 5-way switch, that's why the push-push buttons are no longer present.

Save for the Freeflyte bridge, there appears to be very little 'Elite' left in terms of what distinguished its entry into the lineup. He doesn't say if the MDX circuit is out. If he deems it a player, and it appears that he does from the videos, that's all that matters. :wink:

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