Received my '83 Strat Elite

[psy]

Wow, although I was never fond of Fender products I now fell in love with my latest baby: a 83' Strat Elite. Prefered exotic guitars so far.

I really wonder why this model has not been produced any longer. There are many details which improved the classical Strat design:

12" fretboard radium, larger frets, on/off switch for each PU enables all combinations, 2way trussrod, MBX/TBX aktive electronics. And I love that V-shaped neck. No experience with the trem so far - thus I can't confirm its bad reputation.

But there are some issues I dislike: Although it has a dummy coil for hum cancelling there is plenty of hum. But only if the front or back side points to the amp. If I hold it horizontal the hum disappears. Can I stop this by shielding the pickguard and electronics-cavity?
Does anybody know if the pickups itself also are acitve? Can I just swap it with SD? I'm missing a bit the twang which I only get when I add some treble boost.

For those who do not know this rare instrument (only built in '83) here are some pics:

Front (896k)
Body Front (685 k)
Headstock (1.4 M)
Back (785 k)
Freeflyte Trem (764 k)
completely useless (549 k)

Happily, Chris

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: Received my '83 Strat Elite

wow...I haven't seen one of those things in FOREVER! A buddy of mine owns a guitar shop, and when he first opened, he used all the extra gear he had accumulated over the years but wanted to get rid of as stock...and that was one of his guitars that had to go. Man it was a sweet player, but not my style of strat. He also had a 1975 black american strat in BRAND NEW CONDITION..it looked like it had never been out of the case! but it was heavier than a les paul, we called it the brick. anywayz...I'm not really answering any of your questions because I'm not entirely sure, not having owned the guitar myself but just playing it endlessly in the shop....you've got a rare peice, play the hell out of it man!


*EDIT* Yes, it does look like it is active! I"d almost guarantee there's a battery hiding behind the little plastic compartment on the back. If you were to change that battery out, I'd bet the tone would change drastically! Don't forget to unplug the guitar when you get through playing it, or you will run the battery down!

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Received my '83 Strat Elite

I really wonder why this model has not been produced any longer. There are many details which improved the classical Strat design:

Most Fender Fanatics mention those guitars from that era (except for the Dan Smith models) in the same sentence as words like "abortion" and "abomination." While I wouldn't go that far it's an instrument that's certainly a reflection of an era....a point in time when CBS was trying to pull its head out of its a$$.

Alot of the features showed up years later on the Strat Plus line, specifically the pickups and electronics. Later on some of the neck variations started to show up as well.

You are aware though that to adjust the spring tension on the trem you will need to remove the entire pickguard assembly, right?

 

[Ez74]

Re: Received my '83 Strat Elite

i havent seen 1 of those for quite a while..... there are some cool options on that guitar but the trem seems like a major pain in the ass

 

[danglybanger]

Re: Received my '83 Strat Elite

I've always wanted one of those... love the way they look, but I've heard the bridges are awful. Of course I've never played one though... so hows yours

 

[psy]

Re: Received my '83 Strat Elite

@CapoFirstFret
Yes there is a battery on the back, but I don't know if it is needed for the electronics (preamp) only or also for the pickups itself - not sure if this question makes sense.
Thanks for the hint concerning battery change. I remeber now that I once read that it tends to hum when the battery is old.

@Skarekrough
yes, the springs are below the pickguard. i like this solution because it does not screw up the whole back

@Ez74, danglybanger
tested the trem right now - that's definitely no fun. Fortunately I seldomly need it, so that's no prob at all. The complete unit lies flat on the body and seems not to lose sustain or tone

 

[dani]

Re: Received my '83 Strat Elite

is that a mij strat elite psy? the trem you have there is a kahler system ii.

got this from a website on mij fenders.

Quote from the manual for the System II:"This is a fine tremolo system designed for those who desire the improved stability of a string locking system but want the 'vintage' feel of a more compact unit. While the bridge does not have the locking feature found on the System III, and does not have the adjusting tools in the arm, the arm does snap in and out of the receiver, and is torque adjustable for arm swing. The arm swing is best adjusted by utilizing the bridge balancing rod system. This eliminates the cover plate on the back of the guitar, and makes it extremely easy to adjust the spring to string tension. Access to the system is the 2.5 mm hex head screw located underneath the strap button on the bottom side of the instrument."