Fender Strat "Elite" 1983

[glyderslead]

Hi Everyone,

I'm in the process of sorting out my Alesis GT with Charlies EFTP and hope to uprate my overall sound. I use an Elite strat because of the wider fret board (big fingers) and wonder if any other members use this instrument or have experience of it and whether or not they manage to achieve a true shadows sound with this model. Any suggestions / notes on what they do to this end are welcome.

(The amp I use is a musicman 212 150HD at present)

Thanks

[Charlie Hall]

Hi,
I don't know exactly what the Elite Strat would sound like but if you want to email me a short recording using your guitar (try the bridge pickup definitely with a suitable part of a tune and the middle, and neck pickups too if you want) and amp, and preferably with the GT echo, I will have a listen.
charliehallATntlworld.com (replace AT with @).
Regards,
Charlie

[glyderslead]

Hi Charlie,

Thanks very much for your interest and offer to listen. I'm in the Q for the computer connection lead at present: but once the programs are loaded and I'm operational I'll send you a recording. Will be about two weeks I expect.

With thanks and regards

Mick

[bill]

Hi,
I didn't know the 'elite' had a wider fingerboard. What is the nut width on your guitar, please?

I have a 'standard' 1983 Strat which has the same vibrato arm (which I like but got bad reviews) but not the fancy tone controls. I bought a Burns Brian May for the wide fingerboard (45 mm nut).

[glyderslead]

Hi Bill,
Here are some measurements. I know you only enquired about the Elite but I've included a few others as oher people might want to compare their guitars. Note they are the actual spread of the strings using a michrometre (is that how it's spelt?) outside the actual strings - ie outside bottom E to outside top E at the nut and also at the bridge. Fingerboard radius also affects the "playing". So here we go:-

Fender Elite: nut 37.4mm bridge 53.4mm wide board radius (12?)
Fender strat 1980(3bolt) nut 33.5mm bridge 56.3mm 7 1/2 radius (?)
Squire Strat Japan yr? nut 36.6mm bridge 55.6mm wide board radius (12?)

The Elite gives most room overall, the Squire comes a close second, the Fender is great for finger style instead of pick, but playing is not so good near the nut.

My Hofner verythin is wide at the nut -36.7mm but the bridge at 50.3mm closes it all in.
My Burns 40th Anniersary Marvin is 35.8mm at the nut and 50.8 at the bridge and is similar to the hofner.

I know it's only MM. but for me it really does make a difference to how the guitar plays

Hope you find this interesting. Could you let me know the dimensions on the Brian May Model?

Cheers

Mick

[bill]

Thanks Mick,
Very interesting. I completely agree about it making a difference. The Brian May guitar has the largest standard fingerboard of any commercially available solid electric guitar as far as I know and that is why I bought it.

Measured with a ruler string spacing outside dimensions as follows.
Fender Standard Stratocaster 1983 37 mm at nut, 53.7 mm at bridge, radius unknown, neck depth at nut 19 mm.
Burns Brian May 38.7 mm at nut, 53 mm at bridge, radius unknown, neck depth at nut 20.5 mm.

I suspect the differences between your Elite and my standard strat reflects my poor accuracy in measurement.

The claimed dimensions of the latest version of the Brian May guitar are neck radius 7.25 inch, depth at nut 22 mm. I don't know whether my measurement is off or the Burns version I have is different.

[glyderslead]

Hi Bill,
I believe both of our Fender Strats are the same and are great for playing Shadows tunes with plenty of room to fret notes clearly.
I'll certainly check out the Brian May model. I didn't know the fret board was so roomy.

Cheers

Mick

[bill]

Hi Mick,
Another option that I intend to try but haven't gotten around to is to replace the nut with one custom cut to maximise the string spacing. On my 1983 Strat I could move the 6th string at least 1 mm closer to the edge of the fingerboard.

A more expensive option is to replace the neck and fingerboard with e.g. a Warmoth - www.warmoth.com/Guitar/necks/superwide_warmothpro.aspx

[glyderslead]

Hi Bill,
Moving the 6th string over should not be a problem - just take care with the first string so it doesn't pop off the edge. I had that very problem with my ibanez 2671 and had Andy's Guitar Workshop in London alter the nut to the same spacing as my L6S (34.7). Narrow I know, but ok for the style of music played on that guitar. Probably halved the value though!!

Thanks for pointing out the Warmoth site. My Fender 1980 Strat mentioned above could do with a better neck and I'll give it some thought.

I was hoping another member had experience of the "Elite" pickups. I use mine with the controls set to "standard" strat tone, but i'll have to wait and see how they react to Charlie's EFTP settings.

Cheers

Mick

[rtaylor1956]

I know the Elite had some bad press but I've owned mine from new and ok the Trem is not good in fact its crikey awful but the guitars is fine and the sounds available very good

Attachments:

[bill]

Hi,
Having read on here all the problems that people have with their screw in vibrato arms I'm quite pleased I have a 1983 standard. Mind you, I have mine set so that it only does down 'bends' maybe that makes a difference.

What do you not like about yours?

[rtaylor1956]

I have mine set up for down bends as well, My Gold Elite was the first to arrive in Hong Kong a couple of days after the launch, I saw it, played it and loved it so purchased it there and then, the same day I purchased a Gibson BB King Lucile.
I had a little trouble with the switching on the neck pick up but got that sorted but overall I love the sounds produced from rich humbucker through to hard biting Strat sounds and everything in between, the neck also I find very comfortable.
Irealise that this was a total change from any other Strat and because of this and the tremelo it failed to attract players, Fender should have sorted the Trem and stuck with this model

[glyderslead]

Hi,
I wasn't surprised to see that you both set your trems for down bends only - it certainly makes tuning easier. Though I've set mine to float so as to cover Shadows material. That said, I couldn't agree more with rtaylor; Fender should have sorted out the problem so that these trems balance the same way as traditional trems and stuck to this guitar. Perhaps the only other change I would have made is the jack socket - I think Leo got it right with the front slant input, which still looks cool today, rather than putting it on the bottom edge.
Could you tell me, do you use your Elite / 1983 for Shadows material? If so do the pickups get close to the sound we all seek and what amp(s) and tone settings do you use?

Mick

[bill]

Hi Mick,
I can't contribute to a discussion on The Shadows sound. Nowadays I mostly use the Burns Brian May through either a Peavey Mace VT or Marshall DSL401 amp. For a long time I only had the 1983 Strat and the Peavey Mace VT.

I only play for myself and have never tried to sound like the original recordings.

In fact now that I think about it, I've never heard the original early recordings! I started buying records in 1964 and have only ever heard the versions of the early tunes that were released on LP or CD.