PICKUP INFO PLEASE.

[Geoff Alderton LH]

Hi Ian,
Quite right Ian some Dan Smiths, not many, were fitted with the grey bobbin pickups. Same spec as the red ones. As a matter of interest there is a mint condition, 100% stock 1982 Dan Smith Stratocaster for sale in a shop near Sheffield. I have looked at this guitar several times and it is imaculate.
Its not cheap but I think at £1250 could be a good investment.
Regards Geoff.

[Stranded Albatross]

Hi Geoff

You're right, I think this could be an investment, judging by the way prices have risen on the '82/'83 strats, but in the present climate may have to wait several years. I suppose my '83 reissue is in this range and it is what I would call very handmade as Fender went back to square one at the time and employees had to relearn how to build guitars according to Dan Smith. I remember seeing a black standard strat at the time when they first came out and the build was without doubt better than the current CBS strats, and then a little later came that famous/infamous ad pricing them at £2000 and money was worth a lot more then to what it is now. Some joke!! As you know, visually they weren't quite authentic looking, and I feel there is a lot of myth surrounding this period of Fenders history.

Regards
Ian

[Geoff Alderton LH]

Hi all.
Just out of interest, early 80's pickups, I have a 1983 Stratocaster, the one with the jack socket on the pickgard, its in mint condition and never had the bonnet lifted until today. I didnt know what to expect, especially the Freeflyte trem system. The main reason was to have a look at the pickups and see how the wiring and pots are after twenty seven years years under the bed. The pickups have the black plastic bobbins and not the red bobbins of the previous Stratocaster,Dan Smith Srat. The guitar is very well made and sounds like a good Strat should, needless to say all is well, the trem system is a bit of a pain to get it floating otherwise it's a good guitar. This model wasnt a success and only lasted to December 84. The colour of the guitar is Ivory.
Regards Geoff.

[ecca]

Hi all.
Just out of interest, early 80's pickups, I have a 1983 Stratocaster, the one with the jack socket on the pickgard, its in mint condition and never had the bonnet lifted until today. I didnt know what to expect, especially the Freeflyte trem system. The main reason was to have a look at the pickups and see how the wiring and pots are after twenty seven years years under the bed. The pickups have the black plastic bobbins and not the red bobbins of the previous Stratocaster,Dan Smith Srat. The guitar is very well made and sounds like a good Strat should, needless to say all is well, the trem system is a bit of a pain to get it floating otherwise it's a good guitar. This model wasnt a success and only lasted to December 84. The colour of the guitar is Ivory.
Regards Geoff.

I had one of these in the eighties.
It was unplayable on stage.
It took ages to tune and then it would go, not a bit, but wildly out of tune.
I had to replace the trem with a Floyd Rose, apart from that it was a nice guitar.

[Geoff Alderton LH]

Hi Ecca.
I can imagine if the trem is'nt set correctly it will be a problem. I still havent managed to set this one where it dosn't go way out of tune after a bit of wammy bar use. I will keep trying. Set up as a hard tail, with the bridge down tight, it sounds very good and stays in tune forever. I will keep at the trem settings until it either works or it goes back under the bed for another twenty seven years.
Regards Geoff.

[ecca]

I still have the trem bits somewhere.
If you read on the net about it, it was an ill designed disaster.
I tried everything.