My '80s Strat family

[GibsonLives]

Okay, just showing off here (at least I'm being honest upfront), but damnit, I'm proud, what can I say?

These guitars are arranged in the order in which I got them, and are, from left to right:

First-year (E4 serial number) Strat Plus in black

'81 (S9 serial number) brown sunburst Strat with all the '70s appointments except for a much thinner, soft-V neck-profile instead of the big, honkin' U-shape found on most Strats from this era

And finally, my newest acquisition, an '82 "Dan Smith" Standard Strat in gorgeous vintage white

I'm hoping others will chime in with some pics and descriptions of their own CBS or early post-CBS-era Fenders. Many late-'70s and early-'80s models get an especially bad rap, and maybe that is well-deserved in general, but I know I'm not alone in saying that some of these axes look, play, and sound like a dream .

Steve

[djg714]

My 1980 Strat. Heavy as a brick, but great tones.

[Drew816]

Here's my Dan Smith era E2/1982 Strat that I bought new in 1983. Also pictured is the guitar I 'wanted' at that time, a Charvel SuperStrat but they were so expensive and had to be ordered I 'settled' for the Strat (and I'm glad I did). It took me a few years to assemble the Charvel parts to build this one but I finally got together a few years ago but that's another story.

The '82 has had Fralin vintage blues in it since about 1994-95 and it has a '74 pickguard, tone/vol controls and pickup covers on it with the originals all boxed away minus the original pickups that got lost in a move years ago.

[GibsonLives]

Yeah, my '81 weighs more than many new Les Pauls, but it plays really nice, despite the RW board, which I've never liked on Strats, though it's growing on me. It's amazing how radically different Strats became just a year later, as though they were from two different companies...which they sort of were.

Having just picked up the Smith days ago, I can honestly say it was the right choice over the Charvel, and not just in resale value either. A buddy of mine had a Smith about twenty years ago, which he didn't keep long (sigh - metal guys lol), but it never left my mind, and his was natural with all black plastic (apparently a transition model), while I like the vintage white MUCH better. Lightweight - unlike the "boat anchor" '81 - and the neck...man, I really dig the sharper edges! The '81's sweet, but the Smith blows it away on so many levels. Maybe it's just the "honeymoon", who knows? Any wa ya slice it, I now have a Strat for all occasions. Nice guitars, guys; keep 'em coming!
Steve

[GibsonLives]

Drew, how are the Fralins in a Smith? Never tried them at all, and was thinking of going with Dimarzio Areas, since they work so well in my '81. Any idea how they compare? Also, I do a lot of hi-gain stuff (Hendrix/EVH, etc.); how do the Vintage Blues handle feedback and hum issues? Thanks.
Steve

[Drew816]

I can't compare to too many other modern pickups for you, once I find something that works I rarely change and these older Fralins sound terrific in this guitar. I don't think Lindy has a 'stock offering' like what I have no, he's changed his line-up many times since but of your you tell him what you're looking for and he'll wind to your specs. VERY vintage sounding with a touch of grind, like Lollar Blackfaces minus a few, that's about as close as I can get. You can't go wrong with Lindy or Jason's pickups when it comes to Strats, personally I'm not much a fan of Dimarzio's; a lot of these pickups just lack the tonal "depth" that you should be hearing from a Strat pickup. If you're happy with the Area's cool, but you might want to check out other pickup options and compare for yourself; a lot of these guys have a return and swap policy if you're not happy so keep that in mind too...

Yes, they were two different companies but the new Fender of that era was left with a lot of old stock so they were throwing those things together and sending them out by the crate load just trying to keep afloat and make the magic happen once again.

Charvel versus my Strat, different animals and pound for pound at the height of the market the Charvel would have been a lot more valuable than the Smith Strat but that's neither here nor there as I'm not sell it anyway. For MY playing and style the Charvel would have made more sense minus the Floyd which I added because the neck I ended up with had a shelf and that REALLY makes it Era Correct (though Kahlers dominated the Charvel/Jackson line since Kramer had a lock on Floyd distribution for so long). They're two different animals and I'm glad to have them both.

As for the pre-Smith era Strats, I've played many over the years and found only one or two that I personally liked. My roommate in college had a The Strat in CAR like DJG714's above and his was unusual-ly light compared to any other I've ever encountered and it was a very nice guitar; much like my '82 in fact. Then I've played more boat anchor 78-81's that just personally did anything for me. I had a buddy that had his first "good guitar" and it was a sunburst S79 w/ 80 parts and he was so frustrated chasing tones, pickup and parts swaps he finally relented and bought a new swamp ash body, had it shot in Mary Kay style finish, transferred most of the parts over (though I think he went with a Callaham bridge) but the neck, the boutique pickups that were in it at the time, etc and THEN he had a working Strat, it was like waving a magic wand. He popped the original stuff in the Warmoth box saving it all and he had a guitar he really could use and loved but that's just one experience... Many of the bodies of that era are just tone sucking monsters in my opinion and experience but what do I know. ;-)

Oh, and the other way I've heard the guitars of this era work is by adding a full sized humbucker (or two) into them, they weigh as much as a Les Paul might as well relent and just go for it! Another friend at a Oly White '77 that he did this too (in more recent times despite all of us urging him NOT to rout a vintage guitar!) and that guitar really came alive and worked this way with a boutique pickup in the neck and middle (can't remember what Van Zandt?).

Rawk on!

[Drew816]

Here's a must read thread on this subject by the way...

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...d.php?t=562686

[GibsonLives]

Thanks, Drew. My '81's so cherry that if I neded a Strat with a 'bucker, I'd eithr buy soething additional and/or sell what I've got; just can't bear the thought of wrecking a guitar that has stayed so pristine for three decades...not to mention how it would kill resale. With the three Strats I've got now, there are enough tonal options to go around. The '81 is a bit of a "tone suck", but it's killer for slammin' balls-out rock where subtlety isn't necssarily needed. Then, I've got the Plus with its Sensors for glassier stuff, and the Smith...well, I actually haven't plugged it in yet lol. It's apparently got the sam electronics as the '81 had, so I plan on hating the pickups, which is fine. I just got it a few days ago, so I'm enjoying the fel of the neck and its acoustic resonance while mulling over pickup possibilities. Probably I'll end up getting a loaded pickguard if I can, and use the original 'guard with the new electronics. That way, I can keep all solder joints unmolested, while at the sam time dumping all the electronics to avoid the hum associated with them and put something newer and better-shielded in their place. Thanks again.
Steve

[Gretschaholic]

Here is my S9.
The body is dated 08/26/80.
It's pretty heavy but the best strat i've ever played.
I actually disliked strats before I got it but this one can really sing.

[Kmaz]

Very nice! New bridge?

[StJimmy]

I've got a 78 Lefty Strat that weighs a ton like most of them, but my late 1981 Strat (S992944) is a real lightweight. It only weighs 7 lb 12oz. Transitional body in Alder, perhaps?

Body sticker shows a 10-14-81 date, so it was a late 81. Has the transition white pickguard and pups, but still the older pre-82 appointments like three bolt, bullet TRA and larger headstock. I bought it in May 1985 from a teenager who got it new in 1982 but never learned to play. I finally took the pickguard off last year for the first time out of curiosity.

[kenneth]

Love the 2TSB with black guard and RW fingerboard look!

Dear to my heart are:
E8 plus in graffiti yellow w/maple board.
E9 standard in midnight wine w/maple board.

Unfortunately, and sadly, these have been relegated to backup due to a 2007 CS. Damn the CS!!!

[dsmc80]

Originally Posted by StJimmy

I've got a 78 Lefty Strat that weighs a ton like most of them, but my late 1981 Strat (S992944) is a real lightweight. It only weighs 7 lb 12oz. Transitional body in Alder, perhaps?

Body sticker shows a 10-14-81 date, so it was a late 81. Has the transition white pickguard and pups, but still the older pre-82 appointments like three bolt, bullet TRA and larger headstock. I bought it in May 1985 from a teenager who got it new in 1982 but never learned to play. I finally took the pickguard off last year for the first time out of curiosity.

What else do you weigh on that scale?

Nice strat.

[GibsonLives]

FYI, they call that 'burst a "brown sunburst", and while it's hard to tell in pics, you can really see it in person, especially with a black 'guard; the color at the edges actually is a chocolate brown, not black (at least it is on mine).

I also love that, while mine has all the '70s appointments (3-bolt, bullet truss, big headstock), the neck is so much thinner than most '70s-era Strats, and more of a soft-V than the typical U-shape. Anyone else with "transition" Strats of this period also have the thinner neck? Thats ultimately what sold me on the '81 instead of an earlier model from the era. The lighter weight of an alder body might've ben nice, too, but as I said, it does its own thing, and between the Plus, and now the Smith, I've got those bases nicely covered. Kep the sweet Strat pics coming!

Steve

[CyberFerret]

My '81 (I think) "The Strat"... stringless...