In May 1983, Fender released a new Stratocaster, whose electronics was advertised as the most elaborate ever offered on a production Strat, the Elite Stratocaster.
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Born under the supervision of Dan Smith, John Page, and Freddie Tavares, the Elite went along with the whole ‘modern Strat’ idea, because in the ‘80s EMG active pickups were really popular and guitarists didn’t want the noise of the single-coils.
Hence, the purpose of the Elite Strat was to offer a wider range of tones and the quietness of humbucking pickups, while retaining the single coil brilliance, as promised by the advertisements: “From the classic Fender sound to a fat humbucking sound,” “Best of both worlds,” and “Your favorite Fender - and non-Fender - sounds.” This was possible thanks to the most elaborate electronics, which included Alnico II pickups controlled through three push-buttons, the battery-powered active boost circuit MDX and the TBX tone control. |
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The MDX, acting on medium frequencies, allowed it to get sounds that ranged from the classic Fender sound to the one which “should have” imitated the humbucker.
John Carruthers and James Demeter originally created a circuit that used a dummy coil to cancel the hum on single-coil pickups while keeping the single-coil sound, and a midrange boost system on one of the tone controls. They hoped their electronics might have been licensed to Fender, but they used their engineers Roger Cox, Paul Guegan, and Bob Eggler to make their version of the circuit that became the MDX circuit. |
The revolutionary electronics of the Elite Stratocaster
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The TBX tone control “adjusts the damping of the pickup’s internal resonance for tones you’ve never heard before,” said the catalog. This system consisted of two stacked potentiometers and allowed a player to cut treble and bass by rolling the tone knob, differently from the classic tone pot which cut only treble. Many believed that it was an active system, but instead, it was passive, as it cut and it did not amplify.
It operated as follows:
The TBX shortly after applied also on the American Standard, Strat Plus, and Clapton Stratocaster.
It operated as follows:
- At settings counterclockwise from its mid-point clock-stop position, the TBX worked just like a regular tone control because it cut off high frequencies.
- At settings clockwise from its mid-point clock-stop position, the TBX cut off bass frequencies, enhancing the higher resonant peak of the pickup.
The TBX shortly after applied also on the American Standard, Strat Plus, and Clapton Stratocaster.
1983 catalog
Other features included big frets, a flat fretboard, the new Ezy Glider string tree, a side-mounted jack socket, locking strap buttons, the unfamous Freeflyte Tremolo designed by Chip Todd (although more massive than those used on the regular Stratocaster), and above all the new BiFlex Truss Rod, conceived by Charlie Gressett. Its adjustment at the headstock allowed adjusting its curvature to make it concave or convex. After it was in production for a while, John Page slightly modified it by adding the lip to the anchor because the tilt screw adjustment could push the anchor up through the fretboard if too much pressure was exerted on the screw. Adding the lip prevented that from happening. It should be noted that the BiFlex truss rod featured the contrasting skunk stripe whatever the choice of fretboard - rosewood or 1-piece maple - indicating that it was always installed from the rear of the neck.
The Fender Elite Stratocaster
The new Fender’s strategy was clear. Fender considered the Elite Stratocaster a premium model, as opposed to the regular “2-knob” Standard Stratocaster. In fact, the “Smith” Standard Strat of mid-1981 was replaced not by one guitar, but by two. The new “2-knob” Standard Stratocaster cost 245 dollars less than its predecessor, whilst the Elite cost 100 dollars more!
GOLD ELITE, WALNUT ELITE AND THE MADE IN JAPAN
It was also available in the fancier versions Gold Elite Stratocaster, which sported gold-plated hardware and pearloid tuning machine buttons, and Walnut Elite Stratocaster, which differs from the Gold model for its walnut neck and body and ebony fretboard.
It should be noted that, at the end of 1983, Fender Japan also produced its own Elite Stratocaster, the EST83-110, equipped with twenty-two frets, intended for the Japanese domestic market only.
It should be noted that, at the end of 1983, Fender Japan also produced its own Elite Stratocaster, the EST83-110, equipped with twenty-two frets, intended for the Japanese domestic market only.
Antonio Calvosa
Gold Elite Stratocaster (hendrixguitar.com)
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Walnut Elite Stratocaster
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