1983 American Fender Stratocaster Revised Edition Better known to us as Casey's favorite guitarTo be able to fully understand this guitar you have to understand a bit about Stratocaster's history from the 80's. The 80's where very turbulent times for Stratocaster, but it was at the same time also some of the most important years for the company, after many trials and tribulation in the early part of the decade and throughout the 70’s, Stratocaster finally came up with the guitar that is considered to be one of the best Stratocaster's ever, the 1987 Standard American Fender Stratocaster has the distinction of being the longest running production Stratocaster to date. That guitar really cemented the American Stratocaster’s reputation in the world market, after the company had gone through many unproductive years. But before 1987 the company was struggling to compete on the world market. Most of their competition came from Japanese manufactures who where producing replica Stratocaster's, and unfortunately these replica Stratocaster’s where notoriously known for being better and cheaper then the real McCoy. But lets start from the beginning.
General History of StratocasterCommercially, the early days of Fender were a huge success, and it was not long before the large corporations within the music industry started to take a closer look at this profitable little guitar making company. Eventually, in 1965, the CBS Corporation bought the entire Fender Company. Unfortunately, CBS rested on the laurels of the original Fender Company, and produced nothing particularly innovative for 20 years. Players began to drift away from the fender brand, as build quality diminished and rival manufacturers released more modern instruments.
Freddie Tavares, a long time Fender employee, had this to say about the state of the Fender company from the late 60s through the 70s: "We had turned into a big fancy corporation all of a sudden, where all the different departments had got their say in everything and then there were budgets, quotas and so on. They would try to put out stuff as fast as they could! When they [CBS] bought the Fender company they found out how profitable the operation was and they wanted the profits held right there. Like so many other American companies, it was to make sure the stockholders got plenty of dividends. So, what could the people at the plant do?"
Due to the drastic increase in production (output by the late 70s was 500 guitars per day), workers on the assembly line could not maintain the same attention to detail and as a result, Fender received an ever increasing number of complaints from dealers regarding quality and assembly issues. Despite the sometime questionable quality of Stratocasters from the 70s, 1971-1981 marked the Stratocaster's incredible rise to fame and it was adopted by a growing number of players. Countless artists chose the Stratocaster as their main instrument.
It was noted by Fender, however, that many of these famous musicians were using the older models and not the newer ones. Fender-CBS sensed that something should be done to take full advantage of the Stratocaster's popularity. Fender's desire to cash in on the popularity of the traditional Stratocaster through model twists that might appeal to a more modern market had much to do with why several variations of the Stratocaster model were introduced in the late 70s and early 80s - an attempt to recapture market share.
To further this goal, in the early 80s Fender-CBS hired Bill Schultz and John McLaren from Yamaha to take over at the helm of the Fender musical instruments division and address some of the problems plaguing the company. Initial appraisals by this new team outlined some very troubling issues that needed immediate attention and an internal Fender memo dated May 19,1981, mentioned a sharp decline in product quality and a significant increase in international and domestic dealer complaints about defective parts and unacceptable quality. The same report also stated that the Fender company had followed a "policy of high margins and little product improvement".
Another former Yamaha employee, Dan Smith, was then hired by Bill Schultz to help solve some of the problems at Fender. According to Smith, "Basically our goal was initially to restore the confidence of the dealers and the players in Fender. The only way we could achieve that was to raise the quality levels back up! We could not redesign the production line all at once so we started to initiate steps to get the product back to where it had to be, but while that was going on, we basically shut the plant down and retaught everybody how to make Fender guitars the way people wanted them. It probably took us 2 1/2 years to achieve that."
The 1979 25th Silver Anniversary Stratocaster and then the 1980 STRAT model were Fender's first attempts at blending the old and with the new. The 1979 Anniversary Stratocaster was the first new model to adopt the old style four bolt neck and truss rod. The 1980 STRAT was designed to take some of the older features, and add some modern ones.
1979 - 1981 "The STRAT" With the STRAT model, Fender gave a nod to the past by reinstating the smaller 1954-1965 pre-CBS headstock design (however, since the original worn-out tooling was used, the STRAT’s headstock, though smaller than the CBS era design, was not an entirely accurate re-creation of the pre-CBS model); and, like the 1979 25th Stratocaster Anniversary models, the STRAT was fitted with the popular pre-CBS style truss-rod adjustment and four-bolt neck plate, replacing the CBS Bullet truss rod adjustment and three-bolt neck plate.
Although 10,000 Anniversary models were sold, the STRAT models were not very profitable due to the very high cost of the parts (gold plated) and assembly time (the wiring was extremely time consuming). As a result, the STRAT was discontinued after limited numbers were manufactured between 1980 and 1983.
"The Strat"The STRAT was made at a very unique time in Fender history when extra attention was given to detail and materials and the resulting quality of the STRAT is second to none. However, in 1982, in an attempt to further cut costs and capitalize on the emerging "vintage market", Fender decided to focus its energies on producing copies of hugely popular older models and in 1982 released the first of the highly successful American vintage reissues (which, ironically, are now highly prized vintage instruments themselves).
Here is an insert from the January 1982 Fender Catalog:
All the hardware on the STRAT is of the highest quality with a heavy coat of 22k gold plating- the heaviest most durable gold finish ever used on a guitar. In addition, the bridge assembly is extra-massive, to achieve maximum possible sustain. On the STRAT, one of the standard Stratocaster's tone controls have been replaced by a pickup selector mode switch which gives an extra four pickup selections not available on a standard Stratocaster. These extra tonal options provide a "thicker" sound than a standard Stratocaster can produce, making the STRAT one of the most versatile guitars ever designed.The 1981 - 1983 Standard American First Edition Fender Stratocaster
In an effort to improve profitability Dan Smith also introduced a cheaper basic production model in the later part of 1981. This model was known as the the
Standard Stratocaster.
It featured a more accurate version of the pre-CBS smaller headstock (compared to the 1980 "Strat"); a four bolt neck plate; the somewhat "hotter" X-1 pickup (introduced in the 1980 "Strat" model) in the bridge position; and, a body end truss rod adjustment (no bullet). What it did retain from its predecessor was the 70s-style headstock decal. Otherwise, the 1981 Standard Stratocaster signalled the end of the CBS 70s style Stratocaster.
The 1981 Standard Stratocaster was produced until 1983. The 1981-83 first version of the Standard Stratocaster has come to be known on the street (and in third party literature) as the "Dan Smith Stratocaster". You won't see Smith's name on the headstock, or anywhere else on the instrument, but it's only fitting that Stratocaster enthusiasts have dubbed this model the "Smith Strat" in homage to the man who brought about such welcomed changes in the Stratocaster, and who, along with George Blanda and the FMIC team, would play an integral role in the creation of the 1987 American Standard.
The 1981 - 1983 Standard American First Edition StratocasterThese guitars are highly valued these days, and they are on the cusp of becoming vintage models. Their prices start at around $1500.
1983 - 1984 Standard American Second Edition Stratocaster (hardtail)Finally we arrive at Casey's favorite guitar model.
At this stage in the history of Fender - CBS, the company was really hanging by its last threads, the Fullerton factory basically shut down production by the middle of 1984.
This guitar basically got introduced because the Japanese were producing some really good Stratocaster copies, and Dan Smith as Marketing Director at the time decided to introduce a model that included even more cost cutting measures to stay competitive.
Therefore 1983 was a very unique year for American Stratocaster production. Fender was losing sales to the Japanese imports, and in a last-ditch effort to keep afloat, and maintain a USA-made Stratocaster, several major changes were made to the basic Stratocaster platform that had been widely unaltered since its inception in 1954.
These changes include, the basic 6 screw bridge and tremolo system being changed to a newly designed "Freeflyte" tremolo/bridge. This was a major departure from Leo Fender's original design, and utilized top-loading strings, with the tremolo springs hidden under the pickguard, rather than on the back side of the guitar. This eliminated the need to route the rear of the body at all. As a result, the backside of a 1983 Stratocaster is completely smooth, with no tremolo cover or string ferrules. The tremolo arm was also a "push-in" type, with a chrome tip. This was the first time a Stratocaster was ever offered with this type of arm, as they had been threaded (with a plastic tip) every prior year since the guitar's debut 30 years earlier.
Another major change involved the removal of the second tone knob, instead replacing it with the input jack on the pickguard, and in turn eliminating the traditional chrome recessed oval "football" jack. The single tone knob controlled all 3 pickups, in all 5 switching positions, something no Stratocaster ever featured before. The headstock was also revised, going from the CBS era large shape back to a smaller, more traditionally styled one. The shape was not 100% accurate to the original 50's design, but was a definite nod to that era. The headstock logo was revised that year, eliminating the large block lettering of the "Stratocaster" name with a new, more modernized font.
1983 Standard American Second Edition StratocasterEven as a layman you can clearly see that the guitar has only two knobs, and the place where you plug in the electrical cord are actually on the pickgaurd, and on the same place as where the third knob would usually be. Also when you compare the back of the guitar with the first edition you can see that there is nothing there.
In spite of all of these changes, the guitar was a major financial and marketing flop. The company was in such a bad shape after the marketing failure, that the American Fender factory basically stopped production by the middle of 1984. Fender production was moved almost entirely to Japan from late 1984’s until the introduction of the American Standard in 1987, making these "2 knob" Stratocasters very short-lived models and extremely unpopular models.
Fender doesn't support the CBS era of what they think of as "experimentations", therefore they dont produce parts for these guitars. They have a firm negative perception of these guitars in general:
From the Stratocaster Chronicles:
Don Randall :
"These were the worst configured strats of all time"
They are basically known as a "classic example of how CBS was squandering the Fender name'. The major flaw with this guitar is the tremolo system, basically everywhere you look it is just plainly described as "crap". If not setup properly it will tune the guitar out, every time you use it. The arm and the way it is connected just breaks or has an tendency to get lost. Other criticism include that the guitar has a dull and lifeless tone and are difficult to setup properly.
The Dan Smith guitars (First Editions) are very highly regarded, because Dan Smith really upped the quality of the production to an all time high. The Second Edition Stratocaster was basically placed on the market as a low cost guitar, the price for the Standard Stratocaster dropped by $200, with the introduction of this model. It is perhaps only natural to assume that the quality might suffer with such drastic cost cutting measures. There is also a general believe that Dan Smith himself never approved the Revised Standard Stratocaster.
Getting back to CaseyIt goes without saying that I was incredibly intrigued by this guitar. It really made me want to acquire more information about this guitar and its story.
When you start making enquiries, about the Revised Stratocaster in a general or casual manner, you basically see a lot of negativity and the very persistent motto that this was one of the worse Stratocasters that were ever produced by Fender.
Now here is where my confusion was fighting what I was reading. We all know that Casey is a very accomplished guitarist, so why on earth would he be playing with such a terrible instrument? And you can take the argument even further, as strangely enough Casey is not just strumming this instrument every other day, it is actually his favorite of all twenty seven that he owns?
I was telling myself that there had to be some story behind this, and I just had to find out for myself what this entails! And yes, it appears that there might be a bit of a story here.
It starts with the whole premises of what a Stratocaster means to its supporters, the success of the Stratocaster has always required a balancing act between the past and the future. The market for these instruments demands the best of two worlds, features from the pre-CBS period that brought the Stratocaster to the forefront, and features that improve the instrument's playability and tone. Fender's success has required finding the proper balance.
Vintage electric guitars are very highly sought after. Apparently because there were much fewer made during the early years of production, the guitars were constructed with other techniques that produces some sounds that today's guitars cant always replicate, many guitarists prefers the timbre of the older models. Some of the most sought after Stratocaster models today are the '57 and the '62 Strats.
Now turn back the clock by 30 years to the start of the 80’s, you would have noticed that Vintage guitars was just becoming incredibly popular, many people where rather seeking out more of these older models. The trend was so strong, that Fender basically decided to redesign their line, and to produce guitars that replicate these vintage models. Their mean idea was to take advantage of this growing trend. For example it is basically known that the Dan Smith Stratocaster’s, were actually based on the '64 model, thus it was viewed as a redesign of the model. As a result these redesigned Stratocasters, only helped to increase the popularity and desirability of the vintage strat design even more.
When the Revised Statocaster where introduced many Straocaster purest saw it as a slap in the face and as an abomination that Stratocaster would actually dare to make major change to the look of their favorite guitar. It was basically seen as insulting to them personally, that the "Holy Grail" of American electric guitars had been tampered with. From the first introduction it was scorned especially because of the odd look. Marketing wise the guitar was definitely one big flop, even today some people still think the guitar looks like an oddball, even though there have been a lot of evolution with the general perception on guitars.
But in general a lot of things have changed since the '80, guitarist these days are eager to accept changes to their guitars if it enhances the sound. Some of the Revised Edition’s measures like placing the input jack on the pickguard and the pickguard being only singly ply were obviously purely just cost cutting measures. However a lot of the other new features on the guitar was actually new evolutions, meant for the enhancement of the sound. The timing of these enhancements together with the very apparent visual change of going from 3 knobs to 2 knobs, and the cheaper input jack on the pickguard, was just not released in the right climate. As a result this guitar incurred a very bad reputation.
The other detail about the guitar is the widespread assumption that Dan Smith himself wasn't involved with the production and the design, and even that he wasn’t employed at the company anymore during that time, which is actually not the case.
Stratocaster Chronicles:
Smith"The concept was mine, and part of it was about cost."
"Dan Smith believes to this day that if the bridge had been satisfactory, the 2-knob Stratocaster would have succeeded in the marketplace. Fender stopped making it when CBS closed down the factory at the end of '84 in preparation of selling the company."
Smith pg. 194: "The factory was shut down by the end of '84 for all intents and purposes, and officially shut down by February '85."In 83 both the Dan Smith Stratocaster and the Revised Stratocaster where basically being produced together at the same time, both guitars were produced with the same body, the same pickups, at the same Fullerton factory, by the same employees, on the same assembly line, and with the same materials. Aside from the cost cutting measures concerning the pickguard, input jack and the tone controls they are in fact very much the same guitar. There are basically only a few hardware changes, between the two models.
However many people still refuse to include these guitars with the Dan Smith name, even though the name Dan Smith is a street name and not actually an official name.
If there is one thing that atleast a few people do really appreciate about this guitar, it is the neck. The neck radius was 12" with 21 frets, it is considered to be very flat and the profile was slightly chunky. Many guitarists describe the neck of this guitar as one of the most playable necks on a guitar. Guitarist with big hands, especially seem to find the necks of the Revised Stratocaster very satisfactory to play with.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the tremolo and bridge, apparently “crappy” would the correct word to describe it. However it isn't a dilemma for many guitarists, since a lot of guitar players do not use the tremolo bar, or do not use it on a very frequent basis. Eric Clapton is known as a guitarist, who does not use the tremolo bar. If you take a closer look you would see that Casey's guitar does not have the tremolo bar. When a guitar does not have a tremolo bar, it is known as a hardtail. You can block the tremolo off yourself, however the Revised Stratocaster range also featured hardtail models, originally. Most guitarist who owns a Revised Stratocaster, just don’t use the tremolo system of this guitar. Because of the freeflyte tremolo system that was used on this guitar, the guitar actually had some interesting side effects.
One of the most fascinating characteristics of the guitar is the body. The traditional Stratocaster input jack requires a little piece of wood, to be removed from the body. The freeflyte tremolo system operates in a very different manner from the traditional bridge and tremolo, with the traditional setup the back of the body was cut open and a block of wood was removed, the mechanical hardware of the tremolo was placed in this space. With the freeflyte tremolo the hardware is place directly under the pickguard, and as a result it was not necessary to cut a big chunk of wood from of the back of the guitar. The back of the Revised Stratocaster is completely smooth. When all of these characteristics are added up it basically equals on thing, more wood! In guitar terms, more wood, is a very desirable thing. The Revised Stratocaster is the Stratocaster with the highest volume of intact wood. Keeping the wood on a guitar body intact enhances the sound of the guitar, it especially enhances the resonance. A higher volume of wood also increases the note sustain.
The unsavory reputation of the Revised Stratocaster continues till this day, and there is still a lot of preconceived notions about the guitar. If you scan for quick information about the guitar, you will most likely find mostly negative reviews and information. However there are a group of guitarists who believes that the guitar might have mellowed with age.
Last but not least one would also have to evaluate, what the owners of the Revised Stratocaster thinks about the guitar today, since they are the ones who are actually playing these instruments. There is a very clear trend in that regard, most owners of the Revised Stratocaster really, really loves the guitar! Many owners describe the Revised Stratocaster, as having the best “real Strat” sounds. Owners of the revised Revised Stratocaster also praised the guitar for their incredible resonance and sustain (which is properly as a result of having more wood in the body), these qualities are now starting to get more notice from the rest of the guitar community. A few guitarists have also mentioned that these guitars practically never goes out of tune while you are playing, even with some heavy duty playing, because they are set with an allen key, which they see as an obvious advantage.
The Revised Stratocaster is actually quite rare, because they were not produced over a long period, and for the fact they were not very popular when they were in production. But even though the guitars are rare, some of the more unique features on these guitars, does not always appeal to everyone’s taste. However these guitars have been gaining a bit more popularity in the last two to three years. These last two years they have even been carving out their rightful niche, they are now often referred to as Dan Smith Era Strats. As a result of this more enlightened reasoning towards these models, their prices have also been increasing, their prices now mostly starts from $1000. These guitars are obviously very unique instruments, no other Stratocaster model where ever produced in quite the same manner, thus there are some speculation that the Revised Stratocaster might be able to turn vintage in the near future. But as of now the general impression regarding these guitars still remains somewhat negative in some corners, even though their owners love them.
My personal conclusion is that I think it is a very interesting guitar for Casey to have, and especially to be his favorite guitar. (Although that being said many owners of Revised Strats, does count them as one of their favorite guitars). Clearly he doesn't concern himself too much with rumors, or with sticking to the traditional. I enjoyed the story behind the guitar, it seems to me like the guitar was a bit under appreciated, or perhaps it was never really given a fair shake. But it also proves that one valuable business lesson, better known as economics 101, any company has to understand the needs of their core market! I would love to hear what Casey's specifically thinks about his guitar, and the reputation that the guitar has.
I would like to add this website for credit, since I used some of their general Stratocaster history, some of it was just copy & paste, so they deserve acknowledgement.
www.stratcollector.com/