Fender Stratocaster Elite

Not sure how rare a lefty elite is. There is virtually no information on these guitars. Like they came form some other planet and nobody wants to own up to em. But Im sure the music store I bought it at in 91 was more than happy to get rid of it. Not sure what kind of wood I read its alder but Ive also been told its walnut, which would explain the weight. Mine came with the 3 single coils pickups but a standard 5 way switch, dont remember there being a dummy coil under the pick guard. Of course the originals are long gone. I cant complain about the neck wood all my other guitars have rosewood fretboards. But I do like how the neck plays Im not a fan of the tight radius usually found on fenders. And the tilting neck is a really nice feature makes you wonder why its not used more. Mine is still the original black it came in. Dont have a favorite guitar to play but I wouldnt part with it, where would I ever get another one. Ive never even seen another one, much less a lefty. Just wish it wasnt like strapping on a concrete block. The weight difference between a regular strat and this one is huge. I know this because that is how a tuner head got broke off, when somebody wasnt expecting me to hand them a cinder block.

Cant remember the original sound as the pickups were taken out long ago. Good luck finding a replacement if you ever need one. But a set of EMG humbuckers will fit if your willing to take out a little wood. And it already has the handy compartment for a battery. I read everybody else says they are no good for heavy metal I guess with the original pickups thats probably true. But with EMG 81 and 85 in it sounds really good. Not as bright as a regular strat which is good. I dont like em so bright. But really good for playing black sabbath.

Would I buy it again if I had the chance, oh yea. I do like the way it plays. And being a lefty nobody asks "can I try your guitar". The finish is really nice. Dont know what kind of finish they put on the neck but its murder to try to replicate. The bridge thats a whole different story. Im not much of a wammy bar user anyways, but the little notches the ball ends go under can be a real pain in the butt sometimes. I hear of people having trouble putting anything other than .09s on em. I use 10s and have to trouble with it. But as mine is a lefty and its such an odd ball bridge finding parts for it is just not possible. I do like the wider nut thats on it I have big fingers and they get jammed up near the nut but not on this one. And with the tilt neck its real easy to set the action really low. I have taken some of the screws out of the saddles on mine. Not so easy with a guitar you need to shim to set the neck angle. I did have to break down and replace the frets in it recently, went with stainless as I am really hard on fret wire(now you know why I said the neck finish is a bit hard to get right). Its no fault of fenders the frets went out I strangle the thing and have been playing it since 1991. I know this was one of the eras fender would rather forget ever existed. But this guitar is a really good one and has some really good features. I guess thats the way it works find something good people like and stop making it.

I've owned for about 10 years now. Been playing for 30. Would I buy one again? Not sure I'd pay what I see them going for now which is between $1000 - $2000. Apparently now that they're 20+ years old they've reached "vintage" status. But I do love the sound, love the feel and have zero desire to trade or sell. Took awhile to get use to the push buttom selectors playing live but I only use 2 or 3 settings so it's no big deal. Mine is pearl white with the gold hardware. Never use the tremelo though I've heard it's probably the guitars biggest drawback. I've owned other strats, teles and pauls but I've held on to this the longest. Very, very satisfied.

This one's red with a maple neck and I usually can't stand maple necks. I'd rather have rosewood or especially ebony, but the guitar sounds so good when it's plugged in that I can live with it. Strat body style of course, what kind of dumb question is that? Stock tuners, they work fine. Regular Fender strat scale, whatever it is. US made, excellent workmanship. Body must be ash, weighs a ton. Came with a crappy gig bag, I need to find a case. The electronics really make this guitar versatile, I'm not crazy about the unplugged sound but plugged in... It's alive! And so many different useable sounds.

I remember when these things first came out. I sneered at the push buttons, the battery that wears out, the heaviness and especially the price (about $1400, if you got a deal). A buddy showed up to band practice a couple of months ago and I didn't pay much attention until I heard the SOUND. Holy crap, that thing sounded unreal! About a month later he wanted to sell so his wife wouldn't castrate him for buying NOT ANOTHER GUITAR. It had to be mine. It was noisy at first but somebody had disconnected the dummy coil. They also replaced the pickups with lace sensors, so I don't know what it originally sounded like. Very quiet now. It's got bright, it's got mids, it's got bottom, it's got jazzy, it's got "acousticy". I'm still discovering what sounds it's got. I haven't used it onstage much yet, but it's got great blues sounds too. I use a fender super champ and a musicman RD 112 and it sounds great through them. I think you could use it with any style of music and make it sound great.

This poor thing was in pathetic shape when I got it (even though it sounded great), but it was used and abused. The action was pretty much good for slide only, the pickups were not only set in varying bizarre distances from the strings, but I think the bridge pickup was wired improperly because it was the only one that didn't sound good. It came with an Evans so I put that in and found the wiring discrepency. There was also some weird little capacitor/resistor circuit badly soldered in there which I ripped out. Also re-connected the dummy coil. Oh yeah, the original bridge was gone and a Floyd Rose put in, including the locking nut with the screws through the neck. It needed a lot of work but the original factory work was totally quality stuff. Very nice woodwork and the original electronics were fine, what was left anyways. The whole thing took a lot of work and I'm still tweaking it, but it's totally worth it. I'll give it a 4 because of all the abuse it's been given.

Built like a tank, very solid, heavy too. I don't think I'll have any problems unless I start smacking drunks with it. Actually, it would probably be pretty good for that too. The hardware seems fine so far, although I'm not crazy about the Floyd Rose thing. However, it's done now. Finish is very thick but well done. I don't know if the original owner used it much other than for insane late-night experiments, but the finish is good, you'd probably have to sandpaper it to wear it off. Strap buttons look original but I don't know if there's supposed to be locking parts that go with it. There not there if so, but they seem pretty solid. The only thing that might be undependable is the battery and I carry spare anyways. Speaking of the battery, the guitar started making the most bizarre noises, kind jumping between octaves and sounding like a really bad '60's synth. I thought it was my amp going. Then my other amp started doing it. After a lot of grief I finally figured out the battery.

Warranty is long, long gone and if it wasn't all the screwing around on this guitar would have the Fender people laughing it right out of the shop.

Been playing way longer than I care to admit, still learning though. Learning that the Elites are one of the best guitars Fender ever made, except for that crappy tremelo system I guess, that's why somebody put the Rose on this one. I barely use it myself. Other gear: homemade Tele-style with some custom mods, '62 Guild arch-top, Yamaha Pacifica with some mods, Yamaha AEX 500 with some mods (I love modifying Japanese guitars), Ovation acoustic, Fender 12-string. If it were stolen I'd definitely keep my eyes out for another, especially if I could get it for the same price. In fact I'll keep my eyes open anyways, my son wants one after playing mine. What do I hate about it? The push buttons take some getting used to, but I'm warming up to them. I always found that I hit the regular strat switch when I'm strumming and that doesn't happen with these. It's kind of heavy too, I don't know if I could play it all night, but that's OK - I switch guitars a fair bit. I guess the only thing I really hate is that I never appreciated these guitars until now. I didn't choose it, it choose me!

The finish is black paint chrome hardware.The neck is maple 21-frets skunk-stripe.Bi-flexi truss-rod with neck angle adjuster.Tuners are deluxe with Fender stamped on them.Tremelo is free-flyte wit snap in tremelo arm with the strings fed through the front of the guitar.The pick-ups are active with a seven function selector push button switches.

The guitar has a thicker fuller sound with good lows,mids,highs.Plenty of power through my Fender Pro 185 and my Jansen valve amp.No complaints

I bought the guitar second hand about ten years ago so wasn't able to see what its factory set-up was like.But found I had to set the tremelo and neck angle to suit my style which made the neck a very quick player and still good for playing chords.

Haven't gigged this guitar much,but would have to say everything on the guitar seems of a high quality.The finish on the body is outstanding and the schaller strat-locks where factory supplied.My only gripe is the out-put jacks seem to have a very short life and have replaced three in a ten year period.

Fender CBS where well gone when I bought this guitar

I have been playing guitar now for over 16 years and own a 87 american standard stratocaster.If the Elite was stolen it would be very hard to replace because they are quite a rare guitar now in New Zealand.I like the fact the Elite has a different look and features to any strat I've ever seen.I think these guitars have never been given the true recognition they deserve.

1983' USA made Stratocaster Elite.

Pros:
-Active electronics
-Three push button pickups selector. This might not be a hit with everyone because it would be clumsy trying to switch pickups in a live setting. This has never seemed to be a problem for me. And there are two settings which are impossible to do on a regular strat which are possible with the elite- Bridge and Neck activated, All three pickups activated.
-Neck- Im not sure what the finish is on the neck but to me it rivals high quality marine epoxy necks on some fretless basses I've played. The neck is fat, reminds me of the SRV's or the new Eric Johnson strats that are out there.
-Hardware is solid. One of the best built Fenders I've played.
-Dummy Coil- Eliminates alot of noise.

Cons
Bridge- 'Freeflyte' bridge looks cool but is absolute garbage. I stopped using it long ago. When I first got it I got some absolutely terrible spring noise from the bridge cavity. So I go to pad the springs and guess what;some genius down at Fender thought it would be a smart idea not to have a bridge cover plate on the back. I had to open her up from the front, remove the bridge pickup and pad it. A job that would take you 2 minutes on a regular strat took me the better part of 20 minutes.
Input jack on the side-Not a big deal but still.

Fantastic. Hands down the best sounding Strat I've played. Versatile as hell. I play it through a Keleey DS-1>Roalnd Gp-8>Marshall JCM2000>Marshall 412. I play in a wierd Rock/Electronica/Blues/Psychedilic/Metal type jam band and it gives me virtually every sound I could possibly want.

The bridge pickup is amazingley fat. It rivals many humbuckers I've heard and cuts through beautifully through heavy distortion. With the outer tone knob turned all the way down the neck pickup is ideal for that punchy, bright SRV blues tone. The best tone for clean I find is with the Neck and Bridge activated and the outer tone turned all the way down. This sound mimics an acoustic almost perfectly with an ideal blend of brightness and bass.

While its still alot more versatile than a standard strat it still has that distinct "strat" tone. Oddly enough, I would almost say it does the "strat" tone better than you stock American strat.

Action can get amazingly low on this guitar without buzzing out. I'm not sure why but i have my strings set incredibly low compared to my other strat and I get virtually no buzz

Hardware is solid. Finish is fantastic (3 tone sunburst). No complaints here.

Its coming on 25 years. I've owned it for the last 5 of those and it hasnt failed me once yet. This is definately a live player's guitar. Built like a tank. Everythings solid.

Never dealt with Fender. I'm sure they don't even remember these though.

Amazing guitar. Especially considering the price. 25 years later I guess these things are just starting to hit vintage value but 1983 to many(especially these vintage nuts) was a pretty dark year in Fender history. Its the year CBS decided to butcher the classic strat design and branch off into newer and often disastrous territory. Because of that I don't see these guitars ever appreciating in value like Pre CBS Fenders.

Thats why, I assume, I found it at such an unbeleivable price considering its a USA made strat (American Strats cost well into the $1500 range and barely lose their value, I got mine for less than half of that) . But corporate politics aside this is an amazing playing guitar that has been somewhat tarnished by the disgraced CBS name. However, if like me, you dont care about all that you can easily capitalize on vintage collectors' shallowness and pick yourself up a great deal.

Pickup features: Active single coil pickups
Impedence or other specs: N/A

Model of guitar or bass: Elite body with USA neck
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Ty Tabor
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Good out put level
Tone: very good tone
Sonic evaluation: So far I find that unless the dummy coil is blown these pickups hum while playing just like any single coil strat pu! when distorted playing rock & roll. Playing clean is very nice almost sounds like an acoustic guitar. try using a noise gate hush or noise suppresser if you like the that much. If any one can let me know some advice on these pu's please do so and let me know if i replaced them with active emg singles would they work with the elite preamp and still be noisy.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: N/A

Comments: I have been playing and building guitars for very long about over thirty years now and i now a little and must say when you track these pickups down thinking you have found the holy grail of sound they are noisy or the preamp is so what worked for Ty is the same old lesson if i could give any advice it does not always work for some one else.

83 fender stratocaster with active electronics. deluxe free flyte trem for low string tension+12"? radius make this the easiest guitar to bend on. 21 frets. Alder. I have two one with V shaped neck one with thicker U shaped neck. 21 frets. Push buttons are cool becuase you can get any combination of the pickups unlike a 5 way switch. The trem does put it out of tune, but no more so than a normal strat. There is a graphtech replacement nut and saddle that fixes the tunning problems on these. I have it on one of mine and it makes a huge difference if you use the arm alot like I do.

This has to be the most versatile guitar ever built. With the tone controls set neutal it already has a nice ballanced full sound, not the thin sound I allways here from other strats. From there you can make it sound ballsier than any humbucker equipted guitar, or full and clean like a jazzmaster. The sustain is also much better than a standard trem strat. Has more output than any humbucker I've ever used but doesn't sound muddy. The tone can also get fatter than a humbucker by using the low-mid boost. Throw away your booster pedal because you won't need it. If anything you will need to turn down to avoid overdriving everything.

The pickups sound warm but defined not at all artificial or electronic the way I thought they might. They don't have any unpleasant upper mid resonant frequency spikes like most sigle coils, so you never get that ice pick in the ear overtone sound.

To me the guitar actually sounds vintage even though it is active, but hell it is vintage. Can active guitars have aged tone? I say yes, they still use electromagnetic pickups and those pickups are still subject to coil loosening and magnetic decay. I have a custom built hollow strat w/ the (much newer) dg20 gavid gilmour set and vintage trem. That guitar weight 3 pounds less but these guitars sound much better to my ear. I think the pickups are the key, not the most quiet, but the tone is just there.

As the battery dies the mid boost doesn't work and the tone gets week so make sure it has a good battery if you check one out, better yet convince the store the electronics are bad and get it for a song ;)

These guitars were a return to form for fender who had been suffering under inept management for over a decade. These where the first models from the new managemnt who later bought fender. The neck pockets are tight the neck shapes show thought to the players comfort unlike the baseball bats they made in the 70's. The fret work is top notch and the flat radius and low string tension let you play fast and bend with ease.

Some of the inovations of these guitars remain with use in the new fenders buy many where tossed with the next product cycle(just try to find an arm now!)still the elite and '83 standard are the begining of what would become the amaerican standard series. The action fit and finish are easily as good as anything fender has made since.

when the pots go it is a bad thing they are hard to find correct replacement, really they have been as reliable as my other fenders, just hard to find the parts when the time does come. I would use it withou buckup, but I'd change the battery before the gig incase.

Fenders support is not so hot, not to mention they probably don't even remember making these and the warranty ran out in 1985.

I have a lot of guitars and these are the most consitent from amp to amp and situation to situation. If you wanted to play with a death metal band one night and a country band the next you could sound great at both gigs. That is saying something. I can't imagine any guitar player not finding their tone with these.

My elite strat is a july 1983 model in sunburst with a white pickguard and maple neck. I purchased this guitar used from the original owner in 1985 for $375 with hard case.I blocked the tremelo after a few bad experiences with the very testy freeflyte trem. Active electronics, tbx etc.

This guitar is the king of rich, bluesy sound. It is very adaptable, with a wide range of sounds. It is quieter than most other strats thanks to dummy coil.

I have all my guitars professionally set up about once a year, and my tech says this is one of the nicest playing strats he's ever seen

I've gigged this guitar without backup numerous times. It is reliable and durable. After 21 years of hard playing, the guitar shows only minor finish wear on the back and sides of the neck in the lower registers.

dont use them

This is an outstanding sounding and playing guitar. My only complaint is that the three push button pickup selectors are a bit clumsy in live situations. You cant just reach down and throw the five way all the way up or back. I own two other strats(1995 strat plus), (1996 taco strat), and a les paul, and this one plays nicer than the rest. If you have a chance to buy a used elite, dont hesitate. Always make sure the guitar has a fresh nine volt battery inside. A weak battery makes for a terrible buzz and weak signal due to active elects.

2 of them, one in 1985 (pearl white), one in 1986 (burgandy mist)
Both have a 5 way, tap, volume and tone and s/s/h.
Both are all stock, one has a broken shoulder bolt on the nut. I have a paper clip holding it together. The only difference between the 2 years is the 1986 has a sealed 5 way.

Both sound awesome. I play a lot of Alex Lifeson using a GK 250ML and a Zoom 9150.

Both guitars needed no adjustments and have never been adjusted, but bought them both used. I have had them both since 1987.

Very well built guitars with exception of that little soulder bolt that broke on the 1985. Should've used a better metal and it wouldn't have broken

Never used it

Great feel, great sound, great build. What more can a guitar player ask for. The tremolo is somewhat limited in keepinga tune if it is dropped too far, but adjusting the bridge up about 1/4" off of the body fixes that, plus allows for pull backs, too.

Purchased in 1983 black with white pickguard, rosewood neck and all the other Strat Elite Features. Chrome hardware, though at the time I was looking for gold, would have liked the gold hardware with the black body, haven't seen one except for the one on the front cover of my user manual that came with the guitar. I had decided I wanted a Strat for the "sound" after having played gibsons most of my life, the time had come to purchase my dream guitar. Saw the promotions and advertisements on the back cover of "Guitar Player" magazine, 100% made in USA, this guitar looked so classy I just had to get one!! The fact that it was something truly original and that the folks at Fender were game enough to break from the mold and experiment
should be applauded. Sure they didn't get it 100% right first try, but it sure is a unique instrument and still remains well ahead of the pack of guitars that don't have an individual voice or character.

Like I said, I was a Gibson player and wasn't 100% sure I could get all those fat humbucker sounds I was used to. Well the first chance I got to play properly with my own rig after purchasing it I was just thrilled with all the sounds I was able to get with my new axe. The
guitar had all the grunt I needed plus those classic strat sounds and everything inbetween, I play jazz fusion and blues mostly. The "Bad Press" this guitar has received is totally not justified, all because the whammy bar is not great. I don't use it, so it's never been an issue for me.

One of the features of the Elite is the 4-bolt neck adjustment that allows you to set the angle to exactly the right position to suit your playing style. Once I adjusted the neck and bridge saddles to suit the lowered action setup I wanted, this guitar plays like a dream. A true combination of both Gibson and Strat worlds and some other planets thrown in too. The only reason I gave this an eight is because the much critisized tremolo can be a bit of a pain to set up for floating operation. However, it can be done!! I don't use tremolos so I have the bridge sitting nice and flat with no arm in it. I never have a tuning problem and never break strings. I really like being able to change the strings from the top, really quick to
change a whole set. The only modification I have made is to replace the plastic nut with a real bone one, and had to get the volume pot fixed as it developed a loud pop, similar to another review I read here, no big deal after 20 years of solid use.

This axe looks as good as the day I bought it, I look after it and don't let the grime build up. It is very well built, strong and durable. 20 years on and it is still in mint condition even
though it gets played all the time. Just put it back in the flight case when your finished and don't let anyone else near it!

Terrible, for some strange reason Fender don't even like to talk
about this beauty, nothing on their web site, like it never happened!. I picked up a book the other day on Fender Guitars, "50 years of Fenders" can you believe not one mention or photo of an Elite! are they serious!!! Lucky for us owners who know the true story and will end up having the last laugh!!

Ok, I tried to be critical about my all time favourite axe, but really there is nothing to complain about here. I suppose the only criticism I have is that Fender don't offer any support or spare parts!! I would never go back to Gibsons again and probably the only challenger would be a PRS which I think are great too. I am still waiting for the day when I can pick up a guitar mag and read an unbiased review about the many features of this guitar, and the incredible sounds you can make with it, not just focusing on the "Wang Bar" all the time!

It's a US Strat Elite 22 frets - I got it used for #480 sterling. When I had it the poleless white pick ups had been replaced with EMGs - black and gnarly - but from the sounds of it not that different from what was there already. I took out the bridge PU and stuck in an EMG humbucker, with a push pull pot on the volume to swith it to coil taps.
It's Chic grey (can't call it silver) with a maple neck. God knows what they sprayed on the neck, but it's looking like marmite now. The trem - as everyone says -0 won't support anything more than 9s - but that's fine as neither can i. Tried 10s on it and ended up with a lap steel. WAY too high. Tried tinkering around with the trem to get some variation - but the grub allen screw fell out and I never found it. If anyone's picked up a grub allen screw in the West London area.....

I don't think I've found all the sounds it has to offer. The mid boost knob seems to be a dial-a-tone button which just keeps coming up with the goods - scratchy dick dale to creamy carlos santana. With a bit of study, you can make the singles sound fat as ok humbuckers. I've never found a sound I couldn't get. but then I don't like slayer/korn etc.

god knows who had this guitar before me. It was sorely neglected - three or four premiership dings and covered in muck. It didn't take long to sort out the action - although, as I've said, the trem is a gordian knot. Didn't have a trem arm with it - the boys at the shop where I bought it dug one out that fitted - but lord knows where it came from. I never use it anyway, so it makes no odds.

This is my main guitar and gets taken everywhere with me. The only thing I've noticed is an occasional rattle on the (poorly designed) jack socket. Simply rectified by wrapping the lead back through the strap and taking the tension off it. Rarely breaks strings - although the battery is one to watch. You don't do that twice.

Never had to.

I play this through a fender concert amp from about the same vintage and it sings like a pop idol. I've just bought a second one on ebay which is closer to stock to see if I'm missing anything. The new one is also in better knick and a nicer colour - all for about the same price I paid first time round. People slag these guitars off and say they were a symptom of the dark ages of CBS Fender - that's fine. It keeps the prices down for those who know. Now I can keep one at home safe in the knowledge that if one goes wrong, I've always got another. Next I'd like a tele elite - if anyone spots one let me know.

I ordered this guitar new from the factory in 1984. It took several months, and to an impatient high school kid, that was a lot. I won't get into details of the setup because there weren't really too many options, and the previous posters did such a fine job explaining them. The body is a beautiful transparent, shiny emerald green, and all the hardware, including every screw, is gold-plated. Nice fake ivory tuning pegs too.

The sound is all Strat, like only a Strat can do. Beautiful sucking pick noises and clear highs. Stunning. The active pickups and extra tone controls make this the most versatile sounding guitar I've heard. Others have talked about the noise-canceling circuitry, but either mine is broken or they are comparing to other noisy guitars. These pickups are LOUD, and hum excessively when guitar-to-amp orientation isn't just so. I use a noise gate to compensate.

The setup from the factory tells the tale of the tremolo. It is setup totally flat, resting on the body. Less likely to go out of tune that way, which it does immediately if you even look at the trem. I don't use it at all as a result. I had a repairman look at it, one who had guaranteed me he could fix it. I returned a week later and he handed it back shaking his head. Impossible to fix, and he didn't charge me either. The action was medium low, and I can't get it ultra low because of fret buzzing. It was like that out-of-the-case, and it was recommended in 1985 by Dave Rusan, the guy who built all of Prince's guitars, that I have it dressed. I never did, because the medium action doesn't bother me. He had never seen the three-button selector arrangement before, and told me that he was going to try it out on one of his guitars. A better guitar player than I would probably want to dress the frets though. Finish is first rate, the most beautiful I've seen (even better than my PRS 10-top), and the neck is outstanding. The frets had a little clear finish or oversray something that kept peeling off. I finally took all the strings off and scraped each fret to get rid of it. The gold hardware is beautiful, but it wore off over time. See below.

I have never had any reliability issues with it. I hate the trem, and thus do not use it, and the battery seems to last forever as long as you leave it unplugged when not in use. The body and neck finish looks brand new, even after 19 years of playing, although I took about ten of those years off. The hardware finish is junk. My fault though. Being the impetuous high school kid when I got it, I polished it incessantly, and accelerated the wear. Then, I put it away and didn't even touch the thing for several years. When I opened the case-gasp!-oxidization! Bubbles and flecks of gold coming off of the hardware like a rusting Buick. I fixed this by polishing the heck out of it, so no more bubbles, but now even more of the finish is gone. I take better care of it now. Strap buttons are of the locking type, and they work flawlessly. Like a previous poster, I used to use graphited lock fluid on the nut to keep the thing in tune, but that gets messy, so I just avoid using the trem, and stretch my strings well before I rely on it.

No opinion. Never had to deal with them.

I play this through a Marshall 150-watt combo and it sounds great on the clean channel. However, it SHINES when played through my Roland Jazz Chorus. Ultra clean, ultra dreamy. It's the perfect combination for clean, jazzy sounds. The thing is just too noisy to play heavily distorted through the Marshall. I might have that looked-at though, if it is supposed to be more quiet than that. Honestly, I love the guitar, but I'm not enough of a guitar player to really love any particular facet of it. I do however love to tell its story when people ask about it, as they ALWAYS do. They drool over it, and get on all fours trying to see it from every angle, like some guitar-crazed rodent. The uniqueness of it, while still being an American icon, combined with its beautiful finish, is my favorite aspect of it.

Fender Strat Elite, about 1986.I bought it new in 87. Same one as described by Tommy (see review above) except it has 22 frets. SSH with coil tap switch. Bridge Humbucker is not as good as others I have used, but in single coil setting it is very authentic. I'm about to replace the pickups with lace sensors or seymour duckbucker. Rosewood fingerboard, two knobs (coil tap goes where the middle knob normally goes). Metallic Burgandy Mist colour. The most unusual feature of this guitar is the locking nut mechanism, which uses a very nice chrome lever. It is very functional. The fine tuners are down on the Floyd Rose. I don't use the Trem, and you can lock it down nicely by turning the trem bar.

I loved the sound of this guitar the minute I bought it in 87, and I still love it. At the time I was in a band that played very contemporary dream pop style music, which it suited perfectly. I played it through an Ibanez Muliteffects UE405 and a Marshall JCM800 50 watt combo. Has great out-of phase sounds. A little harsh on the bridge pickup. Fantastic sustain, and stays in tune, which I'm really sensitive about.

This is the best part. My guitar tech told me that this is absolutely the best strat neck he has ever seen. He can't believe it is so straight and perfect after all those years. Pickups are not perfect, and I;m about to change them. Everything else is brilliant.

Had it for 15 years and it still looks and plays like new.

This guitar has it all. Well not quite, the tremolo is a bit lame and difficult to adjust properly but everything else is great.
The boost is a nice feature but the pickup selection buttons are a bit quirky during live gigs so I don't use them much. Too bad because they actually provide for a multitude of sounds. Features have been covered in depth by other posters.

I play Hendrix, Malmsteen, AC/DC, Joe Pass and Chet Atkins. This guitar does it all. (Never tried banjo sound, maybe I should).

I like the variety of sound but dislike the "you must look at, buttons").

It plays very well. Great action for Malmsteen shred style or Atkins finger picking.
It came perfect from Fender. In a nice hard shell case.
Mine has a cream body, white pickguard and maple neck. With chrome hardware.
That darn tremolo again spoils it.

This is the tank of guitars. Indestructible.

However if something breaks, look out, Parts are impossible to find.

I broke the tremolo arm and it took me six months to find a replacement. Found one at Sam Ash music stores, in the bottom of a drawer. Nobody knew on what guitar this remolo arm went.

Called Fender for the tremolo arm and they could not locate a part anywhere on earth.

I've been playing since 1967. After I heard Hendrix. I wanted a Start and they sold me this one with a Carlsbro Stingray Professional amp for $1000 canadian dollars. Still have the amp. I own a special Chet Atkins signature guitar, all gold hardware, his name is engraved in gold in the plexiglass pickguard. This is a rare collectible guitar.

If they were both stolen, I would really want the Strat back more than the collectible one. I can make my Strat sound just like it.

My favorite feature is the constant questions I get about this Strat. Everybody wants to know what it is.

Mine was made in 1983 in custom colour transparant emerald green with chrome hardware.Three single coil pick ups(active) and dummy pick up under scrath plate.All the usual elite features,Ihave the original fender catolouge featuring this guitar It says that there are 14
modifications to the standard strat to make the elite different.

1 active pick ups
2 tbx control
3 mdx control
4 12inch radius neck
5 wider jumbo frets
6 precision string trees
7 space age plactic insert in tuners for smooth action
8 precision top nut
9 ergonomic control knobs
10 free flyte tremlo system
11 dummy pick up under plate for quiet operation
12 fender designded pre-amp
13 biflex truss rod ,bends both ways
14 cutom colours inc.STRATOBURST.
14 range of new colours inc.STRATOBURST.

the sounds vary as described before from country twang to les paul heavy Iuse mine with marshal 8080.
Plenty of variety ,all usable
Dislike the wieght of the thing,and string changing can be fiddly

Purchased from new for 550 english pounds without case although case should be supplied as standard (cheap plastic affair).
Well set up looked and played like a good Fender should.
No flaws but control pots became loose after mild use.

Used regularlly to gig.Built like a tank,dropped it a couple of times no serious damage occured.
after truss rod adustment 10 yaers ago better than ever.
Alwaya use as main axe.

Warranty was one year but never had to deal with Fender service

Been playing 30 years semi pro.
Two Squirer strats an 83 and a 98
marshall and laney amps.
Im in love still with it hope it never gets stolen but Iwould try to replace it.
Apart from the wieght love it as it is.
If anybody wants to e-mail me about the catolouge please do there are several colours unique to the elite serise

Mine was made in 83. They only were produced for a couple of years. The body is made of ash with a tobacco sunburst finish. The neck is maple with 21 frets, a maple fingerboard, and a "hard V" shape. There is a volume, treble and midrange control. The pickups are active (designed in conjunction with EMG). It has 3 push button toggles for the pickups. It has this funky locking trem with some wierd fine tuners on the nut. Had to get rid of that because changing strings became rather difficult.

I bought it used in a pawn shop and it was like Christmas every week for the first few months with this thing. I was finding cool new features every week or so. I first bought it because of the neck. I like the V shape alot. I was never a big fan of Fender's U or C necks, but this one is like butter.
When I got it home and plugged it in I was disappointed. The sound was dead. I thought it was the plastic funky pickups it had. Acoustically, it sounded great. I then noticed a panel on the back of the guitar, not usually present in a strat. It was for a battery. I thought the pickups were passive like Lace Sensors or EMG Selects, but no. Once, I put in a fresh battery this thing screamed.
Later, I opened the pickguard because I was confused about the tonce controls. They did not work like a standard strats. I then noticed that this guitar is unlike many strats. I found a dummy coil underneath the pickguard. No wonder the guitar didn't hum. No wonder it still had a cool single coil sound. I found that one of the tone knobs controls the volume of the dummy coil. It makes any pickup into a humbucker.The other thing I found was an active preamp. The other tone knob controlled the treble. It is a boost and cut. Cool!
I also found the springs for the trem. They are under the trem like a kahler. Once I found it, it was fairly simple to change the tension of the trem with an allen wrench. (Much easier than putting on extra springs). The tilt in the neck can also be adjusted with an allen wrench (no need for a shim).
The three pushbutton switches for selecting the pickups is cool too. You can get 7 pickups cominations instead of 5. It can be a little cumbersome to change pickups when you are used to a 5 way, but I can get used to it.
This thing has features. All that I could want from a strat.

That's where it is at. It gets a wide variety of sounds, and the sounds are good. It can almost almost sound as fat as my Heritage Les Paul. It can scream like my Kramer loaded with Seymour Duncan Live Wires. But, it spanks and quacks like a strat and the others can't. Because of the way the electronics are set up, I can get a great Telecaster tone and many cool strat tones (glassy, out of phase, meaty,twangy). I can also get a lot of unique sounds that most strats can't do. A jack of all trades, a master of some. Can't do all sounds (hollowbody, floyd rose dive bombing, etc.), but much of the necessary ones for most working musicians.

Brown Sound - It's in there
SRV - It's in there
Dickey Betts - It's in there
Santana - It's in there
Jimi - It's in there
Drop D Thrash - It's in there
Link Wray - It's in there
Cool tones galore - It's in there

I give it a 9 because it has great tones, but it doesn't have that tone that makes you cry and laugh at the same time. But it is extremely rare to find a guitar and someone who can play that guitar to that effect.

When I got the guitar, it wasn't that well set up. Frankly, it was hard for people to set it up properly. Until I brought it in to a tech who worked with Elites before. After that, it was all over. The action was great without buzz. I have 10s on them, but I never put anything higher because the trem keeps on rising. The guitar plays great, the neck is awesome. It can be choked and caressed. The slick maple feel of the fingerboard make it fun to play. The V neck is a string benders dream. You can choke the tar out of the thing. The fingerboard is relatively flat, so fingering chords and scales is relatively easy. I took some steel wool to the back of the neck to give it more of a satin finish feel to it. The neck is what sold me on it.
The finish is great, it's held up well over the last 18 years. I like the burst against the ash body. The bookmatching wasn't the best however.
THe guitar didn't have many flaws for a used guitar. The case however......

It's held up well for being a 18 year old guitar. It looks better than some strats half it's age. I lived in Chicago, Colorado, and Virginia and this guitar has held up well in the different climates. The truss rod doesn't need much adjustment for it to play well. This is a Fender and that means its a tough plank. It will stand up to live playing. It's dependuable as any guitar with active pickups can be (oops, forgot to change the battery). I always carry a backup

Never had to deal with them.

I LOVE this guitar. I've been playing for about 12 years, and was that annoying kid at guitar center who would want to play the PRS and the Jacksons that I did not have the money to buy. I have heritage 140CM, which I love, and a Kramer Focus that has been turned into a Heavy Metal Frankenstein. I've also owned others, but this is the best guitar I've ever owned in terms of versatility and usable tone. It's one of the best guitars I've ever owned in terms of playability. All of it for $350. I would love to buy a couple more of them but they are hard to find. I met a couple of people who also love this guitar, and told me they will buy any Elite I run across. I once saw one with a green translucent finish in Guitar Center for $500 and I begged my buddy to loan me the money to buy the guitar. The bastard bought it himself!
Right before I got this axe, I bought a 73 strat with a funky kahler trem under the condition that I could check it out with a luthier to see how much it would cost to have it refretted/redressed. It was beyond repair so I brought it back to Guitar Center. The salesman offered me a discount, but I declined. I told him I was going to use that money to buy an Elite. He laughed and said "funky guitar". Really, it was "better guitar".
If it were lost or stolen.......let's no go there.
This guitar can be described this way. If a nuclear holocaust were to happen and the earth was in shambles, this guitar and some amp would help the survivors to remember the sweets sounds of the guitar. The twang of a Tele, the sustain of a Les Paul, the spank of a Strat, the hot rod sound of a Charvel. The sounds that some of us live by.

yeh, well if you're reading this, you know what an elite Strat is all about. Mine is "sienna sunburst" (hideous!! ) and maple neck. I had Warmouth make me a pearl scratchplate in an attempt to boost the looks.

Where I live you have no choice in the matter, so I took it as it was.

I bought it new in 1984. It cost me # 575 ( UK )including Fender hard case.

Mine is pretty heavy, so I guess its an Ash body.

If I'm being honest, I have an Elite telecaster as well and it blows the Strat away.( sh*t, even heavier !!!!!!!!!! )

Yes, I can hear the howls of derision now !!

On the plus side, I had the Strat a lot longer than the Tele and it performed magnificently. I played in both an R'n'B ( old style ) blues Band and also an 80's funk band, using a 60W 2x10" Fender Concert, and it could easily handle the cool funk "scratchy" sounds, or by winding up the MDX control, some crunchy blues sounds.

Truely, this guitar can do everything. ( actually, the Elite Tele is pretty good as well.........oh bugger, I sound like I'm bragging.......I don't mean to, they're just equally as good. )

Yeh, a great guitar. Why the hell did the music press give it such a hard time when it came out ? Laughably, a lot of current Strats now exhibit features that originally appeared on the Elite. Like MDX, TBX,
hum-cancelling pickups, 7 way pickup combination. I recently took the Fender Rep to task when he was extolling these features on the new guitar range. He went very quiet..................!!

Sound.......?
Just unbelievable.
I own one of only two Elite Stratocasters on the Island where I live.
I know the other guy and he does'nt use his any more, so it's just down to me.

As I mentioned in the paragraph above, this guitar just does everything. Although one of my mates, who has always used an "ordinary" strat bought one for himself and hated it !! Strange.
I own many guitars, but if I had to choose just one it would be the Elite Strat. I don't even have to think about it.

Pretty damn good. There's nothing that I can think of that could be considered a defect.

If I'm being really picky, the dots on the neck lean slightly more towards the G string than the D...........!
Actully, now I think about it, one thing that really annoys me is the fact that my guitar has a translucent finish. Ordinarily, I would quite like this, except in my case the timber has been chosen by Stevie Wonder ( I really don't mean any offence ). What I'm getting at is that this guitar should have had an opaque finish. Like....you can see the join, you know ?

Other than that, nothing really.

Yeh, I used this guitar for 10~12 years without a problem, although if your battery runs out mid gig you really are f*cked. Only happened once. You sort of learn fast !

The hardware and finish are as good today as when I bought it. I don't abuse guitars, but I'm not a "clean after every gig maniac" either and it still looks like new.

There's a slight er......rift where the timbers join in the body construction, but this has yet to split the finish

Bit of a nightmare.

One of the pickups went wrong in about 1998. Fender were very good in supplying my technician with the necessary diagrams. It took him a long time to figure out the problem, and, deep joy, after consultation with Fender it was eventually repaired.

Call me Mr paranoia, but I'm sure it just does'nt sound the same. Mind you it might just be me. ( I played a Les Paul thru a Marshall stack for many, many years in my youth.......deaf or what......? )

No,the sparkling top end has gone now. where ..? I wish I knew. I was'nt entirely convinced with the diagnosis. The guitar definately hasn't got that " zing " any more. If anyone else has experienced the same thing and got it sorted, please contact me at the address below.

Cheers

No, these things are irreplacable. Although I've never played a Tom Anderson/ Valley Arts/Levinson Blade type Strat so I don't really know. Certainly I've never come across anything anywhere near as versatile.

I use a Fender Blues Deville now instead of the Concert, but the Strat still sounds great.

I just love it when when people come up after a gig and say " hey, great sound, can a have a look at your Strat man ?. Shortly followed by " Wow, what the f*ck is this thing?" I normally plead ignorance,....er......"just a strat, you know "( tee-hee !! )

What do I hate ? The tremelo. It really is sh*t. Great theory, but meanwhile, back on planet Earth...............

Actually, I had no intention of buying the guitar. Well I've already berated the appearance haven't I ? It was a strange thing. I had absolutely no intention of buying the ugly f*cker.

Then I plugged it in, just for a laugh you understand, and my mate said " f*ck, that sounds amazing". And then I listened to it and thought sh*t, you're right ! 10 minutes later it was mine.

Well it's 2001 now and I've still got it and nonway is iot ever going to leave me, so I suppose that rather sums it up.

yeh, well if you're reading this, you know what an elite Strat is all about. Mine is "sienna sunburst" (hideous!! ) and maple neck. I had Warmouth make me a pearl scratchplate in an attempt to boost the looks.

Where I live you have no choice in the matter, so I took it as it was.

I bought it new in 1984. It cost me # 575 ( UK )including Fender hard case.

Mine is pretty heavy, so I guess its an Ash body.

If I'm being honest, I have an Elite telecaster as well and it blows the Strat away.( sh*t, even heavier !!!!!!!!!! )

Yes, I can hear the howls of derision now !!

On the plus side, I had the Strat a lot longer than the Tele and it performed magnificently. I played in both an R'n'B ( old style ) blues Band and also an 80's funk band, using a 60W 2x10" Fender Concert, and it could easily handle the cool funk "scratchy" sounds, or by winding up the MDX control, some crunchy blues sounds.

Truely, this guitar can do everything. ( actually, the Elite Tele is pretty good as well.........oh bugger, I sound like I'm bragging.......I don't mean to, they're just equally as good. )

Yeh, a great guitar. Why the hell did the music press give it such a hard time when it came out ? Laughably, a lot of current Strats now exhibit features that originally appeared on the Elite. Like MDX, TBX,
hum-cancelling pickups, 7 way pickup combination. I recently took the Fender Rep to task when he was extolling these features on the new guitar range. He went very quiet..................!!

Sound.......?
Just unbelievable.
I own one of only two Elite Stratocasters on the Island where I live.
I know the other guy and he does'nt use his any more, so it's just down to me.

As I mentioned in the paragraph above, this guitar just does everything. Although one of my mates, who has always used an "ordinary" strat bought one for himself and hated it !! Strange.
I own many guitars, but if I had to choose just one it would be the Elite Strat. I don't even have to think about it.

Pretty damn good. There's nothing that I can think of that could be considered a defect.

If I'm being really picky, the dots on the neck lean slightly more towards the G string than the D...........!
Actully, now I think about it, one thing that really annoys me is the fact that my guitar has a translucent finish. Ordinarily, I would quite like this, except in my case the timber has been chosen by Stevie Wonder ( I really don't mean any offence ). What I'm getting at is that this guitar should have had an opaque finish. Like....you can see the join, you know ?

Other than that, nothing really.

Yeh, I used this guitar for 10~12 years without a problem, although if your battery runs out mid gig you really are f*cked. Only happened once. You sort of learn fast !

The hardware and finish are as good today as when I bought it. I don't abuse guitars, but I'm not a "clean after every gig maniac" either and it still looks like new.

There's a slight er......rift where the timbers join in the body construction, but this has yet to split the finish

Bit of a nightmare.

One of the pickups went wrong in about 1998. Fender were very good in supplying my technician with the necessary diagrams. It took him a long

THis is a 1983 USA made Strat based instrument. It IS a Strat technically but with many changes and refinements so it has to be considered in another class IMO. Mine is black with a white pickguard, 3 Fender custom active pickups, Active EQ knob, 3 button pick-up selector, Fender designed custom self-contained tremelo that somewhat is like a Kahler with a locking system above the nut of the guitar with fine tuners on the locking device. This bridge eliminates the need for back routing for the standard trem and springs. The guitar seems heavier than the standard Strat which, is a good thing for me. It features a rosewood neck with larger than normal frets and a much flatter radius. All gold hardware and simulated pearl tuning keys. Purchased with original case for $475.

I think it is an excellent guitar clean and sounds very classic with distortion. Seems much quieter than your standard Strat. I use it with a Line 6 Plus combo. Not a "heavy metal" guitar but nice for all else.

I bought the guitar when it was 18 years old and it still looks and plays great! Obviously whoever owned it took great care of it. Finish and frets seem to be in good shape with no flaws except an occaisional minor scratch.

I figure if it made it over the last 18 years in this condition it is solid. I will only be using it in the studio so this guitar should look as good 18 more years from now.

Never used it so I don't know.

I have been playing 26 years. I own quite a collection of guitars including a couple of Les Pauls, the 1984 Ibanez Steve Lukather model and way too many others to mention. I would like to own a Fender Strat Elite that is Walnut with the ebony board. I have only seen 1 and unfortunately the owner is reluctant to part with it for a price that makes sense. Anyone have one to sell? Contact me!!!

I own this 1983 Strat Elite, bought it new, have owned it ever since. It's American, heavy (this is good), emerald green with chrome hardware, rosewood board, locking tremolo, active elec, etc. Have the original hardcase, too.

The three button thing is kinda lame, but I'm used to it by now, sorta.

This, is, without a doubt, my favorite guitar and I WOULD NEVER PART WITH IT, period. That isn't to say it doesn't have its flaws, which it does, but the flexible sound, sustain and overall playability make up for any minor annoyances. I play sort of proprietary crashing, strangled country, thing Pete Townshend meets the Scruggs. I dunno.

I use it with a HIWATT 50 and a HIWATT 4x12 cab, it sings, sings, sings, rings, rings, rings, and while it's not a metal machine it is the sound I've always wanted and now I have it so there.

Re - the trem not taking anythng above 9's:

yes, this is true, and I play 10's or 11's. Just open it up and tighten the spring a bit, there ya go, problem solved.

Active eg, read: mid boost. Have to say I alomost never use it. But, then again, on the HIWATT I dime the bass, treble at 10 o'clock, mid shut down completely, and presence at about 10 o'clock. It sounds like I want it to, and I get all the meat I need from the amp.

No flaws. Read: flawless. 17 years old and only now, I guess I gotta re-fret and change the nut. I play 3 hours a day, every day.

See above.

Never dealt with them, so can't say.

Paid $500.00,used in late 80's. Made sometime time the early 80's. I heard they were made only a few years. It has 21 nice size frets,three push button pickup selectors, volume, tone, and a 12dbl boost. Three single coil pickups, I don't know the history behind these pickups but they look like Lace Sensor type. Active electronics, maple neck with nice wood grain running through it. The guitar is nice, and heavy. Made in the U.S.A. My particular guitar's first owner was a real jerk! Story was he had it stolen for insurance purposes. All serial numbers and decals were removed, and the whole thing had a crappy paind job! When I purchased it from a little music store in town. He had clean it up pretty good. Since then I've repainted it black. Looks pretty good! I also sent picture to Fender they sent me a new decal with serial number for the headstock. came with hard shell case.

I play in a blues-rock band, and it covers all styles very nicely! I play through a 100 watt 2-12 Marshall combo made in the early 70's, uses 4 GTel34 for the power tubes, and sometimes through a Randall 80watt solid state 1-12 great clean sound. For effects, Tube Screamer, Crybaby wah,then a Boss chourus. I can get a cold, cutting Albert Collins tone, to smooth Santana, and of course Clapton rich in mids. Have no dislikes.

Purchased used. Love the neck! Plays so much better than the new strats. The only guitar I have played that feels as nice is the G&Ls. The finish was horrible as I stated earlier, I have seen other Elites that looked very nice though. The only complaint I could come up with the guitar is the bridge. Any strings I used that were bigger than 9's the back of the bridge would pull up from the body. I am playing with 11's now so I had to block up the bridge, that means can't use the whammy bar which I would like to sometimes. But I still love the way it plays.

All I have to say is "its a strat" no worrys!

Fender was very helpful, giving me the info I requested.

I have been playing for 27 years. I have a Sigma guitar, and a Epi Sheraton II. Play through a Marshall 2-12 tube combo, and a solid state Randall. I have tryed to be objective but I really like this guitar!! It's like talking to an old friend. If something happen to it(heaven forbid) I would try to get one that felt as nice if I could even find one. But chances are I would get a G&L It felt quite nice too.

Mine's a '83, solid body (not sure what wood, damn heavy) Strat elite with SSS three lace-sensor looking fender pickups. Features have been covered elsewhere, but mine is a Blackie, with (now) aged parts. I got it second hand with what looked like a Fender Hard case and the original push-in trem in exchange for my Gibson LP Studion Lite. Let me emphasise again tha tthis guitar is heavy, much more so than my gibson, and is one of the main reasons that I won't be keeping this guitar, apart from the tremolo which won't stay in tune, the annoying switching system, glossy neck and the fact that if anything breaks on it, I'm pretty much out of luck because the don't make any on the parts for it anymore. It is in mint condition at the moment, so it looks fine, but if a guitar hurts my back after 10 minutes of playing, it's not a keeper. I give this section a 10 because it DOES have tons of features. I just don't get along with all of them. :)

I don't think that the heaviness of this guitar makes much difference to the overall soundscape but it does sound good, even better (and more versatile ) that an EC Strat, and in fact I believe that this model was the basis for his sig. as he sold three Elites in the recent Christies Auction. Just an assumption. Anyway, This guitar does tons of sounds, from clean to crunch and a good helping of Gary Moore/Santana style smooth overdrive with the mid-boost. I think this guitar would be great for Gilmour/Rea and other versatile guitarists.I've no complaints here, even tho it's a bit noisy with the active TBX control turned down.

The action wasn't bad, but I prefer more manly strings than the 9's it came with. It had a crap nut on it but apart from that it's fine.

This is a rock solid guitar that would last a lifetime, I'm sure.

NA

I've been playing for three years and this isn't quite the holy grail for me. It is a good guitar, though, and if you can get one cheap, snap it up. The main reason I got this one was because I thought it would be easier to sell than a Les Paul. But it's still a great guitar, and I'd still take it over a EC Strat any day (a friend has a CS EC Strat and no way would i trade. except for the price) Overall, great guitar, not for me.

My Strat Elite is a 1983 model, US made, clear poly-finished ash body, maple neck. It weighs a ton. The hardware--whammy, strap buttons--were made by Schaller for Fender.
As far as I know, Ty Tabor (of King's X) is the only famous Strat Elite user.
WHAMMY AND TUNERS: the Freeflite whammy is very different from the standard Strat: it loads from the top (there is no spring cavity on the back), it does NOT float. The action on the whammy is extremely stiff--which I like, personally. I can play open notes and bent strings together and stay in tune. I've figured out how to keep the guitar in tune while using the whammy: (a) I replaced the standard tuners with LSR locking tuners (same as what's standard on high-end Strats), and (b) I use a q-tip to dab WD-40 into the nut slots and over the nut-area of the strings every time I restring.
ELECTRONICS: three single-coil low output (the preamp provides the juice) pickups, with active electronics and a dummy coil (a fourth coil under the pickguard) for noise-cancellation. Each pickup is controlled by a pushbutton switch. The knobs are: master volume, tone/active treble-boost (notched), and active mid-boost. The system is *truly* noiseless--I play in church, surrounded by fluorescent lights, with a major highway outside (CB radios and everything), and the guitar is absolutely silent until I pick a string.
There is nothing I don't like about the features on this guitar: even the stock tuners were okay, I just wanted the locking ones for heavier whammy use (thus the 9 instead of a 10).

Here's where the Strat Elite really shines. I play contemporary Christian music, classic rock, worship music, etc. I'm using a Peavey Studio Pro 112 and a Korg multi-fx.
I need a very flexible guitar. I want to be able to produce acoustic sounds, hard rock lead sounds (ala "Sweet Child of Mine"), Knopfleresque fills, etc.--all out of the same guitar. The Elite can do it all.
Like I said, the system is absolutely silent, which is important in church. It's also incredibly flexible: I can get very shimmery Strat sounds with the standard pickup combinations and the middle knob set in the notch. I can turn up the mid-boost and get a very warm, Gibsonish sound--with distortion, it sounds smooth and buttery, like Carlos Santana's PRS.
Plus I can get pickup combinations not available on a stock Strat: using the neck and bridge pickups together with mid-boost produces a very unique clean sound, like a clean Les Paul, humbuckings in parallel. I can take that setting and dial in the amounts of shimmer/warmth that I want. In that setting, with the treble cranked and the midrange rolled off, the Elite sounds almost like a Telecaster (it just doesn't have the "pop" from the Tele's tin-can bridge.)
With the active electronics and the mid-boost, the Strat Elite kicks the snot out of American Deluxes (Lace Sensors AND the new Noiseless), Beck and Clapton signatures, etc.--there's just more TONE there. I played all three systems plus a PRS CE, back-to-back-to-back-to-back, at Guitar Center. The Elite shimmered like the other strats, only louder (the PRS, because of its pickups and shorter scale, just doesn't have the same treble). The Elite doesn't *quite* match the PRS for clear or distorted warmth--but it's close, and much warmer than the other strats.
The Stratocaster Elite allows me to go from Roy Buchanan tele-tones to Mark Knopfler Strat to Carlos Santana liquid screams--simply by switching the pickups and twisting the knobs.

I bought the guitar used, so I can't really comment on the quality of Fender's setup. The strings were cruddy, but everything was fine once I changed them.

Very solid, very heavy. I still have a Les Paul (in case a string breaks or the Strat's battery dies), but I don't anticipate any trouble. Of course, I'm only playing one twenty-minute set per week, if I were playing more and longer I'd carefully choose a backup.

I'm not really commenting on Fender, but on Guitar Center. They have a 30-day money back satisfaction guarantee. I used every day that was available to me, checking out other guitars, comparing the Elite to Peavey Wolfgangs, other Strats, PRSes, G&Ls, etc. The guys at Guitar Center in Arlington, TX were wonderful, as were most of the GC guys in the two Dallas stores.

I've been playing since 1974 (no, not continuously). I've been playing every Sunday at my church for the last 3 years or so. Prior to purchasing the Elite, I've used Ovation and Alvarez acoustics and a Les Paul Standard. The Strat Elite is the most flexible, playable, best-sounding guitar I've ever played.
If it were stolen, I'd find another one just like it. And I'd pray for the thief to die a horrible death (after accepting Jesus as his savior, of course). [That's a joke, BTW.]

Made in 1985. in Japan Has 21 frets 2 knobs-volume, tone 5-way selector S/S/H Floyd Rose Locking tuners

Suits rock and roll very well. Get punch from the guitar with the flip of a switch, (the coil alternator for the Humbucker? Not a noisy guitar. I recommend putting very bright strings on it. Great blues on 1st pickup Very versatile axe.

Not bad for those of us w/small fingers. Action sets real close. Frets are really easy to move on. The locking mechanism is very tricky and you must be careful when tuning up.

Take this baby everywhere. It's a Fender! Beat the tar out of it and pick it up and play away.

This was my first electric, and I've relied on it for 3 years. It fits needs of all musicians and I recommend it if you're into good old rock and roll.
SugarSun Rocks

Made in USA in the early '80. I bought mine new in 1984 mainly because I wanted a Strat and because it has a totally cool transparent green finish. This is the "Gold Elite" version, having "gold tone" hardware, including the tremolo, the bridge, and the locking tuners directly above the nut. I'm not sure what type of wood it's made from, but it is HEAVY. Much heavier than a friend's Mex Strat. The only backplate is where the 9V battery compartment is. The tremolo handle detaches from the tremolo. 21 frets. It has active pickups powered by a 9V battery and 3 pushbutton switches to select the pickups instead of the standard strat slide switch (see other entries for a more detailed description of the control functions). The input jack is on the side of the guitar rather than on the front. It came with a fur lined hardshell case, shoulder strap with the Fender logo and strap lock buttons, users manual and a Fender polishing rag, all of which I still have.

I'm currently using a Peavey Bandit 112 Amp and the pickups tend to squeal quite a bit when I'm near the amp, although I do realize that the Bandit is a noisy amp in itself. It sounds excellent on the clean channel and I can get all the sounds of a Strat with passive pickups and much more. I play tunes ranging from the Beatles to Sabbath. This guitar is perfect for blues and the Clapton sound. There is nothing I don't like about the sound of this guitar, although for the heavy stuff, I usually whip out my Memphis Les Paul copy "beater" guitar with DiMarzio "The Breed" pickups. I rarely use the Freeflite tremolo. It was set up at the factory as a single action (down only) but it can be setup as a floating type, which I have tried to do fairly unsuccesfully (not much range in the up direction). The instrument also tends to go out of tune when using the tremolo, even with the locking setup.

The finger board is also finished with clear. I'm not sure if I like it or not. The action was a little high for my tastes right out of the case. I have since lowered the action and replaced the nut. I believe the original nut was plastic and it was replaced with one made of something harder, like bone. Other than the nut, the guitar is completely stock. The volume pot soon developed a loud pop when adjusting it, but a can of pot cleaner fixed that. The swivel that the tremolo handle fits into fits loosely and rattles around. I also had a problem with the bridge cutting through the thinner strings during a good bend. A small file remedied that.

The finish is holding up great, but I haven't gigged much with it and I'm very careful with it when I do take it out of the house. The gold hardware is slightly tarnished from time. All the controls work smoothly.

Never had to deal with Fender.

It's been good to me so far. I just love the transparent green color. I have never seen another Elite with this color. And seeing what they are selling for now, not a bad investment either. If it were stolen, I would definitely try to find another one (or loose the Memphis Les Paul copy and spring for a real one).