Going for my 2nd set... you guys gotta try this.

[ksdaddy]

What's a Smith Strat?

 

Dan Smith was hired by Fender in '81 or so, to try and revamp the line. He pretty much put the brakes on production, going from a few hundred a day to a trickle. He got rid of the 3 bolt tilt neck and big headstock. About that time CBS dumped some serious money into machinery and then the body contours and scoops were closer to 50s specs (the old pin routers were just flat worn out by the early 80s). The Strats made during that narrow window between the 70s big headstock models with 3 bolt necks and the two knob Freeflyte '83-'84 models (and then death to US production until 1987) were known as Smith Strats. They have a following among Strat freaks.

[ksdaddy]

Now don't drag me into this

 

I'll drag ya.

 

[milod]

Neo...

 

I think a lot has to do also with technique.

 

I love my lights and the pickups are pretty "hot" for mid 1970s - but I play very, very gently. In fact, on the Guild SG clone, I wear 8-38 and kinda ignore the bridge pickup. As gently as I play, it's pretty much a jazz box sound.

 

Elixirs with the heavier "web" aren't quite as bright, either; last forever - perhaps too long since I tend not to change strings and rather enjoy a little more "aged mellow" from older strings on the guitar for the stuff I play.

 

m

[NeoConMan]

Dan Smith was hired by Fender in '81 or so' date=' to try and revamp the line. [/quote']

Okay, yeah, I remember all that now.

 

When I bought my 1993 American Standard Strat, I was reading some stuff about the whole Leo/CBS thing.

 

Smith was one of the guys bothered that the body contours of the Strat had gotten all screwed up.

Of course, what is the "correct" contour with all the variables?

 

If I recall, he was part of deciding that "this one" is what they used for the template to go with.

The American Standard line was introduced a few years later, supposedly incorporating those changes.

It was the "2008 Les Paul Standard" of its' time, only getting back to a benchmark from the past....

 

New machinery/tooling, they had to decide - "Okay, so what is a Stratocaster...?"

 

Am I getting close?

[Thundergod]

Installed the new "set", a friend who happened by the store laughed and said I wasted two perfectly good sets in order to have one only I can can play... great, I don't like others playing my guitars

 

Anyway, people around here ask for single string replacements often so it might not be a total loss (never got it, how can they play with 5 used strings and 1 brighter new string?)