What an interesting time in Fender history. Inspired? Cocaine fueled? Who knows, but this Fender Gold Elite Strat from 1983 is the output. Gorgeous Emerald transparent finish on a heavy piece of good looking Ash. This on is completely stock and all original aside from a replaced volume pot - included for good measure. The pickup on/off switches function as they should as does the TBX and MDX circuits. Please note: this is the early MDX circuit that only boasts about 6db of gain versus the modern 20db or whatever it is, so it is subtle, but usable. This example is darn clean, showing some pick swirling and light scratches, but no deep dings, missing finish or the like. Most notable wear is the tarnish on the gold hardware and white plastics. This guitar is a chunk - 9 pounds 8 ounces. This one also includes the original trem arm (unobtanium) and the weird original Fender above the nut string lock/fine tuners (also hard to find - note, missing one screw). I'll be honest, I hate that thing (string changes are difficult, truss rod adjustment requires its removal, as does nut slot adjustments) but it is an interesting piece of history and functions as intended. The neck on this one is exquisite. Definitely the highlight. We spot leveled a few frets, and this one plays clean and comfy - a tiny bit buzzy above the 12th due to some very slight fretboard jump (can probably blame Micro Tilt for that) but all-in-all, a nice playing, great looking and interesting example of early 80s Fender. Also includes the original brown plastic case with brown lining!
