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otaypanky

playin' from the heart
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Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Fed Ex brought me a new friend today ~
I decided to sell my 93 LP Deluxe Goldtop when I saw this Fender Elite Flame listed for sale at TGP. I have a few LP's and that one didn't get much playtime. These set neck Fenders were made in Japan in '84. It's got Schaller humbuckers with a coil tap switch and TBX tone controls. Schaller roller bridge and stop bar with micro tuners. Nice comfortable carve at the neck joint for gettin' up high


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Wow, that's really nice! How do those Schaller pickups sound? That's such a step outside what I normally associate Fender with. I love it!
 
I've never seen one before. That is one cool guitar! I love the shape and details.
Looking forward to a demo of it, Bob.
 
That's a beaut, Bob. Congratulations!
Headstock is pretty cool and decidedly unfenderish. Looking forward to hearing how she plays.
 
Very cool OTP! Like everyone else, looking forward to the video! Interested in hearing what you do with those p'ups. Higher gain than the run of the mill HB's, no?
 
I have the same guitar in the Master Series. Fender dicontinued the Elite series, and resurrected it as the Squier Esprit a few years later. It came with Pewter hardware to make it look aged, and Duncan Design Humbuckers. It has their version of the JB in the bridge and the 59 in the neck. A different headstock, and chambered body. They were made in Korea by Cort, and they have since been discontinued. Mine is in Antique burst. A really nice guitar.
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That's a good lookin' color there Zman. While poking around the net trying to find info on these I read that although not that many were made it seems like a lot ended up in Canada and in the midwest USA.
So far I'm enjoying the guitar a lot. The buckers are a bit thicker and darker than what I'm used to. I usually wire humbuckers up 50's style to keep some treble at partial volumes. But this guitar has a lot going on with the TBX (I think it stands for Treble Bass Expander) circuit and I don't know enough to try and fiddle around in there. Besides, I'd like to be able to keep it all stock. I've been trying to find the sweet spot for adjustment of the pickups. There's obviously going to be a considerable difference between the coil split sounds and the humbucker sounds but I'm hoping to get them adjusted to where they each sound good but I don't have to scramble to correct the tone when changing between coil split and 'bucker modes.
 
Wow I've never seen a fender like that - VERY nice. I like the neck inlay's too. '84 - looks to have survived the years well!
 
that is cool! I have never seen one before! I like those "Martin" style ;) snowflake markers too! Fender borrowed a bit on this guitar, but in a cool looking way!
 
otaypanky said:
That's a good lookin' color there Zman. While poking around the net trying to find info on these I read that although not that many were made it seems like a lot ended up in Canada and in the midwest USA.
So far I'm enjoying the guitar a lot. The buckers are a bit thicker and darker than what I'm used to. I usually wire humbuckers up 50's style to keep some treble at partial volumes. But this guitar has a lot going on with the TBX (I think it stands for Treble Bass Expander) circuit and I don't know enough to try and fiddle around in there. Besides, I'd like to be able to keep it all stock. I've been trying to find the sweet spot for adjustment of the pickups. There's obviously going to be a considerable difference between the coil split sounds and the humbucker sounds but I'm hoping to get them adjusted to where they each sound good but I don't have to scramble to correct the tone when changing between coil split and 'bucker modes.
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Many years ago I found an instructional Tape "Playing the Blues" by Robben Ford. He was playing an Elite. It was a 3 color burst. It had such a nice tone and I was also looking to buy one, they were priced very high, and when the Esprit came out, I was all over it. The only thing with them is that they are hard to find a case for. They are too wide for an LP case and just a little under a 335 in bout width. I would expect yours came with a case. The Esprit does not have a coil splitter. The Duncan Design pickups are really nice.
In the picture your neck joint is exactly like the Esprit. They are quite a heavy guitar even with the chambering.
I have the Fender Frontlines (Fenders Catalogue) going back to 1996 but I don't see one with that inlays like yours.
In 2003 I don't see it listed, then in 2005 they have a "new" Esprit.
This blurb went with it.
"The Esprit was first introduced by Fender in 1983 as part of the Master Series.The series was introduced to offer instruments that would appeal to a broader base of guitarists. "
It was moved to the custom shop and came in 3 levels. The Robben Ford Ultra SP, Robben Ford ultra Fm and the Robben Ford Elite FM. The top two levels had ebony boards and the lower level was Pao ferro.
Is yours an 84? At one point the Squier Esprits were going for 399 a MF. I got mine in Canada, and I have not seen another here for sale since. Mine is a 2005.
I think you have a true collectors item.
 
This one is an '84. No, I didn't get a case with this one. The guy sent along a pretty nice TKL padded gig bag. I read somewhere when they were discontinued that they sold off what was left without cases.
I remember that Robben Ford video : ) I was disappointed that RF model wasn't available, it looked interesting. I have had my eye out for one similar ever since
There's some good info on the early ones at this link
http://www.masterseriesguitars.com/
 
I wrote to Fender when they put the Squiers out and they actually came up with a part number for a case. It was in the 150 to 200 range in 2005 so I passed. I have mine in a classical case. We tried every case they had in the shop, and this was the only one that fit. It is about 3 inches too deep so I keep a foam pillow for when I travel. I was told the Sammick Royale case will fit. It is a smaller sized semi hollow guitar. I had a computer geek friend of mine convert the tape's audio to a cd.
I use it occasionally to refresh my playing. To us old guys 84 doesn't seem that long ago, but you have a 27 year old guitar.
Like us, almost an antique!
 

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