1985 Contemporary Stratocaster Review

I'm really not looking forward to this...

Despite being an overall fantastic guitar, I'm a little apprehensive about restringing the damn thing. This particular Stratocaster came into my possession strung with 9s, and strung poorly at that.  The locking nut eliminates this from being much more than a minor gripe from a tuning stability standpoint, but I'm accustomed to 11s on most of my guitars, and playing this just isn't comfortable.

There are a lot of things to like about the Fender System III tremolo, but the process of restringing doesn't seem to be one of them.  I haven't taken the plunge yet, but it seems that the online community is universally in agreement - It is a total pain in the ass, and there's no good way to do it.  I'd have to imagine this was a contributing factor to Fender not continuing to use this system (though I bet the introduction of the roller nut on the USA Stratocaster Plus models was the real culprit/hero).

More on restringing later...

The Neck

There's a lot to like about this guitar.  The neck seems like a slightly shallower modern American Standard neck, but with a completely even taper.  I haven't measured, but I'm reasonably certain that the radius is 12", the same as my Eric Johnson Stratocaster - A big plus in my books.

The tuners seem to be high ratio - 18:1 if I had to guess, so while visually identical to the Ping tuners found on American Series Strats and Teles, they're much smoother.

First complaint starts with the neck, or more specifically, the locking nut.  When the lever is in the locked position (see pic), it doesn't quite conform to the curvature of the headstock.  In order to hang the guitar without having the weight rest on the lever (which not only seems bad for the lock, but also chews through the padding on hangers), you have to unlock the nut each time.  This invariably means that the tuning stability promised by the system is compromised, because any tension differential that exists in the space before and after the nut -the result of use of the fine tuners - is equalized once the nut is unlocked, resulting in minor tuning variations that need to be addressed before playing again.  Minor annoyance, but an annoyance nonetheless.

Pickups/Electronics

This is my first experience with a TBX control, and  I get why you might want this on your guitar.  I've found myself leaving it full up all the time, and don't experience any icepick highs or shrillness (but I'm not playing through a Deluxe Reverb, so there's that to consider).

The bridge humbucker sounds good in both clean and drive, but the nicest surprise is that it is the best split humbucker I've ever heard.  The TBX could be a factor, but anyone would be hard pressed to hear anything but a classic Fender single coil in the bridge.  TBX full up and bridge pickup split and you're getting into Telecaster country.  Very cool.

How's this for weird though - Position 4 isn't noise cancelling, and neither is Position 2 (with the bridge split).  Not sure why Fender Japan wouldn't bother with a RWRP middle pickup.   

I've read other comments about the five way switch being "different" in feel to others, and I have to agree, without really being able to qualify the statement.  It's a little stiffer, and the spacing between the positions seems... different.  Longer? Shorter?  I'm not sure, I'm not going to measure, and I'm satisfied with "different".  Not bad.  Different.

Finally, the atypical output jack (for a Strat anyway) feels very solid, but talk about a tight fit.  (Insert joke here) About 50% of the time I plug in and get nothing, only to realize I haven't put enough force on the cable to actually make contact.  OK, now I'm just nit picking.

Fit and Finish

Normally, reviewing fit and finish on a guitar that is 30+ years old would be pointless, but given the condition of this one, it isn't at all.  The finish is "Frost White" (#55 - I think) that has yellowed as is typically expected.  The finish is evenly applied, with no haze or anomalies to report.  When folks talk about how Fender Japan was building the best stuff in this era, it is easy to see why.  The neck pocket is tight and without a hint of play, and overall this is just a really solid guitar.

Yup, definitely solid.  We're into 9 lbs territory for this one.  Definitely on the heavy side.

Finally - check out the back.  If you're a Stratocaster fan, you're looking at this like it's a two headed cow.  No backplate?  No way it sounds like a Strat!!!

Wrong.  This is a Stratocaster through and through.  I'm willing to bet that the additional mass of this bridge better approximates the mass of old tremolo blocks than the new ones (which are made of zinc).  How do I know?  I replaced the block in my MIM Blacktop Stratocaster with a GFS Brass block and couldn't believe the difference (we can talk about that later).  I don't get the same sense with this one (not that it is an option).

Wrapping up...

Excellent guitar overall, with a few design issues that make it apparent why Fender discontinued.  Having said that, they've been making versions of the Jaguar for 40+ years now, and talk about questionable design choices!  More on that in a future post.

No, you can't just walk into the closest GC or L&M and pick one up, but if you come across one, check it out.  If you decide not to buy it, drop me a line... 

...on to restringing for the first time... ugh...