Ah, the Fender Stratocaster! Sleekest and funkiest of all rock guitars, favored axe of Hendrix, Clapton, Blackmore, Gallagher, Raitt, George, and Eddie Van Halen! Who would have forseen, way back in 1954, the tremendous impact of the Stratocaster sound on popular music? Who would have dared imagine Jimi Hendrix in 1954, anyway?

In the years from ’54 to ’59, Strats were made with solid maple necks; today, these are the prized collectors’ items that bring upwards of $1200 in vintage guitar shops around the country. These old Strats have long been cherished by guitar aficianados, but more recently, the early ’60’s models, those guitars and basses that were finished in candy-apple red, baby blue, or other “metal-flake” finishes with matching headstock color have become collectors items also, although they do not carry quite as high a price tag (not yet, anyway) as the ’50’s models with maple necks.

Why all the fuss? Some say itls the old adage: They just don’t make ’em like they used to. Perhaps “they” don’t, but the affinity players have for old instruments such as the pre-1967 Strats is much the same intangible blend of nostalgic sentiments that people feel when they see a mint ’55 T-Bird or an old Corvette. If s more than the ride, it’s the style in which one rides that carries the meaning. So it goes with old Strats; they have both the style and the substance what makes a guitarist play his best.

Where does all that leave the newer Strats, then? Those made say, from late 1967 to 1979; are they vastly inferior instruments? Some would say yes, others no; but all would agree that the changes made in the Strat during those years were not all changes for the better. Chief among those controversial changes in design were the three-bolt neck, the larger headstock and decal shape, the flat pole pieces on all pickups, and the newer finishes.

Critics argued that the three-bolt neck, while it made the truss rod easier to adjust and the action easier to adjust, left the neck in a less stable position overall than did the old four-bolt design. The headstock and decal were mostly cosmetic matters; some felt they were too large and a bit obtrusive compared to the older style. Flat pole pieces (easier to produce in quantity) replaced staggered pole pieces. The body of the Strat retained its basic shape, but it got heavier and bulkier in the 70’s, with less of the sleek contoured cutaways in the body. Again, easier to make, but less appealing to the player. Finishes

wentfrom lacquer to acrylic; i.e., from mellow to hi-gloss. By 1979, the Strat was literally losing its cool.' Something had to be done if the guitar was to remain a competitive force in the electric guitar market.

So, do it they did. The people at Fender have taken a long look backward, and a look at what has happened around them in the guitar market, and what they have come up with is a few basic design changes in the 1980 Strat that reflect both the old and the new influences.

From the past, Fender has reapplied the fourbolt neck and the metal-flake finishes with matching headstocks. The headstock itself has been made smaller, and the decal now reflects something of a compromise between the preand post-1967 style. The paint itself is still acrylic (most all guitars today are), but the finishes look far better than anything Fender/has done in years.

From the present-day “state of the art,” Fender has added a brass bridge, brass resonance bars, brass knobs, strap. buttons, neck plate and tremolo arm. The placement of the pickups remains the same as always, but the stock treble pickup has been replaced with a higher output X-l pickup. Furthermore, the wiring harness has been changed by the addition of a two-way mode switch, vyhich gives the player new sounds to work with on the Strat.

All things considered, the 1980 Strat is vastly improved over the Strat of the last 10 years or so. It is not a replica or a remake of the first Strat, nor should it be compared to the old ones in that sense. The 1980 Strat is a deliberate, thoughtful attempt at improving a legend, which is not an

easy thing to do. I only hope that the changes have not come too late for the Strat to hold its own against1 foreign and (to a lesser extent) domestic,competition.

Well, proceeding on the assumption that what’s good for the goose must be good for the gander, Fender has also updated the venerable Precision Bass, which in times past was the only electric bass to have. However, like the Strat, the P-Bass has been set upon by all sorts of copies, imports, and upstart companies that offer replacement parts for literally every single component on a P-Bass.

The new Precision Bass Special has active on-board electronics that provide the player with + 15dB treble and bass control. There is a new brass bridge which has canted string holes for easier access and a resonancebar for better sustain and fuller overtones. As with the new Strat, the influence of the past is evident in the new P-bass, which features a 1961-style neck. The neck is as wide as a regular P-bass, but is l/16th of an inch thinner. The neck is maple, with a choice of maple or rosewood fretboards. In addition to the brass bridge, the P-Bass Special features brass machine heads, coptrol knobs, neck plate, thumb rest and strap buttons. As with the new Strat, the P-Bass Special comes in Candy Apple Red or Lake Placid Blue, with matching headstock.

I cannot imagine what rock ’n’ roll would be like without Fender Strats and Precision Basses. I suppose that all the computer-assisted designs and the micro-circuits that have crept into the world of guitar are to be accepted as “progress.” But 1f that is the case, why do those funky old Fender guitars sound so damn much better?