Back to the main page Back to category Parts and Accessories

musical instrument details

Fender USA 1983/1984 Stratocaster - Kahler bridge, many upgrades, AWESOME player

Estimated price for orientation: 719 $

Category: Parts and Accessories
Class:











Description
Brand: Fender Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
MPN: Does Not Apply UPC: Does not apply


1983 American Standard Stratocaster
Classic black finish - heavily upgraded!

Up for sale is this 1983 Fender Stratocaster, one of the last Strats made at the old Fender plant in Fullerton, CA. These were the "two knob" Strats, and this one has been modified, upgraded, and well-maintained.

I'll step through the condition a piece at a time....
THE NECK:
Excellent. They don't make 'em like this anymore! The 83/84 Strat neck feels easier to play than the newest Strats - it's a little bit wider and thinner. It has medium-jumbo frets, a wide "C" profile, and a 12" radius. This particular neck has a perfect original factory nut and is straight and true. There is ZERO lacquer wear and no fret wear at ALL. Presumably the frets were dressed not long ago because they are all in perfect shape - VERY important in a used guitar. I could only find a small, single ding on the back of the neck, which doesn't affect playability much. There are some small dings on the top of the headstock. The tuners are the Fender 2-pin style that were first used in this model, but (unlike newer Strats) these were made by Schaller in Germany. As usual, the headstock's serial number has been edited out for this listing, but it and the entire Fender logo are 100% intact on the headstock. You can some tiny holes where a locking nut was once installed on the headstock (no, I do not have that part). The truss rod turns both ways normally. Most importantly, this guitar was obviously set up by a pro. The neck has low action and a smooth feel, and it is a joy to play no matter what your style. THE BODY:

Very good. It does have a few dings and scratches, and an area on the upper front where it looks like the body was filled and patched (see the pictures). However, these are just minor cosmetic flaws, and are very hard to see on a black finish. Functionally, the body works as well as new, and is not too heavy.THE BRIDGE
:
The 83/84 Strats originally came with a Freeflyte tremolo bridge that was not very popular and a bitch to keep in tune. This Strat was upgraded to a top-notch Kahler 2320 bridge, made in the USA. The brass rollers on the saddle were replaced not long ago, and operate smoothly. The fine-tuner knobs have typical wear but all work just fine. Even if you are not a dive-bomber with the tremolo bar, you will appreciate it's linear action and how the bridge stays in tune.THE GUTS:
Inside, the pickups have been changed out to newer 1990s Fender USA American Standard pickups in the neck and middle positions. The advantage to this is that the 83/84 Strats did not have a RWRP middle pickup for noise cancellation - now this Strat does. Even better is the hotter Fender Tex-Mex pickup in the bridge spot. With a 7.5 Kohms resistance it puts some more meat into the Strat's sound. The pots were also replaced not long ago with newer, full-size, CTS pots. All the components work well, with no noise.
OTHER BITS:
A black pickguard, knobs, and pickup covers replaced the original white plastics, giving the Strat a much badder and sexier look, in my opinion. The strap pins are the original Fender/Schaller straplock pins.THE CASE:

The included hardshell case is a period-correct 1980s SKB case - nearly identical to the 80s molded cases SKB made for Fender, except without the Fender logo. There are very few scars, scuffs, or scratches on this case. The only issue is cosmetic - the plastic top of the case is warped, a fairly common issue with these style of cases. It affects nothing - the case still works normally. Email me if you'd like pictures of the case. I will take $40 off the price of the guitar if you don't want the case.Click for more pictures

THE PRICE INCLUDES:
The 1983 American Stratocaster itself, its Kahler tremolo bar, and the case.
I have other hard cases available at extra cost.


Why buy from me? Some might think my descriptions are a little too verbose, but I believe in giving a potential buyer all the information I have about an item - with many high-quality photos to show you EXACTLY what I have to offer. I also pack my items very well with recycled packaging and ship quickly. Unlike my competition, I'm not a faceless business but a life-long guitarist who can give you the personal touch. Most important of all, I'm always happy to share my years of knowledge and help my customers with their parts installation - just email and I'll respond as quickly as I can.



SHIPPING in the USA - Use the eBay shipping calculator to figure the cost to your location. I will probably ship via UPS Ground, but may ship by Priority Mail if you are not too far from NJ. If you are not in the continental USA, email me to confirm a shipping method and price before buying. If you have a BUSINESS (non-residential) address I can ship to, I can quote you a large shipping discount - email me for details. Note that the eBay shipping calculator exaggerates costs to the West Coast of the USA - I likely will send you a partial refund after shipping an item to the West Coast.Shipping to Canada - This item will ship to anywhere in continental Canada for $79. Email me for a quote to offshore locations. If you have a US address that you can have it shipped to please let me know!Shipping to anywhere else - This item will ship via ebay global shipping - click on the "Shipping and Payments" tab to see your total imported cost, including your country's duties and taxes. Please be patient, and allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.International Shipping Notes - READ THIS if you are not in the USA! - I will declare the actual sale value for customs. In fact, there is no way for sellers to change the value with ebay global shipping. ebay calculates the duties or taxes your country charges and adds them to the shipping amount. If you are thinking about buying more than one item from me, email me first - ebay global shipping may not allow you to combine items to save on shipping costs. I sympathize with those who pay high taxes and shipping costs, but please don't ask for other intl. shipping options if you pay with Paypal - I won't respond to such emails. Be aware that some countries will take up to a month to process your imported item, so be patient, or call your country's customs dept. instead of mailing me. I have no idea what happens to your package after it leaves the USA. I do not ship to Italy, Argentina, Venezuela, or any countries with unreliable postal services. Finally, I will not accept returns from outside of the USA for any reason, and by buying this item you accept that condition. If that makes you wary, check my excellent eBay feedback - much of it from non-USA buyers.Why ebay shipping costs have become more expensive: Thank FeeBay, for charging sellers a final value fee on shipping (!!), which forces sellers to raise our shipping costs to buyers. About 13% of your shipping costs go to eBay and Paypal. If you are ordering from out of the USA, even more goes to eBay global shipping, and to YOUR country's duties and taxes. So, please send your complaints about high shipping costs to ebay, Paypal and your country's elected officials - not to me. I don't make money on shipping my items.Thanks for looking!



My return policy and listing terms

It's not easy to see when you cruise a listing, but I go through a lot of trouble to honestly describe and picture my items in ebay to (hopefully) make returns unnecessary.

Here's my reasonable return and refund policy:
* Please read the listing carefully in its entirety before bidding or buying - people who don't are the people who tend to return items.
* I no longer accept returns through ebay - you must contact me directly for a return. This is why all my ebay listings state "no returns accepted". Sure, I'll still take a return on most items if there is a problem - but I'd rather deal directly with you, my customer, rather than a middleman at ebay who knows nothing about guitar parts!
* You MUST notify me of a problem within 7 days of receipt, and return the item within 14 days of receipt.
* If the return is due to an obvious fault of mine, I'll pay for return shipping. That seems only fair. Otherwise, you pay for return shipping.
* Shipping costs are generally not refundable (I don't get that money back either), but I'm flexible.
* Items that shipped for "free" will have the actual shipping cost subtracted from their refund.
* For eBay sales, buyer must agree to ebay sale cancellation prior to return.
* Items sold "as-is", mean exactly that: no returns for ANY reason. Most of my items are NOT sold as-is.
* I will not accept returns from outside of the USA for any reason.
* This policy is non-negotiable, and by bidding or buying you agree to it.
* I accept the fact that people make mistakes. Regardless of fault, I'll do my best to solve any problems!

EBAY LISTING TERMS:
* Before you bid or buy, make sure you truly want and are prepared to pay for the item immediately. This is not a lot to ask!
* Payment is required within 24 hours unless previous arrangements have been made.
* If I don't receive payment or at least an email from the high bidder within 48 hours, the item will be sold to the second high bidder or relisted.
* Shipping costs are not negotiable, except for multiple items shipped together. Email if you have a question about combined shipping costs.
* If you have any questions, please ask them before the listing ends. Read the listing before emailing me - chances are your answer is already there!
* I do not participate in ebay's bogus + corrupt feedback system. If you want some feedback anyway, leave it for me and I'll return the favor.
* Those who leave negative feedback or file an ebay complaint without even contacting me to resolve a problem can expect zero support afterwards.
* New ebay users with zero feedback: please contact me before bidding. If you don't your bid may be canceled.
* Please don't make me illicit offers to sell off-ebay through ebay! Although I often sell through other websites, I will not respond to any offers made here for items I have for sale on ebay (except for ebay items listed with the "Best Offer" option).
* I reserve the right to cancel bids and ignore emails from the mentally disturbed.
* Again, due to people abusing the ebay returns system, I no longer accept returns through ebay Contact me directly for returns.

Thanks to all my customers, I now have over 1500 successful ebay transactions.
YOUR business is greatly appreciated!
The text and pictures in this ad are Copyright 2017 by Livewire Audio.
Copying of any of it without permission is illegal and against ebay rules.