Fender Strat jack: in pickguard or side?

toescantalk

Do any Strat models have jacks in pickguard or in the side? I've found a short scale squier and a Fender run in 1983 so far from googling. Just like the look without the angled jack.

ICBM

My Aria RS standard has the jack in the pickguard too - although it's not an exact Strat copy, it's a different shape.

If you do get one, only use a right-angle plug in it and make sure you always run the cable under the strap - otherwise it's very easy to break the pickguard if the cable gets tugged.

There are also quite a few 'superstrat' types with jacks in the side, although a lot of them use barrel jacks, which are crap and should be avoided if at all possible.

paganskins

Was it 1983 strats that had pickguard mounted jack sockets?

ICBM

paganskins said:

Was it 1983 strats that had pickguard mounted jack sockets?

Yes. The first version of the American Standard, only made in 1983 and 1984. It also had the terrible Freeflyte trem, unless you're lucky enough to find a hardtail one...

guitars4you

ICBM said:

paganskins said:

Was it 1983 strats that had pickguard mounted jack sockets?

Yes. The first version of the American Standard, only made in 1983 and 1984. It also had the terrible Freeflyte trem, unless you're lucky enough to find a hardtail one...

recall the 83 Std Strat but can't recall a hardtail version - Certainly don't think I've ever sold/seen one

toescantalk

Thanks for info @ICBM ;

Mini strat might be nice doer-upper under guise of giving to my wee one...

ICBM

guitars4you said:

recall the 83 Std Strat but can't recall a hardtail version - Certainly don't think I've ever sold/seen one

They're very rare, but they do exist. The bridge isn't quite the same as the old hardtail one either, it's shaped to fit the pickguard like the front of the Freeflyte.

http://www.guitarsandbasses.co.uk/prodimages/fender strat 1983.jpg

jdgm

I have a Squier Strat with jack socket in scratchplate and a MIJ System III Contemporary Strat with jack socket at side.

Will find a pic.

skullfunkerry

I think some of the Squier Stagemasters have a straight jack socket in the front... just had a quick look on Bing and it looks like some of them are side-mounted too...

guitars4you

ICBM said:

guitars4you said:

recall the 83 Std Strat but can't recall a hardtail version - Certainly don't think I've ever sold/seen one

They're very rare, but they do exist. The bridge isn't quite the same as the old hardtail one either, it's shaped to fit the pickguard like the front of the Freeflyte.

http://www.guitarsandbasses.co.uk/prodimages/fender strat 1983.jpg

thanks for that - did not doubt your comment just me debating if I've seen or sold one in the past and certainly with a fading memory bank I can't recall one

toescantalk

jdgm said:

I have a Squier Strat with jack socket in scratchplate 

Do you know roughly what year that was made out of interest?

ICBM

Forgot to say, I think these '83 Strats look completely wrong with the jack on the guard. It's OK if the guitar design is a bit different like the Aria, or if it's a side jack - with either one tone control or two - but the jack being on the guard instead of the second tone control on a normal Strat just looks like a corner-cutting bodge... because it is.

I once converted one of these - the trem model - to a Kahler trem, which is far better than the Freeflyte, and fitted the proper teardrop jack. A vast improvement!

jdgm

toescantalk said:

jdgm said:

I have a Squier Strat with jack socket in scratchplate 

Do you know roughly what year that was made out of interest?

Unfortunately not though it is an 'E' series.   It was a wreck that the old singer in my band had hanging on the wall of his shed and gave to me - after some badgering!   It is an entry level one pickup, one vol control model; but the original pickup. vol pot and scratchplate were so far gone I had to replace them and put in a tone pot too as it's so trebly without.   It now has a red 'guitarheads' humbucker in and is my spare/slide guitar on the gig.   Pic should enlarge a bit if you click on it.

https://i.postimg.cc/XYbxgJM0/Strats130916.jpg

SNAKEBITE

Am I correct it believing that this was instigated by Fender as a cost cutting exercise, but quickly swapped back because everyone hated it?

ICBM

SNAKEBITE said:

Am I correct it believing that this was instigated by Fender as a cost cutting exercise, but quickly swapped back because everyone hated it?

Yes, although I think the main reason everyone hated it was the Freeflyte trem. That was also a cost-cutting idea, to remove the need to rout the body from both sides - but it sounded poor and was a pain in the backside to restring.

DrBob

Ed O Brien Strat has an edge mounted jackplate 
where it should be ! 

toescantalk

DrBob said:

Ed O Brien Strat has an edge mounted jackplate 
where it should be ! 

That's an interesting one - will look into that. Cheers.

chris45

toescantalk said:

DrBob said:

Ed O Brien Strat has an edge mounted jackplate 
where it should be ! 

That's an interesting one - will look into that. Cheers.

The O'Brien Strat has 2 additional controls for the sustainiac system so I think the edge mounted jack is a must

randella

ICBM said:

SNAKEBITE said:

Am I correct it believing that this was instigated by Fender as a cost cutting exercise, but quickly swapped back because everyone hated it?

Yes, although I think the main reason everyone hated it was the Freeflyte trem. That was also a cost-cutting idea, to remove the need to rout the body from both sides - but it sounded poor and was a pain in the backside to restring.

I remember years ago seeing one of those Freeflyte, jack-in-pickguard jobs being sold in one of the Denmark St. shops as a curio.

Bloody horrible looking thing, to my mind at least.  I suspect they may be worth a few quid now as a collectible though.

ICBM

randella said:

I remember years ago seeing one of those Freeflyte, jack-in-pickguard jobs being sold in one of the Denmark St. shops as a curio.

Bloody horrible looking thing, to my mind at least.  I suspect they may be worth a few quid now as a collectible though.

No, not really. Less than an early 'normal' USA Standard ('84 onward), the model that immediately followed them... rightly.

If nothing else, spare parts for the Freeflyte are very hard to come by, and they are not compatible with any other trem ever made. Even just removing it to replace it with another top-mounting unit - such as a Kahler - isn't easy, as it has a unique rout in the body which needs to be filled first.

All the ones I've played have had nasty skinny v-shaped necks too.