Fender D'Aquisto Elite

[Sam Sherry]

Hi from Germany

Great timing, Tim!
My growup son is visiting mutual friends in Berlin right now.

I own a El Rey and thinking about buying a Fender DA Elite, but can't test it before. How would you describe the tonal differences? And Playabilty?

Tim, at the moment I own and gig an El Rey 0, El Rey 4, and an FD'A Elite. I have previously owned an ER1 and a different FD'A Elite, each for about a year.
You would think that makes me a good person to answer this question but you might be wrong.

Tonal differences:
The early ER guitars came with an Asian Kent Armstrong 12-screw pickup. It was OK but never thrilled me. I changed the pickup on my ER1 to a Duncan Benedetto B6. The DuncaDetto B6 is an unusual build and a good match for the ER1. (I also put it in a semi-hollow guitar and it wasn't great for that.)

The Asian KA 6-pole pickup which came spec in the ER4 was very nice. I lived with it for about five years but recently decided I wanted something thicker-sounding. I swapped in an early Kent Armstrong VT-wound Benedetto B6 and am happier with it. (You will need to be patient to find a KentEdetto B6.)

The Schaller pickup which was original for the 1984-85 FD'A guitars is a bigger, thicker, higher-output unit than the Asian Kents or most standard PAF models.
The FD'A Elite with the Schaller sounds scary-close to my 1967 Gibson humbuckered Johnny Smith with a '57 Classic. It shouldn't -- there are tons of build- and spec-differences between them -- but damn, they sound close.
You will never find that Schaller pickup on the loose. FD'A players don't sell them.


Playability: They're guitars. They are each or all capable of being set up to get out of your way as a player.

Right now I seem to be built to enjoy guitars in the 2.25" to 2.75" range. The FD'A, ER0 and ER4 are all in that range.

The ER4 has a fairly unusual neck-carve. It's wide and fairly flat on the back.
The two FD'A Elites I have owned each had noticeably D-shaped necks but one more than the other.

I am so much happier with the FD'A Elite than with any ES-175ish I have owned or played.
The changes that James D'Aquisto made to turn the ES-175 into the FD'A Elite really work for me.

The ER4 is home plate for me.
There's no reason it has to be but it is.
I've owned a lot of guitars and for no reason I can determine the ER4 is The One for me.


Lastly, my personal experience is that Eastman guitars are highly variable. I've had six or eight ranging from lifetime-keeper to guitar-dung. That's not something most people on the internet say but I earned that opinion the hard way.


I hope you find The One for you.
I hope that this is more than no help.

[wzpgsr]

Hi from Germany,
I own a El Rey and thinking about buying a Fender DA Elite, but can't test it before. How would you describe the tonal differences? And Playabilty?
Thanks
Tim

No El Rey to compare it to, but my Elite is my number 1 player. Playability is excellent. It feels just about perfect.

[markb]

I love my '84 Elite. I have not played an El Rey so I can't compare the two. The Schaller humbucker is a special pup imo. Perfect for this guitar. Along with stellar playability.
I don't think you could go wrong with either guitar. What feels the best for you.

[dreipass]

Hi Sam,

thanks for your answers. I love the playabilty, warmth and full-body-tone of the ER4 accoustically. I do also replace the PU and use a Lollar Imperial Low Wound. Quite happy with it but I love to play with a lot of SAG and Breakup-Dirt (just right before getting into Overdrive-Territorium) and there the ER4 gets a bit dull (even with experimenting with different heights of the PU), I think its because of alle the mahagony... Played a ER2 with a "normal" Lollar Impterial (means not low wounded) and it was much more clear (and the low ounded version is a bit clearer by nature) and somehow snappier (without beeing harsh in the heights). So this leads me to the idea of getting my hands on a maple-body and I read much good things about the DA Elite. I'm a bit worried, that its to bright (maple neck and ebony fretboard) and also the PU seems to be bright? So as I understood the DAs are well build and smoothless to play. My question about tonality was: is extremley more bright then ER4? Does it deliver the "woody-tone" or is it more cristal like?

And what I can say after owning 5 Eastmans: Your're totally right with their "variabilty". Had long disccusions with the guys from Eastman because sometimes you get ones which neither fullfill the specs at all. My first ER4 hat a nut-wdht about 42,6mm instead 44 (I love the wider necks) and 52 instead of 56mm at the 12 fret - a completely different neck! They don't wanted to take it back and said this happens because of "variety wihtin handmade-processing". Luckily I could sell it for a good price and then found "my" ER4 width a neck liked speced...

So I will keep my ER4 and my loved Romeo (amazing guitar!), but am looking for a "classic" electrical ES175ish tone with smokey, wooden character (think of a mixture of Grant Green and Kenny Burrell)...

Is the more D-shaped neck of the DA Elite substantially thinner all in all than of a ER4/2?

Any advices also from others: The DA Elite the right path? And forgot to mention: ES175 has to much body-depth for me, uncomfortable for me...

[redwater]

I had the Fender D´aquisto standard with maple top. It was a bright sounding instrument (loved it by the way). My bet is, the spruce top on the elite will brighten up the sound even more.

The Heritage 575 will deliver the sound you want and has a reduced body depth compared to the ES175.

[Sam Sherry]

thanks for your answers.

I hope it's a drop of help.
"By whom too much is gathered some info is required."

Here are the neck measurements:

ER4:
1st .87" x 1.88"
5th .87" x 1.965"
12 .89" x 2.09"

F'DA:
1st .81 x 1.75"
5th .855 x 1.89"
12 1.11 x 2.15

ER-0
1st .815 x 1.76"
5th .815 x 1.89:
12 .90 x 2.08"

The FD'A doesn't feel slim or thin to me because it's more "D" shaped than the ER-0. For me guitar necks are at least as much about shape and 'cheeks' as about center and 'thinnness.'

Does the F'DA deliver the "woody-tone" or is it more crystal-like?

I'm not good at articulating or describing distinctions in tone. As Elvis Costello and many others have said, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture."

My experience is that strung with 12s and played in my little room through an amp I know well, most guitars can sound woody and crystalline at a low volume. The real challenge is to bring that sound out into a room while standing next to someone who is hitting metal plates with wooden sticks!

So I will keep my ER4 and my loved Romeo (amazing guitar!), but am looking for a "cla[ssic" electrical ES175ish tone with smokey, wooden character (think of a mixture of Grant Green and Kenny Burrell)...

What you hear on a recording is the sound of a mic about an inch from the amp, into a board and then much more.

It is a deep puzzle, Tim. Not only is everybody's answer different, but many of us change our minds a lot too!

All the best with your quest.

[markb]

I will add that my FD'A Elite developed long vertical "checking" in the poly finish and it seems fairly common with these. Totally cosmetic. But if that sort of thing bothers you it's something to consider. I think it's kinda cool..

[dreipass]

I had the Fender D´aquisto standard with maple top. It was a bright sounding instrument (loved it by the way). My bet is, the spruce top on the elite will brighten up the sound even more.

The Heritage 575 will deliver the sound you want and has a reduced body depth compared to the ES175.

You're confusing me: As I know, spruce is darker und duller than maple?
Thanks for the idea with the 575, I'll researche this.

[redwater]

Every (archtop)guitar I played with spruce top was far more lively in terms of harmonics compared to my 175/165 or Heritage 575 with maple tops.

The construction of the guitar plays a role too. The Fender D´aquistos are constructed to be very lively guitars.