Fender D'Aquisto Elite

[eh6794]

Opinions on this seller and model? I'm considering getting it.

Fender D'Aquisto Elite 1985 Tea burst | Reverb

[gitrman]

I had one for 18 years, great guitar, but that price is insane. Removing the 2 would be more realistic.

[eh6794]

I happened upon that one by accident and remembered I heard a guy play it and really liked the sound, A LOT. After reading your comment, I found a few less expensive models. What advice do you have for me when looking for a good one?

I just found this one Fender Elite by D'Aquisto 1985 Blonde | Reverb

[GNAPPI]

Removing the 2 is a silly thing to say, lowering it to a 1 is not at all out of line. I wouldn't mind owning it.

I have a standard 2 pup model, a beautifully made and excellent sounding / playing git.

I'd say mine is more between a 575 and 175.

It's one "fault" (not for me) would be for modders that cannot restrain themselves from diddling with it, the pups are unique, not form / fit compatible with anything else.

[eh6794]

I just made a low offer on the blonde. They probably won't accept it, but I really don't want to spend the money... so I'll see what happens.

[john_a]

Thirty years ago, I had just assumed these were not "real" enough and did not pay attention (was young & dumb and had my L7 and could not believe in a serious archtop from Fender, who was marketing acoustics with bolted necks.)

Today I see from your Reverb link these were 16", and look really good to me. I regret not seeking one out while they were in production, to at least have had first-hand experience.

I still have my 1985 Fender "Service Manual" that shows parts details, here's a quick picture of the Masterseries Ultra version page:


There was also a Masterseries Standard D'Aquisto with 2 pickups, but my book did not have that single PU "Elite" you are considering. Of course today I wish I had ordered some of those ebony tailpieces back when I was doing repairs. Those parts were already missing in the 1986 price list book, so I can't be sure I could have obtained them.

edited to add:
I see while I was posting you had gitrman + GNAPPI already vouch for the model, good to hear positive reviews on these, thanks for sharing!

John

[eh6794]

Thanks for that. Really cool. The seller and I are going back and forth right now for the Blonde. He's come close to my price, but I won't budge from it; this was a spur of the moment thing to make the offer. We are $150 apart.

[john_a]

The seller and I are going back and forth right now for the Blonde.

That Blonde looks sharp! I think even with the bespoke pickup shape, a different humbucker could get set in place with a custom hardwood mounting ring to fit the existing screw holes.

John

[Max405]

I believe Jimmy passed away in his hotel room while at a meeting in Corona.
Those guitars were finally making him some money.
A great one taken from us too soon.
Joe D

[Jabberwocky]

A made for Japan Black Elite with a regular Gibson-style humbucker sold for $1700 in For Sale.

On ebay, I have seen Tea Bursts in similar condition to that Tea Burst sell for $1695 to $1795.

The Blondie Elite looks like New Old Stock. It might be the photography. That might tempt me to go $100 higher to $1895.

Great guitar. They were streeting for $900 new way back when.

The double pup Standard transacts at about $1395.

[eh6794]

I stopped at $1900 and he was at $2050. I'll wait for the right deal.

[QAman]

This guitar looks unplayed with all the case candy. I think $1900 is certainly a fair price. It's not far from facts provided by Jabs for an Elite.

[Jabberwocky]

I stopped at $1900 and he was at $2050. I'll wait for the right deal.

Meet him halfway. I think it is worth $1975 in that condition. Split shipping. OK, $2000 even shipped.

[generalduke]

I own one with the original high output Schaller pick up since the early 90´s. It´s meant to be played electric. D`Aquisto explains he prefers laminate vs solid wood and a thicker lacquer on guitars that are meant to be played electric because you get less feedback. I have a Fender Squier Strat (mid 80´s) from the same factory in Japan with similar neck and both play and feel great.

[rpguitar]

I would never buy one of those with the original pickup replaced. Just a thought. It was designed with that unit, and is unique and special the way it was offered stock.

I played one only once in a store, and was really impressed with it.

[eh6794]

The seller officially declined my $1,900. I'll wait a few weeks and if it doesn't sell, I'll go back and offer his $2,050. Someone brought up the fact that it is probably mostly unused. Otherwise I'll keep my peepers open for another one; I prefer Tea over blonde.

If anyone here is interested, he countered $2,050, so you could get it for that or better if you want it.

[Dennis D]

If I may - -

Not sure about the original P/U having been replaced, but my 2 cents worth is:

Do not let that get away for a hundred bucks ! I don't know how many blondes they made but there aren't exactly a boatload of sb's around either...

Or put another way - -you may very well be wrong by that hundred bucks, but you're absolutely correct for the first $1900....Not a bad percentage at all !!

And you paid what it took to take it off the market.......

And oh yeah - - -it's a blonde !!



Just MHO and good luck !!

[rob taft]

I owned a Fender Flame Elite (solid body) with similar sized Schaller pickups. I myself found them flat and lifeless but rather than modify the guitar, I removed the pickups and sent them off to Kent Armstrong for replacement magnets and a new rewind. I was quite pleased with the results and I didn't have to alter the guitar in any manner. Which was the idea as I ended up selling it shortly thereafter to pay for my GBAA.

[Sam Sherry]

As my GAS winds down** I am drawn to stuff from the 80s and 90s that worked.





This circa 1984 Fender D'Aquisto Elite is a prime example. I've been enjoying it. A lot. More than I had expected to.

It's a far cry from the handmade archtop masterworks which we associate with James D'Aquisto. However, the Elite -- this instrument -- is a clear echo of the plywood "Jazz" model which The Maestro built for players (like Jim Hall) who wanted a sturdy, sonically-inspiring tool for work.




The obvious comparison for the FD'A line is Gibson's ES-175. Although each has a 16" ply body, a 24.75" scale and humbucker pickup(s), Jimmy's choices for the F'DA are subtly different. The FD'A is thinner, 2.75" at the rims. The Elite has a spruce-ply top -- I'm not going to tell you that's a gigantic sonic change, but if you say you can hear a difference from maple I won't argue. We can hear a difference from the ebony bridge, and it's full-contact rather than footed. The FD'A's pickup is directly off the fingerboard, not gapped like on a 175. The fingerboard extension is glued-down to the 19th fret, more like a Gibson Johnny Smith than like the floating extension on the 175. And for trim, there are an ebony fingerboard, tailpiece and knobs, and those, ah, unique hybrid D'Aquisto / Fendoid tone-holes. Each point may be small but they add up to a guitar with a woody, jazzy sound.

But yes, this is an electric archtop. The FD'A line wore medium-high output Schaller humbuckers; this one is around 9300 Ohms. Medium-hot coils often mean a slight treble roll-off and a lower resonant frequency. (I don't have the tools to evaluate that scientifically so take it for what it's worth.) What I can tell you with a grin is that, having dropped the pickup height a bit below where I would place a regular 8k humbucker, the Schaller delivers a really attractive, nuanced note with complex low-mids and nice separation on chords. I'm hangin' with the factory setup here.

In short, the FD'A Elite brings me to a happy place gear-wise, with inspiring (if offbeat) instruments that I'm not afraid to bring around. It's possible that I'm settled-in for a while. Here's the obligatory couch shot. The theme, obviously: "No Normal Guitars!"

[Max405]

Sam,
Congratulations! I've thought about that guitar for a long time. I always felt like the Fender D'Aquisto from this era is a very important guitar because it gave Jimmy some financial freedom. Ronaldo told me, that "The Kid" made a good living from the Fender deal, which was so well deserved. So to me, these guitars have a very important place in history.
It is beautiful. Enjoy it and thanks for sharing.
Joe D

[gitrman]

I owned that guitar's twin for 18 years and pretty much wore it out. Would love to have another.
Enjoy!

[rpjazzguitar]

I heard a guy last summer play a Fender D'Aquisto through a twin and sound as good as I've ever heard a guitar sound.

Is there more than one model of D'aquisto by Fender?

[Sam Sherry]

Is there more than one model of D'aquisto by Fender?

The Standard -- maple ply, rosewood board and trim, dots, 2x Schallers:




The very rare and costly Fender D'Aquisto Ultra. All solid wood, hand-carved in CA by Steven Stern (the only builder I've heard of who worked directly under both Jimmy D'Aquisto and Bob Bendetto):

[patshep]

when i was at north texas in the 80s a kid down the hall from me had one of those, and i loved that guitar, i hope to find one at a good price one day... enjoy yours

[dreipass]

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