Pre-orders for 2016 Fender Edge Stratocaster

[Edge_Orchestra]

DolphinMusicUk is taking orders for the 2016 Fender The Edge Stratocaster.

Enthralling millions worldwide with his acclaimed textural guitar work—as well as his knack for writing catchy riffs and hooks—U2 guitarist, The Edge, relies on his trusty Strat® guitar to sculpt his unique sound. This is The Edge's first ever signature guitar, and it's ace!

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It's finally here - the guitar many U2 fans have been hoping for years! The Fender 2016 The Edge Stratocaster features a maple neck and will please not just U2 fans, but anyone looking for a unique Strat with great specs.
Designed in close collaboration with Fender®, The Edge Strat is his new constant companion, replacing his favored vintage Fender instruments onstage in arenas around the world. An innovatively supercharged instrument, the Edge Strat is engineered for top-notch performance with versatile tone and effortless playing feel.
A pair of special Custom Shop Fat 50s single-coil pickups with flat-staggered polepieces for personalized string response sits in the neck and middle position, cranking out versatile tone with enhanced bass response. A powerful DiMarzio® FS-1™ pickup inhabits the bridge position for added tonal balance, smoothing out the guitar’s response and boosting the output for arena-sized sound with clear articulation.
The strong, stable quartersawn maple neck generates a slightly brighter tone while the sleek contoured neck heel and comfortable 9.5” fingerboard are ideal for most playing styles, supporting low end chords and riffing along with chiming upper-register chords and leads with ease.
Enjoy increased sustain from the modern two-point synchronized tremolo bridge with pop-in arm and fully adjustable block saddles for pinpoint intonation accuracy. An elegant guitar for a refined player, this guitar combines the classic curves, appointments and effortless playability of classic Strat guitars with modern enhancements and materials to create a player’s dream instrument—a flexible music machine with timeless Fender style and authentic sound. Don’t delay, add The Edge Strat to your sonic toolbox. Includes a special black and gray tweed hardshell case.

Features:

Series: Artist
Body Material: Alder
Body Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
Neck: 1-Piece Quartersawn Maple, Modern “C”
Neck Finish: Satin Urethane finish on back, Gloss Urethane on Front
Fingerboard: 1-Piece Quartersawn Maple, 9.5” (241 mm) Radius
Frets: 21, Medium Jumbo
Position Inlays: Black Dot
Nut (Material/Width): Synthetic Bone, 1.685” (42.8 mm)
Tuning Machines: Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking (all short posts)
Scale Length: 25.5” (648 mm)
Bridge: 2-Point Deluxe Synchronized Tremolo with Pop-In Arm
Pickguard: 3-Ply Mint Green
Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and
Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and
Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge/Middle Pickup)
Control Knobs: Aged White Plastic
Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
Strings: Fender® USA, NPS, (.009-.042 Gauges)
Case/Gig Bag: Deluxe Black Tweed Hardshell

Fender 2016 The Edge Stratocaster, Maple Fingerboard, Black



Are the specs 100% correct? Time will tell for certain. NAMM is soon enough and we'll have more certainty then.

Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

 

[Mack_Again]

I am sorta surprised that Edge is using Dimarzio pups instead of any Fender-made pickups on the bridge. I hope it comes with different color because that color scheme is just overdone imo

 

[mirrorballman]

Not sure what to make of this. Very standard strat (21 frets?) w/ Edge's signature and double the price of what you'd get it w/out one.

Let's wait for the official announcement.

 

[BB Mac]

used on I&E Tour 'Still havnt found' 'bullet' 'Streets'


info on dimarzio FS-1

Specs

Wiring: 2 Conductor
Magnet: Alnico 5
Output mV: 160
DC Resistance: 14.23 Kohm
Year of Introduction: 1974
Patent: n/a

Recommended For
All positions, or bridge position with standard single-coils in neck and middle.

Tech Talk
We didn't design the FS-1™ with a vintage sound in mind, but if you're trying to get a blues sound from the bridge position of a maple-neck Strat®,
you'll be very happy with the extra mids and bass, and the sound still cleans up when the volume is rolled down.


Sum info from the internet says he had the FS-1 in his black strat during the War/Under A Blood Red Sky' period
sumone also mentions this->The story repeated by Edge in several guitar magazines is that the black Stratocaster already had the DiMarzios fitted when he bought it. This makes sense in several respects. Edge's other main guitar at the time was a mid-Seventies Gibson Explorer.The hot DiMarzio single coils would
have produced similar levels of drive and output to the regular humbuckers in the Gibson. Hence, little or no need for amplifier Gain setting adjustments on stage

 

[Mack_Again]

Well I was kinda surprised by the fact that, from the spec shown, the sig strat weren't all that 70s-esque

 

[Muad'zin]

So....., DiMarzio FS-1 for the bridge, Hot 50's for the middle and neck. Now I know what to get for a future guitar build.

I do like the 2 point tremelo. I like those a lot, I've used them in my own guitar builds.

 

[Mack_Again]

well if they said this guitar is used in BTBS and Still Haven't, then can assumed that his new strat with black body, black pickguard and rosewood fretboard had this spec? why not offer that color?

 

[Muad'zin]

Maybe they will over time? It's not like other artists' signature models only offer a single color.

It could also be that Edge considers this configuration his trade mark guitar. We may think of the all Black Strat as his definitive Strat, but from the Joshua Tree onwards a black Strat with white pickguard has been used the most by him on songs that call for a Strat. So maybe he considers this as the Strat that defines him.

 

[Mack_Again]

Do you guys think Edge Strat will be the permanent addition to Fender catalog (like Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Eric Johnson strats) or it will be more of a limited edition thing that only lasts for 1-2 years (like Thurston Moore/Lee Ranaldo Jazzmaster)?

 

[Mack_Again]

So....., DiMarzio FS-1 for the bridge, Hot 50's for the middle and neck. Now I know what to get for a future guitar build.

I do like the 2 point tremelo. I like those a lot, I've used them in my own guitar builds.

simple question: are those bridges (2-pt bridges) floating trem or do we need further mods to make it floating (like Jeff Beck does, by balancing the tension of springs, strings and cautious setups and all that)?

 

[gareth brown]

"don't delay" made me chuckle at least

 

[RoKKeR]

"don't delay" made me chuckle at least

Yes.

Wish it was a Black on Black, but then again I already have one so that'd be a bit redundant! Will keep an eye out for reviews/impressions but it's going to be hard for me to NOT pick this up at some point in the future.

 

[Muad'zin]

Do you guys think Edge Strat will be the permanent addition to Fender catalog (like Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Eric Johnson strats) or it will be more of a limited edition thing that only lasts for 1-2 years (like Thurston Moore/Lee Ranaldo Jazzmaster)?

Methinks that depends on price, how popular those artists are, how useful those guitars are and maybe how different those guitars from regular Fender models.

I suspect it will be a lot longer lived thing then the guitars of those Sonic Youth guys as U2 and the Edge are in the stratosphere popularity wise compared to them. I'll make the caveat though that while the Edge is probably in the popularity Stratosphere even compared to the likes of Clapton, Beck, Eric Johnson, Buddy Guy and Yngwie Malmsteen, what separates most of their fans from Edge's fans is that they do have a lot of older guitar playing fans with lots of disposable income. Often nicknamed as blues lawyers. I'm not sure Edge has the same kinds of high income fans. Not to mention that to many guitar players Edge is considered a kind of a joke. Can't play worth a shit/hides behinds effects is what's most often said.

So I think the chances of it being a permanent addition are a lot better then those of the Sonic Youth guys, the customer base will not be quite the same as in the case of those for the permanent signature models.

simple question: are those bridges (2-pt bridges) floating trem or do we need further mods to make it floating (like Jeff Beck does, by balancing the tension of springs, strings and cautious setups and all that)?

The one in my 90's Strat was fully floating, just like in a regular 6 point trem. The ones in my builds aren't, as I prefer to use a tremblocker, so divebombs only. I like the ability to do some quick retuning to drop D and stability in case of string breakage a lot more then the occasional pulling up. But the setup process is the same for a 2 point as it is for a 6 point. The only differences are that when you remove the strings and springs you can take the trem out, whereas with the 6 point you still have to remove the 6 strings that hold it in place. So when you do remove all the strings in one go, don't hold the guitar upside down as you run the risk that the trem will fall out.

The other thing is that the heights of the 2 studs can and should be adjusted. Which means that with a 6 point floating trem the base plate should ideally be at a slight angle with the body, as it literally pivots up and down at its connection on the wood. Whereas with a 2 point floating trem the 2 studs should be raised a little so the base plat is evenly spaced from the body, just like with a Floyd Rose trem. There should be no pivoting on the wood. I hope this makes any sense.

Whether this one will be floating will probably depend on whether or not Edge prefers his trems to float or not. Which seems to be the usual case with signature guitars, they also get set up the way the artists likes them. I know the trems on Clapton Strats were set up fully locked in place, as that was what Clapton wanted. You had to do some work to get them floating again, including removing a block of wood that locked them in place.

 

[Mack_Again]

thanx, Muad'zin, I just wondered about floating rem as I am kinda feeling disappointed by my cheap trem with very tight springs and non-floating system. There are some floating system (like Wilkinson trem?) but i don't hear too many good things about them from people who care about tuning or intonation.

 

[Mack_Again]

wait if he went for fatter single coils, can i put rail pickups from Lindy Fralin or any Lace Sensor pups to emulate his sound? oh lord i may finally make decision about my pickup mod for my guitar.

 

[Muad'zin]

thanx, Muad'zin, I just wondered about floating rem as I am kinda feeling disappointed by my cheap trem with very tight springs and non-floating system. There are some floating system (like Wilkinson trem?) but i don't hear too many good things about them from people who care about tuning or intonation.

Sounds like you either have too many springs in there, 3 should be enough, or they're tightened way to tight. In which case you should loosen them up until the trem starts floating. A warning though, finding the right balance will take some trial and error.

wait if he went for fatter single coils, can i put rail pickups from Lindy Fralin or any Lace Sensor pups to emulate his sound? oh lord i may finally make decision about my pickup mod for my guitar.

It might be best to do some research first. Some quick research leads me to think the fat stands for some increased bass response, not high output.

 

[Mack_Again]

I thought some variants of Lace Sensor has fatter sound with less noise. Yeah Fs-1 seem to have tiny bit more output with fatter mids/lows.

 

[Mack_Again]

and it surprised me that he's using Dimarzio! i thought he's more of a Duncan guy (well that was irrational reasoning just because he uses Hot Rails)

 

[Muad'zin]

So, anyone found a good deal on where to get some Fat 50's neck and middle pickups? A full set is easy to get but it seems kinda wasteful to order a full set and be left with a spare bridge pickup. Not to mention expensive.

That the FS-1 was in Edge's Black Strat from the get go seems kinda logical now. The 70's was after all a time where guitarists sought to push their amps with hotter signals and high output pickups were in fashion. David Gilmour used the FS-1 in his Black Strat on the Animals album, Animals tour and on the Wall album, before switching it out for what would later become the Seymour Duncan SSL-5, a similar high output single coil pickup.

 

[schnitzolaus]

So, anyone found a good deal on where to get some Fat 50's neck and middle pickups? A full set is easy to get but it seems kinda wasteful to order a full set and be left with a spare bridge pickup. Not to mention expensive.(...)

Those Fat 50s in the Edge-Strat got flat polepieces. Not the usual ones.

 

[Mack_Again]

what I'd like is adjustable pole pieces where I can adjust the hight of individual pole pieces, like G&L pups. Yeah I read that David Gilmour has used overwound SSL-1/SSL-5, while his neck/middle pups are original.

 

[Muad'zin]

That may not be so difficult as it seems.

Adjusting pole pieces on staggered pickups. | Fender Stratocaster Guitar Forum

For TS, there is inherent a slight chance you can ruin the pup as it is fiber bobbin and the wires touch the pole pieces. But it is rather safe to push just the D and G poles. That's all you need to do.

To do this, take the pup off the guard, hold one end of the pup with one hand, the other end with the other. Then push the pole on some wood surface like the edge of the table. Don't hammer it. It will give as the poles are press fitted only. If you over pushed, just push back from the other side. Just adjust so the pole heights roughly follow the neck curve and you'll be done.

As I said, you always take a slight chance doing this, but the payoff is worth the risk in my opinion. No matter what, do not touch the two end poles( low and high E). The wires really rest on these two. But I actually pushed the two E poles on my Fender CS54 up and down and up and down a few times. It survived with flying color. That's all I can guaranty you. Do it at your own risk. But you'll love it.

With poles leveled, you'll find the sweet spot of the pup height is higher than before and you'll get more warmth and better signal to noise level. Remember, you'll get more output because it is closer to the strings, but the hum noise remains the same regardless of height, so you gain output without increase hum.

So....., not only a higher output bridge pickup but the others modded for higher output as well?

 

[peterpilgrim]

Available in february or march

 

[Mack_Again]

I thought Edge did not like fat single coil sounds (shown by the fact that he disliked Lace sensor-equipped strats in the 90s and eventually stopped using them). Do you guys know how Fat 50s sound like?

 

[Muad'zin]

 

[schnitzolaus]

@ Muad'zin: Edge's Fat50s are different to the usual Fat50s. He got Fat50s with flat pole pieces.

 

[Muad'zin]

@ Muad'zin: Edge's Fat50s are different to the usual Fat50s. He got Fat50s with flat pole pieces.

Mack Again asked what Fat50's sounded like, not what Edge's modded Fat 50's sound like. Kind of hard to check though as that model has not yet been released. Although it can be argued that a decent bootleg of the last tour might provide soundclips for that.

Based on what was said on the Fender forum I'd say Fat 50's with flat pole pieces sound like regular Fat 50's, be it a little warmer and louder.

 

[Mack_Again]

Mack Again asked what Fat50's sounded like, not what Edge's modded Fat 50's sound like. Kind of hard to check though as that model has not yet been released. Although it can be argued that a decent bootleg of the last tour might provide soundclips for that.

Based on what was said on the Fender forum I'd say Fat 50's with flat pole pieces sound like regular Fat 50's, be it a little warmer and louder.

well thanx for the links, Muad'zin.

 

[Edge_Orchestra]

While the Edge Strat isn't supposed to be out yet.... A few folks have obtained them from UK dealers.

I've seen pix from a handful FB U2 guitar friends. All seem to be more than happy.

US release is to be Feb/Mar. Makes sense - pot NAMM.


Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

 

[Mack_Again]

While the Edge Strat isn't supposed to be out yet.... A few folks have obtained them from UK dealers.

I've seen pix from a handful FB U2 guitar friends. All seem to be more than happy.

US release is to be Feb/Mar. Makes sense - pot NAMM.


Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

well I will be angry if near-2000 dollar guitar doesn't make me happy; so did they agree that Edge sig is pretty fat-souring, then?