What year?

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this inquiry or not, but what year did Fender stop making the three saddle ashtray style bridges and start putting on the longer, flatter bridges? I did a little digging and I found what claims to be a 1980 Tele with the more modern bridge style. I'm sure somebody here knows the exact year! But anybody know why they switched? Intonation?

Acccording to the Duchossoir tele "bible" 1983. It also says that from 83-87 they were top loading.

True but I believe even before that they went to a six saddle set up but it was still in an ashtray type bridge.

In 1968 the three threaded saddles were replaced with three steel saddles with a grooves for the strings. This bridge was the standard bridge until 1983. Vintage bridges with six saddles were fitted to the Custom in the mid-70s and offered as a retrofit accessary.

The above is paraphrased from the Duchossoir book.