Fender Musical Instrument Corp – or simply Fender – make
what are widely considered to be some of the best guitars and music instruments
in the world! One of their most famous
guitars – a wildly-popular choice among musicians and guitar players – is the
Fender Stratocaster.
The solidbody electric guitar known to us as the Fender
Stratocaster (and in many cases, referred to as the Strat for short) was
designed by none other than Leo Fender himself. It was introduced in 1954, and
since then has gone on to become one of the most popular solidbody electric
guitars in the world (if not the
most!).
Its unique, signature double-cutaway design has gone on to
become the template for many electric guitars produced by other manufacturers over
the years. However the Stratocaster’s design is just one of the many things
that have made this guitar into the legendary instrument that it is today.
For instance the Stratocaster was a symbol of innovation when
it first saw the light of day all those years back. It featured a single-coil
pickup array consisting of 3 pickups, a Tremolo tailpiece that was an original
design, a double-cutaway body, a bridge that allowed guitar players to adjust
string length/height, among other different features.
Anyone who’s ever used a Stratocaster would tell you that it
feels and sounds fantastic. It is well-liked by rock artists because of its
distinguished and unique rock tone. However Strats are not compared to be
hardcore rock or metal guitars – especially when compared with something like
the Gibson Les Paul. The Strats’ forte is that it is a more well-rounded
instrument, which can be used to play many different genres, such as rock and
blues, in particular.
Today, all Fender Stratocasters have ash or alder bodies,
with the signature Stratocaster double cutaway ‘Comfort Contour Body’ design, bolt-on
maple necks, 25-1/2” scale length, maple or rosewood fingerboard, the same 3
single-coil pickups with a 5-position pickup switch, synchronized tremolo, 2
tone knobs and 1 knob for volume, and finally, a lacquer finish for the vintage
look and a polyester-based finish for the modern look.
There are a load of different Stratocaster models to choose
from as well, which can essentially be divided into 5 main categories: (1) The
Fender Stratocaster – including the Standard Strat and the Deluxe Strat to name
just two, (2) The Squier Strats – the low-cost/entry-level versions of the
Fender Strats, which include the Standard, Deluxe and Affinity, (3) The Classic
Strats – which, as the name implies, are modeled to look like some of the
vintage Strats and include the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s models, (4) The USA
Stratocaster guitars – all of which are made and manufactured in the States and
include models such as the American, the American Deluxe, American Vintage and
American Special, and finally (5) Custom Shop models which are custom
Stratocaster models, including Signature models such as the Buddy Guy
Stratocaster, Van Halen’s ‘Frankenstrat’, John Mayer’s, Malmsteen’s, David
Gilmour’s, Eric Clapton’s and Jeff Beck’s signature Stratocaster models (and
these usually cost a good amount of money!).
You can have a look at these models and read more about them
on the Strat’s
Wiki page.
The Stratocaster is hence a part of music history. Millions
of Strats have been sold, and you might (or might not) be surprised to know the
names of famous musicians who have rocked the Strat for much of their career
and were big big Strat fans – from Jimi Hendrix, to Mark Knopfler, Bruce
Springsteen as well as Yngwie Malmsteen, to name only a few.
If you’re in the market for a new electric guitar, a Strat
would be recommended. Yes, they won’t come cheap, but if you’ve got the budget,
it will be well worth the investment. However if you’re a beginner who’s buying
his first electric or looking to upgrade to an electric from an acoustic
guitar, I would recommend getting something like a Squier Strat – it’s
essentially the same instrument (apart from using cheaper wood and electronics
and being mass-produced) at less than half the price! The Strat models listed
above could perhaps be categorized in this way:
Entry-level/Low-cost: Squier Strats, Fender Stratocaster
Standard
Mid-range: Deluxe, Classic, American Highway One
High-end/expensive/collectible: American (all), Classic,
Custom Shop
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