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Classic Rock Guitars
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster was designed by Leo Fender in the early 1950s and is still in production to the present day. One of the most popular guitar designs, it has been the basic template behind many other guitar shapes & models and has been copied by several guitar manufacturers since. The Stratocaster built on Fender's earlier model, the Telecaster, by improving the contours and cutaway of the body & adding a "synchronized tremolo" unit. Back in the 50s the design of the Stratocaster was considered very modern and innovative.
The Stratocaster is considered to be a very versatile guitar and has been used in many styles of music from country to heavy metal (although metal players often prefer to equip their strats with humbuckers for a thicker sound).
The Stratocaster is available in a wide range of colours, finishes and varieties. Fender Stratocasters are built in America, Mexico, Japan & Korea. American made Strats usually fetch the highest prices as they are perceived to be more skilfully crafted. A budget line of Strat guitars is also manufactured by a Fender company called Squire.
A Stratocaster typically has the following specs (other variations exist):
- Alder solid body, ash also available
- Maple neck
- Rosewood fingerboard (can also have one-piece maple)
- Approx 22 frets
- Tremolo unit (hard tail also available)
- 3 single coil pickups (humbuckers also available)
- Volume knob
- 2 tone knobs
- 5-way pickup switch
- Pickguard
Some well known Stratocaster players:
- Yngwie Malmsteen
- Eric Johnson
- Eric Clapton
- Buddy Holly
- Jimi Hendrix
- Stevie Ray Vaughan