Fender Stratocaster
Posted On Monday, October 12, 2009 at by am.punk.rock
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top horn for balance while standing. The Stratocaster has been used by many leading guitarists, and thus can be heard on many historic recordings. Along with the Gibson Les Paul, Gibson SG, and the Fender Telecaster, it is one of the most common and enduring models of electric guitar in the world. The design of the Stratocaster has transcended the field of music to rank among the classic industrial designs of all time; examples have been exhibited at major museums around the world.
In its original form, the Stratocaster was offered initially in a 2-color sunburst finish, together with a solid deeply contoured ash body, a one-piece maple neck with 21 frets, black dot inlays and Kluson machine heads until 1957, when Fender started making bodies made from solid alder. There was also a set of available custom colors that wasn't standardized until 1960. These custom colors were mostly automobile lacquer colors made by Dupont and could be had for an extra 5% cost. The single-ply, 8-screw hole white pickguard was a unique concept that allowed all of the guitar's electronic components - except the recessed jack plate - to be mounted on one easy-to-remove surface. Subsequent Stratocaster designs (by both Fender and other imitating companies) have ostensibly improved upon the original in usability and sound, but vintage Fender models are still often worth large amounts of money and some prefer the timbre of older models.
Signature models
Fender also supply a variety of signature models, each with specifications similar to those used by a well-known performer. Custom Artist guitars are the Custom Shop versions of the Artist Series line, which significantly differ from the standard production models in terms of quality and construction, making these instruments much more expensive. As well as the other Custom Shop instruments, the Custom Artist guitars are available either as Team Built or Master Built items, some being exact replications of the specific artist's original instrument, better known as "Tribute" series (featuring various degrees of "relicing", such as Closet Classic, New Old Stock, Relic and Super Relic treatments, depending the model). Artists with models available in the signature range include:* Jeff Beck: select alder body with a thinner C-shaped maple neck, contoured neck heel, rosewood fretboard with 22 medium-jumbo frets, three dual-coil Ceramic Vintage Noiseless pickups with 5-way switching, LSR Roller Nut, Schaller locking tuners and an American 2-point synchronized tremolo with stainless steel saddles. Available in Olympic White and Surf Green finishes (Artist Series, Custom Artist), as well as a Custom Thinskin Nitro version with a "Thinskin" nitrocellulose lacquer finish.
* Ritchie Blackmore: a variety of versions, each with a 22-fret neck, CBS large headstock with '70s-style decals and two Gold Fender Lace Sensors; some variants have the neck set into the body rather than bolted on and a Roland GK2A synth pickup. Reintroduced in 2009 with a 21-fret maple neck, graduated scalloped rosewood fingerboard, Bullet truss rod nut with 3-bolt neck plate and Micro-Tilt neck adjustment, flush-mounted Jim Dunlop locking strap buttons and three Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Flat single-coil pickups.
* Eric Clapton: select alder body with a special soft V-shaped maple neck/fretboard, 22 vintage-style frets, three Vintage Noiseless pickups, 25dB active mid-boost circuit and a "blocked" original vintage synchronized tremolo. Available in olympic white, pewter, candy green, torino red (Artist Series), antigua burst, gold leaf, mercedes blue, black and midnight blue (Custom Artist), as well in olympic white and pewter with a "Thinskin" nitrocellulose lacquer finish (Custom Thinskin Nitro).
* Billy Corgan: based on Fender's Highway 1 series. Available in Olympic White or Flat Black satin nitro finishes with a hardtail, string through body bridge. Other unique features include three DiMarzio humbucking pickups (BC-1, Chopper and BC-2 models), two of which are signature Billy Corgan models wound specifically for this instrument.
* Dick Dale: white pickguard with a rosewood fretboard. The whammy bar is optional (as Dale's guitar was originally supplied with one, but it broke off during a performance and he decided not to reattach it).
* Tom Delonge: Single humbucking Strat with pearloid pickguard, a Seymour Duncan Invader humbucking pickup, single volume, hardtail bridge and a maple neck with a 21-fret rosewood fingerboard and a CBS large headstock.
* David Gilmour: Two models of Gilmour's famous "black Strat" are available from the Fender Custom Shop: One which is a standard American Stratocaster (labeled as New old stock) with electronic and cosmetic modifications and a "relic" style guitar that replicates the "black Strat" down to every scratch and dent. The relic version even has two completely different coats of paint, just like the original.
* Buddy Guy: ash body with a V-shaped maple neck featuring a 22-fret fretboard, three Lace Sensor "Gold" single-coil pickups and a 25dB active midrange boost circuit. Available in a variety of finishes, including black with white polka dots, 2-color sunburst and honey blonde transparent.
* Eric Johnson: highly contoured two-piece select alder body finished in a "Thinskin Nitro" lacquer, one-piece quarter-sawn maple neck with a V-shaped profile, 12” fingerboard radius and 21 polished frets, Fender/Gotoh staggered vintage-style machine heads eliminating the need for a string tree and three special-design custom-wound single-coil pickups with countersunk mounting screws. Other features include a parchment ’57-style pickguard, four-spring vintage tremolo, silver-painted block and ’57-style string recess with no paint between the base plate and the block. Colors include White Blonde, 2-Colour Sunburst, Black and Candy Apple Red. Also available as a rosewood neck version with a bound round-laminated 12”-radius rosewood fretboard, a three-ply parchment pickguard, staggered vintage-style tuners, a custom tremolo block and four brand-new finish options (including Dakota Red), three of which (Lucerne Aqua Firemist, Tropical Turquoise and Medium Palomino Metallic) are exclusive to this model.
* Dave Murray: select alder body with a nitrocellulose lacquer finish, flat soft V-shaped maple neck with satin back, 21 medium-jumbo frets, American Vintage hardware and a humbucker/single-coil/humbucker configuration - DiMarzio Super Distortion DP100 (bridge), American Vintage '57/'62 (middle), DiMarzio PAF DP103 (neck) - with 3-way switching. Other features include chrome pickup bezels, synthetic bone nut and aged white plastic parts with black switch tip. Available in Black only and as a Japanese "Tribute" version with an original Floyd Rose locking vibrato system, dual DiMarzio Super Distortion DP100 humbucking pickups (Neck/Bridge) with a Fender Texas Special single-coil pickup (Middle), 5-way switching and a "TEXAS" sticker stamped on the pickguard.
* John Mayer: features a select alder body, a thick C-shape maple neck with African rosewood fingerboard and 21 Jim Dunlop 6105 narrow-jumbo frets, American Vintage hardware and a trio of "Big Dipper" single-coils with a special “Scooped” midrange voicing and 5-way pickup switching. Available in a variety of finishes, including 3-tone sunburst and olympic white with brown shell pickguard and as a limited-edition version with a cypress mica finish, white vintage amp knobs and a 3-ply parchment pickguard.
* Mark Knopfler: 57-style ash body with 62-style C-shaped maple neck, rosewood fretboard and 21 medium-jumbo frets, gold "transitional" headstock decals and three Fender "Texas Special" single-coil pickups with 5-way switching. Introduced in 2002.
* Yngwie Malmsteen: select alder body with a C-shaped maple neck, scalloped rosewood or maple fingerboard, 21 super-sized Jim Dunlop 6000 frets, large headstock with Bullet truss-rod and brass nut, DiMarzio YJM single-coil pickups (neck,middle), DiMarzio HS-3 Stack humbucking pickup (bridge) with 3-way switching, 3-ply W/B/W pickguard, aged plastic parts and American Vintage hardware.
* Richie Sambora: features an alder body, a 22-fret neck with maple fingerboard, abalone "star" fingerboard inlays, Floyd Rose "Original" locking tremolo, 25dB active mid-boost circuit with active/passive switch, two Fender Texas Special single-coil pickups (neck/middle) and a DiMarzio PAF Pro humbucker in the bridge position. Updated in 1999 with American Vintage hardware, Vintage Noiseless pickups and a 12dB active mid-boost preamp with "no-load" tone circuit and bypass switch. Also available as a "standard" version with a poplar body, rosewood fingerboard with 21 medium-jumbo frets, DiMarzio PAF Pro humbucker with two standard alnico single-coils and a Floyd Rose II locking tremolo. Discontinued in 2002.
* Stevie Ray Vaughan: a reproduction of "Number One", Vaughan's favourite guitar. First offered in 1992, has a black pickguard with Vaughan's initials, three Fender Texas Special pickups and a pau ferro fretboard.
* Kenny Wayne Shepherd: based on Kenny's own '61 Stratocaster, it features an alder body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard as well as custom-voiced Kenny Wayne Shepherd pickups. Comes in 2-tone sunburst, white with a cross graphic, or black with a racing stripe graphic.
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