A Pillar of Rock

In the world of the electric guitar, few guitars have been as influential to music and the innovation of the instrument as the Fender Stratocaster. In its more than 60 years of production, the Stratocaster has been used by many great players from various genres to create legendary music.

The Stratocaster was first produced by Fender in 1954. Leo Fender had broken new ground earlier in 1950 with the release of the Broadcaster, which would soon be renamed the Telecaster. While the Fender Telecaster was becoming a popular option among touring musicians playing country, blues and other genres, Fender wanted to build an instrument with greater versatility and playability. Unlike the Telecaster, the Strat had two full cutaway bouts, allowing for greater fretboard access and three single coil pickups.

Many people may not know that the body shape used for the Stratocaster was not actually original to the Stratocaster. The body for the Stratocaster was actually taken from the Fender Precision Bass, which first entered production in 1951 with its proto strat-like body, but initially with a telecaster style headstock. The headstock on the Stratocaster may have been inspired by guitars produced by Paul Bigsby, inventor of the vibrato tailpiece of the same name.

Bigsby’s guitars featured a headstock like that of the Stratocaster, but more scroll-like. However, the most unique feature that set the Stratocaster apart from its predecessors was its synchronized tremolo system, a misnomer for the vibrato system that fender would come to chronically use. By pressing down on the whammy bar, this system would modulate the note being played. Originally consisting of an ash body with a one piece maple neck, fender would switch the body wood to alder in 1957 and the fretboard to rosewood in 1959, though consumers would later be able to choose between maple and rosewood starting in the late 1960s. The design would otherwise remain relatively unchanged until the company was acquired by CBS in the mid 1960s. After the acquisition, the decal on the headstock was changed to a different font in early 1965 followed by the addition of a larger and rounder headstock later in the year. Starting in 1968, Fender reintroduced ash as the body material for natural finish models.

While the Stratocaster was designed to display a greater deal of versatility than previous electric guitars, those who played the guitar would find ways to do even more than originally intended. For instance, the original Stratocaster pickup selector switch was designed with three positions, one for each pickup. In the late 1960s, artists like Jimi Hendrix found that if one propped the switch in between two positions, one could play both of those pickups at once. This discovery led to the innovation of the five-way selector switch in the 1970s and a great deal of new tonal possibilities.

With its punching midrange and bell-like highs, the Stratocaster has long been a favorite for many different genres of guitar playing. Artists like Jimi Hendrix exploited the vocal-like quality of the guitar’s neck pickup and the bell-like clarity of the guitar’s neck-middle position. Hendrix would exploit these qualities by running the Strat through large Marshall amplifiers and effects like fuzz.

Some, like Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler, were also drawn to the bell-like clarity and midrange strength of the guitar and were known for exploiting it.

While many have played the Stratocaster with few changes, many others have found their own ways to personalize and modify their guitars. One of the more common modifications is the substitution of a humbucker in the bridge position to replace the single coil, which many consider to be too shrill. Some choose to replace the original tremolo system with a Floyd Rose locking vibrato to achieve more experimental vibrato while still remaining in tune. Perhaps the most radical modification that guitarists such as Richie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen have made to the Stratocaster is the scalloped fretboard. The scalloped fretboard is created by gouging out the wood between the frets on the fretboard, an effect which reduces the resistance on the strings, allowing a player to fret and bend notes while applying far less pressure.

With its distinctive tone and unique versatility, the Stratocaster has always been a staple of rock and other genres of guitar driven music.