Fender Stratocaster Identification

The Fender Stratocaster has been around since the 1950s.

The Fender Stratocaster electric guitar has been in continuous production since it was developed in the 1950s. It's also most often called a "Strat" by guitarists. Along with the Gibson Les Paul, it's been an iconic guitar in rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues and blues music for years. It has been made in a number of countries as well, including the United States, Japan and Mexico. It's available at a number of price points, too.

History

The first Fender Stratocaster was produced in 1954.

The Fender Stratocaster was developed by Leo Fender, the founder of what's now called the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Along with Freddie Tavares and George Fullerton, Fender created a double-cutaway electric guitar of striking design. In 1954, he and his partners produced the first model. Changes to its tuning gear quality and the body's wood occurred in 1957. From 1960, only relatively minor changes to its available colors and basic components has generally occurred.

Distinguishing Features

The guitar features a double-cutaway body for easy access to the lower frets.

The guitar's double-cutaway body design is its signature feature. Fender Corporation refers to it as a "custom contour body." Its shape makes it easy for a guitarist to reach the frets nearest to the body with ease. Fender and the others also designed the original one-piece bolt-on maple neck to feature what it called a "dogleg" headstock. Models from 1959 to 1967 featured rosewood fretboards as standard equipment. They also were of two-piece variety.

Types

All Stratocasters feature three single-coil pickups.

Early Strats featured bodies of hard ash. In 1957, alder became the body wood of choice. Today, the guitar can be found in either wood, depending on price. Stratocasters are also known for their three-pickup layouts. All three are single-coil in design, with one at the bridge, one in the center and one at the neck. The bridge pickup is also slanted toward the higher-register strings to give the guitar a brighter, sharper sound when selected.

Electronic and Tone Controls

Stratocasters also feature one volume and two tone control knobs.

All Strats feature a single volume control knob and two tone control knobs. Early models often featured a three-position pickup selector switch while later models feature a five-position selector. The guitar also may have a tremolo bar at the bridge or be supplied with what the company calls a "hard tail" (no tremolo) setup. Look for the three pickups, three-knob volume/tone controls and a three or five-position selector switch on all versions of the Stratocaster.

Considerations

Early Fender Stratocasters can be worth a lot of money to collectors.

Early Stratocasters are considered valuable to many guitar collectors. Models made when the company was owned by the CBS Corp. (1965 to 1981) are valued somewhat less. Almost all American-made Stratocasters of either standard or special "Signature" varieties are also worth more than those made in Mexico, Japan or elsewhere. Strats also come in a budget-minded version called the Squier Stratocaster. The more expensive models, though, are all labeled as Fender Stratocasters.

References

• Musician's Friend: Leo Fender-The Man
• Zuitar: Fender (CBS) Stratocaster Series
• Vintage Guitars Collector: Stratocaster
• Adirondack Guitar: Forty Years of the Fender Stratocaster
• RocknRoll Vintage: Fender Stratocaster; A Brief History and Photos

Resources

• Guitar Master Class: The History of the Fender Stratocaster
• Musician's Friend: Stratocaster Buying Guide