Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitars

Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitars
By Mike Furlong

History
The Fender Stratocaster guitar was invented in 1954 by Leo Fender and others in California. Leo had already created the successful Telecaster guitar.

Body
The Stratocaster, or Strat as it is sometimes known, is a double cutaway guitar. A cutaway is indentation or scallop in the guitar body, where the neck joins the body. Since the Stratocaster is a double cutaway, it has a cutaway above and below the neck where it meets the body. This cutaway provides room for the guitar player's hand to move in when playing notes "high" on the neck. By having a double cutaway the player's thumb can grip the neck area above while the other fingers play in the lower cutaway. The body of the Stratocaster consists of smooth, rounded, flowing curves. Fender called the body design a "Comfort Contour Body".

Neck
The Stratocaster had a one piece maple neck with twenty-one frets. Later a rosewood fret board was used. Today the Strat is available in maple and rosewood fretboard models.

Bridge
Fender used a spring assembly on the bridge to allow it to float with the pull of the strings. Attaching a tremolo arm to the bridge, you could move it up or down to increase or decrease the pitch of the notes you were playing. Some players do not care for this feature of the Stratocaster and disable it, but nonetheless, it was an innovative design.

Pickups
The Stratocaster has three single coil pickups, as opposed to the double coil "humbucking" pickups found on some other guitars such as those by Gibson. The pickup nearest the bridge is mounted in a slanted position. The Stratocaster had a three position switch to select the pickups. Early players discovered you could position the switch in between positions for an interesting distinctive sound. Later Fender added a five position switch to facilitate this setting. This interesting sound has become a distinctive characteristic of the Stratocaster guitar. Musicians and later Fender also experimented with other pickup combinations on the Strat, including using double coil or "humbucking" pickups.

Finish
The first Strats were finished in a two color sunburst. Since then the Strat has been painted in a variety of colors and finishes. Fender used automotive type paints and colors and the Strat is frequently seen in these colors.

Corporate History
CBS went on a buying binge and bought Fender in 1965. They also bought Steinway, the famous piano maker, Rodgers organs, Rogers drums, the maker of the Leslie speaker (best known for being paired with the Hammond organ), and others. The general consensus is that the quality of Fender instruments suffered greatly during this time due to cost cutting measures. Through the years, Fender exported or licensed the manufacture of Stratocasters in other countries. There was also a line of guitars created called Squier that included the Stratocaster. The Squier line consisted of cheaper models designed for entry-level, or student, guitarists. In 1985, led by Bill Schulz, Fender completed a buyout from CBS. Schulz is generally credited with saving Fender by restoring the quality.

Future
Fender prospered. The future looks bright. And today there are numerous models of American Standard Stratocasters available from Fender in various price ranges.

Mike Furlong

I like to play guitar, talk about guitars, and collect them. So many guitars, so little money!

Take a look at the many types of Fender Stratocaster electric guitars that are available!

Electric Guitar Advisor

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Electric Guitar Recording Techniques

Electric Guitar Recording Techniques
By Victor Epand

A guitar is a type of musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It usually has six strings, but four, seven, eight, ten and twelve string guitars also exist. An electric guitar is the kind of guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel cored string into electrical current, which is then amplified.

There are various ways to record an electric guitar. The traditional method is to connect to a really good amplifier. The latest option is to plug the guitar directly into the computer and use a software plug-in to handle the amp and the speaker modeling.

When recording an electric guitar, the amp is the important factor as far as the mic is concerned, and thus its position is important. The dynamic mic produces a solid sound with a smooth high end. However its position has just as much bearing on the tone as the mic itself.

One way to capture the sound of a large stack is to set up the stack in a large room, play it loud and put the microphone several feet away so that the combination of all the speakers can be recorded. Using this method, the mic captures the guitar sound as much as the audience would.

One of the microphones can be inverted though that does not produce the best result. Here using a capacitor microphone as the distant one often produces a sense of space, but the ultimate bottom line is that anything that sounds good goes with the guitar.

The biggest problem that many amateur guitarists face is poor tone. In order to solve this problem the recorder should check the amp and guitar combination on microphone level and then should decide where they would be placed. Tone should be adjusted but one thing should be kept in mind. The low end will increase if the microphone is placed close to the source. This is known as proximity effect.

The mic that is used for electric guitar recording is preferably a dynamic microphone because of its capability to endure high volumes. These are the technical things that one should keep in mind. But there are some simple points that will help while recording.

As a first and very basic rule, one should make sure that the guitar is in very good condition, that is, its strings are properly fitted. Tuning must be checked before every take as it is inclined to flow in warm studio.

Equipments containing transformers will tend to cause hum interference on electric guitar especially those of single coil pickups. Computer monitors in particular also cause serious interference problems with guitar pickups, so it is advisable to keep them as far away as possible.

While using different electric guitar types or sounds for recording, two or more overdrive guitar parts should be kept to keep the sounds separate in the mix. For example, using a single coil setting for one part and a humbucker for another.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for music gear, speakers, and microphones. You can find the best marketplace for music gear, speakers, and microphones at these 3 sites: music gear, amplifier, speakers.

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The Electric Guitar - From Big Band to Rock and Roll

The Electric Guitar - From Big Band to Rock and Roll
By Victor Epand

Compared to its acoustic cousin, the electric guitar has a very short history. In modern times, electric guitars are most often associated with genres such as rock and roll, blues rock, and jazz. However, this instrument has its origins in the big band music of the 1930s and 1940s. As the jazz orchestras of those days grew and their brass sections increased proportionally, the need for an amplified guitar became more and more pronounced. Adolph Rickenbacher, George Beauchamp, and Paul Barth, all of who eventually founded the Electro String Company, are usually credited with the production of the first electric guitars around 1931. Whoever did it first, the eventual result was a guitar that used pickups to convert the vibrations of its steel strings into an electrical current, which was made louder with an instrument amplifier and speaker.

As mentioned, an electric guitar's strings are always steel. This is, however, one of the few features shared by all the various types. Electric guitars come in a variety of models, including solid body, hollow body, wood, metal, one- six-, seven-, eight-, nine-, and twelve-string, and even double neck models.

The first of these, the solid body type, is the most common. They are generally made of some kind of lacquered wood, which can be anything from maple, to koa, to ebony. The average solid body electric guitar has six strings, and the vibrations of this type of guitar are produced by the strings alone. This is notable in comparison to the hollow body electric guitar. Although the two types work similarly, the body of the hollow body guitar vibrates along with the strings, which means that the pickups convert both string and body vibrations into an electrical signal. A semi-hollow body guitar is a combination of the solid and the hollow types, and it is generally held to strike a balance between the attributes of the two. Then there are the metal body electric guitars. The bodies of these models are chambered (due to weight considerations), but they are designed to be played as though made of solid wood. Finally, the electric guitar can sport anywhere from one to twelve strings, which makes for, as one might imagine, a plethora of sounds and potential musical applications.

While there are any number of electric guitar manufacturers in the world, some are certainly more famous than others. Fender and Gibson, for example, established their reputations in the 1950s as makers of high-quality mass-produced guitars, and they remain some of the most well-known products available. Other reputable companies include BC Rich, ESP, and Peavey.

The electric guitar has gained a certain notoriety over the years, thanks to its association with a number of high-profile artists, among them Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, and the irrepressible Keith Richards. Interestingly, there has been a movement over the past few decades towards the use of the electrical guitar in contemporary classical music. However, such compositions are by no means common, and the genres of rock and jazz remain the primary territory of the electric guitar.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, keyboards, sheet music, guitar tab, and home theater audio. You can find the best marketplace at these sites for guitars, sheet music, guitar tab.

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