I've always found interesting the fact that Leo Fender was not a guitar player. Ideas like bolting the neck, the position of the knobs and the tremolo bar were all a combination of listening to his friends and figuring out how to mass produce.
But what this guitar did was unprecedented, opening doors into techniques previously unknown. The Fender Stratocaster, which won an award among the best inventions of the 20th century, is by far the most imitated electric guitar.
Like in the Gibson Les Paul guitar, the Standard model is the closest to the real thing. It has the classic combination of alder body, bolted maple neck and single coil pickups that give this guitar its unique tone.
Fender Standard Stratocaster
This option is made in Mexico, this guitar has proven to be incredibly successful. Since I started working with guitars I can't believe how long this guitar can go with no change, and year after year more and more people request it.
The main differences between this and the American version are: the plastic based lacquer, the quality of the pickups, the 6 screws classic tremolo bridge and the body being made of basswood.
This is one of the most modified guitars by owners, there are hundreds of accessories specially made for this guitar.
Fender American Standard Stratocaster
This version is a way more refined instrument than the last, its finish is organic and just by touching it you can tell the difference. The neck also has a light finish that is smoother that the Mexican version and its edges are nicely rolled making it very comfortable to play.
The tremolo bridge is a more modern 2 point pivot machine with steel saddles that don't have screws scratching your palm. And the pickups sound much nicer than in the regular Standard.
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster
This one is identical in design to the American Standard but it comes with a few extra goodies: It has locking tuners, the dots in the neck are made of abalone and the pickups have a no hum design which makes them friendlier with distortion.
But the most valuable of them all is the S1 switch, with a simple push button in the top of the volume knob, a guitar that seemed like a dinosaur became a transformer.
For a review of the possible mods for this electric guitars please visit my Squidoo page Fender Stratocaster Review
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