Fender American Stratocaster Review

By Pedro Rocha

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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Fender American Telecaster and Stratocaster Review - Best of Old and New

By R. S. Rasnick

Fender's American Stratocaster and Telecaster remain the best-selling musical instruments in the company's line, which is saying something, given the rich history this company has had over the past decades. Though Leo Fender is long gone, the newest American-made instruments that bear his name are a substantial testimonial to his guitar-building legacy. The present-day crop of instruments combines the best of the of the new and the old.

Never ones to rest on the past, Fender has actively interviewed a wide variety of players to see how Fender could build even better musical instruments. Leo Fender would indeed be proud, since he was perpetually concerned with the requirements of real working musicians as he built his products.

Fender sagely chose to retain the ingredients of their instruments that plainly didn't need changing. Let's use the Stratocaster as our first example. Still present are the Micro-Tilt neck, two point vibrato (honestly, a vast improvement over vintage designs), the four-bolt neck, 22 fret necks, 9.5" fretboard radius, and DeltaTone circuit. So, if these elements are still present, how is the time-honored Stratocaster new?

One of the best new features is a thinner paint undercoat, which actually results in clearer tone since the wood can breathe a bit more. The neck is better as well, with a satin finish on the back, giving it a much smoother feel. The neck front, by contrast, has a gloss finish, giving the instrument a really professional look.

They also wisely resolved to refine the bridge design, incorporating beloved elements from vintage-style tremolo bridges. It has a higher mass design, which results in much improved sustain.

The recent design also includes vintage-style bent steel saddles, which aid in capturing the classic vintage Strat tone. From Buddy Holly to Jimi Hendrix, it's all here.

While the stock Fender bridge doesn't supply the same level of tuning security that a locking system does, for all but the most outrageous whammying the Fender system is amazingly stable.

Likewise, the Telecaster experienced superb upgrades as well, including a redesigned bridge. The Tele includes a brass plate that, when coupled with the steel saddles, provides obvious Telecaster twang!

Both guitars include a world-class TSA lock-equipped SKB case that makes airport travel a picnic, and the case is very well-designed and could take quite a punch, we bet.

With street prices under $1,200, the Fender American Standard series is a fine choice for those searching for the merger of old and new.

If you are looking for the best prices on a new or used Fender American Telecaster or Fender American Stratocaster, then there's only one guitar shop you need to visit. Ray's Guitar Shop has the best prices on all new and used instruments on the Internet, including all Fender Musical Instruments.

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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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