Oda here!
I post little-known facts about electric guitars on X (Twitter), but
Since X has a limited character count, I'll share more detailed trivia here in this update!
Knowing this won't necessarily make you a better guitarist, but I'd be happy if it just makes you go "Huh~".
(Though, knowing more about your guitar = liking it more = practicing more = maybe getting better at it. lol)
I'm writing this while thinking "Huh!" myself, so let's say "Huh!" together!!
Part 2 covered the fingerboard/neck/headstock.
This time, we've finally reached the body!
So this installment focuses on the body : body wood/finish/neck plate/pickguard/knobs.
Ash Body
Early Fender Stratocasters followed the Telecaster lineage and used ash for the body. Starting mid-1956, alder replaced ash (with some exceptions), and ash made a comeback in 1972.
Ash wood is characterized as a hard wood, producing a sound with well-defined lows and highs!
However, the ash used in the 70s is completely different from that of the 50s!
There are also different types of ash. The type used from 1954-56 was swamp ash (also used in Telecasters), which is lighter compared to the white ash of the 70s and tends to have a slightly brighter, more mid-focused sound.
Alder Body
Starting mid-1956, the Stratocaster body wood changed to alder, and alder bodies continued basically until 1972. ( Exceptions include blonde-color models, etc. )
Alder wood is relatively soft, with a sound that peaks in the low to mid range. Compared to ash, it gives the impression of more subdued highs.
Fender used a type called red alder. It is said to be lightweight due to its lower wood density and to resonate with good balance.
Lacquer Finish
On Stratocasters, the body finish was entirely lacquer —from undercoat to topcoat— until mid-1967.
Lacquer finishes have an extremely thin coating, making them highly susceptible to temperature and humidity changes. They are very delicate, prone to chipping in areas where the body contacts the player.
Furthermore, lacquer dries very slowly and changes significantly over time. This lengthy drying process is likely the primary reason the finish specification later shifted to polyurethane.(See below)
There's a reason many people still insist, "The finish has to be lacquer!"
The thin coating allows the wood to resonate, and the weather checking (cracks) and wear that appear over time, along with color changes, are fascinating. What were once seen as drawbacks gradually become part of the instrument's charm.
Poly Finish
Polyester began being used for body finishes starting in 1967. By 1969, the neck also received a poly finish, significantly changing the playing feel.
The advantages of polyurethane finish include faster drying, allowing the instrument to resonate with the manufacturer's intended sound right out of the factory. It's also highly resistant to scratches and changes in temperature and humidity.
While polyurethane finish is often perceived as cheaper than lacquer finish, the actual cost of the paint itself isn't significantly different. However, the drying time is much shorter compared to lacquer, which ultimately keeps production costs down.
Satin Skin Finish
While bodies have used polyurethane paint since 1967, not all were polyurethane until 1982. The undercoat was polyester, For the color coat and top coat, we used lacquer .
At the time, this application was referred to as the " Six Skin Finish " and was actively promoted as an upgraded paint process.
Sunburst
When it comes to classic Stratocaster colors, Sunburst is the standard.
Even within Sunburst, the character changes by decade.
1954-7: Two-tone with yellow base and black.
1958~: Became a three-tone with added red, and remained consistently three-tone Sunburst thereafter (models around 1960 or 1967-9 often had red that faded easily, making them appear almost two-tone).
1964~ The base yellow changed to a paint/coating method that made the wood grain less visible.
1968~ The switch to polyurethane coating significantly altered the texture.
1979~ In addition to the existing three-tone sunburst, tobacco and cherry sunburst finishes also appeared as standard colors.
(This is a '66 Jaguar, but the topcoat has peeled away, exposing the yellow ground coat that makes the wood grain less visible.)
Neck Plate
Fender neck plates come in square and triangular shapes.
For Stratocasters, square plates with four screws were used from 1954 to 1971. Triangular plates with three screws were used from 1972 onward.
Each plate type also has variations, with the evolution as follows:
Early 1954: Square plate, no serial number
1954–65: Square plate, serial number present
1965–71: Square plate, serial number present + F logo engraving
1971: Triangle plate, serial number present + F logo engraving + PAT.PENDING engraving
1971~76 No triangular serial number + F logo engraving
1976~82 No triangular serial number + F logo engraving
Pickguard
Stratocaster pickguards were made of single-ply vinyl chloride from 1954 to 1959.
They changed to three-ply celluloid when the rosewood fingerboard appeared in 1959. It is called a green guard because it has a three-layer structure of white/black/white, and the middle layer shows through the yellowed white, giving it a greenish appearance.
It is faithfully reproduced even on reissue models.
Green guards were used until around 1964, but because they were made of celluloid, they were prone to discoloration and shrinkage.
From late 1964 to 1968, the three-layer structure remained the same, but they reverted to three-ply vinyl chloride, which was less prone to discoloration.
From around 1969 to late 1975, the 3-ply vinyl pickguards continued, but the edge angle became steeper (40° → 60°) and the underside was matte.
From 1976, plastic parts including the pickguard began being standardized in black.
Since the pickguard changed first, some Strats from this year feature a mix of black pickguard, white pickup covers, and white knobs.
Photo shows a 1979 model. It has a black/white/black three-ply vinyl pickguard.
Control Knobs
The Stratocaster control knobs underwent two changes by 1957※, but thereafter, white nylon knobs were uniformly used until 1977.
After 1977, plastic parts were standardized to black, so they changed to black knobs.
The photos show a '66 model and a '79 model!
※54→Styrene short skirt knobs
54~57→Melamine white Bakelite knobs
The switch to nylon is said to have been for improved durability.
How was that!
Thank you for watching until the end this time too.
I also post daily on X(Twitter), so please follow me♪
See you next time, let's say "Huh~" together!
Oda