To identify a guitar manufacturer, you first look at the headstock logo, right? The evolution of logos across various manufacturers can help determine the era.
For Fender's original logo, the "Spaghetti Logo" (commonly called the Spaghetti Logo) used from the '50s to '64 features thin, spaghetti-like lettering.
Even within the Spaghetti Logo, variations exist, like the inclusion of a patent number. While 70s models are now considered vintage too, back then, vintage Fender meant the Spaghetti Logo.
For example, even current Fender models are lined up as "XX-year models," and they basically use the logo that was standard for that era!

When you hear "Fender Tiger Logo," it's the Transition Logo! While "Tora" (虎) often brings to mind "traditional," it actually means "transition" (transition) = transitional period! (I used to get it wrong myself)

The Tra-Logo began replacing the Spaghetti Logo in the mid-60s, with the change timing varying by model.

The JazzBass started in 1961 (right from production start!), the PrecisionBass in mid-1964, the Stratocaster in late 1964, and the Telecaster in early 1966. With such variation, it really feels like a transitional period, doesn't it?

Compared to the Spaghetti logo, the letters are thicker and more bold!

In 1965, Fender was acquired by CBS, marking a turning point. Various models saw specification changes, and the logo was one of them.

It's called the CBS logo, but it's also known as the Black Logo or Modern Logo! The black text with gold outline definitely improved visibility , right? 👀

Vintage Fender guitars feature two types of rosewood fingerboard dot position markers.
One is clay dot, the other is pearloid dot.
Clay dots have a matte, slightly brownish, clay-like color!
They're made from a material called vulcanized fiber, which is a very hard, thick paper-like substance created by chemically treating pulp, layering it multiple times, and compressing it.
The photo shows clay dots. One characteristic is that starting around 1963, the width of the 12th fret position mark narrowed. (Stratocaster, Telecaster)

Stratocasters underwent a specification change around 1965, switching from clay dotsto pearloid dot position markers.

Compared to clay, they have a translucent quality and appear whiter. Incidentally, pearloid is an artificial material designed to mimic pearl.

Parloy material is also used for pickguards, not just by Fender but also by Gibson for inlays and such.

After being acquired by CBS, Fender reached a turning point around 1965, with specification changes including the logo and inlays.
Block inlays began appearing on the Jazzmaster, Jaguar, and JazzBass starting in 1966, and were also used on rare models like the Coronado and Bass VI!
The material is pearloid. It's celluloid imitating mother-of-pearl.

The Jaguar saw the introduction of neck binding in 1965-6, marking the beginning of the Fender CBS era. The position markers transitioned from dot inlays to block inlays during this period.

Incidentally, the Jazzmaster, Jaguar, and JazzBass all underwent the same evolution!

It's interesting how the visual changes are quite noticeable around late '65 or mid-'66, and even models from the same year can have different specifications.

Fender guitars prior to 1967 used Kluson machine heads. While the structure of Kluson machine heads changed very little over the years, their appearance did change slightly.

The key difference is the line of text reading "KLUSON DELUXE"!
① No text (54~56)
② Single line (57~63)
③ Double line (64~67)
※ ( ) indicates Stratocaster models

Each variant also comes with either chrome knobs or white knobs. White knobs are used on the Duosonic, Music Master, Mustang, and Swinger!

During the CBS era, Fender developed its own pegs called F-keys, completely replacing the Kluson pegs previously used.

The F-Key features six identical designs, allowing easy conversion between right- and left-handed models by simply swapping covers. While Kluson-made pegs required Bass plate machining during installation, the F-Key eliminated this need, demonstrating improved efficiency.

There are three distinct types of F-keys:
① The initial type, manufactured by Rays & Omsted. The tuning knobs are slightly rounded, and the shafts are chrome-plated.
② The second version from the early 70s. The knobs are slightly more angular than the initial type, and the shafts were changed to nickel.
③ The Schaller-made type, adopted in the late 70s. All exposed parts became chrome-plated.

Since Kluson's Deluxe tuners weren't originally designed for Fender's six-in-line configuration, Fender apparently sourced the pegs from Kluson and then shortened and modified the Bass plate for installation.

There are also accounts stating that developing the F-key was one of the first projects undertaken by Fender after its acquisition by CBS. This shows that the company was striving to enhance efficiency through its products.

Except for the upper plate for the 1st string and the lower plate for the 6th string, they employed a method of shaving off the adjacent Bass plates at the center of the screw holes.

The earliest Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters (up until around 1959) featured a one-piece maple neck and fingerboard. (This design reappeared in the 1970s.)
A one-piece maple neck means the neck and fingerboard are made from a single piece of maple wood, without a separate fingerboard piece!
Until then, neither guitars nor violins had ever featured a neck and fingerboard integrated into a single piece. Fender broke this convention by using extremely hard hard maple to create the one-piece maple neck.

The neck back features a filler piece called a skunk stripe.
Since the fingerboard isn't glued on, the truss rod is inserted from the neck back and sealed with a core plug.
Similarly, a truss rod insertion hole is drilled in the headstock, and the filler piece sealing this hole is called a headstock plug.

Slab rosewood fingerboards were used on Stratocasters from around 1959 to 1962.
Slab-mounted fingerboards are characterized by a flat bonding surface with the neck and a thicker fingerboard. Key distinguishing points are that the bonding surface extends over the truss rod hole, and the headstock end appears rounded and bulging when viewed head-on!

Starting around mid-1962, Stratocasters switched to round-laminated rosewood fingerboards.
The bonding surface to the neck follows the fingerboard's curvature, resulting in thinner fingerboard material compared to slab fingerboards.
This design reportedly helped prevent warping caused by moisture differences between the fingerboard and neck wood.
A key distinguishing feature of a rounded fingerboard is that the gluing surface doesn't interfere with the truss rod, and it appears straight when viewed from the front of the headstock!

Starting in 1971, the bullet nut appeared with the revival of the one-piece maple neck.
It's said to be named for its bullet-like shape, and it's one of the defining specifications of 70s Stratocasters!
This nut made it possible to adjust the truss rod from the headstock side using a hex wrench.
Besides the Stratocaster, it was also used on the Telecaster Thinline, Telecaster Custom, Telecaster Deluxe, and Starcast!

The neck shape of '50s Strats underwent gradual refinements, with changes appearing each year.
The '54 model featured a thicker, slightly rounded soft V-shape.
The '55 model bo asted the fattest U-shape of the '50s.
From there, the sides were gradually carved away, culminating in the sharpest V-shape by '57 (Eric Clapton's signature model is this one!).
From '58 onward, the shape gradually became more rounded, evolving into the C-shape of the 60s.

The 1960s saw the adoption of a more rounded C-shape profile, replacing the V-shape of the 1950s.
Notably, the '63 model featured a thicker grip.
While the 1960s brought significant fretboard specification changes (slab rosewood fretboards → rounded rosewood fretboards), the neck shape did not undergo the rapid evolution seen in the 1950s. This reflects Fender gradually establishing its "standard" design.
From the late 60s, the neck became slightly thicker, a trend carried into the 70s.

String guides also changed over the years.
For Stratocasters, the round type was used until the first half of '56 .

After that, they became flat-top, seagull-shaped, butterfly-shaped, etc. (various names exist),
but they were made by pressing sheet metal. Depending on the year, there might or might not be a spacer between the headstock and the guide, and they could be made of iron or nylon.

Starting in late '72, string guides were also added between the 1st and 2nd strings and between the 3rd and 4th strings. This change was made because lighter gauge strings became more common, and it was thought better to ensure tension on the 3rd and 4th strings too!

Stratocasters come in two headstock shapes:smallhead and large head.
From 1954 to 1966, they used the small head. In other words, models before the CBS era have the small head.
Some believe the original Stratocaster is the small head! And there are many Stratocaster fans who are small head purists, right?

Starting mid-1965 (officially from 1966 production), the large headstock was adopted.

This headstock shape was adopted on models other than the Telecaster, likely aiming for a unified headstock shape that became a trademark.
It also appears to have been part of a rationalization effort, as producing the Stratocaster, Mustang, Jaguar, and Jazzmaster with different scales could cover all models.
As mentioned earlier with the F-fret, " rationalization " seems to be a key word for Fender during the CBS era.
The large headstock subsequently became established as the Stratocaster's headstock shape and remained in use throughout the 1970s.

Early Fender Stratocasters followed the Telecaster lineage, with ash wood used for the body. Starting mid-1956, alder wood was adopted (with some exceptions), and ash wood returned in 1972.
Ash wood is characterized as a hard wood, producing a sound with solid lows and highs!
However, the ash used in the 70s is a different beast from the 50s!
There are different types of ash. The wood used from 1954-56was swamp ash (also used in Telecasters), which is lighter and tends to have a slightly brighter, more mid-focused sound compared to the white ash of the 70s.

Starting mid-1956, the Stratocaster body material changed to alder, and alder bodies continued as standard until 1972 ( with exceptions like blonde-color models ).
Alder wood is relatively soft, producing a sound with 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.

On Stratocasters, the body finish was entirely lacquer coating—from undercoat totopcoat—until mid-1967.
Lacquer paint has an extremely thin coating, making it highly susceptible to temperature and humidity changes. It's a very delicate finish prone to chipping in areas frequently touched by the body.
Furthermore, lacquer dries extremely slowly and changes significantly over time. The switch to polyurethane paint later was primarily due to this lengthy drying time. (Discussed later)
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 the color changes, are fascinating. What were once seen as disadvantages gradually become part of the instrument's charm.

Polyester coating began being usedon the body starting in 1967. By 1969, the neck also received a poly coating, significantly changing the feel when playing.
The advantages of polyurethane finish include faster drying times, allowing the guitar to produce the manufacturer's intended sound right out of the factory. It is also more resistant to scratches and less affected by changes in temperature and humidity.
Polyester finish is often perceived as cheaper than lacquer finish, but the cost of the paint itself is not significantly different. However, the drying time is much shorter than lacquer, which ultimately reduces overall production costs.

From 1967, the body received a polyester paint finish, but until 1982, not all parts were polyester-coated ; the undercoat used polyester,while the color coat and top coat utilized lacquer.
This process was referred to as the " Six Skin Finish " at the time and was actively promoted as an upgraded paint system.

When it comes to classic Stratocaster colors, Sunburst is the go-to.
Even within the Sunburst category, 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 1960or 1967-9 often had red that faded easily, appearing almost two-tone).
1964~: The base yellow changed to a paint/finish method that made the wood grain less visible.
1968~: Changed to a polyurethane finish, significantly altering the texture.
1979~: In addition tothe existing 3-tone sunburst, sunburst finishes like Tobacco and Cherry appeared as standard colors.

First image: '58 Stratocaster (3-tone sunburst)
Second image: '66 Stratocaster (3-tone sunburst with faded red)
Third image: '66 Jaguar. The topcoat has peeled away, exposing the yellow ground coat that makes the wood grain less visible.