Vintage Guitar Chapter 1
Fender Stratocaster

Fender Stratocaster

The Stratocaster, which debuted in 1954, has undergone numerous minor changes throughout its more than half-century history, and remains an unshakeable standard, producing a unique sound that has supported countless legendary performances to this day! The supreme Stratocaster sound, symbolized by Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and others, continues to fascinate many guitarists today and leaves an undiminished impact.

Of course, each instrument has its own unique sound characteristics depending on the year and specifications, but perhaps the greatest appeal is the "living" resonance that you can experience precisely because it's made of wood. Even after being reborn as a musical instrument, the wood continues to live and breathe. Along with that breathing, it has gone through repeated cycles of humidity and dryness over several decades, and through being played, it has developed an astonishingly beautiful sound. The whole thing resonates as one, creating a deep, lustrous tone that is both mature and rich... this is the wonderful thing about vintage instruments. The Stratocaster, which appeared in 1954, has undergone numerous minor changes throughout its more than half-century history, and remains an unshakeable standard that produces a unique sound that has supported countless legendary performances to this day! The supreme Stratocaster sound, symbolized by Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and others, continues to fascinate many guitarists even today, leaving an undiminished impact.

Of course, each instrument has its own unique sound characteristics depending on the year and specifications, but perhaps the greatest appeal is the "living" resonance that only wood can offer. Even after being transformed into a musical instrument, the wood continues to live and breathe. Through this breathing, and the repeated cycles of humidity and dryness over several decades, and through being played extensively, it develops an astonishingly beautiful sound. The whole instrument resonates as one, producing a deep, lustrous tone that matures with age—this is the wonderful thing about vintage instruments.

It all began in 1938 when Fender's founder, Leo Fender, opened his own radio repair shop, "Fender's Radio Service," in Fullerton, California. Later, together with musician and engineer Clayton "Doc" Kauffman, he established "K&F (Kauffman & Fender) Manufacturing" in 1945, producing original steel guitars and amplifiers. After a while, when Kauffman left, the company name was changed to "Fender Electric Instrument Company," and it officially started as a guitar manufacturer.

In 1950, Fender released the world's first Spanish guitar, the "Broadcaster," and continued to embody many groundbreaking ideas, such as the Stratocaster, during its golden age. In 1965, due to Leo's health reasons, Fender was sold to CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System). Leo later returned to CBS as a consultant and worked on product development before ending his contract with CBS in 1970 to pursue new challenges. (*Officially, the guitar was called Esquire → Broadcaster)

In 1972, he was involved in the founding of Music Man, along with Forrest White, then vice president of Fender, and Tom Walker, who was in charge of sales. CLF Research, a company Leo had independently established for consulting work, handled development and manufacturing, and in 1975, Music Man released its first product, an amplifier. It became a sensation thanks to its use by artists like Eric Clapton, and the following year, 1976, saw the release of the StingRay guitar equipped with an active preamp.BassThey announced that StingrayBassIt is highly regarded and remains active today.BassIt has become synonymous with [something].

In 1980, Leo ended his relationship with Music Man and went on to work for Fender's early craftsman, who was then Leo's right-hand man and worked on Broadcaster and Precision guitars.BassTogether with George Fullerton, who was involved in the development of the original, Leo established "G&L Musical Products." He immersed himself in research and development, drawing on the technology and experience he had cultivated, in order to realize even more innovative ideas that transcended the past. Leo's true essence at G&L lay particularly in pickup development, establishing a unique approach that could meet the demands of any genre and even create new sounds. G&L was the last brand Leo founded, and his private workshop remains preserved in the same state as when he worked there, ensuring his legacy lives on.

Finally, the immense contributions of Leo Fender are immeasurable. Electric guitars andBassOf course, his influence extends equally to amplifiers, and it goes without saying that he left a wonderful legacy on the modern music scene. Leo Fender was truly a great innovator who revolutionized the world of electric music.

1950year~

The world's first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar, the "Esquire," was unveiled at the NAMM Show. Upon commercial release, the 2P.U. version was named the "Broadcaster," but this name had to be changed again soon after due to trademark issues. After a period of being shipped with only the brand logo, known as the "No-Caster," the model officially launched as the "Telecaster" in 1951.

1954~

Fender unveiled the "Stratocaster," positioned as a higher-end model than the Telecaster. It featured a groundbreaking synchronized tremolo system that defied conventional tremolo unit design, based on a completely new idea. Through trial and error and repeated minor changes, it has become an enduring standard, beloved by countless guitarists.

1956year~

The "Musicmaster," positioned as a student model, was followed shortly by the "Duo-Sonic." Both featured a 22 1/2-inch short scale.RecruitThis model shares most of its parts, including the body and neck, to improve production efficiency. The Duo-Sonic features a series configuration for the front and rear pickups, allowing for a humbucking effect by mixing the output of both pickups.

1958year~

Fender's first ever rosewood fretboardRecruitThen, they unveiled the "Jazzmaster," packed with new ideas such as the asymmetrical body "offset waist design," "preset tones," and "floating tremolo." The initial pickguard was only used for less than a year.RecruitThis is the so-called "gold anodized" version.

1962year~

Developed as an upgraded model of the Jazzmaster, the "Jaguar" was announced, inheriting the body shape and tremolo unit. While the Jazzmaster has the same neck scale as the Stratocaster (25 1/2 inches with 21 frets), the Jaguar has a 24-inch neck with 22 frets.RecruitI am doing it.

1964year~

They announced the "Mustang" equipped with a dynamic vibrato with a wide range of adjustment. Two neck scales were available: 22 1/2 inches with 21 frets and 24 inches with 22 frets. A 3-way slide switch was used to switch between pickups.RecruitFurthermore, by combining them, half-tones and phase sounds can be output. Also in this year, the redesigned "Music Master II" and "Duo-Sonic II" were released.

1965year~

Fender unveiled its first 12-string model, the "Electric XII." It features a distinctive, long headstock shape nicknamed the "hockey stick." The bridge, specifically designed for 12 strings, allows for individual octave adjustments via separate saddles for each string.

1966year~

To compete with Gibson, they introduced the hollow-body "Coronado" series. This included the "Coronado I" with one pickup, the "Coronado II" with two pickups, and the 12-string "Coronado XII," with many models featuring tremolos. In the same year, they released the "Bronco," a student model equipped with a tremolo. Unlike synchronized tremolos, it featured a newly developed tremolo unit that moved at two pivot points.

1968year~

The "Telecaster Thinline" was released as a variation model of the Telecaster. It featured a semi-solid body with F-holes, and initially, like previous Telecasters, it was equipped with single-coil pickups. However, at the end of 1971, these were changed to humbucking pickups designed by Seth Lover. The first version with single-coil pickups was also available in two body types: ash and mahogany, allowing customers to choose according to their sound preference.