Fender Stratocaster celebrates its 60th anniversary

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2607700/A-true-rock-icon-Fender-Stratocaster-guitar-played-Buddy-Holly-Jimi-Hendrix-Eric-Clapton-celebrates-60th-anniversary.html

The guitar that launched a million riffs: Fender Stratocaster celebrates its 60th anniversary

Leo Fender created the first Stratocaster in 1954. It featured a signature double cutaway design and contoured body
Early adopters included 50s legend Buddy Holly, and UK musician Hank Marvin who was the first to import one
Since then it has been used by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughn
Kurt Cobain used one before his death, and Arctic Monkeys’ frontman Alex Turner used one in the band’s early days

By Chris Pleasance
Published: 07:36 EST, 18 April 2014 | Updated: 12:28 EST, 18 April 2014

Few rock icons can claim to still be going strong after 60 years, but today marks the anniversary of the first Fender Stratocaster being built, and the music icon is still as popular as ever.

Designed by Leo Fender in a small workshop in Fullerton, California, six decades ago, it has been used in all genres from country to reggae, and from rock to pop and was the only guitar to challenge the Gibson Les Paul for popularity.

Today the guitars are built by hand in Fender’s factory in Corona, California. Each Stratocaster starts life as a long, thin piece of ash wood which is shaped into a neck by machine, before being hand laid with either more ash or rosewood for the fret board.

The frets are then hammered in by hand, using a machine to tighten them. The body, which can be made of two, three, or even four pieces of wood, is then given its shape by a machine which cuts holes for the controls, tremolo bridge and other metal parts which are assembled by hand.

The neck and body are then hand shaped by workers using sanders before being sent through the paint shop, which uses similar technology to car factories. The paint is then left for three days until it properly dries.

Finally, the body and fret are given a final shaping, which puts the high-gloss finish on them, before being sent through quality control where they are examined, tuned and given a final check before being sent out.

Designed to be used by country musicians, the guitar was first memorably played by Buddy Holly and became his signature as an artist. One of the defining images of the 50s was Holly pictured with the guitar high up on his chest.

From there it was taken up in the early 60s by the likes of the Beach Boys who favoured it for it’s wailing sound, and later by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and George Harrison.

The birth of heavy metal saw the Stratocaster take on new life in the hands of Iron Maiden, while Eddie Van Halen’s famous Frankenstrat only added to the instrument’s iconic status.

The guitar then passed into the capable hands of modern-day musicians such as the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s John Frusciante, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and the Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner.

Other memorable players include Hank Marvin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler and Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, to name but a few.