Who hasn’t seen or ever played a Fender Stratocaster, or a copy of the “Strat” as the world famous bolt on guitar is called. The Fender Stratocaster, also known as the Strat, is a model of double-cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously manufactured the Stratocaster since 1954. The guitar’s distinctive body shape was revolutionary when introduced in the mid-1950s, and the first time a mass-market electric guitar did not resemble earlier acoustic models. The double cutaway, elongated horns, and heavily contoured back were all designed for better balance and comfort to play while standing up and slung off the shoulder with a strap. The three-pickup design was a step up from earlier one- and two-pickup guitars, and a responsive and simplified vibrato arm integrated into the bridge plate, which marked a significant design improvement over other vibrato systems, such as those manufactured by Bigsby.
However, Stratocasters without the vibrato system (“hardtails”) started being sold from March 1955 onwards also. The modular nature of the guitar, with its easily removable components, left players and luthiers to perform numerous modifications to their own guitars, changing out pickups or necks to fit the needs of the player. All these design elements were popularised and later became industry standards due to the success of the Stratocaster.
I have a number of Fender Stratocaster Guitars, dating rom 1960s to the 2000s both vibrato and hardtail.
My Pile of Guitars & Basses 