Crayon Sky Music

Fender Stratocaster variations?

A question for the guitar pros amongst the Yahoo Answers community.

Hello! There have been several books written on this very subject (see http://www.vintagemusicbooks.com/si/BOOKS021158I.html , for example), which is where you should go for a complete and accurate answer. Another very good source is Wikipedia (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratocaster ), which has quite a lot of detail regarding the guitar. In a nutshell, the early Stratocasters (1954 to 1965) are considered the true vintage guitars, and are the most sought-after. The CBS-era guitars (late-1965 to 1985) are generally thought of as less-desirable, due mainly to the varying standards of quality and country-of-origin. After selling the company to a group of private investors in 1985, quality and consistency began improving, as did the number of models being offered. Over the years, the Stratocasters changed neck shapes (V-shape/C-shape, etc.), fretboards (maple/rosewood/ebony, scalloped surface, cross-section radii, vintage/medium-jumbo/jumbo frets, etc.), headstocks (small/large), body materials (alder/basswood/ash, etc.), hardware (vintage/two-point tremolo/Floyd-Rose style bridges), pickups (traditional/single coil/lace-sensors/noiseless/humbuckers, etc.), and electronics (3-way/5-way pickup selector switches/TBX control/pickup coil-tap switches/active circuitry, etc.). Essentially, today’s standard Stratocaster is just that: a solid instrument that has matured over time into what the modern player wants to see in a quality guitar (modern C-neck, medium-jumbo frets, two-point tremolo bridge, precision machine tuners, etc.). The deluxe models typically add improved pickups and hardware, and sometimes dress-up items (special colors/pickguard/knobs/locking machine tuners/upgraded bridge, etc.). Vintage models seek to replicate the look, feel, and tone of the original Fender product. Lastly, the HSS Stratocasters have a definite respected place in the hierarchy of Fender guitars, and are looked upon as simply another specialized tool in the guitar player’s tone arsenal! Looking at the Fender site today, there are no less than 60 models to choose from (see http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?section=guitars&cat=stratocaster&pg=1 ), and with the Custom Shop you can have a Stratocaster equipped virtually any way you want! As you can see, a discussion of the specific years and variations is well beyond the scope of Yahoo! Answers. Sorry if this answer was too long-winded, but I do hope some of it helps get you started in the right direction. Best regards, Dana

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