The new guitar certainly owed several design elements to its predecessor, though, and as late as early 1953 its body shape closely resembled that of the Telecaster. He and his closest staff spent long hours developing and perfecting the new model, which quickly shaped up to be its own instrument rather than an improved version of Fender’s earlier invention, the Telecaster. A practical person, he just wanted to build a better guitar. Been that way for quite a while now.īut it’s not like Leo Fender was trying to be radical and revolutionary. It has risen above its everyday function to become a cultural symbol for creativity, individuality, artistry and more than a little exuberant rebelliousness. Ubiquitous and essential, the Stratocaster has transcended its original intended purpose as a tool (a stylish one, at that) to become an archetype. It's everything you need to know to make an informed decision about your own entrance into the Strat story: FIRST, A SHORT HISTORY OF THE STRATOCASTER It's got everything you need, and that's rare to find in anything."īelow, an overview of seven popular Stratocaster models featuring the classic three single-coil setup, along with a rundown of each that highlights their unique properties. Maybe that’s because it was so well designed to begin with that it has existed largely unchanged for more than 60 years now, allowing it to become an ingrained design in the minds of successive generations.Īs Keith Richards once said, "The Strat is as sturdy and strong as a mule, yet it has the elegance of a racehorse. The original model codes (and frequently the value suffix) can usually be found in the neck pocket of the body, and at the base of the neck where the mounting holes are.The Stratocaster is the quintessential electric guitar-a worldwide archetype the basic form that leaps to mind at the very mention of the phrase "electric guitar", even among those who don’t play. FENDER STRATOCASTER MODEL FROM SERIAL NUMBER SERIAL NUMBERModels on this page represent the 1982 - 2015 era of Fender Japan production, and typically feature the old style Fender Japan serial number at the base of the neck, as opposed to the contemporary "JD-" serial number format found on the back of the headstock. Reissue models would follow this naming convention until 2015, when Fender Japan revamped their product line to more closely mirror the organizational structure of the Mexican and American made Fender lines. While a given model might come in a variety of price points during a given model year, from entry level to the near Custom Shop quality of Fender Japan's ExTrad series, all the models would broadly follow the aesthetic and technical specifications of the original American models. FENDER STRATOCASTER MODEL FROM SERIAL NUMBER CODEThese reissue models were labeled by a two letter/two number model code for the model and reissue year, followed by a suffix that indicated the price in Yen, and any unique specifications the model had. While Fender Japan is popularly known for some of their more extravagant aesthetics, the bulk of domestic Japanese production was focused on reissues of historic American Fender models. The first era of Fender Japan began in 1982, when domestic market Japanese Fenders started rolling out of factories.
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