 Stratocaster
(From Mr GearHead)
The Stratocaster was first introduced in spring 1954, it may well be
the most popular and copied guitar design ever.
Asymmetrical double cutaway body, contoured body on back and on lower bass
bout (where forearm rests), 3 single coil pickups with exposed poles, jack
angled into top, tremolo standard (but available without special order), 3
knobs (volume, tone, tone), gold plated parts optional till 1967.
1954 Stratocaster :
Contoured ash body, two-color (yellow to brown) sunburst finish. Thin
"spaghetti" peghead decal logo, no patent numbers.
"Small" peghead, round string tree, truss rod adjusts at butt.
Neck attaches with 4 bolts and a metal neckplate. Serial number on neck
plate (except April to May 1954 models on back tremolo plate). Neck is 1
piece of maple with black dot position markers. Walnut "skunk
stripe" down back of neck where truss rod was installed. Single
layer, white vinyl pickguard with 8 attachment screws. A small aluminum
shielding plate is installed underneath the pickguard that covers the
control cavity. White "bakelite" plastic knobs and pickup
covers. Steel 2 piece tremolo, with 6 adjustable saddles. Each nickel
plated saddle is stamped "Fender Pat Pend" (note reissue models
are stamped "Fender Fender"). Also available without tremolo
(known as a "hardtail" model).
Fall 1956 Stratocaster :
Alder body replaces ash. Rectangle string tree replaces round string tree.
Spring 1957 Stratocaster :
Vinyl plastic knobs and pickup covers replace "bakelite".
1958 Stratocaster :
Sunburst finish changed to three colors (red added).
1959-1964 style Stratocaster
Mid 1959 Statocaster : Slab Rosewood fingerboard with white
"clay" position dots. Bottom of fingerboard (part glued to
maple) is flat. Celluloid "mint green" three layer pickguard,
with 11 attachment screws (some1959 transitional models have only 9 or 10
screws). Also a thin aluminum shield the size of the pickguard is
installed underneath the pickguard.
1961 Stratocaster :
Peghead decal logo now has 2 patent numbers (2,573,254 & 2,741,146)
1962 Stratocaster :
Peghead decal logo now has 3 patent numbers (2,960,900 added)
Mid 1962 Stratocaster :
Veneer Rosewood fingerboard. Bottom of fingerboard (part glued to maple)
is arched.
Fall 1964 Stratocaster :
Gold Fender peghead decal thicker than previous "spaghetti"
logo. Now has 4 patent numbers (3,143,028 added). Pearl fingerboard dots
replace "clay" dots. This transitions in with the smaller side
dots becoming pearl after the larger 1/4" top dots become pearl.
Plastic white three layer pickguard replaces celluloid.
Late 1965 Stratocaster :
Peghead design enlarged significantly. Maple fingerboard optional (2 piece
neck, no "skunk stripe"). Peghead decal logo now has 5 patent
numbers (2,817,261 added).
1966 Stratocaster :
Peghead decal has 3 patent numbers (2,741,146 & 3,143,028 & DES
169,062).
1968 Stratocaster :
Black Fender peghead decal with 2 patent numbers (2,741,146 &
3,143,028). "F" style tuning gears replaces "Kluson-Deluxe"
gears. Polyester thick finish replaces nitrocellulose lacquer.
1970 Stratocaster :
Peghead decal has 1 patent number (2,741,146).
Late 1971 Stratocaster :
3 bolt neck with micro-tilt replaces 4 bolt system. Die-cast 1 piece
chrome Mazac tremolo replaces 2 piece steel unit. Bridge saddles are now
cast with no stampings. 2nd string tree added on peghead to hold G and D
strings. "Bullet" truss rod adjusts at peghead instead of
butt-end of neck.
Mid 1974 Stratocaster :
Flush pole pickups replace staggered pole pickups.
1975 Stratocaster :
Black 3 layer pickguard, black knobs and black pickup covers. This color
change transitions in. That is, black pickguards with white knobs and
covers are seen first, followed by black pickguards and black knobs and
covers.
1976 Stratocaster :
Serial number moves to peghead decal.
1979 Stratocaster :
Last year for the "large" peghead. Starting in 1980, Fender
switches back to the (more attactive) small pre-CBS peghead style on most
models. |
Fender Amp
History
1909 - Leo is born, a
perfect pitch b bending to a c is heard when his umbilical cord is
plucked and stretched to approx. 25 inches!
1938 - Leo opens Fender Repair Service.
1945 - Joins with Doc Kauffman to sell amps for lap steel and lap
steels themselves (under K&F).
1946 - Fender Electric Instruments Co. is born. The woody deluxe
first emerges. So do the Professional, the Princeton and the Super
in’47.
1948 - The first tweed covered amps are born. Along comes the
Champ.
1951 - The first P-bass is introduced, it'll need a new amp.
1952 - The Bassman is released for the P-bass.
1952 - The Twin in it's not so burly early stage is released.
1953 - The Bandmaster.
1955 - The Tremolux, Harvard. (The Tremolux was the first
Fender with built in effect: Tremelo)
1956 - The Vibrolux.
1958 - The Twin gets its power boost to the traditional 80+ watt
range.
1959 - The Vibrasonic.
1960 - The Concert. (also the final year of the most sought after
Fender Narrow-panel Bassman)
1961 - Showman, Showman 12, showman 15, Harvard disc.
1962 - Double Showman.
1963 - Black face is the new look. The twin becomes the classic
we know today. The Super Reverb, Deluxe Reverb and Vibroverb all
emerge. (The Vibro Verb is the first Fender Amp with built in reverb)
1964 - Princeton Reverb, Super and Vibrasonic discontinued.
1965 - It's official as CBS takes over and Fender Musical
Instruments Co. is born. Bassman 50, Bassman 70. Concert disc.
1966 - Deluxe, Tremolux and Showman 12, all disc.
1968 - Bronco, Bandmaster Reverb, Dual Showman reverb. Dual
Showman and Showman 15 disc.
1969 - Super Bassman, Bassman 100, Bassman 135, Bantam Bass.
1970 - Musicmaster bass and 400 PS Bass.
1972 - Bassman 10, Vibrosonic Reverb, Super 6 reverb, Quad
reverb, Bantam Bass disc.
1974 - Bandmaster, Bronco, 400 PS Bass, all disc.
1975 - Super Twin, Super Twin Reverb.
1976 - 300 PS
1977 - Studio Bass
1978 - Super 6 reverb and Quad reverb disc.
1979 - Princeton and 300 PS disc.
1980 - Known only by their numbers, the 30, the 75 and the 140
(140 only lasts one year). Bandmaster Reverb, Dual Showman Reverb, Super
Twin, Super Twin reverb, Studio Bass, all disc.
1981 - Vibrosonic Reverb and the 30 disc.
1982 - Champ II, Super Champ, Concert, Bassman 20, RGP-1, RPW-1.
Pro Reverb, Super Reverb, Champ, Vibro Champ, Bassman 10, Vibrolux
Reverb, musicmaster Bass and the 75, all disc.
1983 - Champ II, Bassman, Bassman 20, Bassman 50, Bassman 70,
Super Bassman, Bassman 100, RGP-1 and RPW-1, all disc.
1986 - Deluxe Reverb, Deluxe reverb II, Princeton Reverb,
Princeton Reverb II, Super Champ, Twin Reverb and Twin Reverb II, all
disc.
1987 - The Twin, Twin-Amp, Champ 12, Dual showman, dual showman
reverb (thankfully short “Red Knob era begins). Concert disc.
1988 - Super 60, Super.
1990 - Super 112, ’59 bassman reissue, ’63 Vibroverb reissue.
1991 - Super 210, ’63 Twin Reverb reissue.
1992 - Champ 12 Super 112 and Super 210, all disc.
1993 - Vibro King, Tonemaster (custom shop for amps is
established). Dual Showman and Dual Showman Reverb bring Red knob era to
a close, as they are disc.
1994 - ’65 Deluxe Reverb reissue, ’63 Reverb Unit reissue, the
Concert returns, The new tweed series. Bronco, Pro Junior, Blues Deluxe,
Blues Deville.
1995 - Blues Junior, New “custom tube series established..
Vibrolux Reverb, Vibrasonic, Tweed Reverb, Prosonic (this was first
custom shop but quickly moved to the “custom” series), Rumble Bass (well
built, but short-lived challenge to the SVT), Custom Shop Dual
Professional. Around
1996-97 - Fender virtually stopped using Tweed on regular
production model tube amps. The Concert, Super and Super 60 had been
disc. The Blues Deluxe and Blues Deville got up-graded to Hot Rod status
with an extra foot switch-able lead boost added for a quasi-3rd channel.
These two guys along with the Blues Junior are the mainstays of Fender’s
current tube army. Fender hasn’t recently made any significant changes
in the tube line with their attention focusing on solid state and
digital technology. Rest assured though, they will not be neglecting
anytime soon the frail glowing bottles which has made then an industry
standard for 50 + years |
 A Brief History By the time Gibson began work on its first electric
guitar, the company had a 40-year tradition of quality and innovation to
uphold. The first Gibson electric had to be nothing less than the best
electric guitar the world had ever seen.
In the spring of 1935, Gibson enlisted musician Alvino Rey to help
develop a prototype pickup with engineers at the Lyon & Healy company in
Chicago. Later that year, research was moved in-house, where Gibson
employee Walter Fuller came up with the final design.
Gibson introduced the distinctive hexagonal pickup on a lap steel model
in late 1935. The pickup was installed on an F-hole archtop guitar,
dubbed the ES-150 (ES for Electric Spanish), and the first one shipped
from the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on May 20, 1936.
Was the ES-150 the best electric guitar that guitarists in 1936 had ever
seen? Jazz musician Charlie Christian, who would establish the electric
guitar as an instrument with its own unique voice, thought so. Sixty
years later, the Gibson ES-150 is still known as the Charlie Christian
model, and some jazz players consider the ES-150's "Charlie Christian"
pickup to be the best jazz pickup ever made.
The ES-150's success was a double-edged sword, establishing Gibson as
the foremost maker of electric guitars but at the same time challenging
Gibson to top this monumental achievement. After a production break for
World War II, Gibson did just that.
In the years after World War II, the electric guitar came of age and
Gibson entered a golden of age of innovation. The P-90 pickup,
introduced in 1946, gave guitarists new power and versatility. Under the
aggressive leadership of company president Ted McCarty, Gibson debuted
two new concepts in 1949 with the ES-5, the first three-pickup guitar,
and the ES-175, the first guitar with a sharply pointed cutaway bout.
The advent of the solidbody electric guitar posed a new challenge for
Gibson. Like the ES-150 in 1936, Gibson's first solidbody electric had
to uphold Gibson tradition while going a step beyond all other guitars
of its kind. A carved contoured top harkened back to the very first
Orville Gibson instruments of the late 1800s, and a gold finish
signified a value above all others. With the endorsement of the most
popular guitarist of the time, Gibson introduced the Les Paul Model in
1952. The Les Paul quickly grew into a family of four models-the Junior,
Special, Standard and Custom-all of which would become Gibson classics.
 Gibson's top models sported McCarty's new tune-o-matic bridge, which was
introduced on the Les Paul Custom in 1954 and is still the standard
Gibson electric guitar bridge. In 1958 McCarty debuted not one, but two
radical new ideas-a semi-hollowbody electric and a group of exotic,
futuristic solidbodies. The ES-335 was an instant success, combining
traditional archtop styling with modern, solidbody construction. The
Flying V, Explorer and Moderne proved to be decades ahead of their time.
Gibson pushed on into the 1960s with two more bold, modern solidbody
lines-the double-cutaway SG models of '61 and the reverse-body Firebirds
of '63. By the time the McCarty era ended in 1965, a foundation of
classic models had been laid that would carry Gibson through the rest of
the century.
The home of Gibson electric guitars today is "Gibson USA," built in 1974
in Nashville specifically for the production of Gibson's Les Paul
guitars. Although the entire guitar industry went through a slump in the
late '70s, the spirit of innovation remained strong at Gibson. In
response to a growing demand for vintage stylings, Gibson tapped its
rich history and reissued the dot-neck version of the ES-335 in 1981 and
the flametop sunburst Les Paul in 1982. At the same time, two legendary
guitarists joined Gibson- B.B. King in 1980 with the Lucille model and
Chet Atkins in 1982 with his new concept of a solidbody acoustic guitar.
Gibson world headquarters moved to Nashville in 1984 with the closing of
the Kalamazoo plant. The financially troubled company was rescued in
January 1986 by Henry Juszkiewicz and David Berryman, and the new owners
quickly restored Gibson's reputation for quality as well as its
profitability.
Today's Gibson electric guitars represent the history as well as the
future of the electric guitar. The models whose designs have become
classics-the ES-175, ES-335, Flying V, Explorer, Firebird, SGs and Les
Pauls-are a testament to Gibson's wide appeal, spanning more than four
decades of music styles. Gibson's close relationship with musicians is
manifest in endorsement models from King, Atkins and jazz greats Howard
Roberts and Herb Ellis, plus new Les Pauls made to the personal
specifications of rock stars Jimmy Page and Joe Perry. In 1994, Gibson's
Centennial year, the new Nighthawk model won an industry award for
design, setting the stage for a second hundred years of Gibson quality
and innovation.
Brought to you by Gibson Musical Instruments and the Gibson Internet
Services Department. Copyright 1997 Gibson Guitar Corp. 1818 Elm Hill
Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37210 USA. All rights reserved.
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