Fender Statocasters are one of the worlds most widely known and used guitars. Their history starts in 1953 when Leo Fender was looking to create “the guitar of the future.” It was at this time that he first began designing this guitar with the help of long time friend George Fullerton. Fender had already produced the famous Telecaster at this time but was looking to outdo all other guitar manufacturers and make all the other electric guitars obsolete.
The Stratocaster featured an advanced built in vibrato, or whammy bar, three single-coil pickups, two tone knobs, one volume knob, and a switch to select pickup combinations. However, perhaps the most innovative feature of the Stratocaster was its body design. The Stratocaster had a double cutaway to allow for easier access to the higher frets on the fretboard. This unique shape continued on for years to come and is today, along with the Les Paul, one of the most popular electric guitar body shapes.
The name “Stratocaster” was given to this famous instrument by a business partner of Fender, Don Randall. In mid May of 1954 the world saw finally saw the Stratocaster when the first few commercial units were shipped. From this the Stratocaster would go on to become famous and be used my many musicians such as: