There are many guitars that are considered to be "performers" guitars; meaning that they are thought to be among the best and most known models from their respective companies. There are none more so than the famous Fender Stratocaster, Even just the name Fender is a highly recognisable term in the music industry and is often the company that a non-musician would say first if asked to name one. There are a vast array of musicians from past and present that have used the Fender Stratocaster almost exclusively. The list includes names such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, John Frusciante (RHCP), Rory Gallagher and the list goes on. As I shall explain, there is good reason for this as the Strat has many unique and sought after qualities, particularly in the world of blues rock.
Clean tone
The Stratocaster uses Fender's single coil pickups, which allow the user to choose between the five settings depending on how they want the tone to sound. The standard and traditional Stratocaster models have three pickups and so depending on how you want your piece to sound you can employ the use of each one or a combination of them at a time. Using only the bottom pickup will give the electrified sound a more treble-like and "twangy" feel. Moving to the middle or the top pickups
will give the guitar a fuller sound and a higher bass-treble ratio. Furthermore, there are two dials on the body that also control the tone and the pickup distribution and these also work alongside the pickup settings to create a more perfected and individual sound. It is for these reasons that the Stratocaster is such a versatile instrument and has been used in so many genres throughout its history.
Shape design practicality
The design of the Stratocaster is iconic and unique yet quite simple in essence. It was designed in this way for the benefit of the user. Firstly, the shape is aesthetic and due to its clean curves and non-symmetrical structure it looks good while the guitarist is performing. Secondly, the cutaway on the playing side of the neck is deliberate. It allows the user to get higher up the neck with more ease and thus is very popular in the world of blues and with a certain Mr. Clapton. In addition, the reason that the two "horns" protrude from the top of the body in the way that they do is so that a strap may be added (one side clipping to the peg on the base of the body and the other to the longer "horn"). This is extremely practical as there is little to no chance of the strap slipping off due to the way the weight of the guitar is distributed. Finally, the socket for the lead that would connect the guitar to an amplifier is in a slowly declining slot on the face of the body which means that the lead takes less wear and tear than in the traditional slot where the jack plug would poke straight out and then the lead would trail at a ninety degree angle. This also looked better as the guitar and lead seemed to fit together more naturally and therefore gave the appearance of professionalism.
Summary
In conclusion, the Stratocaster is a well rounded and versatile instrument and is such documented with its continual usage throughout the history of electrified music. It is likely that it will be used for many years to come and although there have been many limited editions of the Strat and adjustments, the overall look and design has barely changed. I myself have a cheap Strat and I feel that it is a beautiful instrument. The ability to change its sound down to such a small difference gives me my personal sound and makes everybody's Strat its own unique sound.
*Disclaimer:All images sourced from Google Images
