Weapon Of Choice: Why The Stratocaster Survives
Quick: Name an American product that's had a worldwide impact, is more popular than ever, yet still looks the same as it did when it was introduced more than a half-century ago? Here's a hint: It might be the only musical instrument whose fame rivals that of the people who've played it.
The Fender Stratocaster turned 60 last year. When it came out of the factory in 1954, it didn't sound — or look — like any other guitar. Leo Fender's small company was looking to improve the Telecaster, its groundbreaking solid-body electric, first introduced three years earlier. But far more than a tweak here or there, Fender created an entirely new instrument that's become almost synonymous with the phrase "electric guitar."
"If you were gonna draw an electric guitar from your mind's eye, most people would draw a Stratocaster as the shape," says Justin Norvell, Fender's Vice President of Marketing. "But the thing that connects people to that guitar and that shape is the music they grew up on."
The Stratocaster had a distinctive voice thanks in part to its three pickups, the wire-coiled magnets that transmit string vibrations to the amplifier. Most electric guitars at that time had one or two. Fender also designed a new vibrato — the metal arm at the end of the strings that allows player to vary their pitch.
With those features and that supersonic, solid body shape, you'd think the guitar would have flown out of music stores. But Richard Smith, an author and the curator of the Fender Collection at the Fullerton Museum Center in California, says it wasn't an easy sell.
"It was so radically different in so many ways," Smith says. "It's important to note that it wasn't really that popular initially."
Stratocasters hit stores in Spring 1954, but the first didn't sell until that summer. Leo Fender himself had given early models to country-western swing guitarists for their input. But something new was brewing across the country when the Stratocaster was introduced.
"When rock 'n' roll arrived, the tools for making it already existed," Smith says. "You didn't have to invent a guitar to play rock 'n' roll on, 'cause it already was there."
The Strat wasn't just for rock or country players, though. "We can't understate, I don't think, the versatility of an instrument that was adopted by the guitar players with both Lawrence Welk and Pink Floyd," says writer Tom Wheeler.
Wheeler is the author of The Fender Archives and several other books about the company and its products, and says the guitar caught on all over the musical map. One of keys to the Stratocaster's success was the way Fender advertised it.
"In other companies' catalogs you would see professional players, wearing a business suit and wingtip shoes or whatever, sitting on a stool in a studio, playing an expensive guitar," Wheeler says. Open a Fender catalog from the '60s, though, and you'd see "girls in bikinis and guys in board shorts, with surfboards in the background, sitting around a campfire."
Fender doesn't really know how many Strats have been produced since that first one sold in the summer of 1954, but the company does say the Stratocaster is the foundation of its business. Through six decades of musical, technological and cultural change, an innovative design in the hands of talented players has helped the Strat not only persevere, but rule. Think of the names: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and, of course, Jimi Hendrix.
"That's just probably the greatest 22 minutes, or whatever the hell that is, of Strat in history," says Nils Lofgren, talking about side 4 of the Hendrix album Electric Ladyland. Lofgren himself switched to a Strat early in his career. Today, he's Bruce Springsteen's longtime guitar player and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"You know, there's just so many great guitars," Lofgren says. "But for me, iconically and just practically, if somebody gave me one choice I'd pick up the Strat to walk out in front of any audience."
Now that's a birthday compliment any 60-year old would appreciate.
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Transcript
ERIC WESTERVELT, HOST:
Here's a question. What do all these songs have in common?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONGS, "MISIRLOU," "NOWHERE MAN, "VOODOO CHILD, "SMOKE ON THE WATER," "LAYLA," "S.O.S.," "TEXAS FLOOD," "TALK ABOUT LOVE," "WHERE WERE YOU," "GET LUCKY")
WESTERVELT: You're hearing the many sounds of the Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. The all-American instrument has had a worldwide impact, is more popular than ever and looks pretty much the way it did when it was introduced more than half a century ago. In fact, the Strat recently celebrated its 60th birthday. Guitarist and NPR music librarian Robert Goldstein shares his appreciation for the iconic guitar.
ROBERT GOLDSTEIN, BYLINE: The Stratocaster didn't sound or look like any other guitar when it came out of the factory in 1954. Leo Fender's small company was looking to improve the Telecaster, its groundbreaking, solid body electric first introduced three years earlier. Far more than a tweak here or there, Fender created an entirely new instrument that's become almost synonymous with the phrase electric guitar.
JUSTIN NORVELL: If you were going to draw an electric guitar from your mind's eye, most people would draw a Stratocaster as a shape.
GOLDSTEIN: Justin Norvell is Fender's vice president of marketing.
NORVELL: But the thing that connects people to that guitar and that shape is the music that they grew up on.
(SOUNDBITE OF JIMI HENDRIX SONG, "PURPLE HAZE")
GOLDSTEIN: The Stratocaster had a distinctive voice, thanks in part to its three pickups. Those are the wire coiled magnets that transmit string vibrations to the guitar amplifier. Most electric guitars at that time had one or two. Fender also designed a new vibrato, the metal arm at the end of the strings that allows a player to vary their pitch. Then, there was that supersonic, solid body shape. With all of these features, you'd think the guitar would have flown out of music stores. But it didn't, says Richard Smith.
RICHARD SMITH: It wasn't an easy sell because it was so radically different in so many ways. So it's important to note that it wasn't really that popular initially.
GOLDSTEIN: Smith is an author and the curator of the Fender Collection at the Fullerton Museum Center in California. Stratocasters hit stores in spring, 1954, but the first didn't sell until that summer. Leo Fender himself had given early models to country-western swing guitarists for their input. But something musically new was brewing across the country when the Stratocaster was introduced.
SMITH: When rock 'n roll arrived, the tools for making it already existed. They didn't have to invent a guitar to play rock 'n roll on because it already was there.
(SOUNDBITE OF BUDDY HOLLY SONG, "PEGGY SUE")
GOLDSTEIN: The Strat wasn't just for rock or country players says Tom Wheeler, author of "The Fender Archives," and several other books about the company and its product.
TOM WHEELER: We can't understate, I think, the versatility of an instrument that was adopted by the guitar players, with both Lawrence Welk and Pink Floyd.
(SOUNDBITE OF PINK FLOYD SONG, "COMFORTABLY NUMB")
GOLDSTEIN: Another key to the Stratocaster's success was how Fender advertised it.
WHEELER: In other companies' catalogs, you would see professional players wearing a business suit and, you know, wingtip shoes or whatever, sitting on a stool in a studio, playing an expensive guitar.
GOLDSTEIN: Open a Fender catalog from the 1960s, and you saw girls in bikinis and guys in board shorts with surfboards in the background, sitting around a campfire.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SURFIN' U.S.A.")
THE BEACH BOYS: (Singing) If everybody had an ocean across the U.S.A., then everybody'd be surfin' like Caloforni-a.
GOLDSTEIN: Surprisingly, Fender doesn't really know how many Strats have been produced since that first one sold in summer, 1954, but says the Stratocaster is the foundation of its business. Through six decades of musical, technological and cultural change, the combination of innovative design in the hands of talented players has helped the Strat not only persevere, but rule. Think of the names, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan and, of course, Jimi Hendrix.
(SOUNDBITE OF JIMI HENDRIX SONG, "HOUSE BURNING DOWN")
NILS LOFGREN: That's just probably the greatest 22 minutes, or whatever the hell that side is, of Strat in history.
GOLDSTEIN: That's Nils Lofgren, and he's talking about side four of the Hendrix album "Electric Ladyland." Lofgren himself switched to a Strat early in his career. Today he's Bruce Springsteen's longtime guitar player and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
LOFGREN: You know, there's just so many great guitars, but for me, iconically and just practically, if somebody gave me one choice I'd pick up the Strat to walk out in front of any audience.
GOLDSTEIN: Now that's a birthday complement any 60-year-old would appreciate. Robert Goldstein, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF JIMI HENDRIX SONG, "HOUSE BURNING DOWN")
WESTERVELT: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. BJ Leiderman composed our theme music. I'm Eric Westervelt.
(SOUNDBITE OF JIMI HENDRIX SONG, "HOUSE BURNING DOWN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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