FEATURES ✅ Classic or Standard Fender Stratocaster: Woods, Bridge, Fretboard Radius, and Pickup Selector Use.
Following the success of the Fender Telecaster, in 1951 Leo embarked on a new project to add new features and improvements to his previous design.
The main objectives for the new model were to adapt the body of the new guitar, to increase its comfort, and the versatility of its sound. And in 1954 the Fender Stratocaster was launched on the market.
Woods in Fender Stratocaster
The Classic Woods used to build the Fender Stratocaster are the same as those used for the Telecaster. Alder for the body, maple for the neck, and either maple or rosewood for the fingerboard. This would the most traditional woods, but due to the current scarcity of rosewood, it is replaced by Laurel Indio in the Fender Standard series.
Scale length is 25.5 inches, characteristic of the most popular Fender models, and the joint between the neck and the body is Bolt-On. One of the advantages of a bolt-on joint is that if we had problems with the neck, or for example we wanted to change the neck for another one with different woods, or with fingerboard of a different radius, its replacement would be very simple.
Originally, both the telecaster and the stratocaster could be found with a very curved fingerboard radius of 7.25 inches. But today the standard fingerboard radius is 9.5 inches, with a consequently softer curve, and both models have a long scale length of 25.5 inches.
How to Use the Fender Stratocaster Pickup Selector Switch
The classic Strat Pickup Selector has five positions:
Placing the switch forward activates the neck pickup, or bass pickup, with a warm sound.
Placing the switch backwards activates the bridge, or treble, pickup with a penetrating sound.
With the selector in the center, the middle pickup is activated, with a sound that is obviously less warm than the neck pickup, but less sharp than the bridge pickup.
Placing the switch between the middle and neck pickup positions, both pickups are activated. This selection gives us a very balanced sound, and the “quack” sound so characteristic of the Stratocaster model appears. As a result, the sound is elegant, but with the characteristic “quack” sound.
Switching the selector between the middle and bridge pickup positions activates these two pickups. This selector position offers a sound quite similar to the previous one, although more intense and penetrating.
The traditional Fender Stratocaster features a master volume control, a tone control for the neck and middle pickups, and a single tone control for the bridge pickup.
Puente Vintage Stratocaster
The classic Stratocaster bridge is a semi-floating bridge with individual saddles, to adjust each string in height and intonation. Being a traditional tremolo bridge, it is not by any means a high-performance tremolo like the Floyd Rose, so its use should be carried out sparingly.
In any case, we can optimize the performance of this type of bridge by using lubricant on the saddles, nut and guides of the headstock. Or directly mount saddles, nut and guides made of sliding materials such as Graphtech. It would also be a good idea to use locking tuners to ensure stability in tuning, as the strings are loosened by the tremolo system.
As I said at the beginning, Fender was looking for an instrument that was not only versatile but also comfortable. As a result, they implemented a belly cut to the Fender Stratocaster, and a arm rest in the front.
