Its Beginnings:
Shortly after the emergence of the ground breaking electric solidbody Precision Bass guitar in 1951.. Leo earnestly began a promising new prototype guitar in 1952.. with more advanced electronics, a pitch wavering bridge assembly and the new extented upper horn for better balance. Charley Hayes, their favorite salesman in the field, was asking for a similar mechanical device to Merle Travis' popular new Paul Bigsby Vibrato then being seen on the Western and swing bandstands.. This coupled with other players needs bore out the necessity for another more advanced instrument. The time was ripe for something new and more functional. This smart but radical prototype was a test bed for a culmination of new ideas to make the nearly perfect guitar.
THREE PICKUPS
According to my interviews with Leo, the natural progression to three pickups evolved from the sheer possibility and the 3-way switches already in use on his earlier multiple neck steel guitars and the Esquire/Telecaster models. Gibson had their fancy three pickup acoustic-electric ES-5, the "supreme electronic" version of the renown L-5 jazzbox. It was on the market as early as 1949, so why not have a Fender solidbody guitar with three. His narrow width pickups facilitated easier picking in between compared to the wider P-90 equipped Gibson.
CONTROLS
Leo once again slanted the lead pickup for balanced output of frequencies and added another tone control for the center pickup. The simple contol layout was very close to the picking area, yet out of the way for strumming.. and right below the treble pickup and bridge assembly for easy access. This proximity also facilitated the novel volume swell techniques some players did.
SHAPE
Ergonomics became paramount on every facet of the new instrument. Advancements in the body shape was in the plans from the very start. Using the Precision Basses upper horn design to center the guitars stance was a natural progression for Leo. Compared to his other new solidbody's almost sharp edges, this was a more comfortable 3/8" rounded edge routing on the earliest triple pickup prototyes.
CONTOURING
After valuable input from professional players like BIll Carson and Rex Gallion, the new "comfort contouring" soon arrived. Worn Telecasters easily showed the nomal body wear on the edge from the right arm. Developing the relieved surface edges enabled the players body to snug in close the the guitar. "It fits better to your body like a well tailored shirt should", said Bill Carson. He was the first to point that out to Leo while playing their experimental contoured prototypes. Shortly thereafter, while Bill was out on tour, Leo and Rex Gallion perfected the final ideas for what today is the most comfortable guitar in the world.
LAUNCHING
The embryonic Stratocaster actually had a false start.. the initial production in early 1953 was halted due to an ineffective and costly shelved vibrato design. Its lateral vibrations sounded like a funky banjo according to Leo's partner George Fullerton. Once they completely redesigned the vibrato with Leo's new assistant Freddie Tavares, early 1954 samples were being sent out to various dealers for player feedback.
THE NAME
When searching for a new model name for the guitar, Don Randall, Leo's busness partner and "super salesman" soon came up with a good idea - going up to a higher altitude above the radio broadcasting and television waves.. to the stratosphere.
ENDORSEMENTS
Leo gave Eldon Shamblin with the famous Bob Will's band, a gold '54 model which he toured America with. They were staunch Fender amp endorsers and this gave the Strat a good launch in the Western Swing field. Buddy Merrill with the Lawrence Welk Show Orchestra also gave it major TV exposure during the mid-fifties. Buddy Holly's unforgetable performance on the Ed Sullivan Show was also a major breakthrough for the new Stratocaster.
PRODUCTION
Routing eight quarter thick ash bodies and constructng detachable solid maple necks (with a truss reinforcing rod) simply created the modular solidbody Fender. The early models were somewhat primitive in construction to the more refined 1955 production models. Ash grain ribbing was apparent on the back contours and around the horns until small wooden sanding blocks were utilized. The 1954 headstocks had rounded edges as on the early Telecaster and Precision models.
PLASTICS
Fender also had a real problem with the plastic parts on the first 1954 versions. The parts were made of an experimental thermo plastic (NOT BAKELITE) that "would break like a darn icesicle" according to Leo. Although many collectors and dealers irroneously refer to this plastic as such, is was not made with phenole like the true Bakelite as used only on the Tele and steel guitar switch tips. Variations occurred with this primitive plastic and some were translucent with a beautiful swirled effect. Many players for years called them ceramic parts because of their glossy sheen. This early material was soon changed to a less brittle thermo plastic in late 1954 that would just slowly wear away over the years.
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