The Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo , or simply Floyd Rose , is a type of locking vibrato arm for a guitar . Floyd D. Rose invented the locking vibrato in 1976, the first of its kind, and it is now manufactured by a company of the same name. The Floyd Rose gained popularity in the 1980s through guitarists like Eddie Van Halen , Neal Schon , Brad Gillis , Joe Satriani , Steve Vai , and Alex Lifeson , who used its ability to stay in tune even with extreme changes in pitch. Its tuning stability comes through the double-locking design that has been widely regarded as revolutionary; the design has been listed on Guitar World ' s "10 Most Earth Shaking Guitar Innovations" and Guitar Player ' s "101 Greatest Moments in Guitar History 1979–1983."
67-492: Floyd D. Rose first started working on what became the Floyd Rose Tremolo in 1976. He was playing in a rock band at the time, inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple . He frequently used the vibrato bar but could not make his guitars stay in tune using traditional approaches like lubricating the nut , or winding the strings as little as possible around the tuning pegs. At the time, Rose made and sold jewelry, and so had
134-543: A 12" radius. Fender has produced various 'deluxe' modern American Stratocasters with special features. The Strat Plus was produced from 1987 to 1999 and was equipped with Lace Sensor pickups, a roller nut, locking tuners, a TBX tone control and a Hipshot tremsetter. The Strat Plus Deluxe was introduced in 1989 with pickup and tremolo variations. The Strat Ultra was introduced in 1990, again with pickup variations, and also with an ebony fingerboard. The Fender Custom Shop produced an entry level, team built Stratocaster that
201-454: A distinctive headstock with six tuning pegs mounted inline along a single side; the fingerboard may be maple or another wood, e.g., rosewood , and has at least twenty-one frets . The Stratocaster's body is front- routed for electronics, which are mounted in a plastic pickguard . Most Stratocasters have three single-coil pickups , a pickup selector switch , one volume control and two tone controls. Bridges generally come in two designs:
268-516: A number of patents on floating bridge design: Floyd D. Rose Floyd D. Rose (born 1948 ) is an American musician and engineer who invented the Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo System in the late 1970s, eventually founding a company of the same name to manufacture and license his products. This double locking system was notable for its ability to stay in tune despite repeated use and wide variations in pitch. His design
335-520: A rosewood fretboard, and maple fretboards would not be re-introduced in large numbers until 1970. In 1960, the available custom colors were standardized with a paint chip chart, many of which were Duco automobile lacquer colors from DuPont available at an additional 5% cost. Inter-departmental DuPont support research provided a flexible basecoat for their wood applications. A single-ply, eight-screw hole white pickguard (changed to an 11-hole three-ply in late 1959) held all electronic components except
402-588: A seven-song demo. Later that same year, the band recorded their debut album, Steel the Light , which was re-released the following year on the Music for Nations label. The band's follow-up album, When the Mirror Cracks , took a more commercial approach, but failed to achieve the level of success of their previous release. The band disbanded shortly after. Strat Plus The Fender Stratocaster , colloquially known as
469-545: A spaced humbucking pair, which significantly reduces 50/60 cycle hum. Fender introduced a five-way selector in 1977, making such pickup combinations more stable. The "quacky" or "doinky" tone of the bridge and middle pickups in parallel, popularized by players such as Jimi Hendrix , Eric Clapton , Stevie Ray Vaughan , David Gilmour , Rory Gallagher , Mark Knopfler , Bob Dylan , Eric Johnson , Nile Rodgers , George Harrison , Scott Thurston , Ronnie Wood , John Mayer , Ed King , Robert Cray , can be obtained by using
536-445: A special mechanism at the nut (green in the diagram) as well as at the bridge (turquoise in the diagram), hence "double-locking". Position II illustrates the position of the bridge when the vibrato arm is pushed down towards the guitar body. The bridge rotates around a pivot point counter-clockwise and the tension in each string decreases, lowering the pitch of each string. The sound of any notes being played becomes flat . While
603-406: A tone control that incorporates a single, shared tone capacitor, whereas the bridge pickup, which is slanted towards the high strings for a more trebly sound, has no tone control for maximum brightness. On many modern Stratocasters, the first tone control affects the neck pickup; the second tone control affects the middle and bridge pickups; on some Artist Series models Buddy Guy signature guitar),
670-447: Is considerable debate about the effects on tone and sustain of the material used in the vibrato system's 'inertia bar' and many aftermarket versions are available. The Stratocaster features three single coil pickups , with the output originally selected by a 3-way switch. Guitarists soon discovered that by positioning the switch in between the first and second position, both the bridge and middle pickups could be selected, and similarly,
737-427: Is slightly stronger than the tension of the strings, the tremolo always rests flush with the body. In this set-up, a broken string has no effect on the pitch of the other strings, as the reduced overall string tension from the broken string doesn't make the bridge move, since it already presses against the body of the guitar. This also allows fitting a device to the bridge that can drop the low E-string down to D to extend
SECTION 10
#1733084758434804-574: The Fender Showman amplifier . In the early 1960s, the instrument was also championed by Hank Marvin , guitarist for the Shadows , a band that originally backed Cliff Richard and then produced instrumentals of its own. In December 1964, George Harrison and John Lennon acquired Stratocasters and used them for " Help! ", and onwards. The double unison guitar solo on " Nowhere Man ", was played by Harrison and Lennon on their new Stratocasters. After
871-688: The Gibson Les Paul , Gibson SG , and Fender Telecaster , it is one of the most-often emulated electric guitar shapes. The guitar introduced into the popular market several features that were innovative for electric guitars in the mid-1950s. The distinctive body shape, which has become commonplace among electric guitars, was revolutionary for the time period, and for the first time a mass-market electric guitar did not significantly resemble earlier acoustic models. The double cutaway, elongated horns, and heavily contoured back were all designed for better balance and comfort to play while standing up and slung off
938-574: The Jaguar . During the CBS era, particularly the 1970s, the perceived quality of Fender instruments fell. During this time, vintage instruments from the pre-CBS era became popular. When the Fender company was bought from CBS by a group of investors and employees headed by Bill Schultz in 1985, manufacturing resumed its former high quality, and Fender was able to regain market share and brand reputation. Dan Smith, with
1005-528: The Strat , is a model of electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender , Bill Carson , George Fullerton , and Freddie Tavares . The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously manufactured the Stratocaster since 1954. It is a double- cutaway guitar, with an extended top "horn" shape for balance. "Stratocaster" and "Strat" are trademark terms belonging to Fender. Guitars that duplicate
1072-709: The Strat Plus Deluxe , the USA Contemporary Stratocaster, and the Strat Ultra . Fender used the Floyd Rose-designed locking vibrato system on certain humbucker-equipped American Deluxe and Showmaster models until 2007. In 2005, distribution of the Floyd Rose Original reverted to Floyd Rose, whereas the patented designs were licensed to other manufacturers to use. Position I illustrates
1139-486: The "Original Contour Body" ) differed from the flat, squared edge design of the Telecaster . The Stratocaster's double cutaways allowed players easier access to higher positions on the neck. The first model offered for sale was the 1954 Fender Stratocaster. The design featured a solid, deeply contoured ash body, a 21-fret one-piece maple neck with black dot inlays, and Kluson SafeTi String post tuning machines. The color
1206-614: The 1980s. Yamaha made their "Rocking Magic" series of tremolos until the early 1990s. Kahler produced the renowned "Steeler," "Killer," and "Spyder" variants during the 1980s while developing their own cam-based Kahler Tremolo System for which they are best known for today. Notably, courts found that the Kahler Tremolo System infringed on Floyd Rose's patents, and awarded a judgment in excess of $ 100 million against Gary Kahler. In January 1991, Kramer's exclusive distribution agreement with Rose ended when Fender announced they would be
1273-462: The Fender Stratocasters manufactured were made in a single year, in 1979. The increased 1970s production levels saw a gradual departure from the high quality instruments of the 1960s and the introduction of Japanese manufacturers into the market. Original Stratocasters were manufactured with five vibrato springs (three in late 1953 prototypes) attached to a milled inertia block and anchored to
1340-475: The Floyd Rose "1000 Series", is based on the original Floyd Rose. Original producer of the production tremolos Fernandes Guitars went on to produce their "Headcrasher" and subsequent "FRT"-series versions for their own brand of guitars until 1997. Takeuchi produced licensed tremolos for Japanese-built Ibanez , Jackson , Charvel , Yamaha , Fernandes, Aria Guitars , and Washburn guitars, among others, until
1407-775: The Highway One and American Special Stratocasters) and the more expensive American Ultra Stratocaster (successor to the American Elite Stratocaster). Fender has also manufactured guitars in East Asia, notably Japan, and in Mexico, where the affordable Player (successor to Standard) series guitars are built. In addition to the Player series, Fender has also released the Player Plus series that features noiseless pickups, locking tuners, and
SECTION 20
#17330847584341474-414: The Stratocaster by other manufacturers are sometimes called S-Type or ST-type guitars. Many prominent rock musicians have been associated with the Stratocaster for use in studio recording and live performances , most notably Eric Clapton , Buddy Holly , David Gilmour , Mark Knopfler , Jimi Hendrix , Stevie Ray Vaughan , John Frusciante , Jeff Beck , George Harrison , and Tom Petty . Along with
1541-418: The back of the body. The novel mechanism pivots on a fulcrum design with a six screw bridge plate, allowing the whole set-up to "float" while transferring the strings' energy directly into the body. Though advertised as "Tremolo" (a change in volume amplitude), vibrato is the correct term for pitch variation. In the floating position, players can move the bridge-mounted vibrato tremolo arm up or down to modulate
1608-419: The bridge when the vibrato arm is pulled up away from the guitar body. The bridge rotates clockwise, the tension in the strings increases, the pitch of the sound increases and so notes sound sharper than normal. Due to the limitations on the assembly's movement imposed by the guitar's body, the amount of available pitch change is much larger when the bar is depressed than when it is lifted. Note that when using
1675-478: The bridges by hand. Kramer's guitar models with the Floyd Rose bridge became very popular, leading them to drop the earlier Rockinger vibrato in favor of the Floyd Rose between June 1982 and January 1983. The Floyd Rose design's popularity led to other companies making similar bridges, thus violating the patent. To combat this Floyd Rose and Kramer went on to make licensing agreements with other manufacturers, and there are now several different models available based on
1742-418: The design over the years and models with features that differ from the archetypical design. However, the essential character of the design has remained constant. The Stratocaster was the first Fender guitar to feature three pickups and a spring tension vibrato system , as well as being the first Fender with a contoured body. The Stratocaster's sleek, contoured body shape (officially referred to by Fender as
1809-703: The double-locking design. Because the bridges and nuts were no longer hand-made it was necessary to update the design, and the bridges were changed to add a set of tuners that allow for fine-tuning the guitar after the strings are locked at the nut. The licensed units made by other manufacturers were stamped "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Patents" or similar. By the mid 1980s OEM units were supplied directly, made exclusively by Schaller, GmbH, of Germany. Eventually OEM units were made in Korea. The OEM unit, to this day, continues to be made in Germany, by Schaller, GmbH. A Korean model, designated,
1876-419: The early 1980s, Rose was playing guitar in a Seattle area hard rock band named C.O.R.E. Eventually, he and vocalist Scott Palmerton (also known as Jonathan K.) left the band in order to form Q5 . They were joined by guitarist Rick Pierce, bassist Evan Sheeley and drummer Gary Thompson from another local band named TKO . In 1983, the band gained the attention of the rock band Heart 's management team and recorded
1943-452: The early 1980s. Many popular artists quickly adopted the device, making it difficult to measure how much each individual artist contributed to that popularity. Most sources consider Eddie Van Halen a pioneer of Floyd Rose usage. Other players frequently cited as influential Floyd Rose users are Steve Vai , Joe Satriani , Kirk Hammett , Brad Gillis , Tom Morello , Allan Holdsworth , Dimebag Darrell and Synyster Gates . Floyd Rose holds
2010-610: The finest to ever leave Fender's Fullerton plant, which closed its doors in late 1984. In 1985, Fender's US production of the Vintage reissues resumed into a new 14,000 square feet (1,300 m ) factory at Corona, California, located about 20 miles (32 km) away from Fullerton. Some early reissues from 1986 were crafted with leftover parts from the Fullerton factory. Fender released their first Stratocaster signature guitar for Eric Clapton in 1988. A popular Fender Reissue Stratocaster
2077-405: The first tone control is a presence circuit that cuts or boosts treble and bass frequencies, affecting all the pickups; the second tone control is an active midrange booster that boosts the midrange frequencies up to 25 dB (12 dB on certain models) to produce a fatter humbucker -like sound. Dick Dale was a prominent Stratocaster player who also collaborated with Leo Fender in developing
Floyd Rose - Misplaced Pages Continue
2144-442: The floating bridge has an excessive propensity to detune guitars. These guitarists inhibit the bridge's movement with a chunk of wood wedged between the bridge block and the inside cutout of the tremolo cavity, and by increasing the tension on the tremolo springs; these procedures lock the bridge in a fixed position. Some Stratocasters have a fixed bridge in place of the vibrato assembly; these are colloquially called "hard-tails". There
2211-406: The guitar. Various other companies have produced their own Strat-style bodies known as Superstrats . The archetypal Stratocaster is a solid-body electric guitar with a contoured asymmetric double-cutaway body with an extended upper horn; the body is usually made from alder or ash. The neck is usually made from maple and attached to the body with screws (often referred to as " bolts ") and has
2278-552: The help of John Page, proceeded to work on a reissue of the most popular guitars of Leo Fender's era. They decided to manufacture two Vintage reissue Stratocaster models, the one-piece maple neck 1957 and a rosewood-fretboard 1962 along with the maple-neck 1952 Telecaster, the maple-neck 1957 and rosewood-fretboard 1962 Precision Basses, as well as the rosewood-fretboard "stacked knob" 1962 Jazz Bass. These first few years (1982–1984) of reissues, known as American Vintage Reissues, are now high-priced collector's items and considered as some of
2345-499: The instrument has a tendency to go out of tune during double-stop string bends. Many Stratocaster players opt to tighten the springs (or even increase the number of springs used) so that the bridge is firmly anchored against the guitar body: in this configuration, the vibrato arm can still be used to slacken the strings and therefore lower the pitch, but it cannot be used to raise the pitch (a configuration sometimes referred to as "dive-only"). Some players, such as Ronnie Wood , feel that
2412-578: The introduction of the Fender Stratocaster Ultra series in 1989, ebony was officially selected as a fretboard material on some models (although several Elite Series Stratocasters manufactured in 1983/84 such as the Gold and Walnut were available with a stained ebony fretboard). In December 1965 the Stratocaster was given a broader headstock with altered decals to match the size of the Jazzmaster and
2479-404: The late 1960s. His remarkable playing style and musical prowess led to a dramatic increase in sales and thrust the Stratocaster into musical history as the premier electric guitar. As they followed Jimi Hendrix's popularity on TV, CBS asked for the word Stratocaster on the headstock be made larger so that people could read the model name easily. Between the years 1954 and 1979, nearly a quarter of
2546-452: The late 1970s, Fender stopped shipping guitars with the bridge cover plate, though some more modern reissue and custom shop models still have them. The innovative tremolo system is balanced by springs mounted in a rear cavity. The output jack is mounted in a recess in the front of the guitar body. Many different colors have been available. The Stratocaster's scale length is 25.5 inches (648 mm). There have been some minor changes to
2613-442: The mid 2000s. They also made lower-cost units for Ibanez's entry-level guitars up to 2010. Gotoh made their own licensed tremolo as a direct replacement for an Original Floyd Rose and also supplied theirs as an OEM unit to Aria Guitars and Ibanez for some of their models during the 1980s and for some Fernandes guitars after they stopped making their own in 1997. ESP made their "ESP Synclear Tremolo" for their Japanese-made guitars during
2680-410: The middle and neck pickups could be selected between the 2nd and 3rd position. When two pickups are selected simultaneously, they are wired in parallel which leads to a slight drop in output as slightly more current is allowed to pass to the ground. In newer guitars, since the middle pickup is almost always wired in reverse (and with its magnets having opposite polarity), the intermediate positions create
2747-460: The more common pivoting "tremolo" bridges , and the less common "hardtail" fixed bridge. Both types of bridge have six individually adjustable saddles whose height and intonation can be set independently. Early models of the stratocaster came with a removable metal cover plate that fit over the bridge. The plate was purely cosmetic, and tended to get in the way of important playing techniques such as palm muting , so many players removed it. By
Floyd Rose - Misplaced Pages Continue
2814-529: The most popular electric guitar in history, Leo Fender made very few alterations to the basic design of the Fender Stratocaster (and the Telecaster for that matter) up until 1965 when the company was sold to CBS Instruments. For example, the bridge cover on the Fender Stratocaster was often taken off by players and either disposed or kept in the case. Despite full knowledge of this, Leo Fender always provided
2881-400: The neck shape took a more "V-shaped" feel with deeper body carves on the guitar a noted feature. In 1959, Fender introduced a thick Brazilian rosewood fretboard to the Stratocaster, now colloquially referred to as a "slab-board". This thicker board lasted until 1962, when the fretboard was made with a thinner 'veneer' of Brazilian Rosewood. Nearly all of the 1960s models of the Stratocaster had
2948-402: The new Fender guitars with a bridge cover to prevent corrosion on the bridge parts. After 1965, the Fender company, under the control of CBS Instruments, saw a drop in sales of the Fender Stratocaster to customers. The Fender Jazzmaster had been promoted as the flagship guitar in the Fender line. As such, the resurgence of the Fender Stratocaster is credited to the arrival of Jimi Hendrix in
3015-660: The new exclusive distributor of Floyd Rose products. While Fender used Floyd Rose-licensed vibrato systems previously, this move allowed Fender to offer a few models with the original Floyd Rose Tremolo, such as the Richie Sambora Signature Strat in 1991, the Floyd Rose Classic Stratocaster in 1992 and the Set-Neck Floyd Rose Strat in 1993. Floyd Rose collaborated with Fender to design a Fender Deluxe Locking Tremolo, introduced in 1991 on
3082-440: The normal position of an ideally tuned Floyd Rose bridge. The bridge (orange in the diagram) balances on a pivot point, being pulled counter-clockwise by the strings' tension and clockwise by typically one to five springs . Controlled by special tuning screws (purple in the diagram), these two forces are balanced such that the bridge's surface is parallel to the guitar body (olive in the diagram). The strings are locked tightly with
3149-432: The pickup selector in position 2; similarly the middle and neck pickups in parallel can be obtained in position 4. This setting's characteristic tone is not caused by any electronic phenomenon—early Stratocasters used identical pickups for all positions. This "in between" tone is caused by phase cancellation due to the physical position of the pickups along the vibrating string. The neck and middle pickups are each wired to
3216-429: The pitch of the notes being played. Hank Marvin , Jeff Beck and Ike Turner have used the Stratocaster's floating vibrato extensively in their playing. As string gauges have changed, players have experimented with the number of springs (often four though Hendrix used five). As the average gauge has decreased over the years, modern Stratocasters are equipped with three springs as a stock option in order to counteract
3283-414: The player. Fender has released numerous models with different pickup configurations and has made other small modifications to the electronics and components of the base model, such as changing the initial 3-position selector switch to a standard 5-position selector switch, offering more tonal variety, as well as other small cosmetic changes to things like tuning pegs and types of woods used in various parts of
3350-416: The recessed jack plate, facilitating assembly. The 1963 Fender Stratocaster shows an advancement in design from the 1950s models including a 'veneer' Brazilian rosewood board with Clay Dot inlays, a 3 tone sunburst finish on an Alder body and Kluson tuners. To summarize, the specific features in the evolution of the Fender Stratocaster between 1954 and 1979 included: Despite being credited with inventing
3417-416: The reduced string tension. While the floating bridge has unique advantages for wavering pitch upwards (like Jeff Beck), the functionality of the "floating" has been widely accepted, yet disputed by some musicians. Leo Fender insisted it leave the factory floating (raised up in the back) while designer Freddie Tavares preferred it tightened flush for full bridge plate/body contact resonance. As the bridge floats,
SECTION 50
#17330847584343484-453: The shoulder with a strap. The three- pickup design offered players increased versatility and choice in tone quality over earlier one- and two-pickup electric guitars, and a responsive and simplified vibrato arm integrated into the bridge plate, which marked a significant design improvement over other vibrato systems, such as those manufactured by Bigsby . All of these design elements were popularized and later became an industry standard due to
3551-415: The skills and tools to fabricate small metal parts. After noticing the strings moved freely with the regular nut design, he made a brass nut that locked the strings in place with three U-shaped clamps. He installed this nut in his 1957 Fender Stratocaster . Later he improved this design by using hardened steel—otherwise the strings wore the clamps down too quickly—and redesigned the bridge , which also locked
3618-433: The standard block and may be constructed from a similar brass alloy or an alternative like titanium or copper. According to reviews this modification might lead to a preferable change in the tonal quality of the guitar. Previously, all similar double locking vibrato systems were produced under license from Floyd Rose, and marketed as such, but in 2003 the relevant patents expired. The Floyd Rose Tremolo rose to popularity in
3685-417: The strings from moving freely through the nut . Several improvements soon followed, including using more durable materials to lock the strings down on the nut, and the creation of a similar system of clamps to lock the strings down on the bridge. His double locking system was originally hand-made, but high demand eventually led to Rose licensing his design to Kramer Guitars for large-scale manufacturing. In
3752-495: The strings with clamps. Rose hand-made the first bridges and nuts, which were quickly picked up by some influential guitarists at the time, such as Eddie Van Halen . Other well-known guitarists who picked it up early were Neal Schon , who purportedly got serial number 3, Brad Gillis (serial number 4), and Steve Vai . The first patent was awarded in 1979, and shortly afterward, Rose made an agreement with Kramer Guitars because he could no longer keep up with demand manufacturing
3819-401: The success of the Stratocaster. The Fender Stratocaster is one of the most iconic electric guitar models of all time. Over the years, countless variations of the Stratocaster have been made. The modular nature of the guitar, with its easily removable components, left players and luthiers to perform numerous modifications to their own guitars, changing out pickups or necks to fit the needs of
3886-401: The tension of one string affects the tension of all the others, it can take several iterations through the tuning process before the instrument is tuned. Some players, including Eddie Van Halen, prefer to instead have a "half-floating" bridge, which allows only downwards motion. This means the cavity of the tremolo pocket is not fully milled away underneath—and if the tension of the rear springs
3953-408: The tension of the strings decreases, the tension of the springs increases. It is the balance between string tension and spring tension, as well as the fact that the strings end at the bridge saddles and nut (eliminating "play" in the string, which would negatively affect tuning), that brings the strings reliably back into tune when force on the bar is removed. Position III illustrates the position of
4020-452: The tonal variety of the guitar, even during live performance. Bending, however, still affects the rest of the strings, which makes some double-stop ('diad'), techniques more difficult to achieve. The bridge's effect on the tone of the guitar is a topic of much disagreement. Some players find that the Floyd Rose bridge has a "thin" tone, which has led to the development of replacement sustain blocks. These blocks are generally larger in size than
4087-413: The vibrato bar all the way down to the guitar body, or pulling up on the bar to raise the tone by as much as a fifth or a seventh. A typical bridge set-up has it "float"—so the player can both raise and lower the pitch with the vibrato bar. However, if a string breaks, the balance of tensions on the bridge is disrupted, leaving the bridge out of position and therefore the guitar out of tune. Moreover, since
SECTION 60
#17330847584344154-453: The vibrato bar, string action (the distance between the strings and the fretboard) is affected, and this can sometimes cause the strings to unintentionally touch the frets and create unwanted sounds on instruments set up with extremely low action and heavily recessed vibrato installations. The main advantage of the Floyd Rose vibrato system is its double-locking design. This makes the guitar stay in tune through large pitch changes, e.g., forcing
4221-498: Was discontinued in 2012. As well as the vintage reissues, Fender launched an updated model in 1987: the American Standard Stratocaster. This was tailored to the demands of modern players, notably having a flatter fingerboard, a thinner neck profile and an improved tremolo system. This model line has been continuously improved and remained in production until late 2016. The model line received upgrades in 2000, when it
4288-419: Was later recognized on Guitar World ' s "10 Most Earth Shaking Guitar Innovations." Rose was a guitarist in a rock band in the 1970s. Like many other guitarists of the time period, he frequently experienced issues with his guitars going out of tune after using the tremolo arm. In 1976, after trying several traditional techniques for keeping the guitar in tune, he began developing a locking system to keep
4355-418: Was originally a two-color, dark brown-to-golden yellow sunburst pattern, although custom color guitars were produced (An example is Eldon Shamblin 's gold Stratocaster, dated June 1954). In 1956, Fender began using alder for sunburst and most custom-color Stratocaster bodies. Ash needed grain filler and sanding blocks for contour sanding, though it was still used on translucent blonde instruments. In 1957,
4422-651: Was renamed as the American Series Stratocaster, and again in 2008, when the American Standard name was restored. In 2017, the American Standard Stratocaster was replaced by the American Professional Stratocaster, with narrow frets, a fatter 'deep C' neck profile and V-Mod pickups. Various other modern American-made Stratocasters have been produced. As of 2019, these include the more affordable American Performer Stratocaster (successor to
4489-528: Was the '57 American Vintage Reissue. The company regarded 1957 as a benchmark year for the Strat. The original specifications were used, with three 57/62 pickups, aged pickup covers and knobs, a tinted 7.25" radius, 21 fret maple neck, an ashtray bridge cover, and three position switch (with five-position switch kit included). The colors included white blonde, two-color sunburst, black, ocean turquoise, surf green, and ice blue metallic. The '57 Vintage Reissue Stratocaster
#433566