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Post subject: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 11:45 am
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I'm sure most all of you get the "Fender E-News", but for those who don't, or missed this article The Stratocaster in the 1950's is good historical stuff.

http://www.fender.com/news/the-stratocaster-in-the-1950s/?utm_source=Newsletter-April29-2014&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Guitarchive-StratocasterInThe50s-News-SubFeature

An excerpt:

The new guitar certainly owed several design elements to its predecessor, though, and as late as early 1953 its body shape closely resembled that of the Telecaster. In spring of that year, however, new arrival Freddy Tavares sketched out a new body shape that sleekly adapted Leo’s balanced two-horned shape for the Precision Bass. The new guitar thus combined features of Fender’s first two instruments of the 1950s, and in another important development in early 1953, Fender sales chief Don Randall came up with a name for it: the Stratocaster.

To compete with more high-end instruments from other manufacturers—particularly Gibson’s Les Paul, introduced in 1952 in response to what Randall once called the “plain Jane” Telecaster—the Stratocaster was a marked step up in design and innovation for Fender. It had not one or two but three pickups, with switching and controls that created great tonal versatility (although, curiously, the switching configuration allowed only three of several possible pickup combinations).

A triple-pickup configuration wasn’t the Stratocaster’s only first. The Telecaster sounded great but wasn’t especially comfortable to play because its squared-off body dug into the player’s body and picking-hand forearm. Guitarist Rex Gallion is often credited with suggesting that a solid-body guitar didn’t need squared-off edges since it didn’t have an internal sound chamber, and with asking Leo himself, “Why not get away from a body that is always digging into your ribs?” The Stratocaster was consequently given rounded edges and deep body and forearm contours that made it remarkably comfortable and added to its sleekness.

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Post subject: Re: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 3:39 am
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danagos wrote:
Guitarist Rex Gallion is often credited with suggesting that a solid-body guitar didn’t need squared-off edges since it didn’t have an internal sound chamber, and with asking Leo himself, “Why not get away from a body that is always digging into your ribs?” The Stratocaster was consequently given rounded edges and deep body and forearm contours that made it remarkably comfortable and added to its sleekness.[/color]


Most historical researchers credit Bill Carson for the Strat's characteristic comfort-inspired body contours......

http://www.guitarworld.com/fender-mourn ... ill-carson

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 4:12 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
danagos wrote:
...Guitarist Rex Gallion is often credited with suggesting that a solid-body guitar didn’t need squared-off edges...

Most historical researchers credit Bill Carson for the Strat's characteristic comfort-inspired body contours......Arjay

Good catch Arjay, I copied that quote, crediting Rex Gallion, directly from Fender's own E-News published on Tuesday.

Looks like yet another Fender History Mystery! :lol:

"History's like a story in a way, it depends on who's telling it" Dorothy Salisbury Davis

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Post subject: Re: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 8:12 pm
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What was Rex's contribution?

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Post subject: Re: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Wed May 07, 2014 7:12 am
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orvilleowner wrote:
What was Rex's contribution?


Leo mentioned a few times in interviews that Rex suggested contouring the body would be nice. Carson "worked" on the contours, he actually sanded the contours on the prototype to his liking during gigs. These contours went into production.
Leo always relied on gigging musicians to develop his products, he was a great listener for sure. Thanks god he was not a guitar player, otherwise the Stratocaster wouldn't be the perfect electric guitar :wink:


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Post subject: Re: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Wed May 07, 2014 4:23 pm
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56Strat wrote:
Leo always relied on gigging musicians to develop his products, he was a great listener for sure. Thanks god he was not a guitar player, otherwise the Stratocaster wouldn't be the perfect electric guitar :wink:


+1

Likewise, all the amps he designed and built would've ended up in recycle bins decades ago.

:wink:

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Post subject: Re: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 5:54 pm
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The 50's was an awesome decade. I'm so proud of Fender! :)

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Post subject: Re: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 6:58 pm
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JoyadityaSaha wrote:
The 50's was an awesome decade. I'm so proud of Fender! :)

And the innovations since then have been blinding! :lol:

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Post subject: Re: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Sat May 17, 2014 1:59 am
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orvilleowner wrote:
And the innovations since then have been blinding! :lol:


Most of those recent "innovations" seem focused on blaspheming traditional guitar designs and disposable amp technology......

:roll:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Sat May 17, 2014 1:12 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
orvilleowner wrote:
And the innovations since then have been blinding! :lol:


Most of those recent "innovations" seem focused on blaspheming traditional guitar designs and disposable amp technology......

:roll:

Arjay


Can't disagree to that! :lol:

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Post subject: Re: The Stratocaster in the 1950s
Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 10:33 am
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56Strat wrote:
Leo always relied on gigging musicians to develop his products, he was a great listener for sure.


Jimmy Bryant's son, John, tells a story of when his dad and Speedy West were getting ready to do a recording of "Little Rock Getaway" and Leo showed up with a Strat (Jimmy had always played Teles) for him to try. Jimmy agreed to use it and they recorded the first track in one take with the Strat prototype.

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