The Stratocaster was first produced in early 1954 by Los Angeles engineer Leo Fender, who had tinkered with improving amplified hollow-body instruments since the 1940s. The buzz was Kramer and Jackson in that mid-’80s era. But when George Blanda and Dan Smith came up with the American Standard, it seemed to be the right thing at the right time. With the recreation of the Custom Shop 1954 Stratocaster guitar, we acknowledge our past. With the 2004 American Deluxe Series 50th Anniversary Stratocaster, our eyes are focused firmly on the future. It was half a century ago that the curvaceous instrument, recently named by What Guitar? magazine as the world's greatest electric guitar, debuted in a career that would change the sound of music forever. This 2-Color Sunburst, maple beauty comes complete with a Vintage Tweed case and a beautifully etched neck plate for this once in a lifetime event. At the dawn of the Schultz era, things began to come back into focus, and in 1985, with Schultz and his investors now owning the company, Fender faced one of its most daunting design challenges yet: Build a better Stratocaster. Not a reissue, not a cost cutter, not a “Cadillac,” not an import — just a basic U.S. Strat. The Martin Book chronicles the history of an instrument that mirrors the development of the acoustic guitar and acoustic music in America. Accessory Buy Guitar.
