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. The change to the guitar form factor and the addition of frets made the instrument much easier to play. Fender's Precision Bass was first sold in 1951, with the single split pickup design that is still widely available (both Fender Precision basses and innumerable copies) being introduced in 1957. The construction of the guitar is very good, esp. for a Mexican Strat. I would've thought that I'd prefer an American, however I really have fallen in love with this guitar. It's constructed like any other strat. 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. This 50th anniversary model features three new Custom Shop Vintage 1954 single-coil pickups, a special commemorative 50th anniversary neck plate, and “Parchment” knobs and pickup covers. The electronics consist of split-coil, hum-canceling pickup, and volume & tone controls. Johnson uses a diecast bridge with individual saddles for dialing in your action. The machine heads are modeled after vintage elephant-ear tuners, but have a 20:01 gear ratio. Always in demand, the Strat has to be one of the most popular collectors' items. When I started, even though it was still a relatively expensive guitar, it was still within the price range of most collectors and/or players who were looking for something to keep into their old age. Great guitars new and used vailable via the website. However, with prices on the increase, most sixties guitars are too expensive, leaving only Fender Duo Sonics, Mustangs or Gibson Melody Makers within their budget. Classical Guitar Score.
