A new Strat was developed in 1986, unveiled to key dealers, and introduced to critical raves at the January 1987 NAMM trade show. Details included typical features (three-layer pickguard, one-piece maple neck, etc.), plus a small headstock, 4-bolt neck, a 9 1/2” radius fingerboard with jumbo frets, a TBX tone circuit, a redesigned tremolo with two bearing points instead of six screws, flat-polepiece pickups, a hum-reducing, reverse-polarity pickup in the middle position, a silver transition logo, and a urethane finish. 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. After much lobbying Left handeders are going to get a shot at these collectable babies. 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. Flying Pig Guitar Shop. This great American icon is the subject of Gibson's Fabulous Flat Tops, a comprehensive book that chronicles the history of the Gibson company and the growth and development of their flat top guitars. You don’t mess with an icon. 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 other key detail: It would be made in the U.S.A. To make sure no one missed the point, the new guitar would be called “American Standard.” Conspicuous designation of the U.S. origin of certain models or whole series would be a regular fixture of Fender strategies from now on. (American Standards built in 1994 bear a red, white, and blue medallion on the headstock, commemorating the instrument’s 40th anniversary. Flying Pig Guitar Shop.
