Also, the likes of Rickenbacker, Gretsch, National and Epiphone, which have increased less quickly until recently, now seem to be making up for lost time. He produced the first solid-body guitars, including the Telecaster Broadcaster models, in 1951 and the Stratocaster, with its simple built-in electronics, first hit stores in September of 1954. The first mass produced electric bass was developed by Leo Fender, a well-known guitar manufacturer, as experiments with upright basses with pickups did not work very well at the time. The Master Built Strats that we’ve had have been very popular and always sell well. I think these have a better chance of being future collectibles. As a range of guitars, they are not so limited in numbers and more people are aware of their build quality and pedigree. They are readily available to those prepared to wait for an order, and when used ones come onto the market they sell quickly - always a good sign. The Bass is widely used in many musical genres, including rock and roll, heavy metal, jazz, funk, Gothic rock, Hard rock, country, and disco. Never before have we offered such groundbreaking benchmarks. All the classic US makes, especially Fender, Gibson, and Martin, have increased in value year after year without fail. Guitar String.