A McLeod III Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 .......and I hope I'm not coming off like a poop head. But I just noticed something definitive that I never really knew. Maybe I still don't. Maybe my eyes are deceiving me but...... ......I was just reading the Bill Frisell thread(one of my all time favorites- not only for his unique guitar style but also because he is a clarinetist like myself) and I watched the desktop concert. I'm looking at his Strat body, around the treble and bass horns which look very "plank-like"- a whole lot like a Tele body. (Thicker too) and then I observe wrist/arm contour which looks very shallow. These things give that body a "larger" appearance than most Strats. I'm saying to myself "I've seen a strat body like that before". Not many of them mind you but I've seen it. I go to my guitar stash and pull out my '96 and there it is. I'm thinking this is kind of weird. (My first electric experiences were with SG's and Les Pauls) Didn't buy my first Fender guitar until I was in my late 30's. Ok, now I'm 52 and maybe my eyes are failing. I go to another case that houses my John Mayer Strat and the horns are way more rounded and tapered. The arm/wrist contour is a lot deeper and longer and the belly contour way deeper than my 96. The body also looks smaller. Did Fender actually cut different body shapes for the Strat? I feel really dumb not ever really noticing this.......until I saw Frisell's Strat. Does anyone know the timeline on this different cutaway? Aren't all Strat bodies (by patent) supposed to be the "contoured body"? Seems I'm obsessing-maybe it's the 3 Mint Bud Lites but I've played guitar since I was 12. I'm 52 now and this is the first time this has caught my eye. Help!!!! "Life Is Just A Game And They're Many Ways To Play...All You Do Is Choose." SC 1976 Fantom, XP 80, DX7 IIFD w/"E", Ensoniq ESQ 1, Roland Alpha Juno 2, Roland S 10, Korg Triton LE with EXB, GEM RP2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Originally, meaning in the 1950s, Fenders were all sanded into shape by hand. Each body was manually moved around a spindle sander, so each differed ever so slightly from all others. I have a 56 Strat & I had never played one with the same body contour as mine until I picked up a fifties reissue a couple years ago. Mine is cut deeper on the back, resulting in a thinner, sharper edge on the bass side of the waist. They got pretty fat & non-contoured in the 70s. I don't know when Fender automated their body cutting, but presumably they can choose any historical shapeliness they want & program their CNC machines accordingly. Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 all my strats are subtly different...thickness, weight, cutaways... and they make 'em out of all kinds of wood...my fav is swamp ash, they're heavy and sound dark and woody. it's kinda cool. i never really thought about it much before this post tho bro! http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Mr. McLeod- what specific model is your '96 Fender Strat? That smaller, less-rounded, sharper-edged radius around the body edges was a very popular look starting in the '80s, when Jacksons and Charvels and the like had bodies that vaguely followed a Strat's outline but differed in many ways; they had that modern, '80s look. I know that some Fender models picked up on that cue, and some also came with carved-tops and set-necks for similar reasons. Also, Scott Fraser's points about variations due to hand-sanding, etc. in the old days definitely ring true. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Check this out: Pretty much explains everything you need to know about why early Fenders have unique body & neck contours. These guys were doing it all by hand. Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I sold my Clapton Custom Shop to my brother so I'm down to just 4 Strats now (I'm cutting back)...they all have a different feel and personality...the Clapton came with a cheap single ply white pickguard which most buyers were not happy with...I gave the stock pickguard to my brother as it's initialed on the back by the same techs that build Clapton's Strat(s)today...I ordered a white pearl 57 Fender pickguard for it and the holes lined up perfectly...even though the bodies were different shapes back in the day, the old parts still fit perfectly... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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