Guitarists still making memorable music with Strat

Apr 17, 2014
Apr 17, 2014 Updated Oct 24, 2017
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Guitarists still making memorable music with Strat

Fender Stratocaster electric guitar necks are prepared for assembly at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. Leo Fender developed the instrument in a small workshop in Fullerton, Calif. six decades ago. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

Blues icon Robert Cray performs with his signature Fender Stratocaster at a concert in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009. He says, "I use the Stratocaster because it has the sound I'm looking for and then some. It's surprising what sounds and tones comes out of the Stratocaster. It is such a simply built guitar, it's a workhorse." (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

John Mayer performs with his Fender Stratocaster electric guitar in Phoenix on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013. When asked how the Stratocaster has shaped his creative process, he says, "It's the machine of my dreams. It's the Ford Mustang, the Marilyn Monroe, the lightning rod, surfboard, magic carpet for music." The iconic instrument, used by countless professional and amateur musicians, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2014. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

An original 1954 Fender Stratocaster head stock, left, is shown next to a 2014 model, Friday, Jan. 10, 2014 at a studio in Scottsdale, Ariz. April 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of the very first Stratocaster ever sold. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

In this undated photo, Jimi Hendrix performs with a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. The Stratocaster, used by countless professional and amateur musicians, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2014. (AP Photo/File)

Fender Custom Shop Master Builder John Cruz works on a heavily-used Fender Stratocaster body at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013. Leo Fender developed the instrument in a small workshop in Fullerton, Calif. six decades ago. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

In this photo taken on March 11, 2014, Gruhn Guitars owner George Gruhn holds the first production model Fender Stratocaster electric guitar in his Nashville, Tenn., guitar store. Richard Smith, who owns the guitar, is selling it on consignment through Gruhn's Guitars. The sunburst-finish Strat bears the serial number 0100. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, Samuel M. Simpkins)

Samuel M. Simpkins

A finished Fender Stratocaster is adjusted by Kenneth Maas in the Fender Custom Shop in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013. Leo Fender developed the instrument in a small workshop in Fullerton, Calif. six decades ago. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

Fender Stratocaster electric guitar bodies are sanded at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013. The iconic instrument, used by countless professional and amateur musicians, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2014. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen holds his Fender Stratocaster up as he finishes his performance at Wembley Arena in London on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. Commenting on the 60-year history of the Stratocaster, Malmsteen says, "The Strat's the original, and still the best, most beautiful, amazing, perfect electrical guitar period." (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

Guitar technician Vinnie Garcia hands Country legend Vince Gill his 1957 Fender Stratocaster after a sound check at the Mesa Performing Arts Center, in Mesa, Ariz. on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013. Garcia, who has been best friends with Gill since the seventh grade, sold Gill his first Stratocaster for $200 and a pair of cowboy boots. Gill says, "I love the versatility of the guitar as much as anything, no matter what way you want to try to play it, it always responds." (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

A brand new Fender Stratocaster is shown on a routing machine in the Custom Shop at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. on Friday, Nov. 19, 2010. The iconic instrument is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

An original 1954 Fender Stratocaster, left, is shown next to a 2014 model at a studio in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Friday, Jan. 10, 2014. Leo Fender developed the instrument in a small workshop in Fullerton, Calif. six decades ago. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

In this July 13, 1985 file photo, Eric Clapton performs at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia. The Fender Stratocaster, used by countless professional and amateur musicians, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2014. (AP Photo/George Widman)

George Widman

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Jimi Hendrix made it shriek. Buddy Holly made it swing. Stevie Ray Vaughn made it snarl.

Some of the most legendary guitarists in music history have elicited unforgettable sounds from the Fender Stratocaster, the distinctive double-cutaway guitar born in a small Fullerton, Calif., workshop 60 years ago this month.

It's far from a musical relic: It remains an essential tool for some of today's top guitarists. Vince Gill relies on it so much he calls it an "extension of my hands," while blues virtuoso Robert Cray calls it a workhorse.

As shredder Yngwie Malmsteen put it: "There is no substitute."

As this iconic guitar celebrates its 60th anniversary in April, The Associated Press takes a visual journey into the creation of the iconic guitars, and explores why it's still a fixture on concert stages today.

Bible verse 1.16.21

Alex Dominguez

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)