The Peak, the Pinnacle, the Everest of all electric guitars

The Fender STRAT!

On this day in music history: April 10, 1956 - The United States patent office issues a patent to Leo Fender for the Stratocaster electric guitar. Designed by Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares, the guitar makes its debut in 1954, four years after Fender’s first solid body electric, the Telecaster. The instruments’ simple but elegant design with double cutaways and body contours, captures the  imagination of musicians and becomes one of the most popular and emulated guitar designs in history. The original Stratocasters feature an ash body in two color sunburst with a twenty one fret one piece maple neck. By the time Fender receives the patent for the guitar in 1956, the company offers them with alder bodies. By 1960, they also offer the guitar in a number of custom colors (though some Strats made prior to this time were made in other colors but were special orders) and with the option of maple necks or ones with slab fingerboards made out of Brazilian rosewood.