My Fender Stratocaster is a 50’s classic Mexican Sunburst Stratocaster, 6 string style. At the time of purchase, (3 years ago) it cost me £470. This seemed to be the average price at that time, but the value may have dropped since then.
The guitar has the following features:-
- Jack socket for guitar lead - Volume and two tone control knobs - 5 position selector switch - 3 coil pickups - Tremolo system - 6 fully adjustable bridges - Machine work heads - Adjustable neck - 2
strap hooks
One of the first things that you need is a socket to connect your guitar to a practice amp, or speaker system. This is done by having a jack socket for the lead to plug in. It is common practice to loop the lead through the strap of the guitar so that the lead can not be pulled out of the socket easily.
To control the sound output the guitar has one master volume control, and two separate tone controls. Using these controls in conjunction with the 5 position selector switch, you can produce the required tone for the style of music you are playing. By having the controls available at close range on the guitar, it stops you having to make adjustments on the main amplifier, which could be a few meters away.
The selector switch selects the pick up you are using. There are 3 pick ups on this guitar. The pick up is the device used to pick up the sound vibration off the guitar string as it is plucked. One pick up is positioned to pick up the deeper bass tones, one is to pick up the mid range tones, and the remaining pick up is used to pick up the treble tones. By moving the selector switch you either select one pick up or a combination. It moves from selecting the treble pick up through to selecting just the bass pick up. The 5 combinations are as follows:-
Treble Treble / Middle Middle Middle / Bass Bass
Therefore, you can achieve the required tone you require. The tone knobs are used for fine adjustments between the switch positions.
The guitar has a tremolo system which is a mechanical spring system that allows you to reduce the tension on all 6 strings in one go. To apply the pressure to the spring you use a “Wham bar” which is a small handle that on this guitar is removable by a screw thread. Therefore, if you do not require the bar, you can remove it by un-screwing it.
To hold the strings in place on the guitar, they are attached at one end by a rotating pin on the head of the guitar, and by a steel plate in the body of the guitar directly behind the bridge. Guitar strings have a small loop on one end that is wrapped around a small piece of brass, so that the string is pulled against the steel plate in the body of the guitar. The string passes through the body of the guitar and over the bridge up to the neck where it passes through a small groove at the base of the guitar head. Then it is gripped by the rotating pin in the head of the guitar. The rotating pin allows you to tighten the string to the require tension when tuning the guitar. The rotating pin is driven by a cog and screw thread system that is turned by hand. This takes the force of the strings tension.
To achieve that correct distance between the string and the fret board of the guitar there are two simple adjustments. The major adjustment can be made by adjusting the angle of the neck on the guitar. This is done by simply turning a screw in the head of the neck. For making finer adjustments, each string rests on an individual bridge. These bridges are fully adjustable for up and down movement. They can also move along the length of the guitar to adjust string length. All settings are made when the guitar is new so you do not have to worry too much about setting it up yourself. However, you may wish to adjust the settings to how you want them.
The guitar has two hooks for attaching a strap, one at the base of the body, and one on the top edge of the body. The strap can be used to grip the lead in place so that it does not come out during playing sessions.
As an experienced guitarist I find this style of guitar is perfect for what I want in a guitar. The action of the guitar is great, making it easier to play and make great music.
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