Fender has posted a new short film called A Strat is Born, which takes you on a quick journey showing how their popular Stratocaster guitar is made.
You can watch the 4-minute video here below.
Unlike most “how its made” videos, this one has no narration, no puns, no interviews — instead, it’s quick clips along the assembly line at Fender’s U.S. manufacturing facility in Corona, CA, all to a booming score by Wayne Kramer, guitarist of the MC5.
While the Stratocaster is made in a factory, this video shows that its not all heavy machinery doing the work, as there’s a lot of hand craftsmanship going on here. Being a fan of the Strat myself, I loved getting an inside look into how this guitar is made, although, I must admit, I was a bit disappointed that Yngwie Malmsteen was not at the end of the assembly line scalloping the fretboards.
Aside from Malmsteen, here’s some other famous guitarists known for their love of the Strat: Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour.
Fender provides factor tours now, so check out their Visitor Center for more information on that.
As the sun rises on Fender’s main U.S. manufacturing facility in Corona, Calif., the journey begins. Watch as wood is selected and fashioned into a sleek Stratocaster body and neck, respectively; both shaped, sanded, routed, finished, fitted and adjusted to perfection. Watch as pickups are wound, the bridge gets saddled up, the trem block is machined, the frets hammered into place and dressed, the pickguard is shaped, the tuners installed and more. See how many of these processes are accomplished by hand with consummate craftsmanship. Watch as the instrument continues on its frenetic way through the factory; through finishing and polishing, final assembly, stringing and setup, testing and inspection and ready to be played.
Video
[Source: Fender via Guitar Aficionado]
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