Authoritatively written and lavishly illustrated, Fender Stratocaster® 70 Years is the officially licensed anniversary celebration of this legendary guitar.Ever present in the music world, the Fender Stratocaster® guitar is also an icon of popular culture, its attractive lines and innovative features as forward-looking today as they were when Leo Fender introduced the guitar to the world in 1954.In Fender Stratocaster® 70 Years, musician and guitar historian Dave Hunter traces Stratocaster® guitars across seven decades and into the present, beginning with Leo Fender’s triumph of mid-century design originating in his modest shop in Fullerton, California. From there, Hunter explores: Groundbreaking features of the new design in the context of the contemporary guitar market and Fender’s existing Telecaster® guitar. The Stratocaster’s solidbody three-pickup configuration, “tremolo” bridge, bolt-on neck, and contoured body, as well as the roles that country pickers played in the guitar