Dave Hunter

<b>Authoritatively written and lavishly illustrated, <i>Fender Stratocaster</i>®<i> 70 Years</i> is the officially licensed anniversary celebration of this legendary guitar.</b><br/><br/> 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 <b>Leo Fender introduced the guitar to the world in 1954</b>.<br/><br/> In <i>Fender Stratocaster</i>®<i> 70 Years</i>, musician and guitar historian Dave Hunter <b>traces Stratocaster® guitars across seven decades and into the present</b>, beginning with Leo Fender's triumph of mid-century design originating in his modest shop in Fullerton, California. From there, Hunter explores:<br/> <ul><li> Groundbreaking features of the new design in the context of the contemporary guitar market and Fender's existing Telecaster<b>®</b> guitar. </li><li> 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's early development. </li><li> Design improvements undertaken throughout the Stratocaster's first decade, such as the introduction of a rosewood fingerboard and Custom Color options to complement the initial Sunburst finish. </li><li> CBS's 1965 acquisition of Fender and its effects on company culture and the Stratocaster, as well as the 1985 acquisition of Fender spearheaded by a group of employees. </li><li> The creation of the Fender Custom Shop and that elite group's relationship to the Stratocaster over the years. </li><li> Fender's forward-thinking combination of vintage specs and materials with modern features in Stratocaster guitars that offer classic styling and current conveniences. </li></ul> <br/> Along the way, Hunter contextualizes the evolving Stratocaster within the contemporary guitar industry and shows <b>the relationships that admired players throughout the decades have enjoyed with this guitar</b>, including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Dick Dale, Jimi Hendrix, Yngwie Malmsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, and H.E.R.-to name a few!<br/> <br/> Illustrated throughout with <b>rare images </b>from the Fender archives, <i>Fender Stratocaster 70 Years</i>® treats readers to rare behind-the-scenes views of the shop floor and Custom Shop throughout the years, <b>studio imagery</b> of the guitars, rare <b>period advertising</b> and brochures, and <b>performance images</b> of Fender players.<br/><br/> Often imitated but never duplicated, the Fender Stratocaster® remains a triumph of design more than seven decades on. This is the official and definitive illustrated story of this guitar-and a must-have for every guitar enthusiast.

<b>Celebrate of the history and significance of both the Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster for the company's 75th anniversary in this combined edition of Dave Hunter's two best-selling books!</b><br/><br/> The <b>Fender Telecaster</b>, created in Les Fender<b>'</b>s Fullerton, California, workshop and introduced in 1950, is a working-class hero and the <b>ultimate blue-collar guitar</b>. It wasn<b>'</b>t meant to be elegant, pretty, or sophisticated. Designed to be a utilitarian musical instrument, it has lived up to that destiny. In the hands of players from Muddy Waters to James Burton, Bruce Springsteen to Joe Strummer, the <b>Telecaster has made the music of working people-country, blues, punk, rock </b><b>'</b><b>n</b><b>'</b><b> roll, and even jazz</b>. <b>Fender's Stratocaster </b>is arguably <i>the</i> <b>number-one instrument icon of the guitar world</b>. When introduced in 1954, its offset space-age lines, contoured body, and three-pickup configuration set the music world on its ear-it was truly unlike any guitar that had come before. <b>In the hands of the world's most beloved players</b>, such as Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, Ike Turner, and, yes, Jimi Hendrix, the Stratocaster has since become a popular instrument of choice among rock, blues, jazz, and country players and, not coincidentally, is also one of the most copied electric guitars of all time.<br/> <br/> In this authoritatively written, painstakingly curated, and gloriously presented combined edition to celebrate Fender's 75th anniversary, author Dave Hunter covers <b>both of the guitar's histories from concept, design, and model launch through its numerous variations and right up to the present</b>. The story is <b>richly illustrated</b> with archival images, musicians in action, studio shots, memorabilia, and profiles of over 50 Tele and Strat slingers through the ages.<br/><br/> With its unprecedented level of detail and stunning visuals,<i> Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster</i> is the only book tribute worthy of the world's two greatest guitars.