How Fender Stratocasters Are Made in the USA
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- Опубліковано 23 тра 2023
- Fender still makes many of its guitars in the Golden State at its Corona, California factory southeast of Los Angeles.
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Although today’s guitar-making process involves advanced machinery to form blocks of wood into a musical masterpiece, every six-stringed creation is also a hand-made piece of art. “We owe to Leo the modular process with lumber,” Fender’s Director of Operations, Mark Kendrick, tells Popular Mechanics. “We continue to hand shape, hand craft the way we’ve always done it.”
The process begins with two pieces of wood: a 1¾-inch body and a 1-inch neck, which eventually fits snug inside a ⅝-inch pocket. Simple, right? Well, not really. Both the body and neck go through separate, intricate production processes. Luthiers shape and then rest the neck before inserting the truss rod, a thick bar of steel that acts like the guitar’s spine. After some shaping with a three-belt sander, a gang saw simultaneously cuts in the frets and then the neck winds up in the hands of expert luthiers for final shaping and finishing. “Every Fender neck is unique, and that’s because it’s done by craftsmen,” Kendrick says.
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Meanwhile, the body goes through its own perfection process until the neck and body are coated in lacquer in one of many classic Fender colors. “Very early on, there were custom colors that were being made, and those have become iconic,” Fender’s Executive Vice President Justin Norvell tells Popular Mechanics. “They’re all pulled from the cars of the fifties and sixties.” Once the lacquer dries, the frets are leveled, and the body and neck are sanded, buffed, and polished until the two pieces finally become one.
Next come the electronics, which are loaded into the pick guard. The pickups-transducers that convert vibration into electricity, essentially the heart of an electric guitar-are placed in a “suspension apparatus” so they can be adjusted under the strings. After installing the bridge and strap buttons, all that’s left is some stringing and fine tuning. Once the guitar is fully dressed to impress, it’s boxed up and shipped out.
Packed into every Stratocaster, Telecaster, and Jazzmaster is both 75 years of sound innovation as well as hands-on craftsmanship from Fender’s army of experienced luthiers. Because of this hand-made approach, no two Fender guitars are exactly the same. “We all play. We’re all guitarists . . . we think of things from a player’s point of view,” Norvell says. “We make our art so people can make their art.”
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How Fender Stratocasters Are Made in the USA
Designed in 1954, and perfectly embodies the “form follows function” aesthetic.
Outstanding video… So much easier to watch with just music playing instead of someone speaking.
It's crazy that fender started in the 40s and it's still the most played guitar in the world
Man, what an incredible design - from the body to the headstock - I just LOVE my many Strats - US, Mexi, and Asian (and Teles!).......thank you, Leo Fender!!!
And each one is loved as though it's the best one ever made.
Gotta a 77 USA P It bought my first house. Sweat the finish down to bare wood, lotta gigs. It fell 6 feet off a a stage onto concrete,, never went out of tune. Thanks Leo.
Nobody perfect, but for me this is perfect..i appreciate.
Amazing video and guitar!
Greetings from Malaysia. I love this guitar because my favourite guitar
That was very satisfying to watch this! 😊
I went on the Fender Corona factory tour and the visitor pass picture printer was on the Fritz so everyone on the tour had a picture of an 80 year old woman was fantastic.
I took that tour several years ago. It was fascinating to watch manufacturing in progress.
Strats made in corona California they really sounds different and smooth
Bugger the haters of late. Massive shout out to every one of those workers who made my Left handed Fiesta red Vintage 2 Strat. It's an heirloom, worth every cent and I absolutely adore it. Being a lefty, maybe I just appreciate it more? I dunno? I do know that mine has Zero issues, in fact, it's perfect and a joy to play. Thanks Fender for thinking of us lefties with the V2 and the Fiesta red.
Nice, I’m a lefty guitar player and I always wanted a fiesta red Stratocaster and the American Professional 2 Jazzmaster in dark night blue from Fender USA. Hopefully one day I can get both of them later on. Also have you ever tried to buy a custom order from Fender mod shop because I would love to get one.
@@jamesjeager129 Yeah James, I too have my eye on the Dark Night Jazzmaster! I can't get a modshop, as I'm in Australia. We can't order them down here apparently, not online at least. If I was to order a mod shop, it would have been the Vintage 2 specs anyway, or close enough, so yeah, thanks Fender.
@@mjb1308 oh ok and that sucks. I’m from the USA, besides just getting the electric guitars I want from Fender and the Mod Shop is I want to buy a American Acoustic-sonic Fender Jazzmaster because that is one of the guitars I want to get first. Sadly they don’t have a left handed model so one day I would want to make a custom order from the fender custom shop to buy the same specs on it. I think I would like to have it stainless steel frets because Fender has Stainless Steel frets for a few years. It was nice to meet you and take care buddy. :)
@@jamesjeager129 You too my friend.
I prefer my made in China Shijie, over my 2 FCS strats, at 1/4 the price.
Incredible.
Just lovely.. fantastique..
Awesome
Just like Leo did it😄
And then i love bass guitar Fender❤❤❤🎉🎉
Fender American Vintage is my favorite
Fender AVRI is my favorite
😲 my GZUIX Cristin qq isso mermão muito massa! Sensacional!!!
Piekna otoczka ....Masówka ......
Ive often wondered just after the 1966 cbs takeover why some strats were fitted woth the larger unsightly jazzmaster type headstock?
The American Pro 2 guitars don't come in that older style, classic case. It's a black, plastic hardshell case. This staged unboxing using a traditonal Fender tweed case is for this video.
I notice very little PPE in use in some areas. If that was in the UK, the place would get closed down.
Get a CBS Strat like Jimi and the Beatles played
Fender Mex: made by mexicans in mex.
Fender USA: made by mexicans in USA
Straight up it’s true. And it’s probably much better build in Mexico.
@@catopwnzify Mexican made Fenders are WAY Much Better than USA built Fenders. I own them, so I can say its true.
However the Fender prices are as ridiculous as Gibson´s. Too much !
Pretty soon no one will be buying them unless you are a millionaire
@@MAX96MENDES what you talkin' about willis? inflation adjusted, american made strats are pretty much the same price they've been for decades. i remember buying a brand spanking new "american standard stratocaster" in 1991 for $750. inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars, that's what american pro's or whatever equivalent is going for.
@@MAX96MENDES You are spreading misinformation. Fenders are quite affordable, unlike Gibsons.
@@SajidWaikhom fender guitars are also better in every way possible, gibson guitars are for old farts
The MIM made fenders are just as good professional quality craftsmanship and the players series standards are the closest to the old school Strats
Both made by Mexicans
Ironically the soundtrack music is played on an Ibanez!
Next how to build a mini box tanpura
Brilliant design Tele and Strat.
I am a les paul guy .
The value just isn’t there in a Strat /Tele,.
but The minimalist designs are astonishingly well executed .
And Leo Fender couldn’t even play guitar .
True, Leo couldn't play guitar BUT some of the greatest guitar players, gave up their Gibson for a Fender STRATOCASTER; JEFF BECK , ROBIN TROWER , JIMI HENDRIX
A Fender guitar has become as popular as any consumer item can possibly get!
@@iamanovercomer3253Don’t get butthurt. He said that they were brilliant designs. Fyi, Hendrix played a white Gibson SG custom at times. He wasn’t Fender exclusively. Oxblood Les Paul for Jeff Beck and a Sunburst LP at the Les Paul tribute concert. John Mayer left Fender for PRS. Fender guitars aren’t the end all be all of electric guitars.
I love to play guitars but if I had to build guitars every day I would quit playing.
1:40 make a guitar neck looking professional
How to Customize a Left Handed U.S.A. Stratocaster from Italy?
I found this quite mesmerising, whilst stoned … and, strangely erotic, almost.
Explains why my 50s blonde & 80s silver models went & hid in the cupboard under the stairs.
Après avoir vu la vidéo d’un artiste fabricant seul une guitare tu apprécies d’autant le travail d’un orfèvre.
Excellent product
Its not reasonable to expect a perfect guitar when they have to crank out a million guitars a year
This isn’t 1954
Thanks, now it's clear how it got so bad.
parts of that production looked a bit primitive with the basing
The real shame is, that each one of these people is trained to do one job over and over, like little human robots, while each guitar will be treated as an individual by it's owner. Not one employee can actually build a guitar from scratch. There are no luthiers in this plant.
Custom Shop for luthiers!
my strat has a dent on it and not a day goes by it doesnt bother me.
You're being punked on prices folks...ye'll suckers! 🤣
I prefer Japanese Luthiers.
Japanese guitars are ok but they usually have crappy pickups
Yups, agree.
@bytesurfer8651 Fortunately, there is an easy solution to solve that problem. Higher end models have great pickups. My 81 tokai Silver star 38 pickups do the trick, but I'm sure if I upgraded the pickups it level up the guitar a bit more.
So it is mostly CNC plus hammering.
I was surprised that the clips showing hammering made it to the final cut. No way would I have allowed them if I'd been involved in the production.
well they kinda breezed over the part that takes the longest- the paint/finish coats
Fender Indonesia, made by Indonesians on PT. Cort Indonesia
I love my 🇺🇸 strat. I was looking at a Mex telecaster and I decided to check out the 🇺🇸 professional 2 telecaster Miami Blue and when I held it in my hands, it was mine.... When I get cash, I might buy it. I say that because Fender has raised the price.... so I will look at something else maybe. Fender has to get out of communist California and go to a state that is more business friendly or Fender might go bye bye ‼️
I hope Fender looks at the video at 2:00 (timestamp), no wonder they have QC issues. Bottom line, that is not how you make a first or even a final pass on fret leveling. I've played for over 50 yrs and do all my tech work, I now see why I had so much fret work on my last few new USA Fender Strats.... The video was hard to watch 2 minutes in..... ugh...
I think the Fender USA factory should learn to put a piece of cardboard on the frets on all guitars and bass to prevent the frets from getting pressure damaged. The cause of it is the guitar case that is pressing the guitar strings and the frets by shipping to their customer or all guitar stores beside factory errors. A guitar brand from the USA Suhr guitars does put a piece of cardboard on the frets on all of their guitars. I’ve heard this from Troglys Guitar show (UA-cam channel) talking about preventing the guitar frets from getting pressured damage from the guitar case.
Interesting, years ago..... Peavy made an Eddie Van Halen model that had a heavy plastic (real nice) protective fret covering. I bought one, it was a decent guitar (but not great)@@jamesjeager129
Good point! It does look sloppy (because it is). I also do all my own tech work. I refretted my Telecaster a few months ago, and while it was a bit of a learning experience, the end result is OK.
Nice !! Plus you saved yourself $400 - $600 !! Cheers@@1man1guitarletsgo
@@jamesjeager129 My Am Pro 2 Strat came new from the factory with ths cardboard cover you speak of. This video's."unboxing" is staged, using a different case here as well.
The worst setup guitar i ever received in the mail was a MiM RI telecaster.
one of the best i receieved was an Indonesian Squier
For those of us who have been Fender fans for a while now, the newer Fender stuff is getting worse and worse. The quality is lacking in fretwork, setup and color options. And using pine as a tone wood is laughable. The cheap wood that garbage guitars were made of years ago. If you are gonna raise pricing at least keep the quality standards what they used to be.
The very first guitars Leo fender built were with Pine bodies
I have been a Fender dealer for years and years. Fender quality is terrible and it keeps getting worse everyday. Their Bassbreaker amp line up was cheap junk that never worked right in any model. The lack of quality also effects every brand that Fender owns. Charvel and Jacksons guitars all have quality problems. Fender has fallen from grace and they have no idea how many people are walking away from the brand.
Would you agree that that could have played a part in the success of the prs silver sky?
Our store has recently ditched Fender for the exact reasons you've just mentioned. Been a Fender dealership since the 80's.
Since when did the quality decline? Ive been playing the shit out of my 2003 American Series Strat, since 2004 when i bought it new, and i'm still quite happy with the quality! 👍
@@willem9688. Our shop started noticing the drop in quality just before they released the Mexican Player series. When our rep turned up so show them to us, we all agreed that between the cheaper woods, scratchy frets with sharp ends that hadn't been finished right and overall finishing flaws, there was clearly something wrong. We all know about their financial woes so put it down to money saving. Regarding some of the amps, the internal build quality has been poor for a lot longer. Especially thier Bassbreaker and Hot Rot ranges. Mainly thin pcb's with a poor design that causes a lot of overheating and subsequent component failure. It's a shame but undeniable. Their guitars around 2004 when yours is from were great and they still make some really good instruments but on the whole, you can get way better gear for a lot less money these days. Glad you got a good one bud. Don't let it go 👍
@@willem9688 since 1965 although old folks said Fender wasn't like it was in the old days since 1959
A folk music guitar, no rock no metal...70 years wrong head, detuning strings....😢
my strats all stay in tune, you're doing something wrong
@@curtrod that neck is wrong it self !
worked at fender idk how they can say made in usa when they are made by mexicans i think i was the only white guy there there not made like they use to your better off buying parts and building your own and as a matter of fact they dont say made in usa anymore they say made in corona ca the reason for that is if it isnt 100 percent american parts they cant say made in usa so that shouldgive you a clue of the quality of fender guitars
You said that yourself there it's made IN, not made By. And when you said Mexicans did you mean they actually hire workers from Mexico to work at the factory, or are they hispanic/Mexican American?
@@bkhoavo In Europe, Spanish are Caucasian, who geographically come from Spain and speak Spanish and I gotta say, I find the whole "Hispanic" thing a tad curious..
Jus' sayin'..
@@simoncaddick9085it’s just another bs political term used to divide us in the US.
Check out the Tokai factory in Japan (one example) and compare the production methods....no wonder Fender and Gibson quality is not consistent
Awesome