Fender's Stratocaster model was introduced in 1954, so this year marks its 70th anniversary. This was not on my mind when I found the one pictured in the previous post, but an online aquaintance posted a link to an article about Fender's most ubiquitous guitar today, and I was amused by the significance. Click here if you'd like to read it.
Back in the early 2000s, Fender introduced "satin" finishes to their line of Standard guitars, and I clearly remember thinking "Those aren't going to age well." I expected they'd discolor easily through use, and get all blotchy and unappealing. Well. Silly me. This past Thursday I came across the 2003 Standard Stratocaster shown below in a favorite local shop. It had been upgraded considerably by its previous owner(s) over the intervening 21 years, and seemed worth a look. So I looked.
Long story short, I went back the very next day with some older/superfluous gear. We made an even trade of it, and I brought the Strat home. It's a wonderful axe, and to say I'm pleased to have been proven wrong about the satin colors is an understatement. I truly love how the finish has aged.
