The guitar that launched a million riffs: Fender Stratocaster celebrates its 60th anniversary

• Leo Fender created the first Stratocaster in 1954. It featured a signature double cutaway design and contoured body
• Early adopters included 50s legend Buddy Holly, and UK musician Hank Marvin who was the first to import one
• Since then it has been used by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughn
• Kurt Cobain used one before his death, and Arctic Monkeys' frontman Alex Turner used one in the band's early days
  

By Chris Pleasance

Published: 08:36 EDT, 18 April 2014 | Updated: 06:57 EDT, 9 May 2014

Few rock icons can claim to still be going strong after 60 years, but today marks the anniversary of the first Fender Stratocaster being built, and the music icon is still as popular as ever.

Designed by Leo Fender in a small workshop in Fullerton, California, six decades ago, it has been used in all genres from country to reggae, and from rock to pop and was the only guitar to challenge the Gibson Les Paul for popularity.

Today the guitars are built by hand in Fender's factory in Corona, California. Each Stratocaster starts life as a long, thin piece of ash wood which is shaped into a neck by machine, before being hand laid with either more ash or rosewood for the fret board.

The frets are then hammered in by hand, using a machine to tighten them. The body, which can be made of two, three, or even four pieces of wood, is then given its shape by a machine which cuts holes for the controls, tremolo bridge and other metal parts which are assembled by hand.

The neck and body are then hand shaped by workers using sanders before being sent through the paint shop, which uses similar technology to car factories. The paint is then left for three days until it properly dries.

Finally, the body and fret are given a final shaping, which puts the high-gloss finish on them, before being sent through quality control where they are examined, tuned and given a final check before being sent out.

Designed to be used by country musicians, the guitar was first memorably played by Buddy Holly and became his signature as an artist. One of the defining images of the 50s was Holly pictured with the guitar high up on his chest.

From there it was taken up in the early 60s by the likes of the Beach Boys who favoured it for it's wailing sound, and later by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and George Harrison.

The birth of heavy metal saw the Stratocaster take on new life in the hands of Iron Maiden, while Eddie Van Halen's famous Frankenstrat only added to the instrument's iconic status.

The guitar then passed into the capable hands of modern-day musicians such as the Red Hot Chili Pepper's John Frusciante, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and the Arctic Monkey's Alex Turner.

Other memorable players include Hank Marvin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler and Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan, to name but a few.

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The Fender Stratocaster celebrates its 60th anniversary today. It was originally created in the 1950s by Leo Fender to replace the earlier Telecaster

Unlike the big-band Telecaster, the Strat was designed for use in smaller bands and groups and also featured a contoured design to make it more comfortable to wear

The body of a Strat (top) is given this basic shape by a machine, but it repeatedly shaped and reshaped by hand using sanders to give it a high gloss finish (right)

The neck of a Strat is also initially shaped by a machine, but the fret board is laid on by hand before the metal frets themselves are hammered into place by workers

In the paint shop, brand new guitar bodies are sprayed using similar technology to car plants. They are then put into racks which slowly move them across the floor to be finished. In total, it takes three days for the paint to dry

At the end of the manufacturing process all Fender guitars are put through a rigorous testing process, when they are checked for quality, finish and tuning

Other 60s musicians to take up the instrument included Jimi Hendrix, who famously played his flipped over because he was left handed. The Beatles' George Harrison was also a fan of the Fender, pictured here in 1970

While stars such as Kieth Richards are happy to buy Strats straight off the rack, Fender also offer a custom shop where almost any aspect of the guitar can be tweaked

Showing the instrument's infinite flexibility, it was perfectly suited to both the slow-hand style of Eric Clapton (left) and the harsher tones of Eddie Van Halen (right)

British band Iron Maiden brought the Stratocaster with them into the heavy metal revolution and carried on using the instrument form many years

Still rocking: Restoration expert and master builder John Cruz works on the body of a heavily used Strat at the Corona factory in California

The Strat has been used in virtually every genre, from reggae to rock, pop to punk. Here blues legend Robert Cray performs with one during a concert in Anaheim, Calif.

Vinnie Garcia hands Country legend Vince Gill his 1957 Strat. Garcia sold Gill his first Stratocaster for $200 and a pair of cowboy boots. Gill said: 'I love the versatility of the guitar as much as anything, no matter what way you want to play it, it always responds'

Kurt Cobain, the force behind grunge band Nirvana, used a Strat and the Arctic Monkeys' frontman Alex Turner was also a fans of the guitar in the band's early days

Golden oldie: John Mayer performs with his Stratocaster. He said: 'It's the machine of my dreams. It's the Ford Mustang, the Marilyn Monroe, the lightning rod, surfboard, magic carpet for music'