Product Design Assignment - Stratocaster

The second writing project in Art Appreciation asks the students to describe a product that they use frequently in their daily lives or a product that they particularly like.  They should ultimately discuss form and function and hopefully may use some of the design terms we are learning in class.

The object I have chosen is my Stratocaster.  It is not a full on U.S.A. Fender Strat (a valuable and sought after edition).  It is a Squier Stratocaster that was made in Japan.  Squier is a subsidiary of Fender that makes much less expensive guitars in similar model designs.  Because common lore suggests that the Japanese were making guitars better than their American parent company in the 80s (as with many things), some of these guitars are actually collectable.  I wish to talk about the design, however.

A man named Les Paul is credited with inventing the first solid body electric guitar, and the Gibson guitar brand has long produced the signature model Les Paul electric guitar.  Leo Fender designed the Stratocaster electric guitar.  It was initially a democratic design meant to be affordable and utilitarian in that it's standardized parts could be easily disassembled and replaced.  Leo Fender, however, also produced a visually elegant guitar that is light in weight and feels good to play.  This is probably why it was the choice of revolutionary guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.  It is still a frequent and popular choice among musicians today.

The thing I have noticed about the visual design of the slim body is that it is deceptively complex.  There are many subtle contours to its form, and the body is not at all symmetrical.  These attributes are not merely for visual affect, though.  The cut away (horn look) is lower on one side to allow the player to more freely move his or her hand to the higher part of the neck.  The subtle curvilinear contours in the body actually conform to the player's body whether the player is sitting or standing.

There are many aesthetic features of guitars that are particular to different brands and years.  For instance, a particular brand, model or edition may have specific tone and volume knobs, pick ups, fret boards, and lettering.  The famous Fender logo has been slightly altered over the years, but it's most famous version is the "spaghetti" lettering with the curvy, cursive letters.  The Squire logo on my guitar imitates this.  The fretboard on Fender guitars comes in maple (blonde) or rosewood (dark).  The maple fretboard (on the neck) is the traditional, signature look of a Fender guitar, but some players prefer rosewood.

A designer, crafter, and particularly a builder of stringed instruments like guitars is called a luthier, named for the lute, an ancient stringed instrument.  Building an instrument is a complicated, delicate, and precise operation.  For instance, a player creates a specific note on a guitar by manipulating the length of the strings by pressing at an exact location on the fretboard.  This means that in designing the form of a guitar, the designer must incorporate the function.  Each string must be a specific length and tension, and each fret must be spaced exactly.