“When that first one came off the line, I grabbed it… and it was terrible”: The first Fender Stratocaster builds had to be junked due to their horrendous tremolos

1954 Fender Stratocaster.

2024 marks 70 years since the most iconic electric guitar of all time first entered production. Yes, we’re talking about the Fender Stratocaster. 

As we all know, following its launch, it quickly became the most popular electric guitar on the planet – a position the Strat or, at least derivatives of the Strat, have maintained pretty much ever since.