Iconic Guitars

By Hudson Zamacona

Fender has three Stratocasters for players who climb the ladder from engineer to advanced. Squier by Fender is made in Indonesia, Mexico, and America. And this order starts from affordable to high G’s.

Stratocasters are great because they offer a diverse range of tones with their three pickups and 5level switch a mix of different tones. You can play warm blues, hard rock, and even metal. Personally, I believe that any guitarist can work with their guitars to produce the sound they want. For guitar players, the model doesn’t matter, but the Stratocaster is a top recommendation.

Stratocaster became distributed in 1954, which was a year that brought her to the hands of some of the world’s future greatest guitar players of all time.

Most are made from alder wood, which generates a warmer tone and comes in hundreds of different colorways. If you want your strat to become easily road worn, then a model before 1967 would be the one to get because they were sprayed using nitrocellulose, but don’t be shocked to find one at over $5,000.

Guitar players known to play Stratocasters are Jimmy Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Edge of U2, Eric Clapton, and many others.

For those who feel like they listen to more 70s, to 90s rock n roll and want that old-school classic feel and sound, then the Gibson Les Paul might be the right choice for you. Fender Gibson has another company called Epiphone which produces the same guitars at a cheaper price.

Les Pauls are heavy and make you work hard to play, which is why many players find this guitar to be a great option for rock. Slash, the guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, said he likes how durable and heavy Les Pauls are. According to Far Out magazine, Slash described this guitar, saying, “I love the weight of it. It felt solid.”

Gibson Les Pauls were first manufactured in 1952, two years before the strat. Les Paul also has so many dope paint jobs.

Guitar players who are known to use Les Pauls are Slash of Gun N’ Roses, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Steve Jones of Sex Pistols, and Randy Rhoads, who played for Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Jeff Beck, and many more of Rolling Stones list of top 100 guitarists of all time.