How Fender Stratocasters Are Made in the USA

Fender still makes many of its guitars in the Golden State at its Corona, California factory southeast of Los Angeles.

Although today’s guitar-making process involves advanced machinery to form blocks of wood into a musical masterpiece, every six-stringed creation is also a hand-made piece of art. “We owe to Leo the modular process with lumber,” Fender’s Director of Operations, Mark Kendrick, tells Popular Mechanics. “We continue to hand shape, hand craft the way we’ve always done it.”

The process begins with two pieces of wood: a 1¾-inch body and a 1-inch neck, which eventually fits snug inside a ⅝-inch pocket. Simple, right? Well, not really. Both the body and neck go through separate, intricate production processes. Luthiers shape and then rest the neck before inserting the truss rod, a thick bar of steel that acts like the guitar’s spine. After some shaping with a three-belt sander, a gang saw simultaneously cuts in the frets and then the neck winds up in the hands of expert luthiers for final shaping and finishing. “Every Fender neck is unique, and that’s because it’s done by craftsmen,” Kendrick says.

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Meanwhile, the body goes through its own perfection process until the neck and body are coated in lacquer in one of many classic Fender colors. “Very early on, there were custom colors that were being made, and those have become iconic,” Fender’s Executive Vice President Justin Norvell tells Popular Mechanics. “They’re all pulled from the cars of the fifties and sixties.” Once the lacquer dries, the frets are leveled, and the body and neck are sanded, buffed, and polished until the two pieces finally become one.

Next come the electronics, which are loaded into the pick guard. The pickups—transducers that convert vibration into electricity, essentially the heart of an electric guitar—are placed in a “suspension apparatus” so they can be adjusted under the strings. After installing the bridge and strap buttons, all that’s left is some stringing and fine tuning. Once the guitar is fully dressed to impress, it’s boxed up and shipped out.

Packed into every Stratocaster, Telecaster, and Jazzmaster is both 75 years of sound innovation as well as hands-on craftsmanship from Fender’s army of experienced luthiers. Because of this hand-made approach, no two Fender guitars are exactly the same. “We all play. We’re all guitarists . . . we think of things from a player’s point of view,” Norvell says. “We make our art so people can make their art.”

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How Fender Stratocasters Are Made in the USA

[jazzdrumguy]

Man, what an incredible design - from the body to the headstock - I just LOVE my many Strats - US, Mexi, and Asian (and you, Leo Fender!!!

[Transterra]

Outstanding video… So much easier to watch with just music playing instead of someone speaking.

[kevinjenner]

Designed in 1954, and perfectly embodies the “form follows function” aesthetic.

[jerrymckenzie]

I'm very happy with all of my Fender instruments!

[buckellard]

And each one is loved as though it's the best one ever made.

[mjb]

Bugger the haters of late. Massive shout out to every one of those workers who made my Left handed Fiesta red Vintage 2 Strat. It's an heirloom, worth every cent and I absolutely adore it. Being a lefty, maybe I just appreciate it more? I dunno? I do know that mine has Zero issues, in fact, it's perfect and a joy to play. Thanks Fender for thinking of us lefties with the V2 and the Fiesta red.

[noorvanprasetyo]

Nobody perfect, but for me this is perfect..i appreciate.

[warrenosborne]

Gotta a 77 USA P It bought my first house. Sweat the finish down to bare wood, lotta gigs. It fell 6 feet off a a stage onto concrete, , never went out of tune. Thanks Leo.

[venturaVlogger]

Strats made in corona California they really sounds different and smooth

[soeren_guitar]

That was very satisfying to watch this! 😊

[TREVORJB]

Fender American Vintage is my favorite

[Ophidicus]

I went on the Fender Corona factory tour and the visitor pass picture printer was on the Fritz so everyone on the tour had a picture of an 80 year old woman was fantastic.

[anthonystark]

The music in this video is captivating.

[biguenzo]

Fender Mex: made by mexicans in mex.
Fender USA: made by mexicans in USA

[philfrank]

The American Pro 2 guitars don't come in that older style, classic case. It's a black, plastic hardshell case. This staged unboxing using a traditonal Fender tweed case is for this video.

[parzival]

I notice very little PPE in use in some areas. If that was in the UK, the place would get closed down.

[vernonsaayman]

Ive often wondered just after the 1966 cbs takeover why some strats were fitted woth the larger unsightly jazzmaster type headstock?

[HunterLee-mf]

It's crazy that fender started in the 40s and it's still the most played guitar in the world

[BlueberryStinkFinger]

The MIM made fenders are just as good professional quality craftsmanship and the players series standards are the closest to the old school Strats

[KRAZEEIZATION]

Ironically the soundtrack music is played on an Ibanez!