Olivia Rodrigo’s guitar tech explains the “one thing Leo Fender got wrong” when designing the Fender Stratocaster
Few guitars have earned the reputation of the Fender Stratocaster. Ergonomic, versatile, and endlessly imitated, it’s often held up as the very blueprint of electric guitar design.
Since its debut in 1954, the Strat has served as a faithful workhorse for players ranging from Jimi Hendrix to pop powerhouse Olivia Rodrigo. But as Rodrigo’s guitar tech Luis Munoz argues in a new video on social media, even Leo Fender didn’t get everything right.
READ MORE: Meet the new Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage collection: Aged lacquer finishes meet stainless steel frets, locking tuners and shred-ready necks
In fact, “Leo Fender got one thing wrong,” Munoz declares in a new Instagram reel. And the problem, he argues, isn’t with the guitar’s design flourishes, but with something far more basic: the wood screws used to hold its neck in place.
“The Strat is iconic, but Leo missed one detail: wood screws for the neck joint,” he explains. “The neck comes off often for many reasons like shimming, some have the truss rod adjustment at the heel, for fret work etc. With all that on and off, those holes will eventually strip.”
To prove his point, Munoz showcases a Hendrix anniversary Strat that arrived on his bench with a loose neck and a crude “fix” – toothpicks shoved into the screw holes.
“My guess, they were probably drilled a bit too big from the factory? The solution, toothpicks shoved in as a ‘fix’. That doesn’t work,” he writes.
Instead, the guitar tech lays out two proper solutions: redrilling and plugging with maple, or using threaded inserts with bolts. The latter, Munoz notes, is his “go-to” option. “[It’s] faster, stronger, cleaner,” he explains, adding that while he’s more cautious with vintage pieces, inserts are often the best long-term fix for most working guitars.
By the end of the reel, Munoz demonstrates the finished job: “I can take the neck off a million times with no worry now,” he says. “Some claim better sustain because of the tighter connections. Ps, I don’t know if that’s true.”
Watch the full process below.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Luis Munoz (@modernguitartech)
The post Olivia Rodrigo’s guitar tech explains the “one thing Leo Fender got wrong” when designing the Fender Stratocaster appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
