In the late 1940's, inventor Leo Fender began working on a prototype of a solid body electric guitar. In April 1950, Leo released his first official six string electric guitar, the Fender Esquire. It had a single pickup, a detachable maple neck, and a pine body painted white.
Broadcaster
In early 1950, Leo released a two pickup model, which he named the Fender Broadcaster. Gretsch threatened to sue Fender over the name, claiming it infringed upon their "Broadkaster" line of drums. The word "Broadcaster" was clipped from the headstock of hundreds of guitars, which were then marked only with the word "Fender." These later became known to collectors as "Nocasters." In early 1951 Leo renamed his guitar the Fender Telecaster.
Telecaster
The Telecaster's design included a single cutaway slab body with a neck and bridge pickup, a three position pickup selector, a volume control, a tone control, three adjustable bridge saddles, and strings that anchored through the body. The bridge pickup offered great sustain and treble response, making it the preferred model for many country guitarists.
Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster was released in 1954. The Stratocaster featured three pickups, one volume control, and two tone controls. Its double cutaway body design improved the playability of the guitar. The Stratocaster was originally designed with a three position pickup selector, but guitarists discovered that they could balance the switch between two positions to create an out of phase sound. Leo then incorporated a five way switch into later models. The Stratocaster design also included a tremolo arm, later nicknamed a "whammy bar," which was used to change the pitch of the strings.
