This is the first hands-on how-to manual devoted to a guitar—the legendary Fender electric guitar, the Stratocaster! This guidebook shows owners and dreamers the basics of selecting and buying Strats, maintenance and repairs such as tuning, setting intonation, tremolo alignment, fret repairs, bridge and nut adjustments, electrics troubleshooting, spur-of-the-moment stage-side fixes, and some basic “performance” enhancements like adding “hot rod” fender and aftermarket pickups, locking-tremolo nuts, and more.
I told my folks I was saving to buy a Fender Stratocaster and their response was to send me The Stratocaster Handbook. My folks are pretty cool.
Balmer's catch all guide to Fender's Stratocaster is a very useful volume, in my opinion. There is a great deal of historical information on Fender and the Stratocaster as well as case studies of several styles of Strat. There is also a chapter on famous Strat players and their Strats, with a section each for Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, Hank Marvin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan and, believe it or not, Eric Clapton. Three sections on Eric Clapton is absolutely ridiculous. What about Ritchie Blackmoore? Dick Dale? Eddie Hazel?
Of great use is the included information on setting up a Strat. While not a heavily technical manual, any Strat owner should be able to set up their guitar correctly using the information given in this book.
Balmer is English, so he uses funny words like, "valve" (tube), "fingerboard" (pickguard), "plectrum" (pick) and "spanner" (wrench), to name a few, but don't let that throw you. The Stratocaster Handbook is top notch.