Watch the birth of a Fender Stratocaster

60 DAYS OF STRAT: If you've ever thought that building a guitar takes too darned long, then the above video should be right up your alley. A Strat Is Born, produced by Fender Films, takes viewers on a high-speed, four-minute ride through the creation of a Fender Stratocaster guitar at Fender's US manufacturing facility in Corona, California.

Minus the actual tree being planted, grown and cut down, all the steps in the process are here, giving viewers a good idea of how many many sets of hands are laid on a guitar as it's assembled (answer: plenty).

And if it's a bespoke Fender you're after, then visit Fender's brand new online American Design Experience, and check out our video visit to the Fender Visitor Center and the Fender American Design Experience to see where the magic happens. It's the stuff dreams are made of, where visitors can choose bodies, necks and components and have the guitar or bass of their dreams built. (The video is equally fast-paced, but it takes about a month for your guitar to be delivered.)

For more information visit the official Fender website.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.