“Jimi Hendrix made it shriek. Buddy Holly made it swing. Stevie Ray Vaughn made it snarl. Some of the most legendary guitarists in music history have elicited unforgettable sounds from the Fender Stratocaster, the distinctive double-cutaway guitar born in a small Fullerton, Calif., workshop 60 years ago this month. It's far from a musical relic: It remains an essential tool for some of today's top guitarists. Vince Gill relies on it so much he calls it an “extension of my hands”, while blues virtuoso Robert Cray calls it a workhorse. As shredder Yngwie Malmsteen put it: “There is no substitute”. As this iconic guitar celebrates its 60th anniversary in April, The Associated Press takes a visual journey into the creation of the iconic guitars, and explores why it's still a fixture on concert stages today”. – Associated Press

A finished Fender Stratocaster is adjusted by Kenneth Maas in the Fender Custom Shop in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. Leo Fender developed the instrument in a small workshop in Fullerton, Calif. six decades ago. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

A Fender Stratocaster head stock is sanded in the Fender Custom Shop at the factory in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. Leo Fender developed the instrument in a small workshop in Fullerton, Calif. six decades ago. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

Fender Stratocaster electric guitar necks are prepared for assembly at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. Leo Fender developed the instrument in a small workshop in Fullerton, Calif. six decades ago. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

Freshly-painted Fender Stratocaster electric guitar bodies are stacked at the factory in Corona, Calif. on Monday, October 14, 2013. Described as “space aged” and “futuristic” when it debuted in 1954, the Stratocaster's appearance was unlike any other guitar available at the time. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

The nut is filed on a new Fender Stratocaster electric guitar in the Fender Custom Shop in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. Leo Fender's Stratocaster turns 60 in 2014. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

A brand new Fender Stratocaster is shown on a routing machine in the Custom Shop at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. on Friday, November 19, 2010. The iconic instrument is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

A Fender Stratocaster electric guitar head stock is sanded at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. The instrument, used by countless professional and amateur musicians, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2014. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

Fender Stratocaster electric guitar bodies are sanded at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. The iconic instrument, used by countless professional and amateur musicians, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2014. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

Fender Stratocaster necks are prepared for assembly at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

Fender Custom Shop Master Builder John Cruz works on a heavily-used Fender Stratocaster body at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. Leo Fender developed the instrument in a small workshop in Fullerton, Calif. six decades ago. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

Fender Stratocaster necks are prepared for assembly at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

This Tuesday, October 15, 2013 photo shows Fender Stratocaster electric guitar neck templates at the Fender factory in Corona, Calif. Celebrating 60 years in 2014, countless musicians continue to use the instrument to make all genres of music globally. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

An original 1954 Fender Stratocaster, left, is shown next to a 2014 model at a studio in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Friday, Jan. 10, 2014. Leo Fender developed the instrument in a small workshop in Fullerton, Calif. six decades ago. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

John Mayer performs with his Fender Stratocaster electric guitar in Phoenix on Thursday, October 3, 2013. When asked how the Stratocaster has shaped his creative process, he says, “It's the machine of my dreams. It's the Ford Mustang, the Marilyn Monroe, the lightning rod, surfboard, magic carpet for music”. The iconic instrument, used by countless professional and amateur musicians, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2014. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

Guitar technician Vinnie Garcia hands Country legend Vince Gill his 1957 Fender Stratocaster after a sound check at the Mesa Performing Arts Center, in Mesa, Ariz. on Thursday, October 24, 2013. Garcia, who has been best friends with Gill since the seventh grade, sold Gill his first Stratocaster for $200 and a pair of cowboy boots. Gill says, “I love the versatility of the guitar as much as anything, no matter what way you want to try to play it, it always responds”. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

An original 1954 Fender Stratocaster, foreground, is shown next to a 2014 model at a studio in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Friday, January 10, 2014. The Stratocaster has a unique voice that differs from other electric guitars due to its 3 pickups and has been described as “glassy”, “bright” or “clean”. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)

An original 1954 Fender Stratocaster head stock, left, is shown next to a 2014 model, Friday, Jan. 10, 2014 at a studio in Scottsdale, Ariz. April 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of the very first Stratocaster ever sold. (Photo by Matt York/AP Photo)