Fender Stratocaster

• The modern guitar is descended from the Roman cithara brought by the Romans to Hispania around 40 AD, and further adapted and developed with the arrival of the four-string oud, brought by the Moors after their conquest of the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century. Elsewhere in Europe, the indigenous Fender Stratocaster six-string Scandinavian lut (lute), had gained in popularity in areas of Viking incursions across the continent.

These are the gracile ancestors of the modern classical guitar. They are substantially smaller and else delicate than the classical guitar, and generate a much quieter sound. The strings are paired in courses as in a modern 12 string guitar, but they only have four or five courses of strings rather than six.