Fifty-six-year-old automobiles range from rotted-out clunkers tottering toward the scrap heap to cosseted antiques whose primary virtue is the evocation of nostalgia.

A 56-year-old Fender Stratocaster guitar is as aesthetically fresh and as musically relevant as a Strat produced yesterday. And when it comes to tone, odds are the “vintage” ax will be vastly superior to the newbie.

The obvious analogy is to other timeless musical masterpieces like Cremonese violins. But while Stradivaris and Amatis and Guarneris were individually handcrafted by Old World artisans aiming to please elite classical musicians, Strats, as well as their slightly older sibs, Telecasters and Fender electric bass guitars (a brand-new instrument invented by the Fender company) are the embodiment of mass-produced, egalitarian, machine-age modernism.

Sawed, drilled and sanded using preset designs, then bolted together like Erector set components, Fender products were designed with an eye toward ergonomics, affordability and, most important, sound. Leo Fender couldn’t play a note of guitar, but he listened to those who could. We’re not talking rock idols. Unlike fine violins, Fender guitars weren’t primarily intended for the type of artist who made them famous.