Kirk Hammett is a knucklehead. Fender was the original "rock n roll" guitar - as noted by Dave. Scotty Moore used an ES-295 and later a Super 400 with Elvis but those didn't exactly set the world on fire with teenagers. Actually if you read up on it, Scotty tried Fenders first, but found them a little too "feminine" (his words) for his hands. Uwe's point about Hank Marvin is also correct - lots of young Brits lusted after Fenders, but the prices were prohibitive. Even if they weren't able to afford them, though, Hank and his Strat were the inspiration. Not until Clapton, Bloomfield, Green, etc hit the scene did the Les Paul become a star.