They were generally Stackpole brand. Many acclaimed guitarists would come to prefer the Stratocasters unintentional in between tones. Other clues come from residues found beneath seldom removed parts, such as the bridge, he adds. Most contemporary Strats are alder, while the Strats featured in the Deluxe range feature ash bodies. As of 2019, these include the more affordable American Performer Stratocaster (successor to the Highway One and American Special Stratocasters) and the more expensive American Ultra Stratocaster (successor to the American Elite Stratocaster). Been that way for quite a while now. All Rights Reserved. See the next years 1955 Fender Stratocaster. This was especially disappointing to young London guitarist Brian Rankin, who went by the stage name Hank Marvin and had just joined singer Cliff Richards band armed with a cheap Japanese electric guitar. Indeed, for about its first 10 years or so, the Stratocaster patiently bided its time while the world caught up with it. Those early rock n roll musicians who did sling guitars most often played flat-top acoustics or big, hollow electrics by Gibson and Gretsch. . Also, the 1954 Fender Stratocaster bridge pickup wire route is not as deep as on 1955/56 and later models, so sometimes this route is crudely deepened with a hand chisel during final assembly. Long-held conventions of design and method meant little if anything to Leo, which likely goes a long way in explaining the genesis of an instrument as extraordinary as the Stratocaster. The Difference Between Strat and Tele Bridge Pickups, A Guide to Fender Single-Coil Stratocaster Pickups, How the Stratocaster Came to Have Two Headstocks. On this guitar, there was finishing fluid, this reddish-tinted stuff Fender used to finish the guitars and some of that was still visible just under the bridge, under the trim here.. The 1954 Fender Stratocaster is of course the beginning of the breed. The Vintage Strat Market by the Numbers | Reverb News Thanks for that great link some very nice pictures there! The new molds included the volume/tone knobs, 3-way switch tip, and the pickup covers (the tremolo tip didnt seem to change shape). Pre-CBS refers to the era of Fender Musical Instruments before the company was purchased by CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) in January 1965. On many modern Stratocasters, the first tone control affects the neck pickup; the second tone control affects the middle and bridge pickups; on some Artist Series models (Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy signature guitars), the first tone control is a presence circuit that cuts or boosts treble and bass frequencies, affecting all the pickups; the second tone control is an active midrange booster that boosts the midrange frequencies up to 25dB (12dB on certain models) to produce a fatter humbucker-like sound. Fender Stratocaster 1954 - True Vintage Guitar And yet the initial design for the Stratocasters vibrato bridge was a pronounced failure. The Stratocaster got off to a rather slow start. 1963 Black Stratocaster. This page was last edited on 1 June 2023, at 05:25. Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster 1954 50th Anniversary | Reverb I am a private vintage guitar collector not a store , and you can contact me at cfh provide. Turn the guitar over, and a closer examination of the vibrato block reveals more subtle differences when comparedto later Strats. But who knew where the Stratocaster was destined to fit in? ", and onwards through to "Let It Be". The salesman would usually sell the guitars off as they wrapped up their trips. Although the prices commanded by rare vintage guitars have stabilised somewhat in recent years, the most sought-after vintage Fenders and Gibsons are still worth a lot of money in pristine, original condition. Players quickly found, however, that they could get two combinations of pickupsthe neck and middle pickups together and the bridge and middle pickups togetherby carefully balancing the switch in the two points between the three notched positions. Best Year for the Fender Stratocaster - Bananas at Large Rock n roll had been building steam since the late 1940s by the time it broke out into a national phenomenon in the mid 1950s, and during that initial period, with few exceptions, its main lead instruments were saxophone and piano rather than guitar. The new guitar certainly owed several design elements to its predecessor, though, and as late as early 1953 its body shape closely resembled that of the Telecaster. Leo Fender insisted it leave the factory floating (raised up in the back) while designer Freddie Tavares preferred it tightened flush for full bridge plate/body contact resonance. 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Purchase order PO #242 from Fender Sales for about 100 of the 1954 Fender Stratocaster, which was finished and delivered on October 13, 1954. [22][bettersourceneeded]. The body, still made with ash, was extremely contoured. Later on, they were recessed much deeper. Later a worm route was added into the process before painting. Note that the Fender Pat Pend stamp on each saddle was quite faint until the 60s. In the compartment routed into the back of the guitar, the whole assemble was anchored by springs (three at first but soon five) that attached to the inertia block at one end and an adjustable anchor plate screwed to the forward wall of the cavity at the other end. The first full-scale production run began in October 1954, with the vibrato model priced at $249.50 and the non-vibrato model at $229.50. HOW MANY PRE CBS STRATS WERE BUILT? - Gearspace.com Year: 1954. The famous Fender vibrato system, first fitted on the 54 Strat, was a steel two-piece unit with six saddles that could be adjusted for intonation and height. It still looks really rich and lush, as it was when it left the factory, he adds. Leo and his staff envisioned a steel guitar-like sound with only very slight pitch changes, but his design actually enabled a pitch span of up to three half steps or more. One of the myths surrounding the first Stratocasters is that the plastic parts were made from Bakelite, he said. The plate was purely cosmetic, and tended to get in the way of important playing techniques such as palm muting, so many players removed it. The Stratocaster was originally designed in 1953. [21] When two pickups are selected simultaneously, they are wired in parallel which leads to a slight drop in output as slightly more current is allowed to pass to the ground. Model Number: 015-1954- (803) Series: Limited Edition Series. Dick Dale was a prominent Stratocaster player who also collaborated with Leo Fender in developing the Fender Showman amplifier. [29] Some early reissues from 1986 were crafted with leftover parts from the Fullerton factory. Strats from '54 are being sold for $100,000 or more. The Stratocaster had to earn its place, and it happened neither easily nor overnight. So we procured original 54 Strat plastic parts and [had] them tested by the best laboratory in Southern California, he said. Fender guitars has now also begun making the Fender Pat Pend saddles again. Guitars that duplicate the Stratocaster by other manufacturers are sometimes called S-Type or ST-type guitars. Other more minor changes took place (thinner aluminum shielding, thinner neck shape, a metal spacer added below the string tree, etc. While the floating bridge has unique advantages for wavering pitch upwards (like Jeff Beck), the functionality of the "floating" has been widely accepted, yet disputed by some musicians. Which is the Right Neck Shape for You? The double cutaway, elongated horns, and heavily contoured back were all designed for better balance and comfort to play while standing up and slung off the shoulder with a strap. But, it is a very early example of an original 1954 Fender Stratocaster. Fender PlayThe #1 guitar learning platformTRY FOR FREE. New book - Should we still revere our heroes when we know bad things about them? Between the years 1954 and 1979, nearly a quarter of the Fender Stratocasters manufactured were made in a single year, in 1979. During this early period of Stratocaster production, the dates on the body and the neck tended to match up very closely, often to within six months and sometimes within the same month. The first early 50s Stratocaster prototype model with Leo Fenders secondand vastly improvedvibrato bridge design. Neck back shape feel was a large rounded D style neck. October 1954. Tremolo blocks string-end ball holes are more shallow. The bakelite plate that holds the switch contacts has angled sides. When Fender's Stratocaster was first released in the spring of 1954, one of the outstanding features of its futuristic design was its vibrato unit. Vintage Guitars Collector - Fender collecting vintage guitars fender The Strat was available without tremolo (known as a hardtail model) by special order only (and in this case, a special order non-trem Strat is worth way less than the much more common trem model). This model line has been continuously improved and remained in production until late 2016. Which is the Right Neck Shape for You? The tension of the springs on the back and the guitar strings on the top held the whole system floating in balance and enabled shimmering vibrato, uncompromised tone and, crucially, stable intonation. A practical person, he just wanted to build a better guitar. Hank Marvin,[18] Jeff Beck[19] and Ike Turner[20] have used the Stratocaster's floating vibrato extensively in their playing. This is easy to identify as there is no paint in this crudely hand chiseled wire channel in the bottom of the lead pickup route. Back then their production methods were significantly different from what we have nowadays, Rod continues. Various other companies have produced their own Strat-style bodies known as Superstrats. (photo courtesy of guitarhq.com). The two-color sunburst finish became a three-color sunburst finish in the first half of 1958 with the addition of an in between red hue.