Fender Stratocaster Solid Body Electric Guitar (1958)
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Item # 8417
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Fender Stratocaster Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1958), 12 grams, made in Fullerton, California, serial # 30866, three tone sunburst lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck, original tweed hard shell case.
This almost unbelievably clean and original 1958 Stratocaster is simply a joy to behold, let alone play and hear. Strats in this sort of condition are ever harder to come by 60+ years later, with many locked away in the "it must never be played" file. This one is a two-owner guitar, neither of whom seem to have ever spent much time with it. The guitar appears virtually unplayed, appearing to have hardly ever been out of the original tweed case. This has been a true "closet classic" for the better part of six decades.
The body sports a beautiful deep and vibrant 3-color sunburst with virtually no fade, and is dated 10-58 in the center pickup cavity. The great-feeling round-profile neck is dated 9-58, and the finish is still clear, the maple looking almost white and the frets and fingerboard showing virtually no wear.
There is one oddity; no "contour body" decal appears on the ball of the headstock, as we would usually expect to see. We have examined the headstock finish in minute detail, including under blacklight -- and can find no trace that one was ever applied. The fine checking is perfectly even and there is no lacquer disturbance visible at all. We can only assume the small auxiliary decal was never applied to the guitar and this was a sheer factory omission in the busy fall of 1958.
"Under the hood" all is as expected; the pots are a perfectly matched set date coded to the 25th week of 1958, and all wiring and solder joints are pristine and original. All three pickups sound great, and the three-way switch has a very solid feel and selects the "in-between" tones easily.
This completely original and unmodified guitar has never suffered the indignities that many old Fenders went through, apparently riding out the turbulent '60s, '70s, and '80s buried deep in one or more closets. It remains as pure and majestic as the year it was sold, and survives just as Leo and his crew intended. It is simply a wonderful, magical-feeling 7 lb. 12 oz. guitar and a great reminder why we fell in love with the Stratocaster in the first place!
Overall length is 38 1/4 in. (97.2 cm.), 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) deep. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This one is easy -- it is ALL original, with the only notable sign of aging being some very light longitudinal checking on the neck and body as is typical of 1958 examples. There is hardly any wear anywhere, just the lightest of handling marks here and there. There is a tiny chip missing from the "d" in the Fender logo decal. All components are completely original with no alterations or repair.
The only real flaw is one spot of finish disturbance on the back of the lower body horn where it looks like something was left in contact with the lacquer for a time; this is into, but not through, the finish. It is mirrored by a much smaller spot of the same type by the back edge. These could be polished to be less visible, but we prefer to leave the overall patina undisturbed.
The pickups and wiring rig are all original and untouched, the waxed cloth wire and paper-wrapped tone cap showing no deterioration or even signs of age. All the plastic still has the original patina, and the chrome shines like a '57 Chevy. The Kluson tuners look practically new, with no corrosion to the nickel plating.
The case is also completely original, including the rare "Fender" metal tag on the corner of the lid, but has a bit more wear to the outside. It has been likely been carted around over just about 60 years, although apparently has spent much of this time in closets. In the case pocket is the original strap, cable, polishing cloth (which is the only piece that appears to have seen much use), and three period picks: two original 1950s Fender logo tortoiseshell celluloid and one Nick Lucas. Near Mint Condition.
This almost unbelievably clean and original 1958 Stratocaster is simply a joy to behold, let alone play and hear. Strats in this sort of condition are ever harder to come by 60+ years later, with many locked away in the "it must never be played" file. This one is a two-owner guitar, neither of whom seem to have ever spent much time with it. The guitar appears virtually unplayed, appearing to have hardly ever been out of the original tweed case. This has been a true "closet classic" for the better part of six decades.
The body sports a beautiful deep and vibrant 3-color sunburst with virtually no fade, and is dated 10-58 in the center pickup cavity. The great-feeling round-profile neck is dated 9-58, and the finish is still clear, the maple looking almost white and the frets and fingerboard showing virtually no wear.
There is one oddity; no "contour body" decal appears on the ball of the headstock, as we would usually expect to see. We have examined the headstock finish in minute detail, including under blacklight -- and can find no trace that one was ever applied. The fine checking is perfectly even and there is no lacquer disturbance visible at all. We can only assume the small auxiliary decal was never applied to the guitar and this was a sheer factory omission in the busy fall of 1958.
"Under the hood" all is as expected; the pots are a perfectly matched set date coded to the 25th week of 1958, and all wiring and solder joints are pristine and original. All three pickups sound great, and the three-way switch has a very solid feel and selects the "in-between" tones easily.
This completely original and unmodified guitar has never suffered the indignities that many old Fenders went through, apparently riding out the turbulent '60s, '70s, and '80s buried deep in one or more closets. It remains as pure and majestic as the year it was sold, and survives just as Leo and his crew intended. It is simply a wonderful, magical-feeling 7 lb. 12 oz. guitar and a great reminder why we fell in love with the Stratocaster in the first place!
Overall length is 38 1/4 in. (97.2 cm.), 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) deep. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This one is easy -- it is ALL original, with the only notable sign of aging being some very light longitudinal checking on the neck and body as is typical of 1958 examples. There is hardly any wear anywhere, just the lightest of handling marks here and there. There is a tiny chip missing from the "d" in the Fender logo decal. All components are completely original with no alterations or repair.
The only real flaw is one spot of finish disturbance on the back of the lower body horn where it looks like something was left in contact with the lacquer for a time; this is into, but not through, the finish. It is mirrored by a much smaller spot of the same type by the back edge. These could be polished to be less visible, but we prefer to leave the overall patina undisturbed.
The pickups and wiring rig are all original and untouched, the waxed cloth wire and paper-wrapped tone cap showing no deterioration or even signs of age. All the plastic still has the original patina, and the chrome shines like a '57 Chevy. The Kluson tuners look practically new, with no corrosion to the nickel plating.
The case is also completely original, including the rare "Fender" metal tag on the corner of the lid, but has a bit more wear to the outside. It has been likely been carted around over just about 60 years, although apparently has spent much of this time in closets. In the case pocket is the original strap, cable, polishing cloth (which is the only piece that appears to have seen much use), and three period picks: two original 1950s Fender logo tortoiseshell celluloid and one Nick Lucas. Near Mint Condition.