Fender Stratocaster Solid Body Electric Guitar (1957)
1
/
of
15
Couldn't load pickup availability
Item #10087
Fender Stratocaster Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1957), made in Fullerton, California, serial # -19902, sunburst lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck, original tweed hard shell case.
This lovely if moderately well-worn Stratocaster dates to 1957, about three years after the model's introduction but a time when it was still the top showpiece for Fender. The body sports the older 2-color color sunburst lacquer finish which would be supplanted the next year by a flashier 3-tone 'burst but is made of alder, recently changed from the ash used previously. It exhibits a nice sweeping contour on the back; these were all done by hand on a belt sander and there is a decent amount of variation even in a given year. The body is dated 9-57 in the middle pickup rout; the serial number on the neck plate is preceded by a minus sign, a quirk common at this time.
The great-feeling one piece maple neck was made a bit earlier than the body, pencil dated 3-57 on the heel. This is a wider date spread than some period Fenders but not that unusual for this era. It has the "V" profile used in 1957, but feels softer than many without a hard spine along the back. The natural lacquer finish has ambered nicely, and shows the typical fairly heavy play wear on the back and fingerboard seen on many 50's Fenders. It was refretted long ago with wire just a bit taller than the original, but not the typical '70s and '80s Jumbo style. It could easily be refretted again with exactly correct wire if desired.
"Under the hood" the guitar remains nicely original. The visible pot date coded is the 4h week of 1957, and all wiring and solder joints remain as they left Fullerton with one exception. The neck and middle pickups are fully original; the lead pickup has been recently expertly rewound by Norio Imai. This was done by disconnecting the coil at the grommets on its base (don't try this at home, kids) so none of the wiring was disturbed. Norio is a master at this particular operation and all three pickups are nicely balanced and sound great, even the rubber grommets under the screws remain original. The original three-way switch has a very solid feel selecting the "in-between" tones easily for some truly righteous Strat sounds.
This guitar has seen moderately heavy use over more than six decades but has managed to avoid the major indignities that many old Fenders went through like refinishes, humbucker routs, massive jumbo refrets, and locking tremolos. It remains as Leo and his crew intended, a versatile tone machine par excellence. It is simply a wonderful-feeling guitar, a genuine Fender relic and a great reminder why the world 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 Stratocaster shows typical signs of use but no damage serious abuse. The single pickup rewind and refret are typical maintenance repairs, but do not alter the character of the guitar. Unfortunately increasing numbers of older Fender pickups are failing now 60+ years on, so this will become ever more common as they age further. The trick is to have them restored by someone who knows how to preserve their original character perfectly, which is the case here.
The rest of the guitar shows a decent helping of honest wear. The completely original body finish has no overspray and shows typical wear including dings, dents and scrapes, more heavily on the back than the front. The face has light checking but is actually relatively clean. The neck has fairly heavy wear on the back and fingerboard but retains that great "worn-in Fender" feel and a beautifully aged patina that modern "relics" desperately try to emulate.
The original single-layer pickguard is in excellent shape with no cracks or damage; the pickup covers have some wear to the ends but no cracking or distortion. Even all of the screws are original. All external hardware remains original including Kluson Deluxe tuners, knobs, pickup covers and even the trem arm, often broken or lost.
Internally excepting the lead coil rewind the wiring rig is untouched, with correct original pots, cap, switch and solder joints. The bridge assembly is original; the steel saddles shows a decent amount of corrosion but nothing that affects adjustability or play. It is likely the height adjustment screws were replaced at some point as they appear fairly clean compared to the saddles themselves. The tuners have some minor corrosion; the Fender decal on the headstock is well preserved.
This old Stratocaster has definitely seen some play time. It still sings with the magical sound typical of its two-tone maple neck breed, easily conjuring up the ghosts of Buddy holly, Clapton, Buddy Guy, Richard Thompson or any of a number of early Strat-slinging idols. The original "knuckle-buster" tweed case is still present, worn but still perfectly functional with the "Koylon foam" intact under the lid and the almost always lost small metal "Fender" badge on the top. Overall Excellent - Condition.
View full details
This lovely if moderately well-worn Stratocaster dates to 1957, about three years after the model's introduction but a time when it was still the top showpiece for Fender. The body sports the older 2-color color sunburst lacquer finish which would be supplanted the next year by a flashier 3-tone 'burst but is made of alder, recently changed from the ash used previously. It exhibits a nice sweeping contour on the back; these were all done by hand on a belt sander and there is a decent amount of variation even in a given year. The body is dated 9-57 in the middle pickup rout; the serial number on the neck plate is preceded by a minus sign, a quirk common at this time.
The great-feeling one piece maple neck was made a bit earlier than the body, pencil dated 3-57 on the heel. This is a wider date spread than some period Fenders but not that unusual for this era. It has the "V" profile used in 1957, but feels softer than many without a hard spine along the back. The natural lacquer finish has ambered nicely, and shows the typical fairly heavy play wear on the back and fingerboard seen on many 50's Fenders. It was refretted long ago with wire just a bit taller than the original, but not the typical '70s and '80s Jumbo style. It could easily be refretted again with exactly correct wire if desired.
"Under the hood" the guitar remains nicely original. The visible pot date coded is the 4h week of 1957, and all wiring and solder joints remain as they left Fullerton with one exception. The neck and middle pickups are fully original; the lead pickup has been recently expertly rewound by Norio Imai. This was done by disconnecting the coil at the grommets on its base (don't try this at home, kids) so none of the wiring was disturbed. Norio is a master at this particular operation and all three pickups are nicely balanced and sound great, even the rubber grommets under the screws remain original. The original three-way switch has a very solid feel selecting the "in-between" tones easily for some truly righteous Strat sounds.
This guitar has seen moderately heavy use over more than six decades but has managed to avoid the major indignities that many old Fenders went through like refinishes, humbucker routs, massive jumbo refrets, and locking tremolos. It remains as Leo and his crew intended, a versatile tone machine par excellence. It is simply a wonderful-feeling guitar, a genuine Fender relic and a great reminder why the world 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 Stratocaster shows typical signs of use but no damage serious abuse. The single pickup rewind and refret are typical maintenance repairs, but do not alter the character of the guitar. Unfortunately increasing numbers of older Fender pickups are failing now 60+ years on, so this will become ever more common as they age further. The trick is to have them restored by someone who knows how to preserve their original character perfectly, which is the case here.
The rest of the guitar shows a decent helping of honest wear. The completely original body finish has no overspray and shows typical wear including dings, dents and scrapes, more heavily on the back than the front. The face has light checking but is actually relatively clean. The neck has fairly heavy wear on the back and fingerboard but retains that great "worn-in Fender" feel and a beautifully aged patina that modern "relics" desperately try to emulate.
The original single-layer pickguard is in excellent shape with no cracks or damage; the pickup covers have some wear to the ends but no cracking or distortion. Even all of the screws are original. All external hardware remains original including Kluson Deluxe tuners, knobs, pickup covers and even the trem arm, often broken or lost.
Internally excepting the lead coil rewind the wiring rig is untouched, with correct original pots, cap, switch and solder joints. The bridge assembly is original; the steel saddles shows a decent amount of corrosion but nothing that affects adjustability or play. It is likely the height adjustment screws were replaced at some point as they appear fairly clean compared to the saddles themselves. The tuners have some minor corrosion; the Fender decal on the headstock is well preserved.
This old Stratocaster has definitely seen some play time. It still sings with the magical sound typical of its two-tone maple neck breed, easily conjuring up the ghosts of Buddy holly, Clapton, Buddy Guy, Richard Thompson or any of a number of early Strat-slinging idols. The original "knuckle-buster" tweed case is still present, worn but still perfectly functional with the "Koylon foam" intact under the lid and the almost always lost small metal "Fender" badge on the top. Overall Excellent - Condition.
