❌ SOLD ❌ Fender Stratocaster Sunburst, 1957

The Fender Stratocaster appeared in 1954 as an advancement over the highly successful Telecaster though the Strat has never come close to replacing the Tele. They are two different tools. At the time, and until mid 1959, the Stratocaster used only a single-ply pickguard and the innovative Fender design one-piece maple neck.

Unlike the the next ‘advanced’ models – the Jazzmaster and Jaguar – the Fender Stratocaster was immediately popular and sold well, especially amongst people playing the new ‘rock music’ the kids were listening to those days. It has never lost its popularity, and Fender has introduced a number of variants over the years.

Here is a Fender Stratocaster built and sold during 1957; the neck date is 10-57, or October. It wears the then-standard two-tone nitrocellulose lacquer tobacco sunburst, with single ply pickguard and of course a V-profile maple neck. The serial number plate is stamped ‘-21305’. The minus sign prefix is specific to the 1957 and 1958 production, with some models alternately having a ‘0’ prefix.

Over the years, this guitar has had a number of changes made, and most have been recently repaired in our shop. Notably, an XLR connector was installed to the side near the output jack, and a switch was installed to the lower ‘horn’ of the pickguard. We’ve repaired both the side and the pickguard, and filled the hole under the guard. The pickguard, pickups and pots are original, though the solder joints are not. The bridge and tuners are also original.

The frets are new, with the neck freshly re-fretted and set up in our shop the guitar plays very well and weighs 7.5lbs.

The tweed case is original and is in good condition, with all the hinges and latches working. The case interior is in good shape, with the ‘Koylon Foam by US Rubber’ label very clean and clear.

Pricing on this instrument reflects the alterations and repairs.