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The Fender Stratocaster, known as the Strat, is a popular and highly regarded electric guitar. It was designed by George Fullerton, Leo Fender and Freddie Tavares back in 1954. Fender Stratocasters are still in production to this present day and being used by many of the most influential guitarists, including Eric Clapton, the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave Murray of Iron Maiden, and hundreds of other guitar hero’s.
The earlier models are largely sought after by vintage guitar collectors. Two features when collecting a vintage Fender Stratocaster guitar is its originality and, of course, the condition of the guitar. The appraised value for an original late 50’s Fender Stratocaster guitar could range from $15,000 - $18,000.
While the 50’s Strat are rare, there is a few original 50’s Fender Stratocasteraround. You can do a quick search on the internet and possibly find some photos and proud owners and tons more information. You might find vintage Strats on sites like Gear-Vault being sold by owners and collectors.
For vintage guitar collectors who would like to find out which exact year your pre-CBS Fender Stratocaster was from, you could locate the serial number of the guitar which can be found on the back metal of the neck plate. Then by using this serial number that you have found, you can do a search on the internet to find out which year was it from. The serial number on a 1957 Fender Stratocaster would range from 16000-25000. So, if your serial is within this range, you are probably holding an original 1957 Fender Stratocaster.
How do we know if the backplate was replaced? Well then, there is a better way to determine the year of your Stratocaster. Simply take off the neck (4 bolts) disconnect the neck from the neck cavity, on the butt of the neck and inside the neck cavity of the guitar, you’ll see a visual stamping of the month, day and year. |
