Fender 1954 stratocaster

Barry Horowitz · Post by **Barry Horowitz** » 13 Jul 2012 7:46 am

I have in my hands, what I believe to be is Stratocaster #3 preproduction model.. NOT FOR SALE, BTW, but I am looking for any info someone might have. It is labeled 01 03 on the back plastic spring cover. It may have been a salesmans sample... love to contact Jody Carver, the first Fender east coast salesperson if I could find him... haven't seen him for 40 years or so.. but this actually could have been carried by Jody... or not... neck is dated jan 1954, the oldest I know of.. And signed TAD for Tadio Gomez... any keepers of early strat history out there ?

Ben Elder · Post by **Ben Elder** » 13 Jul 2012 3:13 pm

Earliest Strats were serial-numbered on the back plate as you describe. That said, lowest number is not necessarily the oldest. (1-54 pencil mark is a lot more meaningful in that regard.) Just like neck plates that came later and were pulled from large bins on the production line randomly, these backplates might not have been used in numerical order. If I'm not mistaken, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd owns number 0001(?) and it's definitely not the first--it may even be November 1954, if memory serves. (Sorry, the guitar book library is at home and I'm at work at--of all ironic places--CBS Television City.) Andre Duchossoir, Richard Smith or any number of other Fender authors may have details in their respective books. 0103 sounds very credibly like a first-series serial number rather than a pre-production number.

Dave St-Pierre · Post by **Dave St-Pierre** » 14 Jul 2012 4:37 am

Photos?

Jerry Erickson · Post by **Jerry Erickson** » 15 Jul 2012 6:12 pm

Cool, Barry! I've seen serial #0654 and the serial # is on the neck plate and inside it's dated 8-54 on the neck and tape in the control cavity.

Orlando Colom · Post by **Orlando Colom** » 15 Jul 2012 6:45 pm

I owned number 0045, and it was made in June of 54 model( neck date TAD initials too). The serial was on the plastic backplate. The guitar is now in a collection, but from my digging around over the years I had it, the 0001 to 0100 or so are considered pre production prototypes, as they were made pre NAMM of 54 which was in july of 54, and considered to be the official introduction of the Strat. The serail number 01 does not mean its the 1st though, as someone else mentioned, they took whatever plated they had in hand, and never paid attention to the number till they actually started making them in more numbers. I would love to see pics if you can email me some.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 16 Jul 2012 1:51 am

The 54 I had was numbed 0197, dated neck and body Oct 54. The neck and cavity dates are considered the more accurate way of dating old Fenders, as mentioned , they used whatever parts they had in front of them, but for certain, Barry's 54 is a very early build..it could easily have been one of the first...

I had acquired mine back around 86, nice shape, but having it evaluated by a pro in NYC revealed that the pups and pick guard were most likely from 57/58. Very few bakelite pickguards survived from the earliest days. It was a nice guitar but didn't play well.... I moved it for the going rate at that time...along with an original 57...no regrets...
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Mickey Adams · Post by **Mickey Adams** » 17 Jul 2012 9:34 am

Well heck WHERES the pictures????? We wanna see it!!

Barry Horowitz · Post by **Barry Horowitz** » 25 Jul 2012 10:22 am

here's a pic

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 25 Jul 2012 11:02 am

what does this have to do with 'for sale' ?

Barry Horowitz · Post by **Barry Horowitz** » 25 Jul 2012 11:43 am

Nothing Chris, nothing at all

Jay Yuskaitis · Post by **Jay Yuskaitis** » 25 Jul 2012 3:15 pm

Probably one of the best posts I've seen here! Jay Y.

Chris Boyd · Post by **Chris Boyd** » 25 Jul 2012 3:39 pm

Damn!!!

John Brock · Post by **John Brock** » 26 Jul 2012 3:39 pm

The pic kind of says it all

Mickey Adams · Post by **Mickey Adams** » 9 Aug 2012 5:48 am

2 words....CHA CHING!
Looks like Joe Walshs former guitar...The one on Life in the Fast Lane...

Bill Terry · Post by **Bill Terry** » 11 Aug 2012 7:00 am

Since we're talking old Strats, here's one of the few pics I have left of the '55 I owned for quite a few years. I finally sold it in '83, but it didn't bring the kind of $$ that you'd expect because it had TONS of playing miles, not abuse, just wear. The dealers in those days were the main buyers, and none of them were that interested in this guitar because it wasn't 'clean enough'.. It had original PUs and electronics, still had the masking tape holding the wire harness, never touched that I could tell. I ended up working a deal with a guy for a re-fin '62 Strat and $3K. I still have the '62 today.. Serial on this guitar was on the neck plate and started with 2 zeros, can't remember it now. It had the original center pocket tweed case too.

I'm actually playing it through a first year Peavey Bandit.. that guitar sounded great no matter what it was plugged into.

Barry Horowitz · Post by **Barry Horowitz** » 14 Aug 2012 10:15 am

The '54 has lots of playing miles on it also... This was a real players guitar. Looks like it had the crap played out of it ! says something about it, I guess

Hugh Roche · Post by **Hugh Roche** » 25 Aug 2012 6:24 am

does the guitar have a truss rod?

Barry Horowitz · Post by **Barry Horowitz** » 28 Aug 2012 8:53 am

yes, it has a truss rod.

Robert Mayo · Post by **Robert Mayo** » 30 Aug 2012 2:55 pm

Sweeeeet....Just scored a 59 Les Paul myself...But to answer your question, would need very detailed pictures of the entire guitar and all codes,markings,harness, etc.etc. to be any real help.

Robert Salomone · Post by **Robert Salomone** » 9 Nov 2012 10:14 am

Nice Strat! I used to own a near mint '54 that was #0157, I ended up selling it to Ron Wood for peanuts back in 1975. Not a day passes that I don't think of that guitar.

David Fields · Post by **David Fields** » 9 Nov 2012 4:38 pm

Who is Ron Wood? Ha.....just kidding? You mean....THE Ron Wood?
Robert, if it is the Faces and Stones R. Wood, you, my friend, keep good company.

Robert Salomone · Post by **Robert Salomone** » 9 Nov 2012 5:47 pm

Yeah, that's the fellow. Met him in March 1975 at Hendrix's old studio in NYC, Electric Lady Studios. My sister used to work there and I lived a couple blocks away, so I'd stop by every couple days. A couple weeks earlier I had just arranged sale of a an early '60s Lake Placid Blue Strat to Jimmy Page. Back then these vintage Strats were going for around $500., I know that Page still has it, my guess is that Ron Wood still has the '54 also. I wish I kept both of them.

David Fields · Post by **David Fields** » 9 Nov 2012 8:59 pm

I know Ron Wood, but who is Jimmy Page?

Just kidding......you ever get to meet Hendrix?

Hugh Roche · Post by **Hugh Roche** » 11 Nov 2012 5:35 pm

looks like a nice 54, does the truss rod have a flathead screw? as mr mayo informed you there are many things to look at. you may want to have someone measure the pickup magnets and see if they are standard size. I have never seen a 54 that varied but it would an indication of something special. my 1950 tele was built for jimmy bryant and has larger magnets and saddles than standard. Bill Carlisles strat had standard size as well as mary kays. Bryant was always fooling with the pickups according to george fullerton. just some thoughts and it really doesn't matter if you are not selling it

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