1957 fender stratocaster

Standard Color was the classic 2-tone tobacco sunburst with amber in the center fading to dark brown. Below is a set of broken bakelite pickup covers. Other Stratocaster innovations included single-coil alnico 3 pickups with staggered-height pole pieces that effectively addressed the varying output of the heavy string gauges in use at the time, and a slanting output jack mounted on the face of the guitar rather than the side. READ MORE: A Guide to Fender Single-Coil Stratocaster Pickups. His love of folk and country music even left its mark upon early Rod Stewart solo records on which Lane and his Faces bandmates played a large part. That allows the tuning keys to fit tightly onto the headstock and it saved on screws. The new guitar thus combined features of Fenders first two instruments of the 1950s, and in another important development in early 1953, Fender sales chief Don Randall came up with a name for it: the Stratocaster. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. A trio of Hand-Wound 57 Strat single-coil pickups, connected with vintage-style wiring, offers authentic original-era tone that lit the music world on fire. Explore what led to Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine. Summer Rig Giveaway from D'Angelico, Supro, and Pigtronix! Thereafter, a selection of custom colors became widely available for an extra charge. Includes deluxe hardshell case, strap and Certificate of Authenticity. Thats actually a template hole. Inspired by a gram scale, he hurriedly completed an entirely new design in late 1953 in which the whole bridge assembly moved with the strings rather than having the strings move over rollers with the bridge remaining stationary. Privacy Policy, 2019 Vintage Custom 1957 Stratocaster NOS, Maple Fingerboard, Aged White Blonde, 7.25" to 9.5" Vintage Compound Radius (184 mm to 241 mm), Custom Shop Hand-Wound '57 Single-Coil Strat, Master Volume, Tone 1. Work on elements such as new pickups and a new bridge was certainly well under way by late 1952. Available: 1954 to present. Hardtail and tremolo versions were available. It has the characteristics shared by most narrow-panel amps made by the company between 1955 and 1960. by Underground If you've inherited a vintage Fender and are looking for help with identification and values then you can check the year of manufacture here: How to date a Stratocaster. You're very lucky. Three years after its 1954 introduction, as Tom Wheeler notes in his introduction to The Stratocaster Chronicles, it was still not particularly well known, and appeared to be as far removed from conventional guitars as, say, a baritone ukulele or even a banjo. In the context of the times, Wheeler continues, Plenty of professional musicians saw the new Fender as unworthy of serious considerationmerely a tool, a gimmicky contraption, even a joke.. location where the item will be sold. The 1957 Fender Stratocaster became a music icon. This pick guard is right for the year. Indeed, many players discovered this delicately balanced tonal trick as soon as the Stratocaster was introduced. Both are fabulous guitar that I'm thrilled to have, but my heart was set on the 1957 Fender Stratocaster. The current value is $30,000. Every piece of metal, from the pickup surrounds, knobs, tailpieceeven the heel plate and control cavity coverhave been intricately engraved by OBrien. Fender used templates and jigs to make all of the parts for their guitars. I'm going to pick up the guitar so we can start off with the back. They were commonly used by Fender for Strats from 1954 early 1957. of stock first, so for a month or two of production some 1957 Strats can It's a non-laminated white pick guard with screws that don't look like they've really ever been off. The wear and tear he put on the bass and the music he made with it are part of his lasting legacy. @RoadshowPBS, We're soaking up the story behind this @LeslieKeno appraisal! Anthony Zemaitis was a British born cabinet-maker-turned-luthier. You can find that part. The strings loaded through a cavity routed into the back of the guitar; first through holes in a plastic cover plate, then through a solid steel inertia block fixed to the underside of the bridge plate that ensured sustain, then up through holes in the bridge plate and over individual string saddles that could each be adjusted for string height and lengthanother marked improvement over the three-saddle Telecaster and itself a notable design development. than retail. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. If you need to figure out the exact year of your pre-CBS Fender Stratocaster, use the serial number Marvins Fiesta Red instrument illustrates another formative step in the history of the Stratocaster in the 1950s: the availability of custom colors. A huge part of their unique sound and stage presence came from the unusual instruments often employed by bassist Ronnie Lane and guitarist Ron Wood. In this design, the strings actually moved over the bridge on the rollers. A blind horse wouldnt be impressed, but this beautiful, double-horned instrument with one-of-a-kind engravings helped make luthier Tony Zemaitis famous. The one-piece ash body sports an immaculate NOS flash coat lacquer finish that lets the wood breathe with more sustain, while wearing in a distinctly personal way. So it made me feel comfortable in thinking it is that. If you think your Stratocaster is from the 1950s or 1960s then I'd be happy to take a look at it for verification. The change in plastic from "bakelite" (polystyrene) to ABS took place in The brittle plastic originally used for Stratocaster pickguards, control knobs and pickup covers was replaced with a more durable plastic in 1955. Oh, my dad is smiling somewhere. The worn maple neck, scraping on the upper horn, and the condition of the case indicates that this guitar was once a hard-played and well-traveled workhorse. Not only that, but I could tell it was a nice resonant sounding example when I played it. GUEST: This was my father's guitar. Behind our Strat is a 1955 Fender Bandmaster amplifier. Get to know one of the 18th century's most influential figures. Discover the secret histories of some of the greatest music ever written. They were then flipped over and stamped correctly. This instrument has a chambered body with a neck-through design and features a 6-screw heel plate purely for cosmetics. Spring 1957 Fender Stratocaster guitar specs: The cases from 1957 were a tweed hardshell case with a red interior. They were originally stamped with serial numbers on the wrong side of the neck plates. "I know there's a lot of envious people hearing that story" The full story on the Strat's initial groundbreaking years. You can only imagine why right? Early in 1957, the guitars featured plastic parts that are made of a substance commonly referred to as Bakelite (Pronounced Bake-a-lite). But it wasnt always like that. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. The new guitar certainly owed several design elements to its predecessor, though, and as late as early 1953 its body shape closely resembled that of the Telecaster. All the parts, the colors, the patina of everything that I see looks right, looks really original, looks really nice. The 21 1/4" x 22 1/2" x 10 1/2" cabinet has three Jensen P10R speakers. See below for a great example complete with brown leather ends and handle: You can see in the picture above that the center latch on the mid-50s cases was located inside the handle. Values This consisted of two then-common paint colorsa brownish-black outer hue called dark Salem, which graduated to a golden inner hue called canary yellow. The top one has its blue bell-shaped cover removed to allow it to fit in front of the tubes and chassis. The bass was played locally from the late 1970s until about three years ago, when that owner passed away, leaving the bass to his cousin. guitar ever made. Antiques Roadshow on Facebook, William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first "typographer on July 23 in 1829. Click the red Contact Me button in the lower right corner of your browser. Ike Turner championed the Stratocaster early on with dramatically swooping tremolo use that prefigured Jimi Hendrix by a decade. Ancestry, and Marvin had seen Buddy Holly holding a Stratocaster on the cover of 1957 album The Chirping Crickets, and he mistakenly thought it was the same model that James Burton played on Ricky Nelson records. Depending on body wood and other variables, various preparations, color coats, clear coats, etc., were used. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers. The Stratocasters greatest innovation, however, was its bridge. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among Leo Fender's study in perfection: a 1957 Stratocaster, leaning on a 1955 Bandmaster. After they are nipped on the ends they look like the tuners you see below. Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Middle Pickup, Position 4. READ MORE: How the Stratocaster Came to Have Two Headstocks, The Stratocasters electronics were mounted to the single-ply white plastic pickguard (anodized aluminum on some early models) rather than to the body, enabling an entire pickguard/pickups/controls assembly to be dropped in place and screwed on (using eight screws) and only requiring connection to the output jack. and "inst.," two volume controls with the same labeling, treble, bass, and presence dials, and standby and on/off switches, along with a ground switch. Powered by Shopify, Stratocaster didn't see much playing time in the past few decades after more important things in life got in the way. knows best: the auction market. Known for pushing musical boundaries and sonic experimentation, Georges inventive hooks and groundbreaking tones helped propel the Beatles into legendary status. It's a non-laminated plate over the tremolo area on the back. This particular guitar still has the Bakelite-style pickup covers and knobs, because the Fender company never wasted parts, using what they already had in inventory while transitioning to new appointments. It has a side pocket, a fender logo near the headstock end of the case (which commonly falls off) and a logo on the upper inside from the manufacturer of the inside materialKoylon. I understood, but was still sad that I had to wait to buy it. You can see in the image below what the tuning keys looked like before being nipped. I would guess somewhere in the neighborhood of $15,000 to $17,000. Fender closed out the Stratocasters debut decade with a handful of notable developments for the guitar. The map said that it was about a 10 hour drive so I lined up a few other guitars to look at along the way: this, Fender Jazzmaster 1960 Black with Gold Hardware. the spring of 1957. The tuners were now single-line Kluson Deluxe tuners that were cut at the Fender factory to fit. You can see the actual serial number had a 0start the number and a starting the back plate serial number. An interesting side note for 1957 that ran into early 1958 was a run of neck plates that are called double stamped plates. Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, It took quite a while, in fact, because if its true that the guitar was so well designed from the start that it has basically remained the same for six decades, its also true that it was so well designed that it was ahead of its time by at least a decade. I am always on the hunt for nice examples of 1950s and 1960s Fender guitars including the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmaster, and Jaguar. Tony Bacon's book on the Stratocaster indicates that Leo Fender preferred unfigured Maple for his guitars, so finding the figure is like a needle in a haystack. Stratocaster guitar, and Fender Strats do seem to have been easily modified The Fender Stratocaster guitar is probably the most popular solidbody electric I would be happy to take a look at your Stratocaster and may also be the local buyer you're looking for. The hollow chambers on either side of the neck block were stuffed with cotton to eliminate feedback below a laminate-wood carved top. His father relented in mid 1959 and bought him a white Supro Ozark 1560S electric. Listen carefully. Duchossoir, The Stratocaster Chronicles: Celebrating 50 Years of the Fender Strat by Tom Wheeler, The Fender Stratocaster: The Life and Times of the World's Greatest Guitar and Its Players by Dave Hunter, and Fender Amps: The First Fifty Years by John Teagle and John Sprung. These new rosewood-fingerboard models also replaced the black marker dots on the side of the neck with new off-white clay dots. Be the first to know about new products, featured content, exclusive offers and giveaways. Orangewood Guitars Oliver Acoustic Giveaway! That garnered the nickname knuckle buster. And on the front of the guitar, you can see the neck has a maple fingerboard. But who knew where the Stratocaster was destined to fit in? Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/embed/AuAtzsAB9O8?rel=0. TheStratocaster didn't see much playing time in the past few decades after more important things in life got in the way. Copyright 2022 True Vintage Guitar Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. This is as much a work of art as it is a unique instrument with an inspiring tone. The guitars distinctively shaped headstockmore fully curvaceous than that of the Telecaster and Precision Basswas undoubtedly influenced by instruments built by Paul Bigsby and, like the Telecaster and Precision Bass before it, had all the tuners within easy reach on one side. Randall and his salesmen were chomping at the bit to get the new guitar out, and there was considerable pressure on Leo himself to devise a new Stratocaster vibrato system. Terms of Use | Trade ban or not, Richard offered to get Marvin a Stratocaster, an opportunity the guitarist jumped at, and in early 1959 a brand-new Fiesta Red Stratocaster with gold hardware somehow arrived in London. In fact, the Stratocasters second vibrato system was so effectively over designed that it proved capable of far more than its designer intended or imagined. He played it sparingly throughout the years but had no intentions of becoming a professional guitarist. The dash in front of this guitar's serial number stamp is part of its 1957/'58 lineage. Throughout 1957 youll see necks go from sort of a boatneck carryover from 1956 into a hard V shape. Meet that year's serial number 19129. The serial number range for the 57 Fender Strat is generally from 16000 to 25000 (some numbers with a 0 or - prefix on the neck plate). We connected over the fact that I travel worldwide to be the buyer for the vintage Fender guitars I've always dreamed of. Their ideas, which included a more comfortable body shape, an adjustable bridge allowing intonation for each individual string, and a vibrato system, were duly adopted, and Fender introduced the legendary Strat in 1954. But it also had the added benefit of the rarely seenfigured maple neck and headstock. Fender switched to less-expensive and more easily workable alder instead of ash for Stratocaster bodies in mid 1956. (Middle Pickup), 5-Position Blade: Position 1. The 26-watt amp has two 6L6G power tubes, one 12AY7, and two 12AX7 preamp tubes, along with a 5U4G rectifier. Value can change: The bodies were made ofalder although some blonde finished guitars were made of ash. The Les Paul with a Backup Output Jack? Long-held conventions of design and method meant little if anything to Leo, which likely goes a long way in explaining the genesis of an instrument as extraordinary as the Stratocaster. If you're wondering where your favorite is, it may be coming next time, or we might not be aware of it, so feel free to leave your faves in the comments section. But Leo didn't consider his second great design "perfected," according to the company's website, until 1957. bakelit knobs - this happened because the bakelite pickup covers ran out Pickup magnets were changed from alnico 3 to alnico 5 in late 1956, which is also when the headstocks round string retainer was switched to the butterfly string tree with a half-tunnel guide for the B and high E strings. Notice how the volume knob below is cracked and the top rim has rounded from the wear over the years. Players quickly found, however, that they could get two combinations of pickupsthe neck and middle pickups together and the bridge and middle pickups togetherby carefully balancing the switch in the two points between the three notched positions. Such was the uphill climb the Stratocaster faced on its introduction; indeed, its ascent was long and gradual rather than immediate and meteoric. It didnt. The Vintage Custom 57 Strat is your chance to enjoy this elegant-looking guitar that looks, sounds and feels like its straight from the 50s. You can check out the other guitars in the Guitar Safari Champion series here:Gibson Les Paul Standard 1958 BurstFender Jazzmaster 1960 Black with Gold Hardware Gibson EDS-1275 Double Neck 1959, All blog comments are checked prior to publishing. Fender's use of parts already in inventory gave this guitar its Bakelite-style pickup covers and dials. Finally, the Stratocaster was introduced in spring 1954 as Fenders new top-line guitar, in tremolo and non-tremolo versions. By the close of the 1950s, players were well aware of an unintentional peculiarity of the Stratocasters electronics: the two in-between switch positions. It has risen above its everyday function to become a cultural symbol for creativity, individuality, artistry and more than a little exuberant rebelliousness. To hear the definitive voice of this model-year Strat, listen to Buddy Guy's debut solo album, 1968's A Man and the Blues. If you're curious about how much I would value your Stratocaster then you can contact me here: Sell a Fender guitar. #antiquesroadshow Hed just gotten his first guitar the year before, an acoustic that cost all of $5, and although he practiced constantly, he longed for an electric guitar. is so often "It depends.". Since the now front-installed truss rod could now by set into a channel routed into the top of the neck and then covered by the glued-on fingerboard, this design rendered the skunk stripe on the back of the neck and the teardrop plug on the headstock unnecessary. Want to sell something? Its not uncommon to see the pickup cover tops broken halfway across the pickups. The distinctive suit of cards inlays along the 32"-scale neck would become a signature of Ronnie Lane, but this is perhaps the earliest example of that motif on one of his instruments. These include two channels, with each channel having two inputs labeled "mic." These are some of my favorite of all Fender Strat necks. As luck would have it, my timing was perfect. Most 1957 Strats have a neck with a "strong V" backshape. Been that way for quite a while now. And utterly unbeknownst to Fender, players had other plans entirely for the Jazzmaster. You can see that on the tuner images above and below. Fender previously released a limited number of meticulous Rocky recreations via the Fender Custom Shop in 2020, but now this release gives fans the opportunity to enjoy the sound and history behind this iconic guitar. Description: 1957 Fender Stratocaster guitar 16000 to 25000 (some numbers with a "0" or "-" prefix on the neck plate). The instrument began to see substantial alterations a year earlier. The guitar had full 1957 features and serial number. Our Appraiser Index Also, the original Stratocaster necks had a rounded C-shaped profile (also described as D- and U-shaped) that was changed to sharper V and medium V profiles from 1955 to 1957 before returning to rounded profiles as the decade closed. The tinted riftsawn maple sports a 57 V profile, while the maple fingerboards vintage-style 7.25-9.5 compound radius is ideal for playing chords or single-note lines. The screw holes in the bridge plate were countersunk from both sides, creating a knife-like edge and a fulcrum pivot point on which the entire bridge could be rocked back and forth using an easily detachable tremolo arm, thus raising and lowering pitch. it is far more fragile and often broken or missing. Leo Fender was very miserly and would cut corners and save money anywhere he could. This finish, instead of being black to red to yellow is black to yellow. Quite a bit of the 1957 Strat necks have a Hard V profile on the back. This 1957 Fender Stratocasterhad everything I look forwhen buying a1950s Fender guitar: original finish throughout, a straight neck with good frets, original pickups, potentiometers, and solder throughout. And the control knobs and pickup covers, which were a brittle Bakelite-type material, began receiving more durable plastic, although some production models still sported Bakelite-style dials in early '57. Note the slight fractures in the pickup covers, due to the material's brittle nature. The body wood, which had been ash, was changed to alder starting after the middle of 1956, due to its better consistency for finishing. The huntescalated to the pointthat it promptedReverb.com to post an interview feature by Tony Bacon about me titled The Guitar Safari Champion. And I let my son play with it when he was young, and there was a tremolo bar on there, and I think he somehow or other lost that along the way. GUEST: Not at all, no. This wood had been air dried for decades. Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/embed/g6-n4V_l3jI?rel=0. There was a machine that Fender had put together to cut the ends of the tuning key mounting bracket off. C-V-U? Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. The bridge pickup has no tone control, giving that position its full-take-off sound. His research over the past few years led him to realize the provenance of the instrument in his possession, and he ultimately confirmed his findings with us at Rumble Seat Music in Nashville, where this legendary instrument is now proudly offereda perfect example of the kind of rock n roll artifact we love! By 1957, the Stratocaster was basically perfected into the form that has remained largely unchanged ever since. This meant that they had a single line running down the middle of the back of the tuning key that read Kluson Deluxe. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Near the end of 1959 in the U.K., these included three 14-year-oldsPeter Townshend, Eric Clapton and Ritchie Blackmore; a 15-year-old named Jeff Beck and a 13-year old named David Gilmour. The plastics for a Stratocaster includes the volume and tone knobs, the pickup selector tip, the pickguard, and the pickup covers. Perhaps author Tom Wheeler put it best when, in his indispensable history The Stratocaster Chronicles, he asked: "How was such an ultimately dominant product created by a newcomer to the business who seemed to have several strikes against him? Fender nipped off all tops and bottoms except one top and one bottom for each set. They featured a tweed covering that was sprayed with a clear nitro that yellows over time. As sleek and innovative as it was, the Stratocasters future was by no means guaranteed in late 1959. One thing that has become apparent with guitar safaris is that they don't always go as planned. Note the date: Tweed cases with a red interior were available. (The pictures below are Bakelite or Polystyrene parts. George Fullerton created what is now referred to as the first official Fender custom colorthe aforementioned Fiesta Redcirca 1957. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." READ MORE: The Difference Between Strat and Tele Bridge Pickups In the United States in late 1959, a flamboyantly talented 23-year-old Louisiana guitarist named George Buddy Guy had just got his first record contract the year before, and 22-year-old Californian Richard Monsour, who went by the stage name Dick Dale, had just released his first two singles on the tiny Deltone label. The '57 Stratocaster was everythingI hoped it would be! READ MORE: What Are Alnico Pickups? 1953 Fender Stratocaster The Controversial Prototype, 1954 Fender Stratocaster The True Complete Guide, 1962 Fender Stratocaster The Full Complete Guide. In keeping with the most historic Fenders, the company logo on this instrument is in spaghetti-style script. ABS plastic knobs and pickup covers replace bakelite (Polystyrene). With its introduction serendipitously preceding the rising popularity of a new musical and cultural phenomenon called rock n roll by about a year, youd think the Stratocaster wouldve quickly rocketed to stratospheric heights of acclaim and popularity. The value of a 1950s Fender Stratocaster is highly dependent on its condition and originality, but there are other significant factors that Fender guitar collectors look for including bridge style, color, case, etc. Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/embed/kc_7ZzUiw5o?rel=0, The Stratocaster got off to a rather slow start. A practical person, he just wanted to build a better guitar. 1964 Fender Stratocaster Exposed Are They Worth The Money? See the next year's 1958 Fender Stratocaster guitar. Fender had made promising inroads into the stodgy old U.S. musical instrument industry by 1953. research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object. Past Event: Shelburne, VT July 12, 2022. We connected over the fact that I travel worldwide to be the buyer for the vintage Fender guitars I've always dreamed of. There are many guitars from this past year that contributed to the title, but one of them that sticks out to me is this Fender Stratocaster made in 1957. They are normally some fairly thick neck backs but they fit nicely into the palm of your hand. Sources for this article include The Fender Stratocaster by A.R. One other thing you will notice from the image above is that with that D string tuner removed you see one extra hole that seems out of place. Which is the Right Neck Shape for You? Other more minor changes took place (thinner aluminum shielding, thinner neck shape, a metal spacer added below the string tree, etc. After the Faces folded in 1975, all five members went on to continue making great music, but their chemistry together was undeniable. Have a questions about an item? Shopify Theme This guitar was interesting because it had a February 1958 neck date but a V shaped neck. They had to be cut down to actually fit the Fender Stratocaster headstock. Though I personally like the look and feel of "Bakelite" plastic better, READ MORE: C-V-U? Those early rock n roll musicians who did sling guitars most often played flat-top acoustics or big, hollow electrics by Gibson and Gretsch. The Stratocaster body was very curvy at this point. For this Fender guitar collector, 2021 was the year that my passion for vintage guitars went from strong to out of control.

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