In sheer mechanical terms, the new reissue has a nitrocellulose-lacquered, two-piece ash body (in the Custom Shop’s “Closet Classic” style in two-tone sunburst) with offset glue seam, one-piece U-shaped maple neck with 25.5″ scale and 7.25” radius, synchronized tremolo with “ash tray” bridge cover, nickel/chrome hardware, bone nut, documentation, and the form-fit case.
That one was #0100, belonging to Richard Smith, renowned Fender expert and author of Fender: The Sound Heard ’Round the World. So we took one apart and based the 50th Anniversary model on it.” “But the problem with a Fender from 1954 is if you laid out four of them in front of you, no two would be alike. From a special form-fit case to larger-diameter pickup magnets, designers went to great lengths to ensure the kind of attention to detail that could be appreciated by even the most curmudgeonly of sticklers. Let’s see how far we can take it.’”Īnd take it they did. “But once Dan Smith told me they were having original parts duplicated, I thought ‘Okay, we could make it cool. “I didn’t really want to, because we’d already done a ’54 reissue,” admits Mike Eldred, Custom Shop Marketing Manager. But, as we sat to discuss what we wanted to do to commemorate the 50th anniversary, we all knew it was time.”Īnd at first, the idea met with a little resistance… Unless we were thinking of adding a ’54 Stratocaster to the American Vintage series, it just did not make sense. “Although we have made ‘versions‘ of the ’54 in the past, they were never vintage-correct due to the fact that the knobs, pickup covers, pickguard material, and switch tip were very different back then, and tooling can be costly. “People have asked us over the years to make a ’54 Strat,” said Tonn. In celebration of the 50th “birthday” of its famous Stratocaster model, Fender has taken the reissue concept to new heights.Īnd why not? Arguably the most popular guitar – electric, acoustic, you name it – ever built, the Stratocaster is the epitome of a pop music legend, and a huge part of Fender’s history and lore.įender’s latest ode to its own, the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster, made its debut at the January ’04 NAMM show, just four months after the idea was pitched by Mike Tonn, Marketing Manager for Electric Guitars and Basses at the company’s Arizona headquarters.
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