Fender 1955 Stratocaster Sunburst One-Piece Ash Body Excellent

No sales tax for US customers outside California.

This 1955 Fender Stratocaster is in remarkable condition.  The one-piece body shows some spectacular grain.

The guitar came to us from a previous owner's son and daughter.  Their dad traded a Martin guitar for it way back in 1960.  They told me that he always missed his Martin as he was more of an acoustic than an electric player.  This guitar didn't get out much as a result.  It has been in hibernation since the late 80s, coming out for a long-distance appraisal every now and then.  

It has been said that only 357 tremolo-equipped Stratocasters were officially registered as shipped by Fender in 1955, following 268 in 1954 — an astoundingly small quantity by any later standard. This is one of the finest-condition examples of a first-generation Stratocaster we have handled in thirty years of dealing in vintage instruments. 

The 1955 Stratocaster continued the Fall 1954 specification with slight manufacturing refinements — the neck shape remained a meaty U or D profile, the pickup covers and pickguard were made from white urea formaldehyde commonly called Bakelite, and the bodies were still one-piece ash in two-tone tobacco sunburst. The '55 models tend to be lighter and more comfortable to play than the '54s, with the headstock taking on a sharper edge and the case changing to a side pocket configuration. The one-piece ash body on this example shows spectacular grain visible through the original two-tone sunburst finish — the visual reward of ash's open, dramatic grain structure under a thin nitrocellulose lacquer application. The "Pat. Pend." stamped saddles on the synchronized tremolo bridge are the correct first-generation hardware. Original Kluson Deluxe unbranded tuners, original single-ply white pickguard, original knobs, original pots. The 3-way switch carries a non-original white tip — the only non-original hardware on the instrument outside the pickup situation noted below.

The bridge pickup is original and unaltered, reading 5.84k — correct for a first-generation Strat single-coil and in excellent condition. The middle and neck pickups have been professionally rewound. Coil wire failure in 50s-era Fender pickups is a well-documented and increasingly common occurrence as the original enamel-coated wire degrades with age.  The original Bakelite covers are present and intact on both rewound pickups, and the rewinding was performed professionally. The rewound pickups read 5.51k middle and 5.27k neck, balanced well with the original bridge. The original wiring and pots are intact.

The neck is thick, hand-filling, what players of the era called the "baseball bat" — the specific neck character that no later Stratocaster production replicated until the Custom Shop began studying original specimens. At .921" at the first fret and .992" at the twelfth, this neck fills the hand the way only a genuine first-generation Strat can. One-piece maple, black dot inlays, 7.25" radius, 21 original frets. Action set at 2/32" on both strings at the twelfth fret. At 7 lbs 8 oz this is a correctly weighted first-generation instrument. Original hardshell case included.

The guitar plays beautifully and sounds absolutely amazing.  The truss rod is fully functional.  This is a looker and a player!

There is no tremolo arm included.

SPECS:

• Color: Sunburst
• Weight: 7lbs 8oz
  
• Body: Ash
  
• Body Date/Code: See Pics
• Neck: Maple
  
• Neck Date/Code: See Pics
• Fretboard: Maple
  
• Inlays: Black Dot
  
• Frets: Original
  
• Fret Count: 21
  
• Nut: Original
  
• Nut width: 1-5/8"
  
• Radius: 7.25"
  
• Scale: 25.5"
  
• Neck thickness at 1st Fret: .921"
• Neck thickness at 12th Fret: .992"
• Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
  
• Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
  
• Overall length: 38-3/8"
  
• Lower bout: 12-5/8"
  
• Waist: 9-1/4"
  
• Upper bout: 11"
  
• Body depth/thickness: 1-3/4"
  
• String gauge: .010-.046
  
• Hardware Color: Nickel
• Pickguard: Original
• Bridge Pickup/Brand: Single Coil w/ Bakelite Cover
• Pickup Reading: 5.84k
• Original?: Yes
• Middle Pickup/Brand: Rewound Single Coil w/ Bakelite Cover 
• Pickup Reading: 5.51k
• Original?: Yes
• Neck Pickup/Brand: Rewound Single Coil w/ Bakelite Cover
• Pickup Reading: 5.27k
• Original?: Yes
  
• Bridge: Synchronized Tremolo with "FENDER"/"PAT. PEND." stamped saddles
• Tuners: Original
• Knobs: Original
  
• Switch: 3 Way, non original white tip
• Pots/Codes: Original
• Case: OHSC
• Notes: 

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