This is something quite special...a first year and early first year at that - June 1954, original Fender Stratocaster with serial number below 0050 with all the early features that were gradually phased out during the rest of 1954.

Beautiful 2 piece ash body, original finish, original electrics and original hardware with the exception of the back plate and the knobs/switch tip which are later versions.

All original and intact solder joints. The neck is initialed by Tadeo Gomez with the date of 6-54, the body has a pencil date mark of 5/54 and there is a piece of tape in the control cavity signed by 'Gloria' dated 8th June 1954. All pots are solid brass shafts and dated the 41st week of 1953.

This is one of the rare, earlier 1954 Strats with no worm route for the bridge pickup, a very contoured body, headstock with slightly rounded edges and early rounded, shallow hole trem block.

It has original 0.78" frets with some decent life still left on them, no doubt due to a playing life of flats wounds. Neck is a medium D profile and it is beautifully set up. It plays superbly well and all three of the original 1954 pickups, with original windings just sound killer! They really do and these pickups are different to later 50's black bottom Strat pickups.

Original case has a piece of the lid missing on the side, at the bottom but otherwise is in pretty good condition for a 63 year old with all latches still working great and handle intact.

When you look at and play and feel this amazing 63 year old guitar, you cannot be in awe at how right Leo Fender got this design from the word go. 

There are not many 54 Strats out there right now and probably not any this old and early in the first year production run. This one also happens to be a real beaut...

​As always plenty of internal pics are available for anyone seriously interested.