Fender Celebrates 60th Anniversary of the Stratocaster Guitar

Fender released the following press release about the 60th anniversary of one of the most beloved guitars in history, the Fender Stratocaster.

Press release:  For 2014 only, Fender celebrates the diamond jubilee of the world’s greatest electric guitar with the limited-edition 60^th Anniversary American Vintage 1954 Stratocaster. This special guitar honors the Stratocaster’s very first model year as an “exciting new instrument” with a tone “as new and different as tomorrow,” and is reverently crafted with a rich selection of features, appointments and accessories.

The two-piece ash body features a side seam and a flash-coat lacquer finish in the guitar’s original two-color Sunburst. The one-piece maple neck has a comfortable 1954 profile and date stamp just below the truss rod adjustment nut, topped by a 7.25”- radius fingerboard with rolled edges and 21 vintage frets. Three new 1954 single-coil Stratocaster pickups deliver a singing original-era voice, with five-way switching complemented by an included optional three-way switch for original wiring. The guitar also features a single-ply white pickguard and white polystyrene control knobs, bone nut and round string tree, American Vintage synchronized tremolo bridge with six “patent pending” saddles, vintage tuners and nickel-chrome hardware. 

Special extras and accessories include a vintage-design single-stitch center-pocket tweed case; replica polishing cloth, cable, black leather strap and bridge cover; extra tremolo springs (two), and reproduction 1954 paperwork. Available during 2014 only in a limited edition of 1,954 guitars, the first four of which feature a special 60^th anniversary “1st 54” engraved neck plate and certificate. 

Fender’s 60^th Anniversary Commemorative Stratocaster is also available in 2014 only, and is a beautifully crafted U.S.-made instrument that celebrates six decades of the world’s greatest electric guitar. Fine features and appointments include an ash body with a comfortably contoured heel, three special-design 1954 single-coil Strat^® pickups, a compound-radius fingerboard, gold hardware, custom-engraved neck plate and headstock ingot, and a beautiful 2-color Sunburst gloss finish. 

Other premium features include a maple neck with modern “C” profile and satin finish, maple fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and black pearloid inlays, Micro-Tilt^™ neck adjustment mechanism, five-way pickup switching and “no-load” tone control for middle and bridge pickups, two-point synchronized tremolo bridge with vintage-style stamped steel saddles, and deluxe tuners with white pearloid buttons. Includes vintage-style tweed case with embroidered 60^th anniversary logo, strap and strap locks, cable, polishing cloth and special commemorative book. 

Fender celebrates the diamond anniversary of the world’s greatest electric guitar with the 60^th Anniversary Classic Player ’50s Stratocaster This model features a distinctively classic ’50s era combination of a Desert Sand gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish with gold hardware and a gold anodized aluminum pickguard. Other premium features include an alder body; maple neck with “soft V” profile, gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish and vintage-style heel-end truss rod adjustment; maple fingerboard with 9.5” radius and 21 medium jumbo frets; three American Vintage Strat single-coil pickups with five-way switching; aged white control knobs; two-point synchronized tremolo bridge with vintage-style stamped steel saddles; and vintage-style locking tuners. Pro series hardshell tweed case and special commemorative book included. 

The Squier by Fender 60^th Anniversary Classic Vibe ‘50s Stratocaster guitar celebrates six decades of the world’s greatest electric guitar with a truly gilded model featuring Aztec Gold gloss finish and gold hardware. Other features include a maple neck with a comfortable “modern C” profile, 9.5”-radius maple fingerboard with 21 medium jumbo frets, three custom vintage-style single-coil Stratocaster pickups with five-way switching, three-ply parchment pickguard, vintage-style synchronized tremolo bridge with six saddles, and vintage-style tuners. 

For more information, go to fender.com/strat-60th.