Fender Custom Shop LTD 70th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster Wide Fade 2-Tone Sunburst

With its sleek, contoured double-cutaway body, innovative synchronized tremolo, and trio of single-coil pickups, the Strat would go on to become a legend, shaping the sound of countless artists over the past seven decades.

To honor this milestone, the Fender Custom Shop has crafted a limited-edition collection celebrating the Stratocaster’s rich heritage and lasting impact. Enter the LTD '54 Strat, a masterful recreation that pays homage to the first-year Stratocasters with exceptional attention to detail.

This guitar nails every aspect that made the original a game-changer. The 70th Anniversary neck profile, a soft V-to-C carve, feels substantial yet incredibly comfortable, inviting effortless playability. Authentic period details like skirted knobs, a 'football' 5-way switch tip, and a beautifully grained offset-seam two-piece ash body add to its vintage vibe. Topping it all off are the hand-wound '54 pickups, which deliver the twangy, open, and almost Tele-like tone that made those early Strats so distinctive.

One standout feature that might divide opinion? The bridge pickup is unpaired with a tone pot—just as it was in the originals. For us, this delivers an undeniable clarity and touch sensitivity that makes the bridge pickup sing with crispness and sparkle. And if you need to mellow the high end, a slight roll-off on the volume knob does the trick beautifully.

• Body//Style--Solid Body, Body--2-Piece Ash (off-center seam), Color--Wide Fade 2-Tone Sunburst, Relic Level--Time Capsule
• Hardware//Pickups--Custom Shop Hand-Wound '54 Strat, Controls--Master Volume / Tone 1 / Tone 2 / 5-Way Switch, Bridge--Custom Shop Vintage Synchronized Tremolo, Tuners--Vintage Style Fender, Pickguard--1-Ply White
• Neck//Neck--Maple, Carve--70th Anniversary (.885-.980"), Radius--7 1/4-9 1/2" Compound, Frets--Medium Vintage/47095 (21), Nut--1.625", Inlays--Dots, Scale Length--25 1/2"
• Other//SN--XN5296, Weight--lbs oz, Case--Hardshell Case

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The Music Emporium has been a fixture of the Boston music community since 1968. We're a shop built by musicians - players, luthiers, photographers, and gear obsessives - and that shapes everything about how we do business.

Every instrument we ship is inspected and set up by our in-house guitar techs before it leaves the shop.

We're a Fender Showcase Dealer, Collings' largest dealer worldwide, and a Martin Custom Shop Expert Dealer. Our showroom is at 165 Massachusetts Ave in Lexington, MA.

Questions about any instrument are always welcome. We're happy to talk gear.