Up for sale, a 1957 Fender Stratocaster in perfect working order, extremely original and complete with a tweed case. Produced in the 4th quarter of '57, this Stratocaster is as well-played, worn-in and lively as they come, with stock pickups, hardware, plastics and two-tone nitro lacquer Sunburst finish. Featuring Fender's short-lived and highly desirable V-shaped neck profile seen circa 1956-57, this neck is a quintessential Fender carve with deeply rolled fretboard edges and a nicely rounded off "point" central to the carve, extremely inviting to the palm.

Weighing 7lbs 7oz, this alder-bodied Strat offers a broad, deep and woody natural acoustic tone with a clear treble chime. The trio of original black bobbin pickups with staggered alnico magnets are intact, and all three coils have been professionally rewound to vintage spec. The neck pickup is bold and bouncy with round trebles and exquisite clarity. Percussive and spanky in the middle position, the bridge pickup offers great contrast with plenty of body and tonal breadth, sparkling but with teeth. And it's easy to cheat the “in-between” sounds on the three-way switch with a gusty honk and pinched quality that’s not thin. This Stratocaster benefits from a professional setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

• Wood: One-piece maple
• Shape: V (medium depth), measuring .875” 1st fret, .965” 12th fret
• Fretboard: Maple, 7 1/4“ radius
• Frets: Jumbo (refret), full height/meat, faint wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-3
• Scale Length: 25 1/2”
• Nut: 1 5/8”, bone (replacement)
• Headstock: Original decal
• Tuners: Kluson Deluxe single-line

Body Specs:

• Wood: Alder
• Pickups: Original black bobbin x3 (all rewound to spec), 6k ohms bridge, 5.75k Middle, 5.7k Neck
• Harness: Stackpole pots (late '56 date codes), three-way switch, "phone book" tone cap
• Controls: Volume, Tone x2, Three-way pickup selector
• Hardware: Vibrato with original arm/block, “ashtray” bridge cover
• Plastics: White pickup covers/knobs, one-ply pickguard
• Serial: 0-prefix, stamped on neck plate
• Body date: 10/57 grease pencil date in middle pickup route

Extremely original under the hood, the stock trio of black bobbin pickups are paired with the original three-way switch and a trio of 250k Stackpole pots with source date codes from late '56 (vintage pots sourced to restore the originality of the harness). The “phone book” tone capacitor is a modern aged replica component. The plastics are all original, including the pickup covers, knobs with aged text, and the one-ply pickguard, which has a few repaired splits. Hardware includes the completely original tremolo assembly and arm, as well as the jack cup. Currently set up with five springs, the tremolo has a smooth, even response, central to the rich, chorusing acoustic resonance of the instrument.

The original two-tone Sunburst nitro lacquer finish is intact with honest playwear throughout, exhibiting some wrist jewelry-related scratches behind the bridge on top, tight vertical lacquer checking, buckle rash and various finish chips and scuffs across the body and particularly concentrated on its perimeter. There is a small spot of targeted overspray on the back between the neck plate and tremolo cavity, and light overspray on the headstock as well (presumably in an attempt to preserve the original decal). The decal itself is also stock, with the distinctive fading of the gold on the text in "Fender" seen on a particular decal batch leading into '58 where the gold flake was notoriously unstable and prone to fade. The neck profile is silky smooth, with subtle birdseye figuring in the maple on the bass side of the carve. The majority of the finish has been worn from the profile and fingerboard through use.

A vintage (not '50s, but much more convincing than a modern G&G) tweed hardshell case is included.