Vintage ORIGINAL 1957 Fender Stratocaster APPRAISED IN 2007 FOR $58,000! Comes w the OHSC & STRAP Start Price USD 35,000.00 Current Price USD 35,000.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, September 06, 2008 End Time Wednesday, September 10, 2008 Location Labadie, Missouri See more about 'Vintage ORIGINAL 1957 Fender Stratocaster ' Description 1957 Fender STRATOCASTERTwo Tone Sunburst The Fender Stratocaster guitar is probably the most popular solidbody electric guitar ever made. These early models (from 1954 to 1965) known as "pre-CBS" models, since the CBS Broadcaster Company bought Fender in January 1965, are the most collectible. The 1957 Fender Stratocaster is considered a "classic" year with its two-tone sunburst finish on an Alder body and a Maple "V" neck. This is the guitar of legend that helped build Rock'n Roll. Buddy Holly was one of the first rock ‘n’ rollers to use a Fender Stratocaster, and his TV appearances with it influenced the artists who later became the great influences themselves, like the Beatles, the Stones, and many others. Eric Clapton, after seeing Steve Winwood playing his '57 Strat walks into a Nashville shop and buys six! He kept three, gave one to Steve Winwood, one to Pete Townshend and one to George Harrison. Clapton's battered old '57 Stratocaster sold last year at auction for a staggering $959,500. Now, this is not Clapton's famous Strat, but it has been played and loved and these battered beauties of 1957 are bringing in anywhere from $40,000 to $70,000 on the vintage market. I'd call that an incredible investment for a 51 year old guitar that originally sold for something like $900. Born in 1957, this guitar is a "classic" and one lean mean TONE MACHINE! Weighing in at 7.5 lbs, she's light and resonate! But man, plug this baby in, and WOW! You're transported back 50 years, with tons of tone and vintage vibe. The tone of this guitar is FAT, WARM AND FULL. TONE, TONE AND MORE TONE... The hallmark of a Vintage Strat pickup is it's ability to change tonal color with the force of change in pick attack, giving an array of tonal voicings. The bridge has just enough bite to let the strings ring through while distorted without getting too muddy or muffled and the mid and neck pups provide a wide array of clean and natural tones. She screams Hendrix/SRV with great harmonics and overtones, powerful, punchy and sweet too! Listen... The serial number is -19897. You don't see that too often! A few guitars in '57 had the minus prefix in front of the serial number. Pots 304715 are stack pole 1957 15th week and the neck date clearly reads 6-57. The change in plastic from "bakelite" (polystyrene) to ABS took place in the spring of 1957. This is an awesome all original example of a 1957 Fender Stratocaster, highly collectible and a wonderful investment. APPRAISED IN 2007 FOR $58,000! Comes complete with the letter of appraisal, the original hardshell case and original leather strap that came with the guitar when it was new. Still has the original tremolo as well and plenty of rock'n roll MOJO and vintage vibe! It's finish exhibits the wonderful, natural wear associated with years and years of use. It has retained it's original parts for over 50 years! However, if you look closely you can see evidence that the tuners may have been changed at one time, but the original tuners are back on it now. You can also see evidence that there may have been a second string tree added or attempted. If there was, the hole was filled making it look like another birdseye in the wood. The nut was replaced when the guitar was re-fretted, but the original nut is included and the guitar was upgraded with a 5 way switch. These findings are really no big deal. What is a big deal is the magic of the legendary 1957 Stratocaster, the love and the blood, sweat and tears of the players who created the legend. Bid now! WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT FINDING GOOD HOMES FOR QUALITY GUITARS. FOR MORE INFO ABOUT US AND THIS AUCTION PLEASE CLICK HERE Route 66 Classic Guitars Thanks for looking! "Specializing in Vintage and Reissue Strats, Teles and Les Paul guitars and more..." Place a Bid!