1958 Fender Stratocaster

This 1958 Fender Stratocaster has an early factory refin, and was originally black as you can see from the photo of the original owner holding it with his band the "Silver Tones!" This Strat has great resonance with a bright snap and plays great with a medium/full-C Maple neck (11-58) with a lovely taper that feels great. In great shape with nothing beyond expected wear and comes with an updated 5-way switch, a replaced nut, and a well-done refret for updated playability and expanded tonal diversity. This early Stratocaster has only been handled by a few folks, and is ready for a new home! Includes original hardshell case, photo of the original owner, and the original nut/frets/switch.

Check out the feature from our luthier Tyler in the ECG Newsletter:

"Researching the story of a truly amazing vintage Fender always makes me feel a little like a lactose-intolerant guy cutting into a tremendous lasagna. Uncovering its irresistible anatomy layer by layer, component by component, all the while knowing that it can never be mine. The cost is simply too great. But even by my slightly jaded standards, this is a special one, so let's get to dissecting this Strat one piece at a time.

The first layer of cool: This is a very original 1958 maple board Strat. The switch, nut, and frets have been replaced with modern equivalents, but all the original components are included with the instrument and could be reinstalled if need be.

Second layer: This guitar is a factory black instrument. Custom colors produced prior to Fender’s introduction of the first custom color chart in 1960 are exceedingly rare. Some even argue that these are the only true "custom colors" as they were picked individually by the customer from DuPont’s massive library of colors. This Strat went back to the factory in the early '60s for a body-only refinish, but the original color was also black. How do we know this? That brings us to the third and most unbelievable level of cool: We have an original photo of the first owner playing this Strat along with his band in the late '50s. His band was called "The Silver Tones," and although they were young, these guys had an eye for great gear. In addition to the custom color Strat, the rhythm section consisted of a mint-condition gold guard Precision Bass and a tasteful Slingerland jazz kit. Where these instruments are today, I have no clue, but the Fender is still the most intriguing by far.

'50s Strats with this kind of provenance don't come up for sale often, and custom color examples are bordering on unheard-of. The early factory refin keeps this Fender well south of the six-figure mark but is still one of the most interesting examples we’ve come across."