What is a Pre Production Strat? 1954

[K701]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Stra...774?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46389b9bc6

I'm looking to you guys to help me extend my Fender knowledge as I've not seen one of these.

I've seen Leo's prototype tele, but never heard of a 'pre production stratocaster'. Wouldn't it be a rarer than rare super-duper special guitar seen in books and magazines? How would you know it's pre-production? The listing doesn't say. Have any of you Fender guys come across items like this that are pre-production but identical to production and with a standard serial no.? When I say identical, I realise I may have lied. It looks in a strange condition.

Maybe at this pre-production stage they were nailing the bodies all over the front when finishing them?

 

[Rev.WillieVK]

Actually, 7/54 body date and 24/54 pots would be right when they were in their 1st production run. Serial number on neck plate confirms this as not being all that early.

One of the early ones shipped in the late-summer or fall of 1954? Yes, possibly. Pre-production? No. Typical internet sales 'hyperbolic wishful thinking'.

An actual pre-production Stratocaster would be around March of 1954 IIRC, when they did a couple of artist and advertising 'test runs'.

 

[K701]

An actual pre-production Stratocaster would be around March of 1954 IIRC, when they did a couple of artist and advertising 'test runs'.

Thanks Rev. So they are no myth. Does anyone have any photos to share?

 

[jerns]

Actually, 7/54 body date and 24/54 pots would be right when they were in their 1st production run. Serial number on neck plate confirms this as not being all that early.

One of the early ones shipped in the late-summer or fall of 1954? Yes, possibly. Pre-production? No. Typical internet sales 'hyperbolic wishful thinking'.

An actual pre-production Stratocaster would be around March of 1954 IIRC, when they did a couple of artist and advertising 'test runs'.

Would a pre-production have a stamped serial? I'm wracking my brain trying to remember where I saw one of these online a while back...

 

[Chicken Scratch]

The 50th anniversary stratocaster the custom shop did in 04 was a replica of the march 54 guitars. They have the proper plastics, rounded pickup covers etc... The original guitars are really scarce.

 

[chasenblues]

Anyone find it curious that the pickups aren't mentioned in the guitars info and only 1 pic of the front of the pickups in shown?(There's a couple of shot's of the switch/controls/cap- in the link)


I found this on a vintage Fender site about "Pre-Production" Strat's,
(Just throwing this out as to why they might be using the "Pre-production" line)

"October 1954 Fender Stratocaster specs:

Now the strat is considered to be "production" and it's characteristics are gelled and more consistent. Guitar is now an assembly-line produced instrument and has less "hand made" inconsistencies. Forrest White insisted that any Stratocasters produced before October 13, 1954 were "pre-production samples" or "artist models" (and were probably all sold directly to musicians from the Fender factory instead of through Fender Sales). The reason for this was purchase order PO #242 from Fender Sales for 100 Strats, which was finished and delivered on October 13, 1954. After this point Fender Sales (a different company than Fender Musical Instruments) handled all sales of Stratocasters, and technically no units were available directly from the factory. Models available before October 1954 were often "demonstrators" brought to music store to be shown off, and sometimes sold."

 

[Formvar]

This is a good question that might get differing opinions. I feel pre-production should be defined and how does it relate to prototypes?

Is pre-production:
-all Strats built before the first production run for dealers to sell Strats at retail.
OR
-all guitars built as one-offs to test the guitar`s playability and sound for eventual mass production.

Considering how guitar manufacturers produce instruments, I would think that any one-offs are prototypes. At a factory level, once specs were considered set, small batches of Strats were built to go out into the field for testing by artists and to be shown to dealers. There must have been a batch of Strats built for the summer NAMM show in '54, don`t you think? Are these considered pre-production? I don`t know.

Many consider Strats with first version bakelite parts (football switch tip and rounded pickup covers) and serial # stamped on trem cover as pre-production. Strats with these specs were produced into June of '54. But, what about other Strats produced in June of '54 with serial # stamped on the neck plate? Eldon Shamblin`s Gold Strat assembly date is supposedly June 4, 1954 with serial # 0569 stamped on the neck plate. Are June '54 Strats with neck plate stamped serial #s and first version bakelite all of a sudden production versions?

Forrest White defined production run as "a completed, tested, out-the-door fulfillment of a purchase order." This would technically make Strats, "pre-production" if produced before the fulfillment of PO #242, Oct. 13, 1954.

Anyways, this is just my gibberish. It would be great to learn more from the experts on this forum.

 

[K701]

Does anyone have any links or photos with these early strat features?

 

[chasenblues]

Does anyone have any links or photos with these early strat features?

It might not all be correct or up to date, But its a place to start.

http://www.guitarhq.com/fender.html

 

[JBLPplayer]

5 way switch put in circa early 70's.... What year was the paint put on is the more pressing question? :hmm


Joe B

 

[Unbound Dot Neck]

:jim it rocks

 

[K701]

5 way switch put in circa early 70's.... What year was the paint put on is the more pressing question? :hmm


Joe B

Does anyone know if the nitro formula changed from the 50's to 60's. I'm interested in how it's aged. For those lucky enough to have examples from both decades- could you identify a rough age from the paint alone? (No sneaky peaking at the neck).

ive often thought that 50's strats have a more matt appearance than 60's?

 

[chasenblues]

Does anyone know if the nitro formula changed from the 50's to 60's. I'm interested in how it's aged. For those lucky enough to have examples from both decades- could you identify a rough age from the paint alone? (No sneaky peaking at the neck).

ive often thought that 50's strats have a more matt appearance than 60's?

If you go to the webpage i linked above there are sections that discuss the different finishes and how they were used and evolved.

 

[K701]

If you go to the webpage i linked above there are sections that discuss the different finishes and how they were used and evolved.

Sorry I meant to thank you before for linking the site. I saw about the evolution of producing sunbursts using stains and then the move onto poly. I couldn't find anything specific about the nitro formula- only their spraying techniques.

I'm also interested in how the nitro from 50s and 60s has aged differently. Quite possibly how they've aged since that site was created ;-) It is a great one, there's no doubt. I remember coming across it when the Internet was full of sites about 'This is me and my cats' Now it's involved into 'This is all the free puss....' Anyways.

 

[sunburst1]

There were two runs of the early production Stratocasters.

The very early examples have the serial number on the plastic tremolo cover and number in the 100's and early 200's in range , most likely built in March and early April , probably about 100 were produced , IMO,OMMV.

They then changed to neck plate serial numbers by May , but still retained the salt and pepper pup covers , thicker style pick guard , short skirt knobs and form - fit case etc.

Later into 1954 they changed the plastic to what most refer to as bakelite from the very early plastic which was also bakelite , but didn't hold up well. Fender also started using rectangle tweed cases in place of the form-fit.

So one could classify 1954's into three groups , IMO.

 

[sikoniko]

the following link is a good reference for the history of Fenders...

http://www.guitarhq.com/fender.html

It is my understanding that polystyrene (commonly mistaken as bakelite) was used on guitars as late as '57, though not common, and while the shape changed on knobs in the first year, the compound did not.

 

[Bob Womack]

Does anyone have any links or photos with these early strat features?

Here's a pretty good book to read:



It really takes you through the story as well as any I've seen, including the pre-production "mules" with experimental features. Click on the book to order it from Walmart for $27.62 plus shipping.

Bob

 

[Rev.WillieVK]

It's interesting that the plastic used for the knobs and pickup covers of these very early Strats was so fragile that Fender changed the plastic in only 4-5 months! *

That's why it's so rare to find these early '54 Strats with their original plastic intact, and the parts are absolute unobtainium to buy...


*compare that to Gibson that took an year and a half to fix the trapeze tailpiece 'problem' and 2 years to change the red dye on Les Paul Bursts

 

[Bill Megela]

That guitar in the link in the OP's post is a conglomeration of parts. The neck plate serial number is 8680, which indicates that the guitar is from approximately 10/55. The neck is non original, just look at the dish, behind the nut, going into the headstock. If you ever seen an original from 54,55, or 56 you will know the dish is too shallow. No finish left at all on the fretboard, yet the fretboard is not grungy at all and as far as I can tell from the pics there is no roll to the fingerboard which any strat would have of that age, unless it was a closet queen. The body date was never penciled in the neck pocket in the 50's and an early one would most probably be in the middle pickup cavity and later in the 50's under the trem springs. There is a bunch more things wrong with that guitar that I won't even get into and no wonder it didn't have any bids on it.