50th Anniversary Fender Stratocaster Specifications
Learning the specifications of the 50th Anniversary Fender Stratocaster can help you decide if it is worth purchasing one of these vintage instruments. The Fender Stratocaster was first released in 1954, and in 2004 Fender's Custom Shop marked its 50th year with a replica edition of the classic Stratocaster. Looking over the specifications of the guitar is one way to understand what you're buying.
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Body
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The 50th Anniversary Fender Stratocaster has an ash body, made up of two separate pieces. Ash was used on many Fender instruments in the 1950s, and produces a relatively bright tone and good sustain. Fender uses "soft" ash, which makes the tone slightly warmer than it would be with "hard" ash. The body is painted with a nitro-cellulose lacquer, in two-tone brown. The Fender Custom Shop also added hairline cracks in the lacquer to make the guitar look truly vintage.
Neck
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The 50th Anniversary Stratocaster features a "U" shaped, one-piece maple neck. Maple produces a very bright tone, and is a common choice for guitar necks. The Stratocaster features a 21-fret finger-board, with black dot inlays. The neck of the guitar was hand sculpted and sanded by the Fender Custom Shop. The nut, which separates the guitar neck from the headstock, is made from real bone.
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Pickups
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The guitar has three custom-made samarium cobalt noiseless pickups. These are single coil pickups, made by Fender's Custom Shop team to match the pickups on the vintage 1954 Stratocaster. The pickups are controlled by a five-way switch located on the Stratocaster's body.
Bridge
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The 50th Anniversary Stratocaster has an original "ash-tray" bridge cover and a synchronized tremolo. The serial number of each guitar is stamped onto the back of the tremolo cover plate, done in the original dye used on the 1954 Fender Stratocaster. Ex-Fender employee Roger Centeno stamped each serial number.
Controls and Hardware
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The guitar has two tone controls and one volume control. These are located on the body of the guitar, underneath the bridge and bridge pickup. The controls and electronics are wired in the same way as the original 1954 Fender Stratocaster. The hardware on the guitar is done with an aged nickel effect to add to the vintage feel of the instrument.
Scale Length
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The 50th Anniversary Fender Stratocaster has a 25.5-inch scale length. The scale length is the distance from the nut, right at the top of the neck, to the bridge, which is where the strings meet the body of the guitar. The scale length is the length of the string that vibrates when you pluck it.
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References
- Photo Credit neon electric guitar image by Peter Helin from Fotolia.com
