BY TONE TEAM
This is hands down the most beautiful combo the Fender Factory used to offer In the 50s to customers. Blonde, see-through, ash body (one piece here in this particular example) with gold parts. The neck has a subtle "Birdseye" to it, and the guitar is fitted with all the original "gold" parts, even the tremolo arm is the original one, and all the electronics, pickups, pots, and switch are original and unmolested.
This late 1956/early 1957 strat was stripped natural, with still original date and paint in cavities. This is a important guitar for us since it’s the very first one that goes out of the ToneTeamProject which has been created to offer the best restoration service possible.
Here, our master luthier Romano Burini did an awesome job restoring the finish to its original “white burst” appearance, matching both opacity and color to the original one found in the cavities.
What’s a “White burst” ?
There’s a easy to understand reason for the “thickness” consistency of the outer band of sunburst in Vintage Fenders, you’ll never see a “thin” black band. Why ? Not because “Leo didn’t like it” or similar silly things but for a FACT:
- They HAD to cover the dowels holes, expecially the one in the front of the body of the Stratocaster. So if you see a “sunburst” with the dowels exposed…it’s 100% a refin.
- for “Blonde” color…it was the exact same thing…after spraying the blonde base colour (instead of the yellow done for sunburst) step 2 was spraying the outer white band. And then the final clear lacquer coats. After many years, the more the guitar was exposed to UV action, the more it will enhance the “white burst” effect since in the middle of the body there’s more clear lacquer, that will yellow more than the sides, where the opaquer white mix was sprayed ON TOP of the blonde base color.
When they changed method and mix for the blonde finish in late 56/early 57, they chose to use a pre made, opaquer mix, to hide the flaws in the wood, the 2/3 pieces bodies, and the eventual repairs done to remove knots from bodies, so you will not see a “white burst” made after 1957 anymore. Of course on teles the effect is less evident, since teles have no contours, NO front dowels, but they were sprayed the exact same as these rare Strats between 54 and late 56.
