Fender Stratocaster Hardtail, Sunburst (1958)

This 1958 Fender Stratocaster in original "hardtail" configuration is the first 50s example we've had in the shop, and we're totally blown away by how this guitar feels, plays, and sounds!

Previously uncirculated and acquired from the original owner (via a 3rd party), it's a perfectly played yet perfectly preserved Strat with the classic Alder and Maple pairing and in the Tele-adjacent hardtail format. It's super lightweight, resonant, and woody sounding unplugged, with a harmonically rich and clear voice plugged in.

Completed in the middle of 1958 (August '58 body and neck dates), it features the then newly adapted Slim C neck carve with large taper. This shape would continue into the 60s with some slight variety and became a fixture in Fender's history. The original 3-Tone Sunburst finish shows very little fading, with a healthy amount of dark brown and red still showing vibrancy, especially against the white ABS single-ply pickguard. The pickup covers and knobs have yellowed considerable more, which is fairly common to see.

All three original stagger-pole black bobbin pickups are tied to their original wiring harness, with the Stackpole pots showing date codes of the 25th week of 1958. The pickups still have their respective original winds as well.

The case shows the impossibly rare thin brass case badge stamped 'Fender' in the upper corner of the top lid. These badge often fail and fall off due to their fragility, so it's really cool to see one that's still hanging on!