Fender's iconic Stratocaster model debuted in 1954 with a design that rocketed the electric guitar into a new era. The Stratocaster's offset center waist, perfectly intonatable bridge, smooth tremolo, and three pickup options drew were all vastly different than anything else widely available at the time. The Stratocaster increased in popularity over the 1950s and 1960s despite Fender's attempt to continually innovate in the same areas. By the late 1960s, the it was clear that the basic design of Stratocaster was not going by the wayside, but became the baseline from which other electric guitars were compared.
Jump to the information you're looking for:
How much did a Stratocaster cost in 1954? Check the '54 Fender price list
How many Stratocasters did Fender make in 1954? Our best guess
Stratocaster collector Learn more about me: the Stratocaster collector
Sell a Fender do you have a '54 that you're considering selling?
As a Fender guitar collector, I'm always on the hunt for nice examples of Fender Stratocasters from the 1950s and 1960s but especially the first year of its introduction: 1954. The values for Fender Stratocasters from 1954 vary wildly based on features, condition, and originality. You can contact me here if you're curious about how much I would value your Fender Stratocaster: Sell a Fender.
If you're curious about learning more about vintage Fender Stratocasters then I'd recommend this book: The Fender Stratocaster: The Success Story of a Legendary Guitar Born and Made in California by Andre Duchossoir. Andre's book is a great resource for all the ways the Fender Stratocaster changed during the 1950s and 1960s.
How much was a Fender Stratocaster in 1954?
The Stratocaster model was the hip new solid body electric from Fender which was meant to be an upgrade from the Telecaster model. Its three pickups were intended to claim superiority over both the Telecaster and its most competitive rival: the Gibson Les Paul introduced in 1952. As such, it was a but more expensive than the Telecaster model at a base price of $229.50 for the Stratocaster non-tremolo or $249.50 for the Stratocaster with tremolo. By comparison, the Telecaster with two pickups was priced at only $189.50 in '54.
Remember that the Stratocaster's price in 1954 has no bearing on its value now. Check out Stratocaster Values for more on modern day pricing.
Stratocaster Guitar (no tremolo) $229.50
Stratocaster Guitar (with tremolo) $249.50
How many Stratocasters were made in 1954?
Leo Fender was not keen to share with his competitors how many Stratocaster guitars he was selling. He kept that information under lock and key, and while it's probably out there somewhere, no one has published it yet. The best way to find how many Stratocasters were made in 1954 is to check out my friend Rich's information at Guitarlogs.com. There is a registry there of many of the Stratocasters made in 1954 including this one.
Rich's website has a record at least 420 Stratocasters made in 1954. He estimates that about 2/3s of the guitars made that year have not been registered yet, and if that's true, then we can estimate about 1,200 Stratocasters made in 1954.
Answer: We estimate that about 1200 Stratocasters were made in 1954
I am looking to buy the nicest examples of '54 Stratocasters. You can contact me here to Sell a Fender.
Fender Stratocaster 1954 Identification
Since all Fender guitars can be disassembled using only a screwdriver, it's important to have professional identification. Here's a good resource for Stratocaster dating: How to date a Fender Stratocaster. Fender guitar experts will date a Stratocaster during the inspection and authentification process.
Let's start with the serial number only because it's the most easily accessible part with good data to compare to. Here's a good resource for serial numbers: Fender Serial Numbers. The serial number on this Fender Stratocaster is on the neck plate and contains for digits starting with "09xx". Our Fender serial number lookup indicates that this serial number range was used in 1954. Remember that Fender serial numbers are not necessarily consecutive and easily swapped for a different number, so let's go deeper into dating this Stratocaster.
Accurate identification of a 1954 Fender Stratocaster would also include the control cavity masking tape, tremolo cavity date, and the neck heel date. Fender employees typically signed a piece of masking tape after wiring the electronics into the body. The masking tape date on this guitar reads "Virginia / 10 - 11 - 54" indicating it was signed on October 11th, 1954. The tremolo cavity is located on the back of the body and houses the springs that provide the resistance to the string tension. The tremolo cavity date for this guitar is "8/54" indicating August of 1954. We don't have the neck heel date for this Stratocaster since I've declined to remove the neck. We don't need to remove it to authenticate this guitar and I don't think anyone has removed it before.
We can use the potentiometer date codes to help verify the originality of those parts. Potentiometers are variable resistors that allow the player to control the volume and tone of the guitar's signal being sent to the amplifier. Most potentiometers are made with a code that indicates the manufacturer, the year, and the week of the year it was made. The code on the second tone capacitor on this Fender Stratocaster 1954 reads "304 435" where 304 = Stackpole, 4 = 1954, and 35 = the 35th week of the year. This is the date that part was made and not when the guitar left the factory.
Fender Stratocaster Collector
As a Fender Stratocaster collector, I am looking for the nicest examples of Stratocasters made in the 1950s and 1960s. If you're curious about have a Fender guitar expert check out your Stratocaster then you can contact me at the red button below. I'd be happy to take a look at your Stratocaster and offer an opinion on when it was made, what's original and what's not, and how much I would value your guitar. You can send pictures to the contact information on the bottom of this page.
If you're curious about selling your vintage Fender Stratocaster then I'd like to take a look at it. I travel world wide to acquire the vintage Fender guitars I've always dreamed of. You can contact me here: Sell a Fender.
