I've just returned from a long road trip to south Georgia after buying this very cool 1954 Fender Stratocaster parts guitar that was updated by Fender 1965! It has some very cool early parts including a very early neck with "1 - 54" pencil date indicating that it was made in January of 1954. The January neck date puts it among the earliest known Stratocaster necks. It seems that its previous owner sent it back to Fender in 1965 where the body was replaced with a non-tremolo body, plastics updated, and neck refinished with new logo.
As a Fender Stratocaster buyer and collector, it's a total dream to find a 1954 Fender Stratocaster. I'm always on the hunt to buy nice examples of Stratocaster guitars like this one. If you've inherited an old Fender Stratocaster then check out: Fender Stratocaster How To Date and What's it Worth? Or if you're looking for help with dating a Fender guitar by serial number then check out: Fender Serial Number Lookup.
Fender Stratocaster 1954
Fender Stratocaster guitars made in 1954 have a wide range of features since that was the year the model was introduced. Fender continually updated features throughout the year to refine the Stratocaster into what it became in 1955. You can check out the cool features from a mid 1954 Stratocaster here and a late 1954 Stratocaster here. This 1954 Stratocaster bears the earliest neck date I've seen of "1 - 54" or January of 1954 indicating it's among the earliest Stratocasters made. Fender guitar experts will notice that the logo on the neck comes from about 1965 and is in a strange position. That's because the original owner sent this guitar back to the Fender factory for an update. The transitional logo is hiding a broken screw from a previous string tree placement.
This 1954 Fender Stratocaster received many updates at the Fender factory in 1965. It's strange that they replaced the original tremolo tailpiece body with a 1965 body with no tremolo. It's possible that its original owner wanted the hardtail instead. It's no surprise that the replaced the knobs, pickup covers, and pickguard since they are prone to deterioration and cracking. They likely saw the new plastics and tuners as an upgrade. I removed the pickguard and was happy to find original pickups, potentiometers, capacitor, and switch.
Fender Guitar Buyer
As a Fender guitar buyer, I'm always looking to buy 1950s era Fender Stratocasters. If you've inherited a Stratocaster and are curious about how to date and what's it worth, then I may be able to help. I can help identify and authenticate your Strat to check for originality, issues, and values by serial number. You can contact me here: Fender Guitar Buyer.
