Check out this unbelievably rare Stratocaster: 1962 Fender Stratocaster in original Fiesta Red finish with gold hardware! I've just recently purchased it from its original owner; Roy was given the Stratocaster as a gift from his parents brand new while growing up in Pretoria, South Africa. His favorite artist was Hank Marvin of The Shadows who was the inspiration for ordering it in Fiesta Red with Gold Hardware. He even dug up some pictures of him playing his Stratocaster with his band in the 1960s.
As a Fender Stratocaster collector, I'm always on the hunt to buy Stratocasters like this one in nice condition. I'm especially looking for Fiesta Red, but I buy all custom colors as long as they are an original Fender finish. If you've inherited a Stratocaster and are looking for help with dating and identification then check out Fender Serial Number Lookup. Or if you're curious about how much I would value your Stratocaster then check out Sell a Fender.
Fender Stratocaster 1962
Fender guitar collectors consider 1962 to be among the holy grail years for the Stratocaster model. While introduced in 1954 with a one piece Maple neck and fretboard, Fender introduced the Rosewood fretboard on the Stratocaster model in 1959. It was constructed with a thick piece of Rosewood glued flat on top of the Maple neck. The fretboard radius combined with the flat Rosewood to Maple joint resulted in the thickness of the board to resemble more of a slab of Rosewood instead of the thinner veneer style fretboard board introduced in mid 1962. This Fiesta Red Stratocaster was made in early 1962 with the original slab style Rosewood fretboard.
The standard color for the Stratocaster model was Fender's Sunburst finish which fades from yellow to red to black on the outer edges in 1962, but those willing to pay a 5% upcharge were able to order a Stratocaster in a custom color like Fiesta Red. A young Roy in South Africa was listening to a new sound from a band called The Shadows which featured Hank Marvin on a Fiesta Red Stratocaster with gold hardware. Marvin's original Stratocaster was made in 1959 with a Maple fretboard, but by the time Roy's was ordered in early 1962, the Stratocaster came with the slab Rosewood fretboard. This 1962 Fender Stratocaster matches all the specifications of Marvin's original Fiesta Red Stratocaster except the composition of the neck and fretboard.
The most expensive option for the Stratocaster in 1962 was a custom color finish gold hardware. Gold hardware was rarely ordered since most players found the standard chrome to be just as pleasing to look at. The low volume of orders likely accounts for the serial number of this 1962 Stratocaster being about a year lower than we would normally expect for an early 1962 Stratocaster. Fender serial numbers were applied to neck plates in consecutive order, but the plates were not assigned to guitars in purely consecutive order. It's likely that a batch of plates were plated in gold but took some time to be assigned to guitars.
Fender Guitar Collector
As a Fender guitar collector, I'm looking to buy Fender Stratocaster guitars made in the 1950s and 1960s. I'm especially looking for the custom color examples in red, blue, white, black, green, and turquoise. Even more so, I am a collector for the Stratocaster guitars with gold parts and custom colors. Fiesta Red is one of my favorites!
You can contact me here if you're looking for a buyer for your 1950s or 1960s Stratocaster: Sell a Fender. I would be happy to take a look and offer feedback about year, color, and possible value. I buy guitars from everywhere in the world and have recently been to South Africa, United Kingdom, and all across the United States. I am looking forward to checking out your Fender!
