1954 Fender Stratocaster Lake Placid Blue + HSC
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- Unit price
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We are not box shifters, we take your packing and shipping very seriously..!
We have to. You're considering spending a lot of money with us and you would obviously like your valuable musical instrument to arrive at your door, without drama, fuss or damage.
We have many years (stretching way back in to the last century) of packing and shipping fragile musical items all over the world - in fact the number of sometimes priceless, vintage instruments we have shipped is in the thousands.
When you buy a vintage or second hand item from us, it will be hand packed by one or more of our specialist, in house staff and then shipped in our own custom made cardboard boxes (If applicable).
We normally ship via our preferred carriers UPS, DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail for smaller items such as straps and leads. Tracking numbers are always provided.
Shipping prices vary by item and by location, please see the individual products for details but as a guide, prices for a guitar is usually:
UK - £50
Mainland Europe - £75
USA - £200
Rest of World (rates can vary a lot depending on country) - £250
How can I pay?
All our base prices are in £GBP Sterling and exclude delivery.
Payments can be made by bank transfer (up to any amount) or credit/debit card through our website (up to £10,000.) Due to fraud risks we do not take payment by phone. We accept and use many online payment services that work by way of bank transfer and recommend Wise.com who will in generally offer far better exchange rates than banks.
Do your prices include VAT?
All prices include UK VAT but most used or vintage guitars are sold under the UK marginal scheme for secondhand goods which means you will not get an invoice with the VAT amount shown separately, neither will you be able to claim this VAT element back if you are VAT registered, and the VAT element cannot be deducted for export sales.
For new items such as some guitars, pedals, straps, cables etc 20% UK VAT is included and if you are in an export country, which since Brexit now includes Europe and of course the US, this 20% VAT will automatically be deducted at checkout for you. You may have to pay local taxes and duties when your goods arrive in your home country, we advise you to check with your local customs office to be sure.
Can I reserve or put an item on hold?
Yes you can. Items can be put on hold for a deposit payment of 10%. This will hold the item for up to 30 days but this deposit payment is non refundable in the event of the buyer failing to complete the sale.
A further 10% payment at the end of the initial 30 day period will extend this period for another 30 days and subject to individual approval, this arrangement can be extended at our discretion. ATB Guitars holds title to the goods until paid for in full and if the buyer should change his/her mind for any reason, a restocking fee equivalent to to 15% of the total purchase price will be deducted from any refund given.
Do you have a mailing list?
The best way to get on our mailing list is to submit the form at the bottom of every page on our website. Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ATBguitars as most new items are posted there as soon as we buy them and before they go on the website. If you are searching for a specific guitar then send us an email and we will attempt to alert you once one has been found.
1954 Fender Stratocaster Lake Placid Blue + HSC
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
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1954 Fender Stratocaster Lake Placid Blue + HSC
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Description
Original 1954, first year Fender Stratocaster with a bit of a twist in it’s tail…
Here is the description we have been given that we have no reason to doubt -
‘This guitar was born in July 1954… one of the first year Stratocaster’s. It was purchased from the original owner in 1956 and played extensively through the late fifties and early sixties. By 1963 the guitar was ‘quite well worn’ and the owner wanted to continue to play on a maple fretboard so he sent the guitar back to Fender and asked them to refinish and refret the neck, and also to refinish the body in his favorite color, Lake Placid Blue - but he specified that they should keep all of the original electronics as he really liked the sound of the original 1954 pickups. The guitar was returned to him later that year (in a then new 1963 case). For all these years he believed that Fender had re-finished the original body - but in fact we now know that they replaced the body to match the then current eleven-screw ‘green’ pick-guard.’
Apparently the owner did not want to buy a new Strat in Lake Placid Blue because he wanted to play on a maple neck, an option which was extremely difficult to get from Fender at that time. Inside, all the electrics, pots, switch and totally original pickups (with no rewinds) are from 1954 as are the tuners, neck plate with 4 digit serial number, bridge assembly and string tree. All the markings inside signify a factory refin -
‘The following ‘factory’ markings are visible under the pickguard and on the base of the neck and the neck cavity: The underside of the neck is stamped “2683”; the neck cavity is stamped “2681”; The body is stamped under the pickguard to the left of the control cavity and above the neck and middle pickups “LP BLUE”. There is a small piece of tape in the neck pickup cavity with “16” written in pencil.’
It is exactly what it says on the tin - a 1954 Stratocaster with an original 1963 custom colour LPB body and plastics. A factory original and approved ‘partscaster’ if you like! Wonder if Fender would do this these days… I somehow doubt it.
Playing wise and sound wise, well it is pretty damn stunning to say the least. It is a nice low action with good playability everywhere and so far as the sound goes, it is as good as any 54 we have had here. 1954 Strat pickups do sound different to later ones and these, totally original ones, are classic - check out the video of Phil X playing this very guitar on his cover of Roxanne.
It looks brilliant, sound brilliant and is a totally unique piece. You can bet your bottom £pound that no one else will have one like it…
Adding product to your cart
We are not box shifters, we take your packing and shipping very seriously..!
We have to. You're considering spending a lot of money with us and you would obviously like your valuable musical instrument to arrive at your door, without drama, fuss or damage.
We have many years (stretching way back in to the last century) of packing and shipping fragile musical items all over the world - in fact the number of sometimes priceless, vintage instruments we have shipped is in the thousands.
When you buy a vintage or second hand item from us, it will be hand packed by one or more of our specialist, in house staff and then shipped in our own custom made cardboard boxes (If applicable).
We normally ship via our preferred carriers UPS, DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail for smaller items such as straps and leads. Tracking numbers are always provided.
Shipping prices vary by item and by location, please see the individual products for details but as a guide, prices for a guitar is usually:
UK - £50
Mainland Europe - £75
USA - £200
Rest of World (rates can vary a lot depending on country) - £250
How can I pay?
All our base prices are in £GBP Sterling and exclude delivery.
Payments can be made by bank transfer (up to any amount) or credit/debit card through our website (up to £10,000.) Due to fraud risks we do not take payment by phone. We accept and use many online payment services that work by way of bank transfer and recommend Wise.com who will in generally offer far better exchange rates than banks.
Do your prices include VAT?
All prices include UK VAT but most used or vintage guitars are sold under the UK marginal scheme for secondhand goods which means you will not get an invoice with the VAT amount shown separately, neither will you be able to claim this VAT element back if you are VAT registered, and the VAT element cannot be deducted for export sales.
For new items such as some guitars, pedals, straps, cables etc 20% UK VAT is included and if you are in an export country, which since Brexit now includes Europe and of course the US, this 20% VAT will automatically be deducted at checkout for you. You may have to pay local taxes and duties when your goods arrive in your home country, we advise you to check with your local customs office to be sure.
Can I reserve or put an item on hold?
Yes you can. Items can be put on hold for a deposit payment of 10%. This will hold the item for up to 30 days but this deposit payment is non refundable in the event of the buyer failing to complete the sale.
A further 10% payment at the end of the initial 30 day period will extend this period for another 30 days and subject to individual approval, this arrangement can be extended at our discretion. ATB Guitars holds title to the goods until paid for in full and if the buyer should change his/her mind for any reason, a restocking fee equivalent to to 15% of the total purchase price will be deducted from any refund given.
Do you have a mailing list?
The best way to get on our mailing list is to submit the form at the bottom of every page on our website. Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ATBguitars as most new items are posted there as soon as we buy them and before they go on the website. If you are searching for a specific guitar then send us an email and we will attempt to alert you once one has been found.
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ATB Guitars has been trading since the '90s and we've sold thousands of guitars to date. We pride ourselves on our in-depth descriptions, detailed photography, honesty and transparency. We also accept no questions returns within 14 days so you can buy with confidence! Read more about our history below...
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