1956 Fender Stratocaster ‘Brownie’ dates + OHSC
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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.
1956 Fender Stratocaster ‘Brownie’ dates + OHSC
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
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1956 Fender Stratocaster ‘Brownie’ dates + OHSC
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Description
On the 7th May 1967, Eric Clapton walked into Sound City in London and bought a Fender Stratocaster that started an iconic associaton. 11 years ealier, Xavier Armandez was signing his initials on to the neck during its journey through the Fullerton factory. In that very same month, June 1956, he had his skilled hands sculpted this very guitar.
The body too has a date marking of 6/56 which is exactly the same as Brownie’s so if you do seek your very own Brownie, this is probably as close as you will ever get this side of a million dollars.
This guitar is certainly not immaculate but what could be described as a well loved state. There is wear in all the right places with dings and knocks all over the body. The colour is still strong and the burst is very good showing off the grain of the two piece alder body. The back is battle scarred but not too heavily. The body shows no signs of modification. The neck, carved to the clubby V which is so synonymous with theses mid 50’s Strats, has a wonderful worn in feel. the fretboard is also quite worn with that wonderful ‘musical roadmap’ look.
The guitar has had a partial refret, carried out by Terry Mueller in the US, using frets from another, virtually unplayed 1956 Fender neck so as to keep it all correct. This partial refret is totally undetectable and anyone who knows Terry’s work will know he is probably one of the few people around who can carry this off. No mean feet I think you’ll agree!
The bakelite plastics are in good shape with only a the neck pickup missing some of the plastic on the treble side. The knobs on the other hand are in superb condition with very little sign of wear as is the switch tip and the trem arm tip - bakerlite parts that are often shattered or lost.
Internally the electronics have remained un touched with pot date reading 5th week of 1956 and all solder joints present and correct and completely virgin with no alterations whatsoever.
The guitar comes with its correct Tweed, Koylon hardshell case with the internal badge still present.
These 50’s Strats are quite special and have a sound of their own. Unplugged the guitar is lively with a pleasantly bright tone. Once plugged in the guitar yields a wide range of tones all with a smoothness delivered by the black bottom pickups. The neck feels comfortable and is a joy to play.
Neck, being the classic chunky V shape is a joy to play and is the archetypal feel that the Custom Shops try to emulate. Action is really nice and although there are obviously some wear marks on the fingerboard that give it plenty of character, thanks to the expert and undetectable partial refret it plays brilliantly well.
Regardless of the Brownie connection (which is very cool!), this guitar islet another example of the amazing work that was coming out of the Fender factory and is testament to why they are still held in such high regards 60 years later.
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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