1961 Fender Stratocaster, Fiesta Red - One Owner!
- Unit price
- / per
At a Glance:
Model: Stratocaster
Finish: Original Fiesta Red custom colour (minor touchup in places)
Provenance: One owner from new; purchased by Bob Thomas from Jennings Musical Instruments, London, in 1962
Neck: Flamed maple
Neck Stamp: 10/61
Fingerboard: Slab Brazilian rosewood with clay dot inlays
Frets: Refretted
Nut: Changed
Tuners: Correct single-line Kluson
Pickguard: Correct mint green guard
Plastics: Correct knobs, replaced bridge pickup cover, missing back plate
Changes/modifications: Changed switch, changed volume pot, rewound neck pickup, refretted, changed nut
Pickups: Original black bottom, single coil (Neck rewound)
Pickup Readings: Bridge 5.40k / Middle 5.66k / Neck 5.66k
Nut Width: 42mm
Neck Depth: 20mm at 1st fret / 24.2mm at 12th fret
Case: Original Selmer case
Included: CDs and photographs documenting the guitar’s history and evolution over the years
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.
1961 Fender Stratocaster, Fiesta Red - One Owner!
- Unit price
- / per
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1961 Fender Stratocaster, Fiesta Red - One Owner!Description
An outstanding one-owner 1961 Fender Stratocaster, finished in Fiesta Red and originally purchased by Bob Thomas from Jennings Musical Instruments on Charing Cross Road, London, in 1962.
Custom colour, slab board Strats are always special, but a one-owner example with this level of genuine real-world wear is something else entirely. Visually, this is one of the most striking custom colour Strats we have come across: an absolute head-turner, with the kind of patina that only decades of playing can create.
The Fiesta Red finish has aged beautifully, with all the factory-applied layers visible in places, from the yellow-dyed body, through the primer/undercoat, to the Fiesta Red colour coat and the hazed, discoloured clear coat on top. The result is a wonderful mix of reds, pinks and worn-through areas that gives the guitar a look no Custom Shop relic could truly replicate. There has been a small amount of attempted touch-up work over the years, mainly noticeable on the treble edge of the body, but this has thankfully been kept to a minimum.
This was very much a working guitar. Bob played in a duo with his late wife and released a number of CDs over the years, several of which show the guitar in use and document its ageing and evolution through his career. These CDs are included with the sale, along with a collection of photographs.
The neck is a real highlight: beautifully flamed maple with an amazing patina and a wonderfully worn-in feel. It is stamped 10/61, with a slab Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and clay dot inlays. The decal has worn in places, adding further to the guitar’s authentic played-in characasures 42mter. The neck mem at the nut, with a depth of 20mm at the 1st fret and 24.2mm at the 12th. It has been refretted and plays superbly.
In terms of originality, the key body and finish details are exactly what you want to see. The nail holes are present, the worm route fuzz is spot-on, the neck pocket is fully painted as per the period, and the jack and trem claw solder appear correct. The serial number is 67394, dating to 1961, and the legible tone pot is a Stackpole unit coded 304-6134, dating to week 34 of 1961.
The guitar retains its correct single-line tuners, correct mint green pickguard, correct knobs and original-style hardware. The pickguard has shrunk and cracked in places, as is often seen, the bridge pickup cover has been replaced, the back plate is missing, and the nut has been changed.
Electronically, the guitar is largely correct aside from a changed switch, changed volume pot and a rewound neck pickup. The pickups read 5.40k at the bridge, 5.66k in the middle and 5.66k at the neck, delivering that classic early ’60s open, woody and wonderfully dynamic Strat voice.
The main appeal of this guitar is the extraordinary combination of custom colour rarity, one-owner provenance and genuinely earned wear. It has all the right period features, a fantastic flamed maple neck, a rich dark slab rosewood board and the sort of patina and mojo that simply cannot be faked.
A truly special 1961 Fiesta Red Stratocaster with superb provenance, breathtaking patina and a lifetime of real musical use behind it. Not a museum piece, but a guitar ready to be played, enjoyed and carried forward by its next owner.
Complete with original Selmer case.
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At a Glance:
Model: Stratocaster
Finish: Original Fiesta Red custom colour (minor touchup in places)
Provenance: One owner from new; purchased by Bob Thomas from Jennings Musical Instruments, London, in 1962
Neck: Flamed maple
Neck Stamp: 10/61
Fingerboard: Slab Brazilian rosewood with clay dot inlays
Frets: Refretted
Nut: Changed
Tuners: Correct single-line Kluson
Pickguard: Correct mint green guard
Plastics: Correct knobs, replaced bridge pickup cover, missing back plate
Changes/modifications: Changed switch, changed volume pot, rewound neck pickup, refretted, changed nut
Pickups: Original black bottom, single coil (Neck rewound)
Pickup Readings: Bridge 5.40k / Middle 5.66k / Neck 5.66k
Nut Width: 42mm
Neck Depth: 20mm at 1st fret / 24.2mm at 12th fret
Case: Original Selmer case
Included: CDs and photographs documenting the guitar’s history and evolution over the years
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.