Reserved
1959 Fender Stratocaster, Sunburst
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
Summary:
Model: Stratocaster
Year: 1959
Finish: Original Sunburst
Modifications: Volume pot replaced in the early 60's, one tuner changed, re-fret, new nut.
Repairs: refret, new decal, lightly sanded fingerboard
Weight (kg): 3.38
Case: Correct Tweed hardshell case
Fingerboard: Maple
Neck wood: Maple
Body wood: Alder
Tuners: Correct Kluson Single Line, Low E and earlier no line
Pickups: 3 x Correct Black Bottom Single coil pickups
Hardware: Correct Chrome
Neck Profile: Medium C
Pots: Volume pot early 60's, 2 x tone pots 1959
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.
Reserved
1959 Fender Stratocaster, Sunburst
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
Ask a Question:
1959 Fender Stratocaster, Sunburst
Quantity selected exceeds current stock
Description
Few guitars wear their history quite as convincingly as this 1959 Stratocaster. The original three-tone sunburst has mellowed beautifully, with honest wear through the contours and exposed alder on the back reflecting decades of real playing and use. Add to that the cigarette burn on the headstock and the myriad of small knocks and marks across the body, and you’re left with a guitar that feels utterly lived-in, each battlescar mapping out a long and well-lived musical life.
By 1959, Leo Fender was in the midst of quietly redefining the Stratocaster. The three-tone sunburst had arrived the year before, but ’59 brought more meaningful changes behind the scenes, marking what many consider the second true incarnation of the model. Most notably, this was the final year for the one-piece maple neck before the rosewood slab board took over, and the last to feature the single-ply pickguard. This example sits right at that transitional moment placing it among the very last maple-board Strats to leave Fullerton..
The neck is dated April 1959. It has been refretted at some point in the past, with the fingerboard lightly sanded and fitted and a replacement nut. The decal has also been replaced, likely long ago, after the original wore away. The neck profile is a comfortable medium C carve noticeably fuller than many later ’59 examples, and it feels immediately familiar and inviting in the hand.
One particularly appealing detail here is the sunburst itself. Fender’s red dye from this period was notoriously photo-reactive and prone to fading under UV exposure, often leaving bursts from this year looking more two-tone than three. On this guitar, the red has survived remarkably well, retaining depth and contrast that is increasingly hard to find.
The original single-ply guard remains in place and is generally very well preserved, aside from a small crack near the selector switch. The remaining plastics are also in good order and entirely correct. Hardware shows expected corrosion and wear but functions exactly as it should. The tuners are correct Kluson single-line examples, with an earlier no-line unit fitted on the low E. The tremolo arm is a later replacement, the original having disappeared somewhere along the way.
Electrically, the guitar is largely untouched. The volume pot was replaced in the early 1960s, while the two tone pots date to 1959. All three pickups are correct black-bottom single coils with original formvar windings, delivering that open, three-dimensional Strat tone that made this era so sought after, with a clear and articulate tone without the brittle edge.
Weighing in at a very comfortable 3.38kg, this is a light and resonant Strat that feels alive the moment you pick it up. It comes complete with its correct tweed hardshell case.
Adding product to your cart
Summary:
Model: Stratocaster
Year: 1959
Finish: Original Sunburst
Modifications: Volume pot replaced in the early 60's, one tuner changed, re-fret, new nut.
Repairs: refret, new decal, lightly sanded fingerboard
Weight (kg): 3.38
Case: Correct Tweed hardshell case
Fingerboard: Maple
Neck wood: Maple
Body wood: Alder
Tuners: Correct Kluson Single Line, Low E and earlier no line
Pickups: 3 x Correct Black Bottom Single coil pickups
Hardware: Correct Chrome
Neck Profile: Medium C
Pots: Volume pot early 60's, 2 x tone pots 1959
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.