1950 Fender Stratocaster #20869
This 1957 Fender Stratocaster, serial number 20869, is in a very rare custom color option called Taos Turquoise. By 1956, nonstock finishes were specified in Fender literature and in 1957 Fender began to offer a larger array of official custom colors. The Stratocaster in sunburst finish was $249.50 without tremolo and $274.50 with tremolo. Fender also added an extra 5% for a DuPont custom color or a blonde finish and $49.50 for a hard case. The guitar weighs a lightweight 7.7 lbs and the alder body has a Desert Sand finish as an undercoat, which was a stock color used on the Duo- Sonic model. The maple medium V-shaped neck with the original 7.25" fingerboard radius has the spaghetti Fender logo with "butterfly" or string tree guides for the B and treble E strings. This 1957 Strat has a 3-way pickup selector, and the single ply pickguard is held in place by eight Phillips head screws. Credit: Tim Mullally & Dave Rogers, Dave's Guitar Shop, La Crosse, WI.