“I’ve been fortunate enough to have handled and possessed several prototype Stratocasters that were made very early on. It’s assumed the first 200 Stratocasters had [serial] numbers that appeared on the tremolo cover, starting with 0100. However, there are definitely prototype Stratocasters with earlier appointments made prior to this that were not serial numbered, some of which left the factory later. The first Strats that went out were sent to sales reps as demo guitars. They went all around the country and even up into Western Canada – one of the Strats I’ve had was a guitar that belonged to a dealer rep in Calgary.
“One of the earliest Stratocasters I’ve seen was at the Songbirds museum [in Chattanooga, Tennessee] and it had a January 1954 neck. The nut step was…
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Guitarist (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2021