1959 Fender Stratocaster, Sunburst

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.