Stratocaster (serial no. 0105)

1954
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
This mint-condition Stratocaster is one of the first ever built. The model introduced a sleek modernistic design—featuring asymmetrical cutaways and a body contoured on the front and back—and a “synchronized tremolo” vibrato system, in which a fully adjustable bridge is routed through the body rather than mounted on the top. The Stratocaster was adopted by many early rock and rollers, from Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens to Dick Dale.

Technical Description:
Contoured ash body, one-piece maple neck with walnut “skunk stripe”; 25½ in. scale; two-tone sunburst finish; bolt-on neck with black dot inlays; gold “spaghetti” Fender logo decal on headstock; three single-coil pickups, three-way selector switch, one volume control and two tone controls; chrome “Synchronized Tremolo” vibrato bridge, and recessed input jack plate, nickel tuners, white 1-ply plastic pickguard, knobs, pickup housings, and vibrato routing cover

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Stratocaster (serial no. 0105)
  • Artist: Fender
  • Date: 1954
  • Geography: Fullerton, California, United States
  • Medium: Ash, maple, chrome, nickel, plastic
  • Dimensions: Length: 38 1/4 in. (97.2 cm)
    Width: 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm)
    Depth: 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm)
    Weight: 7-8 lbs. (3.2 - 3.6 kg)
  • Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
  • Credit Line: Collection of Perry A. Margouleff
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments