Man claims to have found Buddy Holly's 1954 Fender Stratocaster in Australia

[Reverend Conehead]

The famous Fender Stratocaster played and owned by Buddy Holly that disappeared after his death in 1959 has been found, according to a new video documentary called The ’54.

The ’54 – The Story Of A Rock’N’Roll Treasure
Buddy Holly played possibly one of the most famous guitars in Rock’n’Roll history, a Sunburst Fender Stratocaster. The guitar was thought to have been lost on the night of 3 February 1959 in the plane crash that took the lives of Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP Richardson, aka The Big Bopper.

But now – hold on to your hats – it looks as though the guitar may have survived and turned up in Australia!
[continued]
full story, incl vid:
https://www.gearnews.com/has-buddy-hollys-1954-fender-stratocaster-been-found-in-australia/

 

[Creeper]

Still sounds good considering it's 67 years old. I am amazed how clean the sounds is. Usually after that many years dust causes some crackling in the electronics.

What a find for $3000 US. I have a Les Paul, but I would love to get my hands on an old Stratocaster. My brother has as 1960s Strat but refuses to sell it to me.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Still sounds good considering it's 67 years old. I am amazed how clean the sounds is. Usually after that many years dust causes some crackling in the electronics.

What a find for $3000 US. I have a Les Paul, but I would love to get my hands on an old Stratocaster. My brother has as 1960s Strat but refuses to sell it to me.

When I was taking guitar lessons in 1978, my teacher had a 1965 Strat. He bought it for something like $170 in about 1968. Today it's worth about 25K. It's insane.

 

[Creeper]

When I was taking guitar lessons in 1978, my teacher had a 1965 Strat. He bought it for something like $170 in about 1968. Today it's worth about 25K. It's insane.

Yes! we forget how inexpensive these guitars were back then. My 1969 Les Paul Deluxe Gold Top cost me $315 at Manny's music in NYC. It's worth more than 10 times that now.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Yes! we forget how inexpensive these guitars were back then. My 1969 Les Paul Deluxe Gold Top cost me $315 at Manny's music in NYC. It's worth more than 10 times that now.

Yeah, a '69 Les Paul would be worth a bunch of money by now. Put it on your homeowners or renters insurance if you haven't already. Even my '76 Gibson Firebird that I used to own was worth $4,000 last I checked. It's a pity I don't still have it.

Back in the 70s, it was worth it to buy a 60s-era vintage guitar. They were better quality than most 70s guitars, and you could afford them. Today the whole vintage thing has gone nuts. It's not worth owning a 60s-era vintage guitar as your player guitar. Imagine how much you would worry playing a guitar worth 25K in a bar. I would rather get the best quality new guitar that I can find if I'm to be playing shows with it. If I owned a vintage instrument, I would just keep it at home -- and insured.

 

[Cowpolk]

The guitar looks like a 1958 not 1954

 

[Creeper]

The guitar looks like a 1958 not 1954

I am not a Strat expert but you can usually tell the year it was manufactured by the serial number which is stamped on a metal plate on the back of the guitar. If that doesn't look convincing, the bottom of the necks are stamped with the date as well. It is still possible to replace the plate and neck from another guitar but then you can use the numbers on the pots and other electronics to find a date.

I don't know if you can tell the difference between a 1954 and 1958 just by looking at it, can you?

 

[Cowpolk]

I am not a Strat expert but you can usually tell the year it was manufactured by the serial number which is stamped on a metal plate on the back of the guitar. If that doesn't look convincing, the bottom of the necks are stamped with the date as well. It is still possible to replace the plate and neck from another guitar but then you can use the numbers on the pots and other electronics to find a date.

I don't know if you can tell the difference between a 1954 and 1958 just by looking at it, can you?

The color scheme on the guitar was not available in 1954

 

[Reverend Conehead]

The color scheme on the guitar was not available in 1954

However, they believe it may be a prototype, which would have made it not locked into a production color scheme.

 

[VaqueroTD]

This guitar has Pawn Stars written all over it.

 

[Creeper]

The color scheme on the guitar was not available in 1954

The two tone Sunburst? That was the only color scheme available in 1954 I thought. Again, I am not an expert but it seems the guys in the video would pick up on something as basic as color.

Then there is this: https://www.stratcollector.com/years/1954-fender-stratocaster/

 

[Reverend Conehead]

The two tone Sunburst? That was the only color scheme available in 1954 I thought. Again, I am not an expert but it seems the guys in the video would pick up on something as basic as color.

Then there is this: https://www.stratcollector.com/years/1954-fender-stratocaster/

I would love to own an old Strat like that. Then again, I would probably be paranoid about it getting stolen. I would never play a gig with it.