My Pile of Guitars & Basses

In 1979, Fender commemorated the Stratocaster’s 25th anniversary (first introduced in 1954) with its inaugural “anniversary” model, also marking the first time a Fender Guitar was released in a predetermined, numbered, limited edition. Approximately 500 instruments were initially finished in Pearl White. However, due to the finish’s instability and excessive cracking, many were recalled and refinished in Porsche Silver (referred to by Fender as “25th Anniversary Stratocaster Silver”), which became the standard for subsequent early production runs. Presented here is one of these second-series instruments in fair condition, its silver finish having matured to a near-golden sheen.

The guitar features the iconic contoured Stratocaster body crafted from Ash, a large headstock, a 3-bolt maple neck, and tuners arranged six-a-side. The maple fretboard spans 21 frets. Its hardware includes a chrome tremolo bridge, an engraved neck plate, and tuners. The electronics consist of three single-coil pickups, a 5-way pickup selector switch, the standard Volume and two Tone controls, and a front-placed jack socket.

In 1979, Fender celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Stratocaster (introduced in 1954) with its first “anniversary” instrument, and the first Fender Guitar to be issued in a pre-determined and numbered, limited quantity. A small run of 500 or so instruments produced were finished in Pearl White. However, due to the instability and excessive checking of the finish, many were recalled and re-finished in Porsche Silver (though Fender refers to it as “25th Anniversary Stratocaster Silver”), the color that was used in the rest of the production run. So here we have one of these Silver series in near mint condition.