The 25th anniversary stratocaster

In June 1979, to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of its main guitar, Fender released the 25th Anniversary Stratocaster.
Although not acclaimed for innovation, the Anniversary model was historically significant because it represented CBS’ attempt to improve Fender instruments.  Aside from the large headstock, it boasted a few specific features like new tuning machines and a new finish with the commemorative designation of the model reproduced in black lettering on the upper horn of the body, and the 4-bolt neck plate with old-style truss rod adjustment at the base of the neck - and hence no more micro-tilt!  In fact, during the development stage, Fender asked Bill Carson, who gave Leo Fender important feedback on the design of the Stratocaster, to provide some suggestions on the Anniversary guitar and one of the issues Bill really cared about was that the new anniversary model should have a 4-bolt neck plate just like the original guitar.

Although circa the first 500 or more 25th Anniversary Stratocasters that left the factory were painted in a water-based Pearl White finish, the original plan was for their bodies to be painted in what should be officially named Anniversary Silver finish.  The Anniversary Silver should be a mix of Silver and Pearl White, but the percentage of each color for the first run was reversed by mistake, and thus ending up with a mostly white finish rather than a silver finish.

The 25th Anniversary Stratocaster in Anniversary Silver finish

At that time, Fender was asked by both the Air Quality Management District and the Environmental Protection Agency to modify its spraying installation and to find a less polluting finishing method.  Hence, Fender decided to switch from oil-based poly finishes to water-based poly finishes, which could be electrostatically sprayed on bodies.
​Unfortunately, the first water-based Pearl White paint was prone to cracking, it just came off in big sheets, and looked like broken eggshells.

Probably this problem may have been the consequence of a lack of familiarity with the water-based finish of Fender because it had been successfully applied by other manufacturers like the Huffy Bicycle Company.  Furthermore, the Anniversary Stratocasters shipped to the UK also showed a strange color hue because they adsorbed pigments form case fur lining!
Needless to say, this unfortunate problem brought up quite a few claims from dealers and customers and ultimately cost Fender a lot of money.  The scale of damage to sales and the cost of repair respray in Europe was so great that in 1981 CBS replaced Bob Campbell with John McLaren at the head of the whole division CBS Musical Instruments.
So, Fender turned to the automotive industry for a solution and the remaining 25th Anniversary Stratocaster were finished in Porsche Silver.  However, the reference to the car manufacturer was removed within a short time, and the new color was renamed Anniversary Silver.  ​Over the years, a few of these silver bodies turned to what now appears to be a gold finish, others have taken a green hue due to the oxidation of the paint.

The very first 25th Anniversary Stratocasters had a fragile water based pearl finish (Courtesy of Massimo Salmoiraghi)

There are also a few slightly weird 25th Anniversary Strats, probably all in the UK, because in 1979 Neville Marten, one of CBS/Fender’s UK guitar repairers, had to refinish about a dozen faulty Pearl White Anniversary bodies for CBS Fender in London with his colleague Martyn Booth.  They did them all in silver and lacquered over it in nitrocellulose.  They couldn’t get the original decals for the word Anniversary on the upper horn, so they did the lettering in a slightly different font in Letraset.

This guitar at first featured a set of the latest Deluxe Sperzel Tuning Machines bearing the Fender logo stamped on the shell.  However, the advertising flyers may have caused some confusion, because of the reference to the patented string post-locking that “totally prevents backlash.”  In fact, they are not the type that holds the string tight thanks to the Trim-Lok system, which was introduced by Sperzel in 1983, although they represented the most significant advancement in guitar tuning capabilities and was the beginning of addressing the problems that have held guitar players captive for years.  However, many later 25th Anniversary Stratocasters were later equipped with the Deluxe Schaller Keys.  

The Sperzel Tuning Machines

The Schaller Tuners

A 6-digit serial number, beginning with “25”, was stamped on a special neck plate marked “1954-1979 25th ANNIVERSARY”.
According to Fender, about 10,000 units were shipped between 1979 and 1980 with a black molded hardshell case containing a certificate of merit and the product manual bound in a silver cover.

The 1979 catalog commemorated the 25th Anniversary of the Stratocaster with a lineup of six legenday Stratocaster guitar players: Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Rory Gallagher, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Ritchie Blackmore

THE RORY GALLAGHER’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY STRAT AND OTHER SPECIAL UNITS

When the 25th Anniversary Stratocaster was released, at least ten units have been set aside to be presented to a select group of recipients. These units featured a special serial number that didn't incorporate the standard “25” prefix.
Fender presented Eric Clapton with the 25th Anniversary Stratocaster number 000002. Although Eric didn’t like “C” shaped necks, it seems that he played this guitar on stage in the early ‘80s.  Strangely enough, despite its low serial number, Eric’s Anniversary guitar featured a Silver finish!
Maria Elena Holly, the widow of Buddy Holly, was presented with the Anniversary model number 000009, the number 000010 was given to the Hendrix family, and Bill Carson was presented with the 25th Anniversary Stratocaster prototype serial number 000000 and with the Pearl White model number 000001.

In November 1979, Fender representatives Don Johnston and Larry Newman presented Rory Gallagher with a Pearl White Anniversary Stratocaster number 000004, which was used mainly during the Jinx sessions.
​“They thought I couldn’t afford a nice and clean guitar, and they were slightly embarrassed by the finish [of Rory’s 1961 Stratocaster, Editor’s Note] so they gave me a lovely white Anniversary Strat – which I used in the studio a lot,” Rory said jokingly.  “It has a great sound, but the odd thing is that nowadays the people are no longer offended by the look of the old guitars, because Adrian Belew has this old battered one, and late Stevie Ray Vaughan had a sunburst Strat with all the finish gone. But it was very nice of them to give me the white Strat. I must play it on stage now, and it’s began to loose some of the finish – the white shine.”​

Rory with his brand new 25th Anniversary Stratocaster and Fender Representatives in 1979

Upon receiving the guitar, Rory removed the finish from the back of the neck and re-fretted it with larger frets to better fit his style of playing, and he took out two of the five bridge springs from the back.  Even though Rory usually didn’t use the tremolo arm, he used that of the Anniversary model.

​Antonio Calvosa​

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MAIN SOURCES
​​- Anniversary Strat by Gary Davies
- Fender Stratocaster, 40th Anniversary Edition, by A. R. Duchossoir
- The Stratocaster Chronicles - Celebrating 50 years of the Fender Strat by Tom Wheleer
- February 1985 issue of Guitarist
- Fender catalog
- Guitars inspection and photos