Earliest 25th Anniversary Stratocasters had a fragile water based pearl finish (Courtesy of Massimo Salmoiraghi)
As a result of the quality’s decline due to the CBS management, the interest of the musicians in Fender guitars had diminished, and, probably, if it wasn't for Jimi Hendrix, who at the end of the '60s revolutionized the way of playing with his Stratocaster, many guitarists wouldn't have chosen a Fender at all. But also other musicians, in the CBS years, raised Stratocaster’s name: David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Ron Wood, Steve Lukather, Fank Zappa, Mark Knopfler, Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher and Eric Clapton. However, these guitarists used, predominantly, pre-CBS Stratocasters, and not the new ones.
This fact made it clear to CBS that something was going wrong and that it was necessary to find a solution: indeed, it seemed that the most dangerous competitor of the Stratocaster was precisely the “vintage” Stratocaster. So in June 1979, to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of its leading guitar, Fender released the 25th Anniversary Stratocaster, of which about ten thousand copies were produced; with this guitar the 4-bolt neck plate without tilt neck was reintroduced and the truss rod regulation returned to the neck heel. The new guitar was equipped with a fretted maple neck and with the Deluxe Sperzel non-locking tuners, even if later many models with the Deluxe Schaller Keys had been realized. The first 25th Anniversary Stratocasters had a water-based pearl finish that deteriorated immediately and that was therefore soon replaced with a new silver finish. On the upper horn there was the black writing "ANNIVERSARY". Its neck plate showed the six-digit serial number that began with "25" and the "1954 1979 - 25th ANNIVERSARY" engraving.
This guitar had not the same quality of the past Stratocasters, but it represented, at least, CBS' attempt to improve its products. And in fact, shortly thereafter, the 3-bolt neck plate would no longer be seen even on the Standard Stratocaster.
This fact made it clear to CBS that something was going wrong and that it was necessary to find a solution: indeed, it seemed that the most dangerous competitor of the Stratocaster was precisely the “vintage” Stratocaster. So in June 1979, to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of its leading guitar, Fender released the 25th Anniversary Stratocaster, of which about ten thousand copies were produced; with this guitar the 4-bolt neck plate without tilt neck was reintroduced and the truss rod regulation returned to the neck heel. The new guitar was equipped with a fretted maple neck and with the Deluxe Sperzel non-locking tuners, even if later many models with the Deluxe Schaller Keys had been realized. The first 25th Anniversary Stratocasters had a water-based pearl finish that deteriorated immediately and that was therefore soon replaced with a new silver finish. On the upper horn there was the black writing "ANNIVERSARY". Its neck plate showed the six-digit serial number that began with "25" and the "1954 1979 - 25th ANNIVERSARY" engraving.
This guitar had not the same quality of the past Stratocasters, but it represented, at least, CBS' attempt to improve its products. And in fact, shortly thereafter, the 3-bolt neck plate would no longer be seen even on the Standard Stratocaster.
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Antonio Calvosa
