40th anniversary of STRATOCASTER

In 1994 Fender made 1954 units of the 1954 40th Anniversary Stratocaster to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its most important guitar. Affixed to all the Stratocasters that appeared that year, were a commemorative medallion on the headstock and a neck plate bearing the engraving "1994 Fender STRATOCASTER 40 Years ...and still rockin!". 

1994 Anniversary Stratocaster (Courtesy of Nino Fazio, realvintage.it)

The Custom Shop celebrated the event by producing 150 Diamond Dealer 40th Anniversary Stratocaster, guitars with ash body and a very beautiful flamed maple top, abalone fret-markers, golden hardware and golden Fender Spaghetti Logo, designed by John Page, J.W.Black and Pamelina H.  The gold-plated pickguard had been engraved by Ron Chacey, while a wonderful inlay at the twelfth fret depicting a parchment with the dates "1954-1994" had been carved by Larry Sifel, an authentic work of art,
To these the Custom Shop added 23 ​Limited Edition 40th Anniversary Stratocaster, all with a Candy Apple Red finish.  These guitars featured a flame or bird’s eyes maple neck, and were recognizable for a commemorative inlay at the twelfth fret, and gold hardware.

Diamond Dealer 40th anniversary (Courtesy of Andreas Barth)

Inlay at 12th fret of the Diamond Dealer

Limited Edition 40th Anniversary Stratocaster (Reverb)

Inlay at 12th fret of the Limited Ed. 40th Anniversary

Also Fender Japan, for the occasion, made the ​1954 40th Anniversary Stratocaster (ST54-150AS), with a vintage blonde finish and gold hardware. The guitar, intended only for the Japanese market, featured an ash body, figured maple neck with 21 frets and 7.25" radius, Di Marzio Blue Velvet staggered poles pickups and a commemorative neck plate engraved with "Fender 40th ANNIVERSARY STRATOCASTER 1994".  But Fujigen also produced other 1994 anniversary Stratocasters, all characterized by a foto flame maple neck: the ST54-70AS, the ST57-65AS and the ST62-65AS.

The Japanese 40th anniversary strat

Fender 50th anniversary

In the same way, in 1996 Fender celebrated the so-called “50 years of excellence” by recalling the birth of Leo’s and Doc Kaufmann’s company, the K&F, from which FMIC originated, with 2500 ​50th Anniversary American Standard Stratocaster, all sunburst and with gold hardware and commemorative neck plate

1996 50th anniversary Stratocaster (reverb.com)

The same year the Custom Shop unveiled 200 50th Anniversary Relic Stratocaster, a 1956 reissue with gold hardware and Aztec Gold finish aged by Vince Cunetto.  Some of these guitars, which stood out for the gold Custom Shop Logo embedded on the headstock, were part of the Diamond Dealer program and could only be purchased from selected retailers. 

Antonio Calvosa

50th Anniversary Diamond Dealer Cunetto Relic Stratocaster (Reverb)

---