In 2006, Fender celebrated their 60-Year Diamond Anniversary and, to commemorate the event, as part of the annual Tempe Music Festival at Tempe Beach Park in Arizona on March 31 and April 1, they welcomed an all-star lineup of artists.  
Friday night’s show featured Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, Greg Koch, and acoustic musician Willy Porter. 
Saturday's Main Stage lineup was highlighted by the John Mayer Trio, the Arc Angels, Train, and Vertical Horizon. Also, the Fender Stage featured bands such as Tempe’s own Gin Blossoms, G Love & Special Sauce, Vertical Horizon, Lit, Alien Ant Farm, and Authority Zero.

The Tempe Music Festival advrtized on 2006 Fender catalog (Click to enlarge)

Additionally, concertgoers were able to watch Custom Shop craftsman build guitars and Abigail Ybarra and Seymour Duncan hand-wind pickups side-by-side in the 60th Anniversary Village area, which also featured the Fender Rock & Roll interactive exhibit, where many Fender guitars and amplifiers were free to be played by all attendees.

Seymour Duncan and Abigail Ybarra at the Tempe Music Festival. Photo by Jérôme Brunet

Chris Fleming at the Tempe Music Festival. Photo by Jérôme Brunet

Furthermore, Pamelina H. collaborated with Del Breckenfeld to create a unique Stratocaster to commemorate Fender’s 60th Anniversary, the 60th Anniversary Bettie Page Stratocaster. This one-off guitar was sold at auction and the proceeds went to the Fender Museum and the Kids Rock Free, an American non-profit organization whose aim is to help children aged 7 to 17 receive a music education.  The Bettie Page Stratocaster was not an official anniversary model and it never really went out in public.

The 60th Anniversary Bettie Page Stratocaster, Courtesy of Pamelina H

​To celebrate its 60 years​, Fender released a whole range of official anniversary instruments at various price points. At the same time, many “standard” factory-built instruments produced throughout 2006 gained a commemorative medallion on the back of the headstock but, unlike the official anniversary models, regular production instruments were fitted with the standard neck plate. These regular production guitars should not be confused with the official anniversary models.

the 60th Anniversary Presidential Select Stratocaster

The 60th Anniversary Presidential Select Stratocaster was released in 2006 as part of Fender's 60th anniversary celebration, in conjunction with the Hill Family Beauterre Vineyard.
This guitar came with six 750 ml bottles of hand-selected wine, a blend of Cabernet (82%) and Merlot (18%) custom blended for the Fender Custom Shop by the Hill Family in Yountville, California. The bottles were packaged in a case manufactured in Fender Ensenada using a variety of tonewoods including spruce and Paloscrito. A Custom Shop Limited Edition logo was inlaid on the top of the case using abalone, rosewood, maple, and ebony.  
“We can’t compromise the integrity of the project, but the wine is available on a limited basis at only two places in the world now, and that’s Tarbell’s in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the Napa Rose in Anaheim, California,” Mike Eldred said. “And I believe it is on their lists at $1,000 per bottle—if there’s any left.”
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The case of the six bottles, manufactured using a variety of tonewoods, sported a Custom Shop Limited Edition logo inlaid on the top

Six bottles of hand-selected wine came with the 60th Anniversary Presidential Select Stratocaster

The Presidential Select Stratocaster was made in a limited run of 100 units and featured a lightweight ash body with a hand-selected flame maple top, hand-stained using grape must from Hill Family. The staining mixture was developed exclusively for this guitar and was called Hill Harvest Red. 
Other features included gold hardware, a trio of Custom Designed single coil pickups, and the diamond anniversary logo inlaid in mother-of-pearl at the 12th fret - this guitar was the only instrument offered by the Fender Custom Shop that includes the 60th anniversary logo.

The 60th Anniversary Presidential Select Stratocaster

The Presidential Select Stratocaster featured a stunning inlay at the 12th fret

ANNIVERSARY FACTORY GUITARS

The limited-release 60th Anniversary American Stratocaster was manufactured in Corona and featured a 3-Tone Sunburst polyurethane finish. It was easily recognizable by a zirconium set in the center of a small “SIXTY YEARS” scroll emblem on ball of the headstock and a commemorative neck plate that sported the diamond anniversary logo and the words “DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY 1946-2006.”
This guitar was equipped with three newly developed American Vintage Strat pickups (the middle unit was reverse-wound/reverse-polarity to cancel the hum when combined with another pickup) and the Delta Tone System that included high output bridge pickup and special no-load tone control for middle and bridge pickups.
Like the 1996 50th Anniversary Stratocaster, some left-handed versions were also made. 

60th Anniversary American Stratocaster (reverb.com)

"Sixty Years" decal and commemorative neck plate (2006 Fender Frontline)

The Mexican 60th Anniversary Standard Stratocaster featured a Blizzard Pearl polyester finish and was fitted with a trio of Tex Mex pickups and a commemorative neck plate.
On both anniversary guitars, a commemorative medallion was applied on the back of the headstock - the same used on the other 2006 non-anniversary Fender guitars.

The Fender 60th Anniversary Commemorative Standard Series Models (Frontline 2006)

Antonio Calvosa​

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