George Gruhn poses with the first production model Fender Stratocaster guitar, Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. The sunburst-finish Strat bears the serial number 0100. Although some Strats have lower numbers that begin with 0001, Gruhn says they actually were manufactured later in that first year of production. (AP Photo/Kristin M. Hall)
March 18, 2014 - 12:03 PM
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - George Gruhn's guitar shop in Nashville is a kind of mecca for fine, vintage musical instruments, but even Gruhn is blown away by the latest addition to his inventory. He says it's the very first production model Fender Stratocaster ever made.
You can own it for a cool quarter million dollars.
The sunburst-finish 1954 Strat bears the serial number 0100.
Gruhn says it was sold to an amateur who took good care of it. More than 30 years ago it was acquired by Richard Smith, one of the foremost experts on Stratocasters. Smith is selling it on consignment through Gruhn's Guitars.
The Fender Stratocaster, first produced in 1954, has been described as a guitar that changed the world. Gruhn says the very first production model Strat is a national treasure.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014