2007 Fender Custom Shop, Master-Built, George Fullerton 50th Anniversary '57 Stratocaster
One of Just 150 with a Certificate Signed by George Fullerton

2007 Fender George Fullerton 50th Anniversary '57

This limited edition 'George Fullerton' 50th Anniversary Stratocaster was made by Master Builder Jason Smith and is one of just 150 made in 2007. One-piece alder body, contoured on back and lower bass bout and finished in two-tone Sunburst (black to yellow) weighing just 7.40 lbs. One-piece fretted maple neck with a very comfortable nut width of just over 1 5/8 inches, a scale length of 25 1/2 inches and a nice '57 soft "V" profile. Maple fretboard with 21 original medium-thin frets, black dot position markers and small black dot side markers. Small headstock with decal with Fender Spaghetti logo with "Fender" in gold with black trim, "STRATOCASTER" in black beside it, "WITH SYNCHRONIZED TREMOLO" in black below it, and with "ORIGINAL Contour Body" decal at the ball end of the headstock. On the back of the headstock is a small oval decal "Custom Built / J. Smith / Fender U.S.A." Individual 'Kluson' Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. Single "butterfly" string tree with small metal spacer. Four-bolt neck plate with the serial number "LR00161" between the top two screws and "Limited Release / 50th Anniversary / 1957 Stratocaster / Fender Custom Shop logo. Three white 'bakelite'-covered black-bottom single-coil pickups, all signed "Abby" (Abigail Ybarra) "3-5-07" with staggered polepieces and nicely balanced outputs of 6.07k, 5.92k and 6.06k. Single-layer white plastic pickguard (.060 inches thick) with eight screws. Three controls (one volume, two tone) plus three-way pickup selector switch, all on the lower treble side of the pickguard. White plastic Stratocaster knobs with gold lettering. Fender "Synchronized Tremolo" combined bridge/tailpiece (six-pivot bridge/vibrato unit with through-body stringing). The heel of the neck is signed in pen "J Smith / 3/07 / 1957 Strat CC". The neck pickup cavity is stamped in blind "J S". The potentiometers are all stamped "013446". Housed in the original Fender 'Tweed' three-latch, rectangular hardshell case with tan leather ends and red plush lining, aged (9.50). Complete with all the original 'case-candy' including two certificates of authenticity, one stating the date "04/25/07", the model "57 Stratocaster Closet Classic" and the serial number "LR00161" and is signed by Jason Smith, the second certificate is signed by George Fullerton.

This 'George Fullerton '57 Stratocaster Closet Classic' was master-built in 2007 by Jason Smith of the Fender Custom Shop to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Stratocaster and has all the correct 'vintage' features. George Fullerton starting working for Leo in 1948 and built some of the first Fender's ever made, his career was long and distinguished. George passed away in 2009. The guitar is in mint as new condition, hand built by Jason Smith and features a handwound set of Abigail Ybarra pickups. Together with the guitar comes a Fender Pro Junior Relic Tweed amp (9.50).

"The Fender Custom Shop is honored to say "welcome home" to George Fullerton, who is once again back at work on the electric guitar he helped bring to life more than 50 years ago. The modern Fender family couldn't possibly be more thrilled. The resulting Limited Edition George Fullerton 50th Anniversary Stratocaster is beautifully master-built with a two-color sunburst lacquer finish on its three-piece blade-cut alder body. The one-piece '57-style soft V-shaped maple neck has a lacquer finish and 7.25"-radius maple fingerboard. Other features include '50s-style pickups hand wound by Abigail Ybarra and a three-position pickup selector switch, mounted on a single-ply white pickguard, plus vintage hardware, a commemorative neck plate and a certificate of authenticity signed by George Fullerton himself. The Fender guitar's partner is the Relic Tweed Pro Junior amp, which evokes the revered '50s era of small Fender tube amps such as the Champ, Princeton and Harvard. The 15-watt, single-channel Relic Tweed Pro Junior features a single 10" speaker, vintage pointer-knobs and a period-correct vintage-style tweed covering. Fullerton's return is a memorable occasion for Fender, and it is a distinct honor and pleasure to offer a Stratocaster guitar bearing his name. "George Fullerton's contribution to Fender is immeasurable," said Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Division Marketing Director. "To have him come home to be part of the Fender family again is an incredible honor for every employee here. For the Fender Custom Shop team to be able to sit down with him and work on these projects together has been like getting an incredible first-hand glimpse into history."" (Fender 1997 announcement).

George William Fullerton, the co-inventor of the Fender Stratocaster  died on July 4th, 2009