The way that finish aged and developed is absolutely mesmerizing. It's blue, it's green, it's cyan, it's shifting and has strange layering to it. And then there's the anodized pickguard. Just stunning.
I think this is a bigger deal than any burst. There are lots of them. This guitar from 54 with a gold anodized guard is so out of this world it’s almost unbelievable. This is a very special guitar. Might be the coolest that I have seen in my many years.
To a no joke collector for sure! The bursts draw is the correlation to how many rockstars have changed music with that specific brand/type/color/year and that they're that rare. The custom color 54 is 100% more rare at the very least, but it doesn't have quite the star power draw (yet?) In my opinion. which is worth dick. lol This one sounds outstanding too. [edit] those smashed up frets are incredible. lol.
I used to prefer sunbursts. After all, I came up in the midst of the SRV hype. Today I feel the multi colors in the burst distract from the marks and patina that tell the story of a guitar. One color is the perfect canvas for a beautiful art piece of play wear and happenstance.
Where do you go after playing the top of the mountain '54 gorgeous blue Stratocaster? It's like going on a date with Marlyn Monroe. Lol The vibe, the mojo, the clarity on EVERY single note is insane. The harmonic swirl when he digs in and with each pickup. Are we tagging this one like we do with sharks before we let it back out in the wild, so we know where she is at all times?
As always, you killed it Aaron. Everytime I watch you play a Strat, it makes me want to go out and buy another one. I love my Les Paul but, you just can't beat that Fender coolness.
The more I look at this the more I learn. It sorta reminds me of a 86 bullet one neck. The headstock shape, the covered truss rod hole at the nut, the saddles and sounds are so unique. I'm drooling here.
Holy f ..gorgeous Fender ..but maaan YOU got that guitar to talk ,scream, moan, whisper, cry, shout ,rage, and contort with badass emotion...just YESSSSSSSS....dude just tore this STRAT Uuuuuuuppppppppp....smokin playin man...
I seem to remember everyone hating that very color a few years back when it was in the American Pro line... Looks great, sounds great, and the playing is amazing
@@neilstar20 Joe B does not own Shamblins Gold 54 Stratocaster. A huge collector in Houston with the initials 'R.P.' owns it and leant it to JB for 6 months. It is now back in Houston with RP.
Joe Bonnamassa does not own Eldon's Gold 54. One of the biggest collectors in the US won't mention his name but initials 'R.P.' is the owner, and leant it out to JB. It is back in Houston with R.P.
Dale Wilson builds his masterbuilt strats with similarly beautiful fading and discolouration; I thought one of those was top of my list before I saw this OG.
@@Uygkuyfkutfkytfkutfv I have played several of the Dale Wilson strats Aaron has owned over the years (we share) and they are awesome. So are the other Mater builders at Fender. Aaron has gone through so many of them I lost count. Jason Smith also makes great looking relics.
Wow pure mojo!!! I want those pickups!! Lol... I want that guitar and so does evry strat lover on earth lol. It spits stevie ray vaughn and hendrix style licks like butter!! With a little something extra on top! Super cool geetar!! Rock on!!
I love the contour cutaways on the older Strats - so sexy in profile and they're lighter and spankier. Wonder if this one is a sunburst painted over with custom colour as many were. When the nitro wears away you see the under layers
If there is another one like this with this colour then it's most likely a refin. They didn't have aluminum pickguards after early '54 until 1957 when they became popular again. I have a '56 Stratocaster with a Daphne Blue finish with an anodized pickguard but that one I replaced the original white one with. The dark spots in the finish look black - meaning that maybe someone painted over the original finish. It was more than likely originally Sunburst then repainted. I wonder what this guitar would sound like through my amp and with ME playing. Very cool nonetheless. Thank you for sharing this with the rest of us to enjoy.
Dickie Phillips had a gold guard '54 in a very yellow Blonde when he played with Spike Jones. He sat down as he played, the righty strung Strat facing lefty, as he played over the top of the neck like Thumbs Carlisle. He is wrongly referred to as Thumbs in this YT. ua-cam.com/video/YxXBQCTNDc0/v-deo.html
That is an amazing find. The frets look SO low though. Props to the guy playing it though, when they are that skinny it’s not easy and that was some awesome playing.
Just out of curiosity, are y'all using any OD pedals or is this all Fender tube saturation? Either way....it sounds like gold as always. Good job Aaron!
Some of that same benchwork is at the G&L factory, in the now-preserved Leo's lab. I've seen a YT video of one of the G&L managers talk about that paint, and it definitely looks like a green, not blue as Trevor describes this Strat. Arm wear area shows a definite light blue.
@@anthonyc1883 that’s were I think I saw it . They were workbenches from the early fender days. The color difference can be due to the nitrocellulose yellowing creating a different color. IMO
A TG 54 Stat in Blue! Yo...I was gonna say that will go in a day asking whatever you want, but this was almost a year ago by now so it is definitely in someone's house or studio right now and everyone they know drools over it whenever they walk in the room.
@@anthonyc1883 It does look "Desert Sand" in a way, but it's supposedly an aged Olympic White with the gold-anodized guard on it. By the way, I've seen that guitar among his many others during his big-liquadation sale towards charity just a few years ago.
I wonder what they called that particular shade of blue back in 1954. I have seen several 54's in the last 50 years but never one with an original custom colour like this.
They say this is refinished. Fact, it was at the factory and originally a sunburst but stripped and redone in blue by custom order. This still very cool but technically a refin. Value about 65k...
@@AndreaAustoni No, but I haven't seen a guitar with what appears to be more fret wear between the strings than directly under the strings. Scalloped, with the least wear under the string. I'll assume its just a video/optical illusion.
nice of course, but the holy grail would be a custom colour on the prototype first 200 or so, serial on trem cover, now then you really do have the holy grail, would be nice to see inside, what dates, colour of pencil used ? things like that....
The way that finish aged and developed is absolutely mesmerizing. It's blue, it's green, it's cyan, it's shifting and has strange layering to it. And then there's the anodized pickguard. Just stunning.
I would not have guessed in a thousand years something like this existed. Thanks for sharing.
I think this is a bigger deal than any burst. There are lots of them. This guitar from 54 with a gold anodized guard is so out of this world it’s almost unbelievable. This is a very special guitar. Might be the coolest that I have seen in my many years.
but sunburts just looks better, more mojo..
To a no joke collector for sure!
The bursts draw is the correlation to how many rockstars have changed music with that specific brand/type/color/year and that they're that rare.
The custom color 54 is 100% more rare at the very least, but it doesn't have quite the star power draw (yet?) In my opinion. which is worth dick. lol
This one sounds outstanding too.
[edit] those smashed up frets are incredible. lol.
@todd moore once you develop your mind..
Yeah, I totally agree. You just can't beat the Fender coolness.
I used to prefer sunbursts. After all, I came up in the midst of the SRV hype. Today I feel the multi colors in the burst distract from the marks and patina that tell the story of a guitar. One color is the perfect canvas for a beautiful art piece of play wear and happenstance.
An enormous treat for any ear, a great guitarist getting a great sound out of vintage equipment. One of a kind guitar, a feast of beauty.
So sick. I’ve never even seen a sonic blue Strat earlier than about 1960. That’s a museum piece
The way he's shaking it around makes me very nervous.
Daphne blue
Aaron just blows me away everytime I hear him play that was amazing
Where do you go after playing the top of the mountain '54 gorgeous blue Stratocaster? It's like going on a date with Marlyn Monroe. Lol The vibe, the mojo, the clarity on EVERY single note is insane. The harmonic swirl when he digs in and with each pickup. Are we tagging this one like we do with sharks before we let it back out in the wild, so we know where she is at all times?
Everybody talking about hearing SRV in that demo....I'm hearing some great Gary Moore licks in there. Excellent!
If you look back at how old-looking everything from the 50s looks today, then imagine being in that era when Fender released the Stratocaster - wow!
the 50s was an era of high modernism in design of all kinds...everything was new and consumerism was everywhere
Awesome playing. That guy could make anything sound good.
That player knows how to get the most out of a strat. Tone really is in the hands. Amazing playing. Thank you!
As always, you killed it Aaron. Everytime I watch you play a Strat, it makes me want to go out and buy another one. I love my Les Paul but, you just can't beat that Fender coolness.
'54 Strat. Emerald City Guitars. You guys got a future!
Tadeo Gomez, master,,,,oh, and that young'un playin' sure makes her sing!!! thanks fellas,
The more I look at this the more I learn. It sorta reminds me of a 86 bullet one neck. The headstock shape, the covered truss rod hole at the nut, the saddles and sounds are so unique. I'm drooling here.
What an incredibly beautiful looking and sounding '54 . I hope the next owner buys this to play and enjoy it
Yes! Please no glass case in a rich dude’s living room! Let him buy a Lamborghini instead! This was made to played and cherished!
Lots of mid-'50s cars painted that color too. Popular 1950s color.
Leo got his paint from the auto industry
Holy f ..gorgeous Fender ..but maaan YOU got that guitar to talk ,scream, moan, whisper, cry, shout ,rage, and contort with badass emotion...just YESSSSSSSS....dude just tore this STRAT Uuuuuuuppppppppp....smokin playin man...
The playing on this was mesmerizing. Great tones
Sweet! Feel fortunate just to watch this video!
Awesome playing…once again 👌👌👌
I seem to remember everyone hating that very color a few years back when it was in the American Pro line...
Looks great, sounds great, and the playing is amazing
How cool is that, and what a great player to showcase this awesome piece!👍
Wow…
Wow! Just WOW!.. And also amazing playing as usual from Mr. Hiebert..
Perfect choice of things to play for this lovely guitar Aaron, the Gary Moore cameo is inspired.
Rick, I was wondering if anyone would pick up up on his little Gary More Midnight Blues runs . Good catch.
@@paullevine1813 Yeah, I thought it was an inspired choice for this guitar Paul, everyone loves Gary Moore, or should do!
What a guitar and amazing performance ❤ wowza
That sounds absolutely amazing. I love that los lonely boys Henry Garza vibe there in the beginning. Amazing playing and guitar.
That thing sounded absolutely sublime.
Holy moly! Incredible!
That "Gold One" was Eldon Shamblin's given to him by Leo and was the first custom color Strat made.
Joe B now owns the Eldon Shamblin strat, he bought it shortly after the Howard Reed black strat
Leo also gave Pee Wee Crayton a Red Strat with anodised 'guard and a Bandmaster in June '54.
@@neilstar20 Joe B does not own Shamblins Gold 54 Stratocaster. A huge collector in Houston with the initials 'R.P.' owns it and leant it to JB for 6 months. It is now back in Houston with RP.
Incredible, love it!
Excellent work Aaron.
Gosh, that middle pickup is beautiful sounding.
Just WOW!!! 😍
Wow. Thank you for sharing it🙏🏼🍻
Amazing sounding (and looking) strat. Well played.
Killer guitar, but 90% of that sound is that even more killer amp!
That old school 50s blue is incredible I want a Strat in that color
Joe Bonnamassa does not own Eldon's Gold 54. One of the biggest collectors in the US won't mention his name but initials 'R.P.' is the owner, and leant it out to JB. It is back in Houston with R.P.
Beautiful playing on a beautiful instrument.
Sonic blues played on a sonic blue.
Very choice!👌
Wow…that’s a beast!! ❤️🤘
Awesome playing! And there's nothing wrong with that strat ...
Oh !!! Love the way the blue has those green tints in it....but that SOUND !!!
Dale Wilson builds his masterbuilt strats with similarly beautiful fading and discolouration; I thought one of those was top of my list before I saw this OG.
@@Uygkuyfkutfkytfkutfv I have played several of the Dale Wilson strats Aaron has owned over the years (we share) and they are awesome. So are the other Mater builders at Fender. Aaron has gone through so many of them I lost count. Jason Smith also makes great looking relics.
This looks like Daphne Blue! Beautiful!
holy shit that tone and playing was beautiful man thank you
Wow pure mojo!!! I want those pickups!! Lol... I want that guitar and so does evry strat lover on earth lol. It spits stevie ray vaughn and hendrix style licks like butter!! With a little something extra on top! Super cool geetar!! Rock on!!
Wow guitar and playing!
I want to hear it played through other amps and amp sims. That was so rad.
Sounds good!
Just like any Strat. They all sound good.
I love the contour cutaways on the older Strats - so sexy in profile and they're lighter and spankier.
Wonder if this one is a sunburst painted over with custom colour as many were.
When the nitro wears away you see the under layers
Holy smokes! That's the among the rarer birds for sure! Oof, that thing is pretty.
Best intro ever
If there is another one like this with this colour then it's most likely a refin. They didn't have aluminum pickguards after early '54 until 1957 when they became popular again. I have a '56 Stratocaster with a Daphne Blue finish with an anodized pickguard but that one I replaced the original white one with. The dark spots in the finish look black - meaning that maybe someone painted over the original finish. It was more than likely originally Sunburst then repainted. I wonder what this guitar would sound like through my amp and with ME playing. Very cool nonetheless. Thank you for sharing this with the rest of us to enjoy.
Dickie Phillips had a gold guard '54 in a very yellow Blonde when he played with Spike Jones. He sat down as he played, the righty strung Strat facing lefty, as he played over the top of the neck like Thumbs Carlisle. He is wrongly referred to as Thumbs in this YT.
ua-cam.com/video/YxXBQCTNDc0/v-deo.html
That is an amazing find.
The frets look SO low though. Props to the guy playing it though, when they are that skinny it’s not easy and that was some awesome playing.
Now THAT’s a well played guitar… and Aaron only made it better by adding his own mojo!
This might be Charlie Aldrich's Strat. He used it in a movie called "Bell Book & Candle".
Loving that Pride and Joy tone
The real collectible one...
Just out of curiosity, are y'all using any OD pedals or is this all Fender tube saturation? Either way....it sounds like gold as always. Good job Aaron!
Thanks man! This is just the amp, cranked! Haha. Killer guitar and a great sounding amp. These Deluxe Reverb amps really break up nicely.
Cool, What’s the history of this exact guitar?
That’s Stratocaster heaven😉
Nothing left to say...
a real piece of art
Does anyone know what this went for? I'm DYING to know :D It's absolutely incredible!
Sounds like heaven
Dude that stat rips!!
If memory serves me that color is on some of the workbenches in the fender shop at the time
Some of that same benchwork is at the G&L factory, in the now-preserved Leo's lab. I've seen a YT video of one of the G&L managers talk about that paint, and it definitely looks like a green, not blue as Trevor describes this Strat. Arm wear area shows a definite light blue.
@@anthonyc1883 that’s were I think I saw it . They were workbenches from the early fender days. The color difference can be due to the nitrocellulose yellowing creating a different color. IMO
its got thin frets too,I luv em.
I'll take it, and the amp.
Any guesses as to what it would go for if put up for sale? $400K? Probably a lot more.
That's a demo !
So I just checked their website and its not there so I assume somebody bought it.....anybody know what it sold for?
A TG 54 Stat in Blue! Yo...I was gonna say that will go in a day asking whatever you want, but this was almost a year ago by now so it is definitely in someone's house or studio right now and everyone they know drools over it whenever they walk in the room.
wow!!!! it's like pee wee crayton"s 54.......but that crazy blue!!!! wow!!!!
Thank you! That's all I can say!
Looks like the long lost twin to the Gilmour #1 Strat
? They're not the same color, though. Isn't 0001 a Dessert Sand(ish) color? Definitely not blue like this one.
@@anthonyc1883 It does look "Desert Sand" in a way, but it's supposedly an aged Olympic White with the gold-anodized guard on it. By the way, I've seen that guitar among his many others during his big-liquadation sale towards charity just a few years ago.
Amazing
WOW!! ESTO ES EXITANTE QUEEE! SONIDO TAN LIMPIO Y AGRADABLE WOW!!!
Ah, a Stevie fan!
Always a joy to hear Aaron’s demos - the guitar’s not bad either!! Thanks for sharing 🤓
I wonder what they called that particular shade of blue back in 1954. I have seen several 54's in the last 50 years but never one with an original custom colour like this.
They say this is refinished. Fact, it was at the factory and originally a sunburst but stripped and redone in blue by custom order. This still very cool but technically a refin. Value about 65k...
skips music in Sacramento had one of these this color years ago. Im wondering if its the same one
7m35s is that fret wear from fingers?! (rather than strings)
Do you touch the frets when you play? I don't. It's string wear from 68 years of blues bends.
A lot of times fingerboard wear like that can result from the player's fingernails.
@@AndreaAustoni No, but I haven't seen a guitar with what appears to be more fret wear between the strings than directly under the strings. Scalloped, with the least wear under the string. I'll assume its just a video/optical illusion.
What was the first year strat was available in natural finish? Late 50's early 60's?...or were these years all refinished to natural?
Wow, those frets are wasted! It's sounds great, I wonder how much better it would sound and play with new frets, or would it sound not as good?
Probably already on its way to Bonamassa 😂
nice of course, but the holy grail would be a custom colour on the prototype first 200 or so, serial on trem cover, now then you really do have the holy grail, would be nice to see inside, what dates, colour of pencil used ? things like that....
🔥🔥🔥
The guitar isn't featured on the website...what's the price?
I wonder what it sounds like on the bridge pickup.
I couldn't locate it on the web site, what was the asking price?
Unicorn guitar! 🤯
Awsome. So what is that colour called? is it Sonic Blue? or is it also unique?
I've played three 54 strats with 7 inch radius necks & their just not worth raving about!
Do you guys sell that hoodie Aaron is wearing in the demo? Idk if I could buy that guitar, but I could definitely buy one of those hoodies haha
Now I know where the PRS Silver Sky Polar Blue color was inspired by.
Cool
So tex mex is nothing more then 54s man that's the sound right there
Why could y’all not keep it in the shop? Did y’all sell it too quick or was it just borrowed for the demo?
sold!
@@emeraldcityguitars nice!
When it's a heavy guitar, " heavy guitars have more tone." When it's a light guitar, "light guitars are way more resonant and fun to play."🤨😆
😂 My thought too…..so much bullshit in the guitar world