According to John Bryant, Jimmy Bryant's son, you can hear it on his dad's song "Little Rock Getaway"


http://www.jimmybryant.us/

http://www.myspace.com/jimmybryant


I have heard this before. Does anyone know for sure?

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Pleased to meet you wasnt Lonely Boy the first strat hmmmm I want to hear the first strat it should have been Lonely Boy grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I have heard this before too. no idea if it is true, but it sure seems credible to me. Jimmy Bryant was 'the man' as far as early Fender goes. He reallly was the fiirst big Fender endorser, and many consider the early success of the Tele(in its variations,) to his involvement. it sure makes sense that Fender would approach him to be the frst to use their new model of guitar. he was the first star of electric guitar.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Hello Miami Mike,

Lots o chatter these days on Strat #1.
I'll throw my bit in. For years I was under the the
impression the first commercially played strat was by great
Rythm guitarist Eldin Shamblin of Bob Wills and Texas Playboy fame.
Gold was the color from what I gather and was given to him by Leo Fender.
I'm not sure how the facts play out but thought I'd add a little something to
the mix.

Cheers.

Yes, there was a first Strat, as you've read in Strat history books, with that first tremolo system that was viewed as a failure. I doubt it was called "Lonely Boy" LOL.

Who knows what happened to that "prototype"? The parts were probably recycled into the next prototype(s) or shelved or junked.

As for the second version of the trem, I've heard that there were 3 guitars that were made like 53strat's guitar (with the narrow trem cavity). But 53strat's must have been the first as it was the one that got photographed.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

The Strat Eldin had was dated about June of 54 almost a year after the first prototyps were made.. I never heard the Jimmy Bryant story. Could be true but Bill Carson was probably the first to use the new Strat on a recording. When Jimmy Bryant found out the new guitar was not going to named after him he was said to have been peeved at Leo.

I have never heard that there were 3 Strats made with the 3 spring and narrow cavity. Where does your info come from? If there is 2 other like mine I would like to know about them just for my own info.

I remember reading about Eldon Shamblin's 54 Strat in an old Frontline.
Here's what I found.

Hello Nedeye,

Thanks for those pictures.
"first custom color stratocaster ever"
Now I see.

Cheers.

You guys who have MySpace accounts can write to John Bryant, as did a friend who has an account there...I don't) and John will tell you the whole story of how his Dad and the "Little Rock Getaway" studio session went with no rehearsal and Leo giving him the first Strat, even though he is more known for his Telecaster pickin'

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Love those classic pics of Eldon and Carson and that really long 54 head stock, 53strat your dad gave you the 3 spring 53 strat you are blessed arent you I nearly surpassed you with Lonely Boy but it BLEW UP IN MY FACE.

Write to John Bryant through myspace or the website in the original post and John will tell you the real deal.

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Boy, I can't seem to find exactly where I read that. I'll keep looking (it was some "trusted" vintage source). But this link
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/54strat.html
says that some Strat bodies were made in March of 1954 with the narrow trem cavity like your prototype's.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

I wrote that guy at provide net asking for info about his remark that there were 3/54 narrow route guitars and he didn't answer me. That is not say there isn't any but so far no one has shown me one or shown any reputable source of the info. There is no info in any of the primary sources {books, quotes} and I suspect that after the first 3 spring tremolo was tried it was abandonded for the 5 spring. In Richard Smiths book it is said that after they built the 3 spring version they soon changed it to the 5 spring. There was no other mention of more 3 spring models being built. It is said that back in the old days guitars and parts got carried off by employees and some given away to musicians and many failed prototyps got sent to the shredder.Either George Fullerton or Bill Carson noted in thier book that they had saved some old prototyps from the trash bin. There may well be some old prototyps still out there that people have forgotten about or are embarased to reveal now because they were pilfered from the factory. My old 53 was covered with 2 different finishes for over 50 years hiding its true identity so there could be others hiding under that home made paint job but perhaps we will never know. I was not even looking for the identity of my old Strat when some one noticed the grain patterns and remembered he had seen that guitar before in pictures in a book.

Hey JM, I bet the guy who would know for sure (about other narrow trem cavity guitars) is Robb Lawrence. Here's a lead on him:

http://stratoblogster.blogspot.com/2008 ... -robb.html

He was mentioned in the Strat Chronicles as having seen very eary 1954 (like January) Strats.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.