I have never seen one on a Strat either at the shop. I did have one on a no name bass i rented yr's ago. It just got in the way.

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Vintage Hotrod '57 Strat, 81 G&L L2000 Series E Bass, Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp.

When I bought mine in 1971, from Bells of London, no new Strats came with the Ashtray from any shops in London. The case neither.
I would never have used it anyway.

Don't know what to tell you.

This Fender-UK ad from 1971 plainly shows a Strat with the bridge cover in place......



Perhaps you should return to the store and insist on a refund.



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Where did you find that?
Oh, the nostalgia.
I would return it if they were still there, and get my £325 back