SRV's Number One

This first two pictures were the original SRV's #1 Fender Stratocaster


The right SRV #1 are Fender SRV signature series guitars while the left SRV #1 is a perfect replica (notice the SRV stickers are the same as the right picture).

Brand/Model and Name : 1959 Fender Stratocaster (Number One or #1)
Neck : 1962 D shaped Maple neck, fattest neck Fender made
Fingerboard : Rosewood
Frets/Nut : Jumbo size Fretwire and Nut replaced with Fender style made of bone
Body : 1963 Solid Alder wood
Color : 3-color sunburst front and back
Pickups : Fender 3-single coil 1959
Bridge-Tremolo : Left handed steel Fender Synchronized Tremolo, Gold plated hardware added in 1986.

Extra Notes

• The headstodck on #1's original neck had been damaged by Stevie himself. He had attempted to recreate a trick he saw his brother do by bouncing the guitar off the wall and catching it. The headstock split when Stevie attempted this. The headstock was taped up and later repaired.

• The fingerboard had worn down due to the number of refret jobs over the years. According to the Fender® Custom Shop, upon examination of #1, the neck had been repaird after it was damaged in an accident while on tour. The original neck was replaced with a neck from one of Stevie's other guitars, and then later by a neck from Fender. The original neck was put back on after Stevie's death.

• There is a hole that was patched on the right side of the bridge/tremolo plate. This is either a mistake created when attempting to install the left handed tremolo or this is the hole that will be left as the left handed tremolo arm is now located on the left side of the bridge/tremolo plate.

•Stevie used very heavy gauge strings and his set-up had the string action very high. This combinded with the large fretwire gave Stevie his signature guitar tone.

• The stickers for the block SRV letters and the Custom sticker were items Stevie would find at truck stops.

• Stevie's guitar tech would use heat shrink electrical tubing to reinforce the strings where they cross the bridge plate and travel through the body. This was a point of the greatest friction and caused strings to break. So the tubing helped allieviate the friction.

• Stevie's pickups were sheilded and there is also information stating there was a dummy coil installed to help with ground buzzing, which single coil pickups are prone to.

Link(s):

http://www.srvguitar.com/