This guitar is a 1959 Fender Stratocaster, a classic example from a pivotal year in Fender’s history. Both the body and neck have been professionally refinished, though the original body date—June 1959—remains visible in the tremolo cavity. This detail is especially important, as 1959 marked a major transition for the Stratocaster model. Early in the year, Fender was still producing guitars with one-piece maple necks, but by mid-1959, the company had shifted to rosewood slab fretboards as standard. With its June ’59 body date and maple fingerboard, this Strat is one of the last examples to feature the original maple neck before the transition.
 
The guitar’s journey adds to its character. It was acquired in the late 1980s by its previous owner from the renowned Parisian vintage guitar shop, Guitar Express. Founded in March 1978, Guitar Express holds the distinction of being the first dedicated vintage guitar store in France—and quite possibly in all of Europe. The instrument was originally imported from the United States with its paint stripped. Patrice Bastien, the store’s founder, then sent it to the legendary Jacobacci workshop in Paris for a professional refinish in vibrant Fiesta Red.
Jacobacci, a revered family of luthiers active since 1924, was well-known in France for both crafting and restoring fine guitars. They were the go-to experts for high-quality work throughout the 20th century. Fortunately, they preserved the original body date stamp during the refinishing process.
 
The neck sports a classic and comfortable D-shape profile typical of 1959 Strats. As is often the case with necks from this period, it does not carry a visible date stamp. It has been refinished and features a period-correct Fender logo. The original pickups remain intact and deliver beautifully balanced output across all positions—clear and articulate, as vintage single-coils should be. The wiring, pots (dated to the first week of 1959), and switch are all original.
Lightweight and resonant, the guitar weighs just 3.2 kg (7.05 lbs) and comes housed in its original tweed Fender hard case.
Original parts include: body, neck, pickups, wiring, pickguard, gold bridge, control plate, gold jack ferrule, gold back plate, and hard case. Truss rod still gold on it.

Modifications: body and neck refinish, replacement tuners and knobs (reproduction).
 
Technical Specifications
Body date: 6-59 (written in the tremolo cavity)
Serial number: 38785
Pickup outputs: Neck – 5.82kΩ, Middle – 5.86kΩ, Bridge – 5.81kΩ
Potentiometers: Stackpole, dated 304901 (Week 1, 1959)
Weight: 3.2 kg / 7.05 lbs
Case : original Fender tweed case