George Harrison playing a CBS Stratocaster

[IMMusicRulz]

Wound up looking for some photos, and whattaya know! George posing with a sunburst Strat with the infamous enlarged headstock.

Anybody got info regarding this Strat? Given it is a CBS Strat, this had to have been made during the “F” series of Fender. My guess is that this Strat was made between 1968 and 1973.
As we all know, George owned about 50 to 100 Strats, including his Rocky Strat, a Squier Stratocaster that he used when he toured Japan in the nineties, and I’m pretty sure he also owned a 57 Strat.

Im sure this is in Dhani’s possession, but who knows.

 

[John C]

Terrible photos to try to track what it is from, but I think this is a Squier JV 1957 model - it looks like there is something under the "Stratocaster" part of the decal, and some of the Squier JV models had a decal that had a small "Fender" logo under the "Stratocaster" logo.

I found this one through a google search; it is in the sold listings from a shop up in Canada:

 

[rickym]

A little better pic.

 

[RodeoTex]

Are we sure that's a big headstock? Doesn't really look like it to me. Does look like a CBS type decal though

 

[FortyEight]

I was gonna say the same thing. That doesn't look like a big headstock to me........

I was gonna say it might be his Squier also. I think he had one that was an all dark color too... maybe?

 

[57joonya]

Looks like he had the big headstock cut down - I can’t blame him if he did

 

[telemnemonics]

I loved that era MIJ Squier whether JV or the cheaper models.

 

[FortyEight]

You wouldnt think there would be much to cut down. but the lettering looks more like the cbs kind so maybe youre on to something. im no expert on how each was marked through the years. i still think that first pic might say squier. but my eyes suck.

 

[IMMusicRulz]

It is a Squier Strat

 

[grant53]

It is a Squier Strat

Right there on the headstock!

 

[PCollen]

Are we sure that's a big headstock? Doesn't really look like it to me. Does look like a CBS type decal though

Not a "big head" Strat....

 

[PCollen]

Looks like he had the big headstock cut down - I can’t blame him if he did

Unlikely....and that would have infringed upon the logo decal.

 

[chris m.]

I had a Warmoth neck made for my Strat-- 50s Gibson neck shape, SS frets, with the CBS headstock. Call me weird, but I personally like the bigger CBS style headstock on Strats. If nothing else it gives lots of real estate to put a clip-on tuner on there. I typically use clip on tuners when at home. At gigs I use my pedalboard, which has a Boss tuner on it.

 

[Papanate]

Wound up looking for some photos, and whattaya know! George posing with a sunburst Strat with the infamous enlarged headstock.

View attachment 990259 View attachment 990260
Anybody got info regarding this Strat? Given it is a CBS Strat, this had to have been made during the “F” series of Fender. My guess is that this Strat was made between 1968 and 1973.
As we all know, George owned about 50 to 100 Strats, including his Rocky Strat, a Squier Stratocaster that he used when he toured Japan in the nineties, and I’m pretty sure he also owned a 57 Strat.

Im sure this is in Dhani’s possession, but who knows.

That's a Squier version.

 

[Tone Quest]

Harrison playing a Squier Strat? He could afford anything. Very cool.

 

[Blues Twanger]

Regardless of the Strat in question it is one of my duties to always mention that the big headstock is the better headstock and I will die on that hill.

Attached is an obligatory lineup of three gorgeous headstocks. Bighead Strat, Clef G&L, Mustang.

 

[John C]

Harrison playing a Squier Strat? He could afford anything. Very cool.

Those were the MIJ Japanese Vintage Squiers - they were sold as "Fender" brand in Japan and "Squier" brand in most of the rest of the world (and not sold in the USA at all). Conscious decision by CBS/Fender to not sell MIJ instruments under the "Fender" brand anywhere but the Japan home market for a couple of years there in the early 1980s before they started shipping them under the "Fender" brand.

 

[PCollen]

Regardless of the Strat in question it is one of my duties to always mention that the big headstock is the better headstock and I will die on that hill.

That's why players started referring to the Strat as an AXE.

 

[Blues Twanger]

That's why players started referring to the Strat as an AXE.

For a lot of guys my age, if our guitar heroes played a Strat it had a big headstock.if they played a Strat at all. Our dads' heroes played small headstock Strats.

 

[PCollen]

For a lot of guys my age, our guitar heroes played a Strat it had a big headstock.if they played a Strat at all. Our dads' heroes played small headstock Strats.

I know..