Eddie Cletro Strat - Earliest Solid Rosewood Neck?

[m4rk0]

As you probably know by now, I have this weird obsession for raw exotic necks, and always wondered why not more professional musicians use this on their guitars (http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=2708.0)

I recently bought the "50 years of Stratocaster" book, which btw is really cool to have, and found a picture of Eddie Cletro's Stratocaster.
Never heard of him, but aparently he was one of the first fender endorsers.
In 1957, so even before de rosewood fretboards, fender built him a strat, with basically a a mary kay body, gold pickguard and ... a solid Rosewood neck!
I thought this was extremely fascinating, and there may even be a chance I can now make a historically correct replica of a 50s strat with a rosewood neck
there is not much more background info in the book, and I can't find a whole lot on this guitar through Google, so I was hoping anybody else here has some more info about this guitar..

 

[Nando Vallart]

Pics, van Marko, pics

 

[m4rk0]

Can't find any,, I will get a scan from the book when I am home

 

[DangerousR6]

Didn't Fender make an all Rosewood Tele back in the late 60's. Seems I remember something about George Harrison using one on the infamous rooftop performance.

 

[m4rk0]

Yes, that is correct.. and Fender even made a stratocaster version at the same time for Jimi Hendrix.. Unfortunately he died before fender gave him the guitar. I took a picture of this guitar at the Holy Grail exhibition at the Dallas Guitar Show last year !

 

[Mor Paul]

Yeah, they made a few. Harrison did use one for the rooftop performance. I love how those things look. I believe there was a solid rosewood stat for Hendrix, but I don't remember if he ever got one.


That's a cool bit of info there, thanks for sharing. Can't wait for pics.


CRAP. Marko, you stole my response! Wow. We were saying the exact same thing.  :doh:
:redflag:You beat me to it,

 

[m4rk0]

I took a picture of it:
Another one I would love to replicate

 

[RLW]

Not the guitar in question, but I wouldn't kick it off the couch. The cats swing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pShtU0TCQ7Y

 

[dbw]

Man, that looks sweet.  But I think I see a finish on the neck... for shame, Fender!

 

[m4rk0]

Can't find any,, I will get a scan from the book when I am home

Crap, My Scanner doesn;t work...
does anybody have the stratocaster chronicles lying around, and can make a quick scan of page 88 ????

 

[dianesdadontv]

hi guys. I am Eddie Cletros daughter, and thought I'd let you know that Eddie was good friends with Leo Fender in the 50's. He made 3 of the first strats for Eddie. One white, one cream colored and a red one. Eddie was on a popular tv show at the time called Western Varieities and wanted a red one when tv went from black and white to color. Yes, one of the strats had a rosewood neck. Eddie is 90 now and never knew the true value of his fenders which he sold for peanuts through the years. The last one he sold about 5 years ago to a collector who ripped him off for it for $1000.00.  He sold it to another collector in NY for about $60,000.000.  Se La Vie. Eddie still has a 1954 Gibson, which he still plays today. The collector in NY now has acquired all 3 of Eddies old fenders.....

 

[SlingBass]

Thanks for the update and history lesson, Diane! On one hand it's sad that Eddie was taken advantage of on his guitars (not that it hasn't happened to anyone else) - but it's great to hear he's still pickin' & grinnin' at 90 years young! Any further insight or updates are (always) sincerely appreciated  :guitaristgif:

 

[Nando Vallart]

Hello Diane!

Do you have pictures of the guitars?? People here is veeery interested on the first rosewood neck by Fender  :icon_biggrin:

 

[dianesdadontv]

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Hi guys...
Well, I have some pictures I could share with you. And I have a scanner (my first one) that I've had for only a couple of weeks. I am having a problem getting the picture from my file to this website.  I'll keep trying to figure it out. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

 

[Nando Vallart]

People usually put the pictures on Photobucked or alike website and then add them here...

 

[guitlouie]

Wow.  What a pleasure to have some first hand knowledge and experience here to tell us a story.  As you could probably tell, we are junkies for that sort of thing.  Thanks for posting!

 

[Nando Vallart]

Here is the pic Daine sent me by mail:

Hope you enjoy

Diane, feel free to send me the pictures, I'll add here to guys have a look on it  :icon_thumright:

 

[dianesdadontv]

sYes, well, I pulled some pictures from my dads collection of old photos to show you, but I am having trouble figuring out how to get the photos to download to this message board. I seem to have better luck attaching the photos to an email. Anyway, till I can figure that out I will tell you what I want to show you.
The Stratocaster chronicles has the best photo of dads 1957 stratocaster. Beige body and gold anodized pickguard. While "rosewood neck" is Fender slang for a maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard, the Cletro strat has a one piece neck of solid rosewood.
When television went from black and white to color, dad asked his friend Leo (who had already made him a white strat) to make him a red one, which Leo did. I have pics of Eddie with that red guitar which as a little girl was my fave. Unforturnately, still photos in that day and age were all black and white so you really can't see how beautiful that red strat was. I know that in some circles it is believed that the first red strat was owned by Eric Clapton. However, I believe that Eddie had the first red strat before Eric was even interested in fenders. He was just a young teenager when Leo made Eddie the red strat.
The first fender Leo made Eddie in the early '50's was the white one. I think that was always his favorite and he played that one the most.  I have pics of Eddie and his band with that strat. Although I think you guys wouldn't prolly recognize some of the well known names of that era that Eddie played with, I know that you will recognize the name of Eddies steel guitar player who was with his band for a number of years before he went on to open his own business sellin guitar strings, etc. Ernie Ball....
And lastly, I have a pic to show you of Eddie Cletro today with his baby. His 1954 Gibson...

 

[Nando Vallart]

Moreeeee...

 

[Nando Vallart]

Diane, don't trying to be a jerk, but I think this picture with a "red strat" is in deed a sunburst strat:

Do you have a picture of the entire Cletro Strat, the one with a one piece rosewood neck???