The Story of Eldon Shamblin's 1954 Gold Stratocaster - The First Custom Colored Strat

April 17, 2020

A look at Eldon Shamblin's gold 1954 Stratocaster, given to him by Leo Fender. Photos are the property of the author unless noted.

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The author in 2015 with Eldon's 1954 Stratocaster

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Eldon's story:

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Born April 24 1916 in Weatherford, Oklahoma, west of Oklahoma City, Estel "Eldon" Shamblin was a self-taught guitarist. He moved east to Oklahoma City during the depression, playing with local acts until being drafted to play in Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys in 1937. His guitar style took fully shape in 1941 with Bob's recording of "Take Me Back To Tulsa," in which Wills instructed him to cover for a weak bassist by playing bass runs on the guitar. The resulting effort became a hallmark of Shamblin's style, along with his harmony lines played in big band horn-style along with fiddle, mandolin, and steel. HIs tenure took a pause due to his draft notice during World War II, he would rise to the rank of Captain. He would return to Wills band in 1947, and would continue off and on with Wills into the 1950s, playing with both Bob and some of the offshoot bands run by his father and brothers. He would turn to piano tuning as his profession in the 1960s, as Bob's career cooled from the changes in musical tastes. Shamblin would return to performing Western Swing via Merle Haggard's Bob Wills tribute album, that combined The Strangers, along with a number of Playboy veterans including Eldon. 1970s A Tribute To The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World was a resounding hit, and it helped launch a revival of interest and appreciation for the Western Swing idiom. Asleep at the Wheel, Commander Cody, and others benefited from album popularity, and it also resulted in a reunion of many Wills' alumnus of the Texas Playboys, For The Last Time, recorded in 1973. Shamblin continued to tour and record with various iterations of the Texas Playboys, and appeared as a special guest with Merle Haggard, along with Tiny Moore, off and on during the 70s and 80s. Asleep At The Wheel featured him along with other surviving alumnus of Bob's band on a number of their Bob Wills tribute records released in the 1990s.

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Eldon and Leo Fender:

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Shamblin mainly played Epiphone and Gibson arch-top guitars during the 30s, 40s, and early 50s, as they were the top-of-the-line instrument of the day. These usually either utilized aftermarket Dearmond pickups, or later models featuring factory equipped electronics. During his tenure with Wills, he used a volume pedal, as he Bob did not give much notice before soloing. As Leo Fender began to build a relationship with Eldon and the rest of the Bob Wills band via his amplifiers, steels, and service, it's hard not to imagine Leo seeing Shamblin as the perfect poster boy for his Spanish electric guitar. However it was not Fender's initial solid body that would capture Eldon fancy, as he did no care for the plankish Telecaster. Leo Fender was made of stern stuff, and he simply tucked the polite turndown into the back of his mind, confident that it was only a matter of time before he won over the guitarist in his favorite band.

As Rex Gallion and Bill Carson complained about the Telecaster's lack of contours, intonation limitations, limited tones, and lack of a vibrato, Fender began the design work on his new guitar, the Stratocaster. With a totally redesigned body, 3-pickups, 6-saddle bridge, vibrato system, and out of this world aesthetics, the Stratocaster needed some high-profile players to help launch it, so Leo had one finished in gold, and presented it to his favorite guitarist, Eldon Shamblin. The Playboy guitarist was initially dismissive, but Leo told him to take it with him, and if he did not like it, he could bring it back. Shamblin did fall in love with it, and played it for decades before selling it to Larry Briggs of Strings West in the 90s. The guitar has changed hands a number of times, being passed between high-end collectors before finally finding a home as a prized collection of Joe Bonamassa.

According to Rich Kienzle's March 1988 interview in Guitar Player Magazine, Eldon used heavy Ernie Ball strings gauged, 12,16,24,32,42,52 along with Nick Lucas style picks. He prefered old Fender amps to go with his 1954 Stratocaster.

Eldon Shamblin was one of the greatest Western Swing guitarists of all time. While Junior Barnard was known for his swinging single note lines, and dirty double stops, Shamblin was known for his sophisticated Freddie Green-style comping, and his immaculate harmony parts played along with the steel and electric mandolin. If you need any proof of his wide vocabulary on the instrument, simply looks at the neck of his 1954 Stratocaster, that is worn over the entire fretboard. Or just listen to him play "Take Me Back to Tulsa," or "Faded Love" to hear him he play moving chords, usually changing every beat of the tune.

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Eldon live in the 1980s

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