Fender Stratocaster Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1965), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 101176, sunburst lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black tolex hard shell case.

This is a superb original example of a "transition" early-CBS era Stratocaster, with some light wear but all original, unmodified, and appearing relatively little used. This Strat was built in the far-off fall of 1965. The neck code is 2 Oct 65B; the pots are coded 137 6532 (32 week of 1965) and the grey-bobbin pickups hand-dated 11-29-65. The complete guitar would have been assembled less than a year after Leo's company was sold to the giant CBS corporation and shows typical features seen at this time, mixing old and new. It actually retains more Pre-CBS character than most, thanks to the then-obsolete "green guard" older style nitrocellulose pickguard it is fitted with. These begin to be replaced by whiter ABS plastic on the line in early '65; this must be one of the very last to leave Fullerton on a guitar! This is a combination of features only possible this year, by second quarter of 1966 the new big peghead would appear.

The small Pre-CBS style headstock sports the newer gold "transition" logo that appeared in mid-1964. The sunburst lacquer finish on the body follows the trend towards the more quickly sprayed "bull's-eye" bursts that became the norm as 1965 rolled into '66, but is not as sharply demarcated as some with a nice mixing of the shades.

The thin-lam rosewood fingerboard has the pearloid dot inlay that came in at the end of 1964, replacing the older "clay" dots. This neck is a bit chunkier than some '65 and '65's with a nice solid feel. The "green" nitro pickguard is mounted over the scrap aluminum shielding plate used since 1959. Other hardware is consistent with Pre-CBS instruments; steel stamped bridge saddles and trem block, and the Kluson tuners CBS would replace the next year with their own in-house "F" plate machines. The Serial number on the F-marked neckplate is a very early 100,000 number

This is a great-sounding, medium weight resonant Strat built just before things really started "a-changin" in Fullerton as a consequence of the January 1965 sell-out to CBS. All three pickups have the typical mid-60s sheen, powerful and crisp without being excessively bright.

While PRE-CBS has been a watchword for Fender afficionados for decades, this early-CBS Stratocaster is still simply a great-feeling and sounding guitar, a far cry from what the instrument would evolve into a few years down the line. This one has a super 1965 vibe; while Pete Townshend and Jimi Hendrix were sacrificing '60s Strats for immortality, this one spent the great bulk of the last half-century sitting in its case, waiting for a chance to shine.
 
Overall length is 39 3/4 in. (101 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) deep. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.)., 8.11 lbs.

This beautiful Strat is not absolutely mint, but it is certainly one of the better preserved examples from this period we have seen in a while. The guitar remains 100% original and unaltered. It does not look to have been played that much over 55+ years, but shows some general light play and handling marks. The vibrant sunburst finish has only some minor fading; this guitar likely never hung in the dealer's window!

There are some minor dings, scuffs and dents to the body finish, most visibly on the face between the bridge and back edge and a few on the back. There is no heavy belt buckle wear. The treble side has some light marks from moving around in the case. There are a few chips by the neck pocket, souvenirs of folks checking the neck date; the original factory shim is still in the pocket. The back of the neck is very clean and smooth with hardly any of the common playwear.

All the hardware is original and complete. The beautiful greenish nitro pickguard has shrunken slightly but has only some minor pulling at the screws, with no popped corners or cracks. The original trem backplane is also completely uncracked. The tuners and bridge show some minor corrosion, notably to the steel saddles, the screws and springs are relatively clean. The original bridge cover and trem arm are still intact.

Internally the electronics are all untouched original. There is some very light fretwear to the original small wire and the lower frets look to have been crowned down just a bit. The decal on the headstock has some tiny bubbles and spotting but is better preserved than many '65s.

For many players these final small-headstock '65s are the last of the great ones before the CBS changes started piling up. This little-used guitar sounds great and plays just as it did then, with the classic fender twang of the ages. It resides in the original black Tolex "no logo" case with the original strap and polish cloth, a lovely period survivor and all-around great example of the Fender's best in that pivotal year of 1965. Excellent Condition.