Fender Stratocaster Solid Body Electric Guitar (1965)
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Fender Stratocaster Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1965), made in Fullerton, California, serial # L70922, sunburst lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black tolex hard shell case.
This is a superb and completely original example of a "Totally Transitional" Stratocaster built JUST after CBS had bought the Fender company in early 1965, truly right on the Pre-CBS/CBS line. The neck stamp is 2 JAN 65B; the three matching pots are coded 137 6505 (5th week of 1965) so they were fabricated on the January/February line. The complete guitar would have been assembled a couple of months after Leo's company was sold to the giant CBS corporation in January 1965 and shows typical features seen at this time, all generally considered "Pre-CBS" signposts.
The small headstock sports the newer gold "transition" logo that appeared in mid-1964. The sunburst lacquer finish on the body still has a nice blended look but is beginning to move towards the more quickly sprayed "bull's-eye" bursts that became the norm later in '65. The thin-lam rosewood fingerboard has the "clay" dot inlay that began to be phased at the end of 1964; the transition is inexact for a few months. The pickguard is the beautiful greenish nitrocellulose replaced later in this year with white ABS plastic, mounted over the scrap aluminum shielding plate used since 1959. The other hardware is also continued from the earlier 1960s; the 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 three grey-bobbin pickups are a matched set with scribbled dates on two indicating March 1965.
This is a great-sounding, medium weight resonant Strat built just before "things started a-changin" in Fullerton as a consequence of the sell-out to CBS. All three pickups have the typical mid-60s sheen, powerful and crisp without being excessively bright. The weight is typical for this period at a shade over 8 Lbs. and it handles beautifully.
While PRE-CBS has been a watchword for Fender afficionados for decades, this just-turning-CBS Stratocaster is 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; the 1960s loss is our gain!
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.)., 8.1 lbs.
This beautiful Strat is not absolutely mint, but remains 100% original and unaltered showing just light wear overall. It does not look to have been played all that much since 1965, or even taken out of the case a whole lot. The finish has hardly any fade at all; the colors are as bright as when it left Fullerton six decades ago. Obviously this guitar never hung in the dealer's window!
There are some small dinks and dents into the body finish, most visibly on the upper edge of the body. He back of the neck is slightly worn down on the treble edge below the fingerboard. The original small frets have some light wear in the lower positions.
All hardware is original and complete. As with all of these "green guards" the pickguard has shrunken slightly but has only some minor pulling at the screws, with no popped corners or cracks. The trem backplate has two cracked corners. The bridge has only the most minor corrosion to the steel saddles screws and springs, no doubt the bridge cover was on when it was played as THAT part has the only really notable wear spot on the entire guitar! That original bridge cover and trem arm are included.
Internally the electronics are all untouched original. The gold logo on the headstock decal is better preserved than many '65s. This guitar is now 55+ years old and a far cleaner survivor than the vast majority of Stratocasters from this pivotal year. 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 "no-tail-logo" 1965 black Tolex case, ready to join the 21st century already in progress! Excellent Condition.
This is a superb and completely original example of a "Totally Transitional" Stratocaster built JUST after CBS had bought the Fender company in early 1965, truly right on the Pre-CBS/CBS line. The neck stamp is 2 JAN 65B; the three matching pots are coded 137 6505 (5th week of 1965) so they were fabricated on the January/February line. The complete guitar would have been assembled a couple of months after Leo's company was sold to the giant CBS corporation in January 1965 and shows typical features seen at this time, all generally considered "Pre-CBS" signposts.
The small headstock sports the newer gold "transition" logo that appeared in mid-1964. The sunburst lacquer finish on the body still has a nice blended look but is beginning to move towards the more quickly sprayed "bull's-eye" bursts that became the norm later in '65. The thin-lam rosewood fingerboard has the "clay" dot inlay that began to be phased at the end of 1964; the transition is inexact for a few months. The pickguard is the beautiful greenish nitrocellulose replaced later in this year with white ABS plastic, mounted over the scrap aluminum shielding plate used since 1959. The other hardware is also continued from the earlier 1960s; the 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 three grey-bobbin pickups are a matched set with scribbled dates on two indicating March 1965.
This is a great-sounding, medium weight resonant Strat built just before "things started a-changin" in Fullerton as a consequence of the sell-out to CBS. All three pickups have the typical mid-60s sheen, powerful and crisp without being excessively bright. The weight is typical for this period at a shade over 8 Lbs. and it handles beautifully.
While PRE-CBS has been a watchword for Fender afficionados for decades, this just-turning-CBS Stratocaster is 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; the 1960s loss is our gain!
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.)., 8.1 lbs.
This beautiful Strat is not absolutely mint, but remains 100% original and unaltered showing just light wear overall. It does not look to have been played all that much since 1965, or even taken out of the case a whole lot. The finish has hardly any fade at all; the colors are as bright as when it left Fullerton six decades ago. Obviously this guitar never hung in the dealer's window!
There are some small dinks and dents into the body finish, most visibly on the upper edge of the body. He back of the neck is slightly worn down on the treble edge below the fingerboard. The original small frets have some light wear in the lower positions.
All hardware is original and complete. As with all of these "green guards" the pickguard has shrunken slightly but has only some minor pulling at the screws, with no popped corners or cracks. The trem backplate has two cracked corners. The bridge has only the most minor corrosion to the steel saddles screws and springs, no doubt the bridge cover was on when it was played as THAT part has the only really notable wear spot on the entire guitar! That original bridge cover and trem arm are included.
Internally the electronics are all untouched original. The gold logo on the headstock decal is better preserved than many '65s. This guitar is now 55+ years old and a far cleaner survivor than the vast majority of Stratocasters from this pivotal year. 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 "no-tail-logo" 1965 black Tolex case, ready to join the 21st century already in progress! Excellent Condition.