Fender Stratocaster Owned and extensively used by Elliott Sharp Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1964), made in Fullerton, California, serial # L33715, stripped finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This uniquely re-worked and very well-played 1964 Fender Stratocaster has for five decades been a major gigging and recording instrument for the amazingly prolific New York guitarist/composer Elliott Sharp. The guitar has been heavily re-worked since new but still retains its essential Strat character. This is a "player grade" instrument in modern parlance but has served a unique and exceptional player well for decades.
Elliott tells us: "I've had this guitar since 1975 and the finish is as how I got it. The pickups were replaced by Ken Heer (At the "legendary" St. Marks Music) back in 1981 with what he said were 1970s grey-bottom Fender PUs at the bridge and middle. He told me the black-bottom neck PU was also Fender but I'm not so sure." That is in fact largely correct; the bridge pickup is a old Fender unit marked 18-45-72, the middle is a later Fender stamped x93880 and the neck is an unidentified aftermarket unit from the '70s. Elliott describes this pickup as having a "Deep Burly sound".
The body started life in 1964 finished in sunburst; before Elliott's tenure it was stripped, painted black and then the top and back were sanded down and clearcoated. The black paint finish is still intact on the sides, and some traces of the original sunburst remain in the body cavities. The sanding of the top and back was pretty extensive; the body has noticeably less contouring on the edges where the black and natural meet than it once did. There was no additional routing.
The original clay-dot neck is dated July 64; it was also stripped and had a very thin non-professional refinish, which is largely worn away again. It feels like the neck was slightly slimmed when it was stripped; the contour is a bit more dressed away on the sides than the average '64. At some point at least some of the neck was painted black as well; certainly the headstock. This survives in a few small spots, most noticeably on the strung ferrules! The headstock face bears a later 1980s-era repro decal, also courtesy of St. Marks Music. Amazingly the neck has never been refretted and the existing frets are crowned down and subsequently worn but still playable; some players would prefer a refret with a period correct, or indeed any other preferred wire. The nut was replaced in the 1980s.
Much of the rest of the hardware remains original, including the very nice original "green" nitro pickguard with no cracks or breaks and a matched set of original pots and attendant wire all coded 64-22. Elliott added a 5-way switch in 1984; the original 3-way was already gone. The bridge and trem components remain original; the saddles were also painted black long ago and we would assume the height adjustment screws are later as they have minimal corrosion. The trem arm appears correct. The original neckplate carries an L- series number typical of this period, and the original early-'64 single-line Kluson deluxe tuners are still in place. The upper strap button remains original, the lower is a period Gibson. The guitar lives in an original Fender logo black Tolex case from the later 1960s.
This instrument has been in Elliott's hands since the 1970s; it is a neat piece of NYC (and the world's, really) musical history and a signature instrument from a singular artist. This Stratocaster can be heard on quite a number of Elliott Sharp projects, he notes: "I used it on albums by Wayne Horvitz on Elektra in the 80s, by Mofungo, my first Terraplane and Carbon records, Semantics and odd session work back in the day."
Some links:
Wayne Horvitz/The President - Bring Yr Camera "Philip" - E# solo begins 3:16 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr4_zO1QKKg&list=RDQr4_zO1QKKg&start_radio=1
"Hearts Are Broken" - E# solo begins 1:40 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdoT11l_qPI&list=RDrdoT11l_qPI&start_radio=1
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.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This guitar is heavily re-worked as noted above. The refinished body shows significant subsequent play wear, and the back of the neck is mostly worn down to the bare wood. The hardware has wear overall consistent with hard use over 6 decades, the frets are serviceable if fairly low and have some wear in the lower positions, as does the fingerboard. The guitar is quite playable and sounds great, with a nice ring even unplugged. This guitar could be restored to more original look, but it is a unique and significant piece of history as it stands. Overall Very Good Condition.
