Vintage 1965 Fender Stratocaster Lake Placid Blue With OHSC

Over the years, we've had a lot of amazing vintage Stratocasters here, and sometimes one lands that we find to be quite special.  This is one of those.  Here is a vintage Fender Stratocaster from 1965.  That's the same year that NASA flew a ship by Mars, Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston and Rubber Soul was released by The Beatles.  It's also when Fender changed ownership, going from Leo Fender to CBS.

After a thorough and careful vetting process, we found this guitar to have been built in 1965, and likely finished and shipped in 1966.  It does have an L series serial number, more commonly seen on 1964 Strats.  Given that this was a transitional time at Fender, we're not surprised by any of this, but it is fascinating.  Essentially, one could say that this is one of the last Strats built during the Leo Fender era and one of the first shipped during the CBS era.  

This guitar has been refinished, refretted and has replaced parts.  A lot of work was done to it over the years - and thankfully, very well done.  It is still a 1965 Strat with the original pickups.  It's priced according to what was done and where the market is today (if it were all original, it would be significantly more)..  A full list of details is below.

 
If you're reading this, you already know that the Strat is one of the most iconic guitars ever made. Everything from its solid contoured body, bolt-on neck, three single-coil pickups, and expressive tremolo system, to its overall style and sound, creates something often imitated but never duplicated.  To get the classic sound of a mid-60's Strat, Fender currently has new guitars that do a great job - but there's nothing like the combination of old wood and pickups.  This guitar has that.  You'll hear the bright, articulate Strat tone, with a bell-like top end and just the right amount of lows and mids to balance it out.  Compared to other vintage Strats of this era, we found these pickups to be exceptional - just a touch more vibrant and shimmery, with a nice 3-dimensional quality to them.

Of course, one of the main reasons to go for a vintage Strat like this is the feel - and this one feels amazing.  The neck is a medium C profile and very comfortable to play.  It's thicker than the early 60's Strat necks, but not too fat.  The fretboard radius was slightly flattened at some point, and the guitar has had two refrets, the second having been done by the legendary John Suhr (former Fender Masterbuilder).  The end result is an extremely well-playing Strat.

This is a player-grade vintage piece, in the sense that it is collectible, but meant to be played, not hung behind glass.  The guitar has what some would call "honest player wear" after the refin - so it's not a mint, super clean guitar.  But if you're considering this one, that's not what you're looking for.  Parts have been replaced, repairs and mods have been made, refinishing has taken place, and the guitar has been put to good use. The end result is an amazing guitar with a high collectibility factor.

This vintage 1965 Strat is quite the find and we're glad to have it (and will be sad to see it go!). It's been setup to play perfectly by the techs in our shop and is ready for the next owner.

The techs in our shop have done a full diagnosis and vetting - we want to disclose as much as we can - here's what's going on with this Strat:  

Serial # L12342

• Neck Date: 8/2/65 (stamped: 2Aug65B)
• Neck has been refinished
• Neck has been refretted twice, the second time by John Suhr at Rudy's Music in 1985
• Headstock previously reamed for mini-Grovers, now has period correct Kluson reissue tuners
• Fretboard has a flattened Radius
• Body has been refinished in Lake Placid Blue
• No additional routes added
• Pickups, pots, tone cap are all original
• Pot dates all  within the 18th week of May 1966
• Converted with aftermarket 5-way switch
• Aftermarket pickguard, knobs, switch tip and backplate
• Second string tree added
• Replaced logo decal
• Aftermarket reissue period correct Fender bridge
• Filled hole for strap button on lower bout
• The lower bottom right side has been repaired due to a precious break
• Original case included; it was damaged in transit so guitar also has a gig bag

Resistance:

Neck: 5.5k
Middle: 5.5k
Bridge: 5.4k

Radius: 12"