1962 Fender Stratocaster Vintage Pre-CBS Electric Guitar Black w/ Case

Up for sale, a 1962 Fender Stratocaster in perfect working order, complete with an era-correct hardshell case. The guitar features a decades old, naturally worn body-only refinish in gloss Black. This vintage Fender checks every box for Fender's quintessential Stratocaster feature set, with original electronics and hardware, a dark slab Brazilian rosewood fretboard, and a slender neck profile carve very representative of 1960-62.A prime example of the pinnacle of golden age Fender craftsmanship and tone, this Strat features an alder body, with a natural acoustic tone that has a sonic depth indicative of a guitar that's been lovingly played for decades. The bass response is textured and present with a balanced midrange character and a dynamic, clear note attack, qualities that are channeled faithfully through the original black bobbin single coil pickup trio. Via a five-way pickup selector, each of the three single coils has a distinct voice, with clear, percussive snap and densely packed harmonics. The bridge pickup has an upper midrange presence and nicely rounded off high treble frequencies, and the neck pickup is woody, with plenty of sweet bounce and sparkle. The "in-between" positions on the switch have that snappy, thinned-out squawk, with a scooped sound that still has some muscle and presence. Quite simply, this 1961 Stratocaster is a prime example of the reverence afforded the "Pre-CBS" era. The guitar weighs 7lbs 7oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and spot-on intonation.The maple neck has a very slender C-shaped profile carve at the nut, with a gentle, yet notable increase in overall shoulder and heft further up the fretboard, measuring .785" deep at the 1st fret and .955" at the 12th. The Brazilian rosewood slab fretboard is an extremely dark, tight-grained cut of this tonewood with rolled edges, clay dot inlay, a 7 1/4” radius, and original slender fretwire. The frets have been leveled and crowned, still with a surprising amount of meat remaining given the fretwire size. The guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2" scale with a straight neck and responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod, and a replacement nut measures 1.650" in width. On the headstock, the original single line Kluson Deluxe tuning machines are intact, and the headstock face has been professionally refinished with lightly amber-tinted nitro lacquer, complete with the correct "spaghetti" Stratocaster waterslide decal. The original grease pencil date on the neck heel reads 1-62 (January, 1962), and the truss rod nut is flush with the heel, needing sparingly little adjustment over the past 60+ years.On the body, all of the original electronics function as intended, with original windings on the middle and bridge pickups, and a professional rewind of the neck pickup. The single coils meter at 6.1k ohms in the bridge position, 6.45k in the middle, and 6.6k at the neck. The Stackpole pots date to the 1st week of 1961, and the guitar has been fitted with a vintage five-way pickup selector. The vibrato unit is complete with pat. pending saddles, the original trem block and a modern arm. Currently utilizing three springs, the vibrato has a smooth, yet deliberate response. From quick flutters to more drastic dives, this vibrato unit works just as designed and the trem block is an integral part of a Strat's sustain and tonal character. The original jack cup and serialized four-bolt neck plate round out the hardware, both with clean chrome plating.Plastics include a genuine vintage Fender pickguard circa 4th quarter, 1964, presenting as a gently aged shade of parchment (in contrast with the mint green celluloid material used in '62). This 11 hole guard has a wide bevel, and the original aluminum shielding plate from '62 is present (the one screw hole between the neck and middle pickups which shifted in '64 is the only mounting hole that doesn't match between the pickguard and shielding plate). The pickguard exhibits some usual modest buckling, with one stable split in the celluloid at the neck pickup mounting screw. The uniformly aged pickup covers and two of the knobs are original, with one replaced Tone knob.The body features an old and naturally worn gloss Black body finish, with some sporadic wear through the finish on the body perimeter and various dings and nicks from honest use. There is buckle rash across the back beneath the current finish, as well as some vertical scuffs into the alder on the bass-side lower bout on top. The neck profile gloss has been previously oversprayed, with palm wear through the majority of the finish on the profile edges, and some dings central to the carve that don’t impede the palm while fretting.A circa 1962 Fender hardshell case with a brown tolex exterior and orange interior is included. The case retains its trio of functioning latches, with a replaced, vintage-style handle and only light wear on the brown leather ends.