The Fender Stratocaster is without doubt the most iconic guitar in the history of rock and roll, with vintage examples now becoming more and more sought after by players and collectors alike. This 1961 Fender Stratocaster is a wonderful, collector grade example of a pre-CBS slab board Stratocaster, finished in the custom order Blonde lacquer finish, one of rarer common Fender custom colours for this model.
Constructed from an Ash body, as only Blonde custom order guitars were at the time, the collectability and rarity of this guitar is primarily driven by its colour, finished in the Blonde custom colour finish which was sprayed over Ash bodies to show off the natural grain of the wood, and is one of the lesser seen Fender custom colours of this period. The finish has aged as most examples typically do, with a yellowish hue to most of the guitar, although there are areas where the Blonde finish has remained fairly translucent, and the Ash grain is still visible through the paint. The Maple neck is in excellent condition, with a slab Rosewood fretboard and clay dot fret inlays, which was the orientation of Fender rosewood necks until 1962. The body features the original mint green pick guard, along with a set of excellent sounding black bottom single coil pickups, which have remained untampered with.
This guitar is in very good condition, and is original with the exception of a changed nut and a past re-fret. The pencil neck date reads 7-61, with the body date showing 6-61, while the three original pots date to the 23rd week of 1961 (304 6123) The finish shows all the signifiers of a factory correct Fender custom colour finish, with no paint present in the nail holes beneath the pickguard, and all solder joints intact. The original Fender gold spaghetti logo decal is correct for the period, as are the single line Kluson tuners. The pickups are the original black bottom single coils, with all cloth wiring appearing present and correct. All hardware including the pick guard, knobs, switch, bridge and bridge saddles are original and correct for the period. This guitar also includes its original tremolo arm, bridge cover and brown tolex hard case.
This guitar has been given a full service and appraisal by our luthiers at the Vintage Instrument Workshop, and includes a 3 year warranty.
