Fender / Stratocaster / 1965 / See-Through Blond / Guitar For Sale
Asymmetrical double cutaway solid body. This "transition" Stratocaster weighs just 7.80 lbs. and has a nice, fat nut width of just under 1 11/16 inches and a scale length of 25 1/2 inches. Solid ash body, contoured on back and lower bass bout, one-piece maple neck with a nice, medium profile, and veneer rosewood fretboard with 21 frets and pearloid dot position markers. Small headstock with early 1965 "transition" logo with "Fender" in gold with thin black outline, "STRATOCASTER" in black beside it, "WITH SYNCHRONIZED TREMOLO" in black beneath it, and five patent numbers in black beneath that. "Original Contour Body Pat. Pend." decal on the ball end of the headstock. Single "butterfly" string tree with nylon spacer. The neck is stamped "2 NOV65 B" and the pots are dated "304 6532" (Stackpole August 1965). Individual dual-line Kluson deluxe tuners with oval nickel-plated buttons, with "D-169400 PATENT NO" stamped on the inside. Four-bolt Fender "F" series neck plate with serial number ("107969") between the top two screws. Three white plastic-covered "grey-bottom" single-coil pickups with staggered polepieces and balanced outputs of 5.92k, 5.91k, and 5.77k. Three-layer (white/black/white) celluloid pickguard with eleven screws. Three controls (one volume, two tone) plus three-way pickup selector switch, all on lower treble side of pickguard. White plastic knobs with green lettering. Jack socket in body face. Fender "Synchronized Tremolo" combined bridge/tailpiece. This guitar is in excellent plus (8.75) condition. It has been expertly and invisibly re-fretted with slightly wider gauge frets. There are two noticeable areas of wear on the body, the largest being on the edge of the lower waist and the other on the edge of the upper horn. The other marks are small surface chips and are really of little significance. Overall, this is one of the cleanest See-Through Blonds that we have ever seen and the slightly larger gauge frets really do improve the playability of this wonderful sounding forty-one-year-old beauty. A real treasure -- complete with the original black leather strap and 1965 Fender catalog. Housed in the original Fender black hardshell case with orange plush lining (8.00).
"Gentlemen Prefer Blonds (Ash Bodies). When looking at custom colored Fenders, keep in mind what wood the body is constructed from. After mid-1956, all custom colored Fenders (except Blond and the 1963 red mahogany-body Teles) should be Alder, not Ash. This applies to Teles, Strats, Jazzmasters, everything. But right now I bet you're thinking, 'hey, aren't pre-CBS Teles always made of Ash?'. The answer to this depends on the color…I believe the reason the majority of Telecasters and Esquires are made of Ash is because their standard finish was blond. They aren't made of Ash just because they're Teles. Fender Blond finishes, because they are translucent, are always painted over Ash. Any other finish (after 1956), uses Alder. The reason is purely time and money. Ash, because it requires the additional step of 'pore filling' (see above), requires more time and work to paint. That's why Fender switched to Alder in mid-1956. Alder is just a lot easier and cheaper to paint.Strats are a different story. After mid-1956, if it's a custom color other than Blond, it's got to be an Alder body. Since after mid-1956 Strats 'standard' body wood was Alder, you only see Ash bodies on Blond models" (http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fenderc.html).
"After July 1962, a 'curved' rosewood fretboard (i.e. with a convex base) replaced the 'slab' board. At first, the rosewood cap remained fairly thick, but by 1963 it turned into a thinner veneer and it was kept this way until mid-1983" (A.R. Duchossoir, The Fender Stratocaster, p.48).
Fretted Americana , USA 
We specialize in acquiring and offering the finest specimens of American vintage electric guitars with particular attention to those in their complete, original state. We are the only dealer to embrace a written code of ethics (in Terms & Conditions). We encourage you to read it.
HOW WE WORK
We want to inspire and win your trust and confidence. You don't want to have any negative surprises upon receipt of an instrument that you've invested yourself as well as your money into. Nor do you want any untoward surprises should you decide to sell it in the future.
To that end, every guitar that we offer is catalogued to a degree and depth of detail that is fast becoming the standard in the trade. When we declare an instrument to be completely original, it is. If it is not, we tell you exactly in what manner it has been altered.
We photograph each guitar at many angles to provide you with the broadest, clearest sense of its appearance. We will, upon request, provide you with images of all electronic components, inside and out.
Each guitar we acquire is skillfully and painstakingly dissected by David Brass, who is a trained luthier as well as a dealer and collector. All parts, no matter how small, are meticulously examined. We have an enviable reference library of wide breadth and scope that we refer to when necessary for crucial facts. The instrument is put under a black-light: original finish or refin? Even the most skillfully masked ding is uncovered. David then fastidiously reassembles the instrument. It is then cleaned with the finest products available for wood and metal.
An inspection certificate of authenticity signed by David is provided with every guitar you purchase.
We keep our inventory relatively small and highly select. We choose our guitars with extreme care so we can offer you the finest examples of the finest rare guitars in the world.
We are client focused to an extraordinary degree. If you expect or would like to be surprised by courteous, professional client service, we will pleased to accommodate that desire.
It is our fervent wish to establish a long-term relationship with you.
CODE OF ETHICS
We wish to establish an ongoing relationship with you based upon your trust in our knowledge and judgment.
To that end:
We meticulously inspect in detail every guitar that we offer. We check the finish, all of the electrical components, serial numbers, etc. With over thirty years of experience collecting and handling vintage guitars and our enormous reference library, we bring to bear all that is known about guitar manufacturers, models, and annual production.
We provide full, detailed descriptions and specs to each guitar.
We openly disclose any and all flaws we discover in writing. If the instrument is not completely “straight,” we will tell you so and why.
We endeavor to conduct ourselves to the highest standard of professional behavior.
We will deal fairly and ethically; no surprises, flim-flam, dubious business practices or shenanigans.
We value your sense of privacy and uphold the highest standards of discretion and respect
We allow a full 48 hour honeymoon period when you buy a guitar from us. If you are not 100% satisfied with it we will refund the purchase price in full, less shipping, upon return of the guitar in the same condition as sold. Please call us before returning the instrument.
Please inspect your new guitar immediately upon receiving it. If any guitar we offer is found to be not as described, we will happily refund the full purchase price, less shipping, upon return of the guitar in the same condition as sold. Please call us before returning the instrument.
