This 1963 Fender Jazzmaster came in locally from the nephew of the original owner, and proved to us that great examples of these classic offsets are total sleepers when it comes to vintage electrics.

A true pre-CBS build, this Jazzmaster likely began production in late 1962 following Fender's change from slab Rosewood fingerboards to the laminate Rosewood fingerboards earlier in the year. The early 'L' neck plate aligns with the manufacturing dates on the body and neck as well. It's got the classic 3-tone Sunburst finish that has faded nicely over time, with a fair amount of red still present. The original celluloid guard has remained delightfully intact, with just some minor shrinking below the bridge posts at at the pickup edges. The clean headstock sports the original style Fender "spaghetti" logo, single butterfly string tree, and 'single-line' Kluson tuners.

Neck feel on this Jazzmaster is great, with a very accurate taper most commonly seen in this era. Starting out as a slim C measuring .80" at the 1st fret, the taper climbs up to a meatier C profile at .96" at the 12th fret. Although the taper is a bit large, the profile never feels uncomfortable. Combined with an absolutely stellar pro refret by Maine luthier Laurent Brondel, playability is simply off the charts good! 

The electronics are original to the guitar, with the visible pot codes dating to the 19th week of 1961 (a very common sight for Fenders, as bulk parts were used for well beyond a year through production phases). The original 'black bobbin' pickups are close in output and provide classic Jazzmaster tone with bold, snappy low end and powerful but articulate treble. The bridge pickup came to us with a small break in the outer lead winding, which was artfully repaired by one of the best vintage pickup restoration specialists in the industry - Tom Brantley. He was able to repair the lead without the need to do a complete rewind and maintain a healthy enough output very close to the original winding spec. 

The original Pat # tremolo bridge works great, and the original tremolo arm is in excellent condition as well. The tremolo collet was missing, so an American Vintage collet was installed in its place and works great while accommodating the vintage arm pretty seamlessly.

Condition: Very Good+. Moderate play wear throughout; buckle rash on the back of the body and some wear along the body edges. Lacquer checking throughout. The original bridge pickup cover was damaged, and a vintage period-correct cover was sourced to replace it. The original chipped cover will also be included in the sale.

This '63 Jazzmaster is the perfect vintage offset for someone who wants a played-in vintage piece that's original in all the right places. It's the right balance of player-friendly and period-correct that would make any vintage Fender hound proud.

Priced with aftermarket hardshell case

• 3-tone Sunburst finish over Alder body
• 4/63 pencil body date
• Maple neck with laminate Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard and clay dots
  
• 4FEB63B neck stamp
• Neck profile: .80" @ 1st fret / .96" @ 12th fret
• Original "Single Line" Kluson metal button tuners
• Refret by Laurent Brondel - Jescar nickel-silver 55090 fretwire (replaced nut)
• Original tortoiseshell pickguard
  
• Original "Black bobbin" pickups: 7.84k ohm Neck pickup / 7.64k ohm Bridge pickup (bridge pickup repaired by Tom Brantley)
  
• Original electronics - '6119' pot codes (19th week of 1961)
• Original Rhythm circuit
• Original bridge with threaded saddles
• Original tremolo bridge and arm with replaced tremolo collet
• Weight: 8lb 0oz
• Serial # L01645