Fender Stratocaster # L17163, Sunburst (1963)

Supremely resonant and a broken in like an old baseball glove, this '63 Strat is exactly how we like to find them.

1963 Fender Stratocaster in original Sunburst finish just in!

This late '63 was built smack in the midst of some of the best production Stratocasters of the 1960s with some highly desirable features that make it a go-to for pro players and collectors alike. The slightly fuller neck carve that Fender was transitioning to feels so great in-hand, with a nice medium profile in the first position that has a full taper without being as dramatic as you'd typically find in the earlier part of the decade.

The chocolatey Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard was just refretted with Jescar 55090 fretwire by Laurent Brondel, replacing the original frets that were quite worn out when we first acquired the guitar. Laurent also fashioned a new bone nut, and the guitar is setup wonderfully with incredibly smooth playability. There's a small old chip-out repair on the fingerboard just under the high E string between the nut and 1st fret, but it's virtually unnoticeable, blending in well with the grain lines of the Rosewood. The original black bobbin pickups from this era are widely favored for having equal parts chime and clarity with some nice punch without being as aggressive sounding as some of their successors of the mid 60s. The neck and middle pickups retain their original winds, and with a very common short in the bridge pickup coil, we had it rewound by pickup wizard Ron Ellis which is sounding amazing! It seamlessly pairs with the other two pickups. The pickup was removed from its leads at the bobbin, keeping the wiring harness fully intact and undisturbed.

Supremely resonant and a broken in like an old baseball glove, this '63 Strat is exactly how we like to find them. Undoubtedly loved and played over the decades, but never abused. When you combine that with one some of the highest level refret work in the industry, you've got a vintage guitar that plays like a million bucks and still feels like a 60+ year old guitar in your hands.