A Near Mint 1964 Ice Blue Metallic Fender Stratocaster

This near mint pre-CBS 'L Series' custom-color Ice Blue Metallic Stratocaster weighs just 7.70 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 alder body, contoured on back and lower bass bout, one-piece medium-profile maple neck with a wonderful Brazilian rosewood fretboard with 21 frets and pearloid dot position markers. Small headstock with decal with "Fender" ''Transition' logo in gold with black trim, "Stratocaster" in black beside it, and "With Synchronized Tremolo" and four patent numbers in black below. Single "butterfly" string tree with 'small' metal spacer. Individual "double-line" Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons stamped on the underside "D-169400 / Patent No". The neck is dated "2 NOV 64B." Four-bolt neck plate with the serial number ("L21287") between the top two screws. Three light-gray bottom white plastic-covered single-coil pickups with staggered polepieces and outputs of 5.99k, 5.59k, and 5.54k. The pickups are dated in black marker "10-24-64" and "10-23". Three-layer "minty" (white/black/white) plastic pickguard with eleven screws. Three controls (one volume, two tone) plus three-way selector switch, all on pickguard. White plastic knobs with green lettering. Jack socket in body face. The potentiometers are all stamped "137 6428" (CTS July 1964). Fender "Synchronized Tremolo" combined bridge/tailpiece. Complete with the original tremolo arm and bridge cover. The Ice Blue Metallic finish has faded very slightly but is far brighter than is usually seen. This forty-five year old custom-color Stratocaster is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition, with just a few edge marks and some varnish wear on the back of the neck. It is most certainly the finest example of this impossible to find color that we have ever seen. Complete with the original tremolo arm, chrome bridge cover, black leather strap, guitar cord and an original set of Fender strings. Housed in it's original Fender black hardshell case with black leather ends and dark orange plush lining (8.75).

Automobiles in the United States had more social influence than just about anything in the fifties and sixties and the vast array of colors that Fender used on their guitars during that period originated directly from the cars of the time. Blue Ice metallic is a Lucite (acrylic) paint that was introduced in 1965 by the Ford Motor Company and used on their cars for only two years until 1966. Fender followed suit and used it very sparingly on Jaguars, Jazzmasters, Stratocasters and Telecasters between 1965 and 1969. Blue Ice metallic is now one of the rarest and most sought after of all the Fender "custom colors". This is the color that will be missing from most collections… and being on a November 1964 instrument it must be one of the very earliest examples…