An Exceptionally Fine Pre CBS 'L Series' Stratocaster
Under-the-Bed for the Majority of its Fifty-Eight Years Complete with all the Original Case Candy

1964 Fender Stratocaster

This pre-CBS 'L Series' Stratocaster weighs 8.10 lbs. and has a three-tone sunburst, one-piece solid alder body, contoured on back and lower bass bout. One-piece maple neck with a veneer rosewood fretboard with 21 original thin (0.008 inch) frets and clay dot position markers. A wonderful and typical '64 neck profile rising gently from the first fret (0.83 inches) to the third fret (0.83) to the fifth fret (0.87) to the ninth fret (0.93) to the twelfth fret (1.00) and finally to the 15th fret (1.02 inches). 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 "2,573,254"  "2,741,146"  "2,960,900" & "3,143,028" in black below. Single "butterfly" string tree with 'large' (0.015 inch) metal spacer. Individual "single-line" Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons, each stamped on the underside "D-169400/Patent No." The end of the neck is stamped "2 JUL 64B".Four-bolt neck plate with serial number "L45495" between the top two screws. Two gray-bottom and one black-bottom, white plastic-covered single-coil pickups with staggered polepieces and outputs of 5.95k, 5.47k, and 5.97k, respectively. Three-layer "minty" white over black plastic pickguard with eleven screws. Three controls (one volume, two tone) plus three-way selector switch, all on pickguard. The pots are dated "137 6422" (CTS, July 1964). White plastic knobs with green lettering. Jack socket in body face. Fender "Synchronized Tremolo" combined bridge/tailpiece. There is the bare minimum of belt buckle rash on the back (nothing through the finish) and a few very small and insignificant marks/dings on the edges/sides of the body. There are no 'divots' on the veneer rosewood fretboard and almost no wear to the original thin frets. This nearly fifty-eight year old Stratocaster is in near mint (9.25) condition, and is certainly one of the finest and cleanest examples that we have ever seen. Complete with the original tremolo arm, bridge cover, black leather 'Fender' guitar strap and even the original instruction manual with matching serial number. Housed in it's original Fender three-latch, rectangular 'no-logo' black tolex hardshell case with dark orange plush lining and black leather ends (9.25).

From March 1964 to the late 1970's: most models had "gray bottom" pickups and cast slug alnico magnets. Gray bottom pickups would be the rule, but black bottom pickups were used from old stock as late as 1967.