A player’s dream of the very best kind.

The 1964 Fender Stratocaster sits in a very special place in Fender history. For many players and collectors, it represents the peak of the pre-CBS era — retaining all the openness, warmth, and craftsmanship of the early years, while already feeling slightly more refined and broken-in compared to the sharper sounding late-’50s examples.

The sound of a great ’64 Strat is hard to describe until you actually sit with one. There is glass and sparkle on top, but also warmth, depth, and a beautiful blooming midrange that makes the guitar feel alive under your hands. The attack is quick and articulate, yet never harsh. They are incredibly expressive instruments.

Offered here is a Fender Stratocaster assembled from period-correct mid-’60s parts, most likely originating from a very early 1965 Stratocaster that later received a 1966 body. The neck is dated October 1964, the pickups are all 1964 examples, and the pots date to 2nd week of 1965 (1376502). Two of the pickups were wound by Abigail Ybarra. The body itself dates to 1966 and retains its original 3-tone sunburst finish, with only very light sanding in the neck pocket done long ago to achieve a perfect neck-to-body fit.

The Brazilian rosewood, clay dot fretboard is simply stunning, with deep dark grain and beautiful figuring throughout. Combined with the worn-in neck feel and lightweight 3.35 kg body, the guitar resonates wonderfully even before plugging it in.

Pickup readings are: Neck: 5.36k Middle: 5.27k Bridge: 6.06k

Tone-wise, this Strat has everything one hopes for from a great mid-’60s example: warmth, roundness, snap, depth, and gorgeous midrange bloom. It is extremely musical and balanced across all positions.

A 5-way switch has been installed in place of the original 3-way — honestly a blessing in this case, because the in-between positions on this guitar are stellar. All pickups retain their original wires and were professionally re-waxed by Kloppmann Electrics. The bridge pickup had the very end of the coil wire re-soldered at some point in its life.

The neck remains fully original aside from a refret. It has that wonderful transitional mid-’60s feel — slightly wider and flatter than the earlier rounder carve, resulting in an extremely comfortable and effortless playing experience.

An all-original ’64 Strat today easily ventures into the €25k+ territory. Many dealers would likely part this guitar out instead, as the individual components would easily generate well above €20k in revenue. But because this guitar sounds so exceptionally good as a whole, I would much rather keep it together and find it a new caretaker who it will make truly happy.

Highly recommended!

Comes with a period-correct Fender case.