Fender Stratocaster Solid Body Electric Guitar (1966)
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Item # 10796
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Fender Stratocaster Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1966), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 167444, sunburst lacquer finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This is a lovely and completely original example of an early-CBS era Stratocaster, with some minor wear but original, unmodified, and really not too much used. This Strat was assembled towards the end of 1966; maybe somebody got it for Christmas that year. It shows typical features for '66, with some small but notable differences from earlier models. The neck is stamped 13 AUG 66B and features the new-for-'66 larger headstock with the gold "transition" logo; supposedly this was designed at CBS' behest to make the headstock and logo show better on TV, but that may be a Fender fable. The dots in the thin-lam rosewood fingerboard are pearloid, as they had been since early '65. The finish is still the early style thin lacquer; the next year CBS would begin experimenting with harder coatings culminating in the infamous "thick skin" polyester of the 1970s.
The neckplate carries a large "F" stamped under the serial number, added in late 1965 when the 100,000 number series commenced. The pickguard is made of white ABS plastic, mounted over the scrap aluminum shielding plate used since 1959. The pickups are a nicely matched grey-bobbin set clearly dated 11-20-66 on the neck and middle, and 11-19-66 on the bridge. The masking tape on the leads and the internal solder joints are all intact and untouched. The pots are a matched set all dated to the 8th week of 1966. All internal wiring is the original cloth-covered type; less than 2 years later this would be replaced with thinned plastic-coated wire.
Other hardware is consistent with Pre-CBS instruments; steel stamped bridge saddles and trem block, and the Kluson tuners CBS would replace the next year with their own in-house "F" plate machines. The weight is typical for this period at 7.9 Lbs. While PRE-CBS has been a watchword for Fender afficionados for decades, this early-CBS Stratocaster is simply a great-feeling and sounding guitar, a far cry from what the instrument would evolve into a couple of years down the line. This one has a super 1966-7 vibe; while Pete Townshend and Jimi Hendrix were taking '60s Strats like this one and sacrificing them for immortality, it has spent the last half-century mostly sitting in its case, waiting for a chance to shine!
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) deep. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.)., 7.9 lbs.
This Strat is not near mint, but it is one of the cleaner examples and certainly most original we have seen recently. It has been played but not all that much, and probably sat put away in its original case most of the past 56 years. The sunburst body finish has virtually no fade at all; the colors are as bright as when it left Fullerton well over a half-century ago. This one never hung in the dealer window!
There is a typical armwear spot to the upper body, where some of the finish topcoats have begun to wear through. There is some light belt-buckling to the back and one deeper small scratch. Overall the body shows minimal checking; there are small dings, scuffs, and dents here and there, but not many that actually went through the finish. Even the common chips on the body edges from being banged around in the case are at a minimum.
The headstock shows some minor checking but the decal is pretty much perfectly preserved. The thin lacquer neck finish is smoothly worn down to the wood in the lower positions, with that glorious "played-in Fender" feel. The original small frets have been crowned down a bit, and have some subsequent wear in the lower positions but still play well. The rosewood fingerboard shows minor divoting and finger wear in the first position, apparently the only spot it was seriously played!
As far as we can tell we were the first ones to remove the pickguard and peer inside since it was screwed down at Fender, and yes we put all the screws back in their correct original holes. All wiring is original and untouched, even the masking tape wrapped around the pickup leads is fully intact. The pickguard is notched on the face from truss rod adjustment. All hardware on the guitar is correct and original. The steel bridge saddles have some noticeable typical corrosion; the screws still work as intended. The trem is set up with three springs and the claw screwed down hard, so two springs are gone. The rear cover is intact with no cracks at the screwholes.
This Strat has survived time and tide clean enough to ogle, but worn enough to be inviting to play without fear. It rewards the player with a sound that is full, bright, and "Stratty" in the classic way without ever turning brittle or thin. Every position on the switch (which is of course the original 3-way but neatly holds the "in between" settings) offers a new slice of classic Stratocaster goodness. It looks about as it would have hanging in a pawnshop around 1968, just used enough to be broken in. The period-appropriate black Tolex hardshell case is clean as well, with some typical minor wear and a couple of old ads inexplicably attached to the lid over the logo. It has also had a Telecaster inside at some point, so is not absolutely proven to be original to this guitar but is the correct home nonetheless! Overall Excellent Condition.
This is a lovely and completely original example of an early-CBS era Stratocaster, with some minor wear but original, unmodified, and really not too much used. This Strat was assembled towards the end of 1966; maybe somebody got it for Christmas that year. It shows typical features for '66, with some small but notable differences from earlier models. The neck is stamped 13 AUG 66B and features the new-for-'66 larger headstock with the gold "transition" logo; supposedly this was designed at CBS' behest to make the headstock and logo show better on TV, but that may be a Fender fable. The dots in the thin-lam rosewood fingerboard are pearloid, as they had been since early '65. The finish is still the early style thin lacquer; the next year CBS would begin experimenting with harder coatings culminating in the infamous "thick skin" polyester of the 1970s.
The neckplate carries a large "F" stamped under the serial number, added in late 1965 when the 100,000 number series commenced. The pickguard is made of white ABS plastic, mounted over the scrap aluminum shielding plate used since 1959. The pickups are a nicely matched grey-bobbin set clearly dated 11-20-66 on the neck and middle, and 11-19-66 on the bridge. The masking tape on the leads and the internal solder joints are all intact and untouched. The pots are a matched set all dated to the 8th week of 1966. All internal wiring is the original cloth-covered type; less than 2 years later this would be replaced with thinned plastic-coated wire.
Other hardware is consistent with Pre-CBS instruments; steel stamped bridge saddles and trem block, and the Kluson tuners CBS would replace the next year with their own in-house "F" plate machines. The weight is typical for this period at 7.9 Lbs. While PRE-CBS has been a watchword for Fender afficionados for decades, this early-CBS Stratocaster is simply a great-feeling and sounding guitar, a far cry from what the instrument would evolve into a couple of years down the line. This one has a super 1966-7 vibe; while Pete Townshend and Jimi Hendrix were taking '60s Strats like this one and sacrificing them for immortality, it has spent the last half-century mostly sitting in its case, waiting for a chance to shine!
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) deep. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.)., 7.9 lbs.
This Strat is not near mint, but it is one of the cleaner examples and certainly most original we have seen recently. It has been played but not all that much, and probably sat put away in its original case most of the past 56 years. The sunburst body finish has virtually no fade at all; the colors are as bright as when it left Fullerton well over a half-century ago. This one never hung in the dealer window!
There is a typical armwear spot to the upper body, where some of the finish topcoats have begun to wear through. There is some light belt-buckling to the back and one deeper small scratch. Overall the body shows minimal checking; there are small dings, scuffs, and dents here and there, but not many that actually went through the finish. Even the common chips on the body edges from being banged around in the case are at a minimum.
The headstock shows some minor checking but the decal is pretty much perfectly preserved. The thin lacquer neck finish is smoothly worn down to the wood in the lower positions, with that glorious "played-in Fender" feel. The original small frets have been crowned down a bit, and have some subsequent wear in the lower positions but still play well. The rosewood fingerboard shows minor divoting and finger wear in the first position, apparently the only spot it was seriously played!
As far as we can tell we were the first ones to remove the pickguard and peer inside since it was screwed down at Fender, and yes we put all the screws back in their correct original holes. All wiring is original and untouched, even the masking tape wrapped around the pickup leads is fully intact. The pickguard is notched on the face from truss rod adjustment. All hardware on the guitar is correct and original. The steel bridge saddles have some noticeable typical corrosion; the screws still work as intended. The trem is set up with three springs and the claw screwed down hard, so two springs are gone. The rear cover is intact with no cracks at the screwholes.
This Strat has survived time and tide clean enough to ogle, but worn enough to be inviting to play without fear. It rewards the player with a sound that is full, bright, and "Stratty" in the classic way without ever turning brittle or thin. Every position on the switch (which is of course the original 3-way but neatly holds the "in between" settings) offers a new slice of classic Stratocaster goodness. It looks about as it would have hanging in a pawnshop around 1968, just used enough to be broken in. The period-appropriate black Tolex hardshell case is clean as well, with some typical minor wear and a couple of old ads inexplicably attached to the lid over the logo. It has also had a Telecaster inside at some point, so is not absolutely proven to be original to this guitar but is the correct home nonetheless! Overall Excellent Condition.