Fender Stratocaster, made in USA 1964, refinished sunburst. I'm continually amazed at the caliber of instruments that have been quietly living their life in sleepy little Tasmania. This Stratocaster was bought new in England by a player by the name of Dennis Chick, who moved out here shortly afterwards. The current owner bought it used in 1968 at Allan's Music in Hobart, and the receipt from that purchase is included. He was a working player through the 60s/70s/80s around Tassie, so this guitar spent many nights playing in bands at the local casino and other nightlife hotspots around the local area. As was common at the time, the guitar was refinished when it started to show some wear and tear around 1978. Local magazine publisher Terry Lane was refinishing instruments as a side gig, so he stripped the finish on the body and the back of the neck and applied a new coat of sunburst, topped with durable but thin gloss polyurethane. It looks great in the flesh; there's a pleasing depth to the colours and it abounds in understated grace. Around the same time, the guitar had a re-fret and full wiring job by local luthier Neil Lachlan. The original middle pickup had a break in the wire, so Neil installed a new set of 1976 Fender pickups, with a master volume and tone and a blender control for the neck pickup; those pickups are included in the sale. We arranged for the original middle pickup re-wound to correct specs by our local pickup wizard Trevor Forman, who also supplied a matching 1964 bobbin to replace the broken original, putting those '64 magnets back in business. Our handy house tech Mark reinstalled the original pickups, and changed the wiring back to a factory-style setup using the 70s pots and switch already under the hood. It sounds absolutely remarkable now: it's absolutely the best sounding Strat I've ever heard. The low end has a certain hollow, deep quality to it, lending notes a definite outline and superb dynamic punch when you dig in. The midrange is extremely rich and musical, with a gooey warmth and complexity balanced by a singing crystalline clarity. The top end is prominent but not harsh at all, with an expansive shimmer. It really does sound like it's straight off those classic Jimi Hendrix records, it's the perfect Strat sound. Not all vintage Strats have comfy necks and play well, but this one is extremely agreeable in the hands too. The neck is a slim C shape, with just a hint of a V to the carve towards the headstock end. The Brazilian board is gorgeous, and the notes are ringing out with conviction all the way to the top frets. If you're after a superb pre-CBS Strat and disinclined to stretch to the $50k-ish ballpark that an original-finish example demands, this is surely an absolute pearler.

Model: Fender Stratocaster
Made: USA, January 1964, Fullerton CA factory
Serial: L15098
Finish: three color sunburst, refinished around 1978, gloss poly
Body: alder, two piece
Neck: maple, Brazilian rosewood radius laminate fretboard, 25.5" scale, 7.25" radius, clay dots, 42mm nut, slim C shape
Weight: 3.285kg
Mods: tuners replaced, frets replaced, neck plate replaced, pickguard replaced, re-wired with 1976 CTS pots, USA switch and jack, middle pickup re-wound on replacement 1964 bobbin using original magnets, original pickups reinstalled, refinished body and neck
Pickups: original Stratocaster single coil x3, middle pickup re-wound
Accessories: original Stamford case, original tremolo arm, original docs, 1976 pickup set, original tuners, original neck plate (slightly bent out of shape)

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. Note the headstock seems to still be wearing the original finish and decals. The headstock has scuffs and dimples on the end and both edges, with some dimples on the bck and some scuffs and chips in the clearcoat on the front. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, just some rub wear, scuffs and minor dimples on the back and some minor play wear on the fretboard. The back has dimples on the top horn, elbow area and bottom corner, some cracks in the trem cavity cover and widespread minor scuffs around the whole body. The sides have dimples on the top horn, scuffs in the elbow area, a couple of small bald spots on the back edge, dimples and dents near the jack and some minor chips and dimples on the bottom horn. The front has dimples around the jack, bridge and along the back edge, scuffs in the elbow area, a small dent up from the bridge pickup and some play wear on the pickups, guard and horns.
Overall: very good condition (7.5/10)

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 10/46 strings.
Fret life: 7/10, minor wear only