Fender Stratocaster 1962: how to date and what's it worth

This Fender Stratocaster 1962 is one of my favorite guitars to come through the shop this year. It's important to know how to date a Fender Stratocaster to help inform what is my Stratocaster worth? Fender Stratocaster production and features changed drastically throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s and guitar collectors like myself value each guitar differently based on age, condition, features, etc. That's why it's important to have a Fender guitar expert help with how to date my Fender Stratocaster and what is my Fender Stratocaster worth.

I'm always a Fender guitar buyer but I am especially looking for nice examples of Fender Stratocasters from 1962 like this guitar. My favorite Stratocasters are the ones that are clean and have their original finish. If you're looking for where to sell my Fender guitar then you can contact me here: Sell a Fender guitar. 

If you're looking for more information on Fender Stratocasters from the 1950s and 1960s then you can contact me here: Fender guitar collector. Here's a great book that I've used to find more information on Fender Stratocasters.

How to date this Fender Stratocaster 1962

Knowing how to date a Fender Stratocaster is important to helping inform what is my Fender Stratocaster worth. Here are the steps I use for how to date a Fender Stratocaster: Fender serial numbers, neck heel ink stamp or pencil date, tremolo cavity pencil date (if prior to 1966), potentiometer codes, and features. Fender serial numbers are not the only way to date a Fender guitar since they're not necessarily consecutive and are applied to a metal plate that is easily swapped with a screwdriver. It's just the first place we can easily check to find out how old the Stratocaster is. This guitar has a 5 digit serial number starting with 78xxx. Our Fender serial number records indicate that this number was used for guitars in 1962. 

The next step for how to date a Fender Stratocaster is the neck heel ink stamp and the tremolo cavity if before 1966. Fender Stratocasters from 1954 until 1962 usually have a pencil month and year on the heel of the neck. It's only accessible if you detune the strings and remove the four screws on the plate, so it's best to leave this inspection to the Fender guitar experts. This Stratocaster has a pencil date of "11/61" which indicates that it was signed in November 1961.

The last step in how to date a Fender Stratocaster is to check the potentiometer codes and features. The potentiometers are the variable resistors with knobs that control the volume and tone output to the amplifier. They have codes on them that indicate when they were made and by whom. I regretfully don't have pictures of the potentiometer codes of this Fender Stratocaster 1962, but I do have the codes from Fender Stratocaster 1965 pictured below. The codes on this guitar read "137 6510" where 137 = manufacturer (Chicago Telephone Supply), 65 = 1965, and 10 = 10th week.

What is my Fender Stratocaster 1962 worth?

Fender Stratocaster values depend heavily on exactly what year it was made, the condition, originality, and features. A 1962 Fender Stratocaster could have either a slab Rosewood fretboard or a veneer Rosewood fretboard since it's right on the transition year. The condition is a bit of a subjective aspect of the guitar, but it's easy to see that this Fender Stratocaster 1962 is in very fine condition for a guitar this old. 

This Fender Stratocaster 1962 is 100% original throughout so its value is preserved. Fender Stratocasters from the 1950s and 1960s are very prone to having a dead pickup and sometimes they will still make sound out of the amp. My pickup repair technician noticed that the neck pickup was not functioning properly so he repaired the coil on the pickup. 

You can contact me here for how to date a Fender Stratocaster: Fender guitar collector. I would be happy to check it out and possibly make an offer if it looks like the guitar for me. I'm looking forward to checking out your guitar.