The 1962 Fender Stratocaster

The 1962 Fender Stratocaster is a valuable vintage guitar that's just as relevent today as it was back then. The 1962 Fender price list gives a few options with different prices, but it's amazing to see how those prices have increased to the current values today. Today's values for an original 1962 Stratocaster depend on the features it was built with. I'm including some great examples I've been privileged to collect and how their features impact their value.

• 1962 Fender Stratocaster Price and Value
• Dating a 1962 Fender Stratocaster
• What is my 1962 Fender Stratocaster worth?
• 1962 Stratocaster Examples

My name is John Shults and I've been collecting vintage guitars from around the world since 2009. The 1962 Stratocaster is a special and valuable guitar that's one of my favorites to buy. If you have a 1962 Stratocaster and are thinking of selling, feel free to reach out to me here: Sell a Fender. I'd be happy to help identify its value and may be the buyer you're looking for.

1962 Fender Stratocaster Price and Value Then and Now

1962 Stratocaster Price in '62

The best place to look for the price of a Stratocaster in 1962 is Fender's own price list. Check out the picture below which shows that the Stratocaster was offered in three different variations in 1962:

Sunburst with no tremolo $259.50

Sunburst with tremolo: $289.50

Blond or Custom Finish with tremolo: $303.97

Blond or Custom Finish with tremolo and Gold Hardware: $349.50

The Sunburst finish is the standard color for the Stratocaster. The tremolo tailpiece (technically a vibrato) was a major innovation for the Stratocaster, but some players wanted it without the tremolo (collectors call "hard tail"). Since 1957, Fender's price list has a footnote stating that some models are available in custom DuPont Duco finishes at a 5% upcharge (denoted above as "custom finish"). The standard hardware finish for the Strat was chrome, but some buyers opted for this very expensive option ('62 Stratocaster Fiesta Red with Gold Hardware').

1962 Stratocaster Value Today

The value of a 1962 Fender Stratocaster today depends on the bridge style, fretboard style, and finish. While the hard tail bridge is less common, most buyers prefer the tremolo tailpiece for the resonance of the springs. As a tremolo, it's just ok, but there is a decent difference in sound between the hardtail and tremolo. The fretboard style is important for 1962 since the neck construction changed from the slab fretboard to the veneer fretboard in the summer of 1962. Buyer's clearly prefer the slab board for both its stability and rarity

The finish is perhaps the most important feature which affects the value of a 1962. Sunburst is the most common finish and the least valuable. Fender introduced a custom color chart in 1961 which offered a preset group of colors, but some are far more rare than others. The most valuable standard custom color (post color chart) is clearly Shell Pink. The most common color is likely to be Olympic White, but really none of the colors are common in 1962.

Check out the Fender Stratocaster Value Guide for more information on the value of Stratocasters from the 1950s and 1960s.

Dating a 1962 Fender Fender Stratocaster

There are a few ways to confirm that your Stratocaster was made in 1962: serial number, neck and body dates, and features. You can check out this comprehensive guide for more information on how to date a Fender Stratocaster

1962 Serial Numbers

1962 Fender Stratocasters should have a 5 digit serial number located on the neck plate. Since neck plates weren't assigned to Fender guitars in exactly consecutive order, there isn't one specific range that will date a Strat to 1962 exactly. However, a '62 Strat will typically have a serial number range between 72000 and 93000. There are plenty of exceptions to this range, so it's important to use all available information to identify the year.

1962 Neck and Body Dates

1962 Stratocasters should also have neck heel dates written in pencil or with an ink stamp. 1962 is the year that Fender transitioned from the pencil written month and year date on the neck heel to a codified ink stamp in the Summer of 1962. The ink stamp code is as follows: "2MMMYYN" where 2 = Stratocaster model (not the day!), MMM = Month, YY = last two digits of the year, and N = neck width code (A, B, C, or D). The standard neck width code for the Stratocaster is B indicating 1 5/8". A indicates a 1 1/2" width, C = 1 11/16", and D = 1 7/8" (least common).

You may also find a pencil date written on the back of the body inside the tremolo cavity. This may only be visible on Sunburst and Blond finishes since the opaque custom colors would cover up the dates. Remember for both neck and body dates that they were written or stamped early in the manufacturing process and do not represent the ship date of the guitar.

1962 Potentiometer Codes

1962 Stratocasters will have three potentiometers which are stamped with the week and year that the parts were made. Remember that the parts were made by a different manufacturer, shipped to Fender, and installed in a guitar at some point after this date. In 1962, the potentiometer codes will typically be within 1 year of the ship date. The codes are written as follows: "MMM_YYWW" where M = Manufacturer code (304 = Stackpole), YY = last two digits of the year (62), and WW = week of the year out of 52.

What is my Fender Stratocaster 1962 worth?

Fender Stratocaster values depend heavily on exactly what year it was made, the condition, originality, and features. Check out the Fender Stratocaster Value Guide for a more complete range of values or get an appraisal from me here: Appraisal. 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. 

1962 Stratocaster Examples

1962 Fender Stratocasters are some of my favorites to play and collect. It's a spectacular year for both the model and for Fender. The Sunburst '62s are great guitars, but my favorites are some of the many custom color finishes that were available that year. My holy grail find would be a 1962 Fender Stratocaster in original Shell Pink finish. You can spot the Shell Pink finish if you see a pale brown look with a slightly pink hue. You can contact me here if you see one: Sell a Fender.

1962 Fender Stratocaster Olympic White

I purchased this stunning 1962 Fender Stratocaster in original custom color Olympic White from its original owner in Oklahoma. It's an early to mid 1962 example with slab Rosewood fretboard, potentiometers showing the 32nd week of 1962, and a serial number in the 83000 range. The Olympic White finish is very special since Fender was not yet applying a clear coat layer on top of the opaque white color in 1962, so it typically remains bright white instead of looking a more creamy yellow. It's worth nothing that the clear coat is typically what oxidizes and changes the look of a custom color, not the color coat itself.

1962 Fender Stratocaster Black Custom Color

This 1962 Fender Stratocaster in original custom color Black finish was a dream find for me coming from Kelowna, British Colombia in Canada. Black may be a common color for guitars today, but in the early 1960s, it was a very rarely ordered color. This example features a later veneer Rosewood fretboard and an 86000 serial number range. Authenticating an original Fender Black finish can be difficult, but I'm lucky to have a 1962 Fender Jazz Bass Black in the shop to compare it to. I was thrilled to find identical features and tells which confirmed both to be original finishes from Fender. I bought the guitars from two completely different countries!

1962 Fender Stratocaster Fiesta Red Gold Hardware

Perhaps the finest 1962 Fender Stratocaster that I've been lucky enough to buy is this '62 in original Fiesta Red with gold hardware. Remember from the 1962 Fender price list above that the most expensive Strat is the "custom finish with gold hardware"; few were ever ordered and even fewer survive today. I was privileged to buy this 1962 Strat from its original owner via a friendly local guitar shop. I asked the owner about its history, and he told me that his parents bought it for him while he was living in South Africa.

I Buy and Collect 1950s and 1960s Fender Stratocasters

If you have a Fender Stratocaster from the 1950s or 1960s and are considering selling, I’d love to hear from you. I’m a passionate collector and buyer of vintage Fender guitars—especially clean, original examples from this golden era. Whether it’s a 1957, 1959, or 1962 Stratocaster, I’m happy to help identify its originality and value. You can contact me here to sell a Fender Stratocaster.