Fender Stratocaster 1961 Blond

I drove to Lake Charles, Louisiana to meet the son of the owner of this 1961 Fender Stratocaster in Blond finish since about 1991. He said that his dad spotted the guitar in the corner of a house he was doing some work on. The owner said he could have it for $200 (a great deal even for 1991!). His dad has since passed and it was time to sell the Stratocaster. I was thrilled to its next owner and excited to share it with you now. 

Make and Model: Fender Stratocaster, Blond finish, Ash body

Year: 1961. Serial number 60005, neck heel pencil date "3/61", potentiometer codes "304 6043" (304 = Stackpole, 60 = 1960, 43 = 43rd week). 

Measurements: 7.6 lbs/3.45 kg overall weight. The neck measures 1.65"/42.1mm wide at the nut,  0.78" deep at the first fret, and 0.98" deep at the 12th fret. The neck pickup reads 5.70k ohms, middle reads 5.71k, and the bridge pickup reads 5.45k ohms at the output jack. 

Originality: All parts and finish are original to this guitar. At some point, a different loaded pickguard was installed by splicing in to the output jack leads. The original pickguard is back on and electronics spliced back into the output jack leads. There's an extra screw hole on the body from the other pickguard. There was a jumper wire on the switch which was removed. All other solder is original and undisturbed. 

Condition: Killer cool, worn, but original and infinitely playable. The original Blond body finish has plenty of checking and wear. The finish on the back of the neck is darkened from finger oils. The pickguard is shrunken and there's a crack next to the neck pickup mounting screw. 

Playability: Great! It's a really nice playing example on original frets. The neck is straight and the truss rod functions as intended. The potentiometers and switch have been cleaned and function as intended. The nut slots have been raised just slightly. 

Included: The worn original case is included, but the tremolo arm is not present.