If you know how rare a real 1967 Fender Stratocaster is, then you know that this is one special unit. Most people have never even seen one in person-let alone owned one. I have seen 4 with a 1967 neck stamp during 37 years of paying attention but they were always fairly late in the year and most likely completed in the early 1968 model year. If you don't have time to read the whole listing-I will give you the short version: This 1967 Fender Stratocaster is all-original save a professional refret and the switch has been modified to allow 5-positions (out of phase...JIMI). It plays and sounds 100% killer! It has handling evidence and wear all over but somehow still presents like a CHAMP! This guitar has fascinating provenance and 'neat-o' factory features. If you find that boring-you're done. If you would like to proceed-I will warn you that I can get a bit carried away with descriptions.
In depth version:
This Fender Stratocaster was produced at the original Fender factory in Fullerton California, U.S.A. The Fender production characteristics in 1966 included a well-known over-production of most electrics. The idea was to produce guitars in larger batches than previous years. With so many guitars in the warehouse in backstock, the factory could then shift its attention to whichever products needed it, thus maximizing profit. Large batches could indeed produce a very consistent product, but there was only one problem...unexpected circumstances. When CBS purchased Fender in 1965, The company was cranking out guitars as fast as they could and had a difficult time keeping up with the exploding demand. Millions of kids, teenagers and adults were flocking to the electric guitar craze following the wave of The Beach Boys, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and this was obviously great for business. But something unexpected happened in the summer of 1966...the folk-music boom came like a curtain call. Suddenly, everyone was buying acoustic and 12-string guitars, and the rock and roll electrics sat in music stores gathering dust. With such a drop off in orders, Fender drastically slowed (re: ceased) production of many electrics for the time being-they had plenty of overstock in their warehouses, which continued to move very slowly throughout 1967 and the height of the folk music/Summer of Love...
According to Fender Employee Charlie Davis, this was a time that provided a chance to clean out the shelves in the pre-assembly areas and use up certain components. This is an era in which guitars commonly had date codes featuring a wide range within the different parts. As a side note-very few guitars made it to the paint and finish area throughout 1967. sometime in the fall, a new paint stick armature was implemented which cast a "cross" shadow in the neck slot of guitars. This unit was known to be used until late 1969-along with the earlier style. But back to the story... These days, we see very few Fender guitars with a neck ink stamp from 1967. I believe Fender did not begin a new batch of necks until late September. These were typically mated to bodies that had been produced in 1966, along with electronics sometimes dating to 1965 and even 1964-era black bobbin pickups (The black bobbin pickup situation is still unclear-Fender began using a light grey colored bobbin in late 1964 along with the yellow mechanized ink stamp for dating-it is known that that system was cumbersome for the employees as the ink didn't read very well. They soon switched back to hand-written date codes on the pickups. Some say that Fender switched back to the black bobbins and then again switched back to grey bobbins-which were slightly darker grey. Others insist that there were boxes of black bobbins laying around and it was decided to go ahead and use them up. Another well known fact is that this era of pickups were overwound-yielding a noticeably hotter signal.. YAY!). Also a well-documented fact is that back in 1966, CBS placed a monstrous order of potentiometers from CTS and these 1966-date coded potentiometers were still being used up well into the early 1970's.
Fascinating, huh? If you're like me, you just can't get enough of Fender's history and I love it when we come across a rarity or oddball.
So this Stratocaster has the familiar Red Alder body and vibrant 3-tone Sunburst finish. The finish has wear all over: indulges pecks, scratches, dimples etc.-see photos. There is some arm-wear along the top edge. The finish is translucent-so it has a softer yellow just like the pre-CBS Sunbursts are known for. It does NOT have the common 1966-era "target burst" which has an opaque yellow center that was actually mixed with white pigment (this change sped up production drastically, as the translucent Sunburst required considerably more skill) So that means that the body was most likely began and finished prior to March 1966. The common pin-router dowel holes are all present and accounted for-see photos. The backside has buckle rash and there is also evidence that this guitar probably laid on top of some sort of notebook or something in the case. At any rate-the backside has lots of wear. Incredibly, the finish all over the guitar still has that beautiful lacquer gloss that shines like only vintage finishes can-it looks stellar, with just the right amount of patina. The middle pickup route has the "S" in black marker which denotes it is slated for a Sunburst finish. The neck slot contains several employee inspection ink stamps including Circle 1 and Circle 3. The batch number "4" is written in black marker on the edge near the perfect old-style paint stick shadow.
The neck joint is solid and the neck angle is excellent. The neck itself is straight and super smooth-it feels like glass. It is perfectly broken in with zero-drag and just feels right. The neck profile is best described as a vintage C shape with a nut width of 1.60". The neck depth measures .845" at the 1st fret and .933" at the 12th fret. It has an ink stamp of September 1966 with the "13" designation for Stratocaster and the "B" designation for standard 1 5/8" width. The tuners are the earlier pre-CBS style double row Kluson deluxe units and they are original to the guitar. The original 1967 Fender Dealer's Gold sticker from York Pennsylvania is still on the backside of the headstock..how cool is that? The peghead on a 1966 Stratocaster is actually thicker than previous years-and some say it gives the guitar more resonance and sustain-I can not argue with that-there is always something about this era of Strat that makes them sound so good. The headstock and logo display excellent-there is perpendicular line-checking across the front and back-it looks really cool and just adds to the vintage vibe. The metallic gold in the decal has a couple of flake spots-but it is stable and presents well. The single string tree guards the face of the headstock with gusto. It may be lonely but it stands strong. The Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard has a wavy grain that is really cool along with dark and light contrast up and down the fingerboard. It is clean with minimal wear-see photos. It has a really nice soft and smooth feel. The frets were professionally replaced at some point-you would never know though-they are the stock size spec. They have been professionally leveled and crowned and polished and are nice and high-ready for action. Speaking of action-this guitar has really low action that shreds like a modern guitar. The string height at the 1st fret is .010" and it measures .055" at the 12th fret. It plays really smooth and fast up and down the fingerboard with a soft, easy touch.
The pickups have an outstanding signal and balance. They measure 5.62, 5.74, 5.71 ohms in the bridge, middle and neck positions, respectively. But what about the sound? That's really the best part. This unit has the quintessential "bell'" tone and chime that you want in a 1960's Stratocaster. It really sounds just like Jimi's guitar Monterrey-you'll have to provide the playing part, I can't help you there. It has a hot signal that drives the bejesus out of any quality tube amp and sounds beyond incredible. It totally smokes my 1962, 1963 and 1965 Stratocasters in my personal collection. I have a late 1966 that sounds similar, and it was my Dad's so no replacing that one of course. This guitar has a center grey bobbin pickup along with black bobbin pickups in the bridge and neck. The date codes are within a couple of days: 1-20-67 for the neck and 1-26-67 for the middle, I can't quite read the bridge portion pickup. The harness was assembled by the well-known employee who wrote a big "Z"(some peeps say it is an "N" but they are wrong) on the bobbins near the ear... The cloth wiring is all untouched and there is factory tape holding everything together-also untouched. The entire harness looks great. The original tone capacitor is the early pre-CBS style .1 red pancake ceramic disc that is coveted for its quick decay and slightly muddy characteristic when turned to zero. The potentiometers all date to the 18th week of 1966 and they match perfectly. The switch has been converted to a 5-way via adding two notches in the stops. The patina perfectly matches the rest of the guitar so it certainly appears as an original3-way switch that was modded to a 5-way. The pickguard has the typical tiny crack above the neck pickup screw and otherwise-it is nice and clean and very flat. The original "Kaiser" labeled shielding is also in very good condition. The original bridge, saddles and vibrato are all nice and clean and function smoothly. The original vibrato arm is present and stays wherever you put it (YAY!)
This Stratocaster has a really nice weight, it only weighs 7.37 lbs so it won't fatigue your shoulder or neck.. It feels great and balances perfectly whether on a strap or in your lap. The guitar is lots of fun to play and is right at home everywhere! It's perfect for the player that wants to play his vintage Fender guitar on stage, in the studio or just on the couch. This guitar owns all of that.
The original hard case is in decent shape. The orange interior looks sexy and the original "duck foot" is present. A couple of the letters are missing from the logo on the outside and one end is split-the handle is covered in electric tape; but the case keeps the guitar safe.
