1965 Fender Stratocaster

This 1965 Fender Stratocaster is a current shop favorite! An excellent transition-era Strat with a trio of grey bottom pickups dated "MAY 26 64," an early '65 neck "2FEB65B," and a gorgeous Joe Riggio Burgundy Mist refin. Other modifications include re-shielding of the pickguard, an updated 5-way switch, and a re-fret for better playability. This Strat sounds incredible with signature liveliness and clarity and the neck feels fantastic with a fast, slim-C contour that feels great in the hands. An excellent Early CBS Strat! Includes original hardshell case.

 Check out the feature from our luthier Tyler in the ECG Newsletter:

"My first ever “real” guitar was a 1996 American Strat in Burgundy Mist with a rosewood board and matching headstock, so consider this to be a thoroughly biased asessment. 

This is absolutely one of the rarest and most beautiful custom colors Fender ever offered. Originally an Oldsmobile color for the 1959 model year, it was adopted by Leo for the first generation of custom colors available from ’60-’65. Why is it always the most interesting colors that show up the least? Midcentury musicians were a completely different breed. Lucky for us, this gorgeous metallic shade found its way onto a truly exemplary Strat.

On a slightly disappointing note, the body of this guitar has been refinished. However, it has been refinished by Joe Riggio of Riggio Custom Guitars, one of the most competent and respected vintage finish experts out there. (He’s also a prolific builder and local to the Seattle area, in addition to being a close friend of ECG.) Being one of the more scarce custom colors, it can be a challenging task to mix a burgundy mist that can fool a trained eye. But, as a shop that has seen many originals, we can say that Joe’s rendition is dead-on accurate. The aging is subtle from a distance, but the manner in which the lacquer has checked, shrunk, and become less glossy is completely true to a genuine 60-year-old finish. This is a perfect Strat for someone looking for an affordable 60s example with more vintage accuracy than the Fender Custom Shop can offer."