Fender 1963 Stratocaster

A 1963 Stratocaster with a Brazilian rosewood round board!! Player's condition with scratches and paint chipping that give it a real presence!! It has a thicker grip than the earlier models, making it comfortable to hold, and you can enjoy the fat sound full of vintage charm from being well-used.
This year saw noticeable changes, including one of the pickguard mounting screws being moved closer to the middle pickup, and the spacing of the dot markers above the 12th fret becoming narrower.

The cavity design hasn't changed much and retains the basic shape from the '60s. The handwritten-looking letters are probably the initials of the person who specified the colors and handled the processing.

The grooves for the wiring cords are straight and relatively long. Because this is done by hand, there is considerable variation between individual units.

Jack made by "SwitchCraft"RecruitThe rim of the jack cavity is not very worn down, and no pinholes are visible.

From 1963 onwards, a handle was attached to the neck pocket for painting, which caused the paint to split in half.

The body contour is shallow and small on both the top and back.

The body date inscribed in the Bosspring cavity can be identified as September 1963. This appears to be the last year that the body was dated.

The original pickups featured black bobbins, with black fiber paper used on both the top and bottom of the bobbin. From the latter half of '64, the color of the lower part of the bobbin was changed to gray fiber paper, and the pickups also began to have dating. The pickup magnets were cylindrical Alnico Type V, and the coils were "AWG (American Wire Gauge) #42". The pole pieces were of the "staggered" type, with different heights for each string to balance the volume, and this design continued until the mid-'70s.RecruitIt is being done.
*Alnico Type V: An alloy consisting of approximately 50% iron, with the addition of aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), and cobalt (Co). Incidentally, the name Alnico is simply derived from the arrangement of the element symbols.
◎For your reference

(F)6.11kΩ (M)5.84kΩ (R)6.23kΩ

While serial numbers are generally an important factor in determining the year of manufacture, they don't always match. This is because errors can occur due to changes in the manufacturing process and other systems, and for various reasons, some items may have serial numbers and manufacturing dates that are extremely far apart. Since parts can be easily replaced, determining the actual year requires a comprehensive assessment that includes all the parts.

The rubber tubing used as a pickup spacer was used until this year. Although this part often hardens due to aging, from '64 onwards, springs were used instead of rubber tubing.RecruitIt will be done.

Pots have been around since 1957RecruitTwo round-groove type potentiometers made by "Stackpole" have been installed. The volume potentiometer (made by CTS) and the switch have been replaced with a 5-way switch made by CRL. From 1961 onwards, orange ceramic capacitors were used.

This pickguard is commonly known as the "green guard." The celluloid top has yellowed over time, and the resulting mixture with the dark blue (which appears black but is actually navy blue) in the center gives it a greenish tint, hence the name. The aluminum shielding plate on the back, which previously only covered the control area, was changed to cover the entire pickguard from mid-1959 onwards.

The pickguard screw, which was previously located between the front and middle pickups, was moved closer to the middle pickup starting this year. This is another point that allows you to distinguish it from other models by its appearance.

From mid-1962RecruitA curved, rounded fretboard. "2" is the Stratocaster code number, "SEP (SEPTEMBER)" and "63" represent the month and year of manufacture, so in this case it would be September 1963. "B" indicates the neck size (thickness).

The oval-shaped neck has increased thickness and width. While the difference is only about 1mm compared to the early '60s flat type, the actual grip feels completely different. Personally, I like the thickness, but it would be even better if it had a slab construction...
◎For your reference

Nut width: 42mm, 12th fret width: 52mm
Neck thickness: Approximately 22mm (at the 1st fret), approximately 26mm (at the 12th fret)

The tuning pegs are covered type made by "Kluson". They are "single-line Kluson" with the "KLUSON DELUXE" engraving, but partway through this year they were changed to "double-line Kluson" with two rows of engraving.

The so-called "spaghetti logo" is gold with a black border. From 1961 onwards, patent numbers were added to the bottom. "2,573,254" relates to the Telecaster bridge, "2,741,146" relates to the synchronized tremolo, and from 1962, "2,960,900" related to body contouring was added. The string guide became tapered around 1963, and from the following year, the spacers were changed from metal to nylon.

The shape from the fretboard to the headstock has a large, gentle curve. Regarding the headstock thickness, while other instruments from the same year had a thickness of around 13mm to 13.5mm, this particular instrument was noticeably thicker, showing a significant difference.
◎For your reference

1st string side: approx. 15mm, 6th string side: approx. 15-15,5mm

Clay dots from 1959 to 1964. The dot marker on the 12th fret was located roughly halfway between the 5th and 2nd strings, but from 1963 onwards, the spacing between them narrowed inwards.
*The difference becomes clear when you compare it to the '59 model. This, like the pickguard, is another point to look out for.

This separate-type tremolo block integrates the "bridge" and the "inertia block," which functions as a tailpiece. The name "Synchronized Tremolo," which realized this innovative idea, comes from the fact that the integrated bridge plate and inertia block move in sync during arming. From around 1957, there were also types with a deeper groove for the "FENDER PAT.PEND." inscription on the saddle.RecruitHowever, it seems that there are quite a few individuals where both are confused.

The screws on the pickguard and jack plate were already changed in 1958, but from around 1962, the screws on the neck joint and spring hanger were also changed from wood screws to self-tapping screws. The serial numbers are in the "L series," with an "L" at the beginning; this was the specification from 1963 to 1965, after which, following the sale to CBS, a large "F" was stamped on the neck plate.